Praise the Lord that the book of Romans is not just a declaration that all men are guilty before a holy God and stand under his just, wrathful, condemnation. Paul begins Romans in that manner so that when he unfolds the Gospel as Good News it will ring in our ears as Beautiful, Wonderful, Good News!
In Romans 5 Paul explains two doctrines of the Gospel; original sin and alien righteousness or imputed righteousness. Original sin is the teaching that since everyone comes from Adam, we are all born alienated from God. We are born with sinful hearts, and we will soon express the deadness of our hearts through committing actual, willful sins. When Adam fell in Genesis 3, he essentially brought us down with him because he passed down a fallen nature. Therefore, since we are all in Adam, we are all sinners. We are all guilty before God.
However, God has made a way to save a sinful race. He has sent a Second Adam, who is Christ. Christ accomplished perfectly what Adam so miserably failed to achieve. That is, Christ perfectly and completely fulfilled the Law of God in action, word, and intention. As a result, just as being in Adam results in sin and death, being in Christ results in righteousness and life. Christ’s perfect life has earned perfect righteousness before God. When we embrace Christ as Savior, we are found “in him,” he grants us his perfect righteousness. Therefore, in Christ we are right before God.
Romans 5:19 – “For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.”
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