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God told Adam that when he ate the forbidden fruit he would die (Genesis 2:17). He was not instantly struck dead. But he was spiritually separated from God, the source of his life. Being banished from the tree of life he was sentenced to eternal death. This is now the position of all Adam’s children: separated from God and spiritually dead. See Ephesians 2:1-3.
1. Read Romans 5:12-21. The passage contains good news and bad news. The good news has to do with those who are related to Christ. We will get to that in a later study. The bad news concerns those who are related to Adam - the whole human race apart from Christ. What does Paul say was the consequence of Adam’s sin for us? (Romans 5:12,17)
2. Dead men cannot do anything! Read the following scriptures: John 6:44; 1 Corinthians 2:14; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Romans 7:18. What do they tell us that we are unable to do apart from Christ?
3. But all is not lost! The solution is not in what we do but in what God does for us. Paul describes salvation as a gift. How many times does he use that word in Romans 5:15-17?
4. Read Ephesians 2:4-9. Why did God plan the way of salvation to be entirely dependent on his gift?
5. Read Mark 10:17-27. What kind of person was Jesus dealing with?
6. If anybody could have done anything to earn his salvation it was this young man. He had everything going for him: youth, wealth, influence, morality. But how did Jesus rate his prospects of receiving eternal life? (Mark 10:23-25)
7. The problem was not really money; the disciples understood that this dilemma confronted anybody who wanted to be saved (Mark 10:26). We all tend to come to Jesus with our wealth (finances, ability, personality, morality). But what does Jesus think of all that? (Mark 10:21)
8. Paul was like the rich young ruler in his early years: a wealthy, well-educated, influential, religious Jew. Read Romans 7:18; Philippians 3:3-15. How did Paul come to view himself later?
9. Humanly speaking, given the fact that we are descendents of Adam and have inherited the death penalty he incurred (and have deserved it ourselves on account of our own sins),salvation is an impossible dream. Where does Jesus see any hope in the situation? (Mark 10:27) Compare Jesus’ response with John 6:44; Romans 9:16.
This Biblical view of man’s spiritual deadness should not create despair. Salvation is “Mission Impossible” – but God raises from the dead! It throws us back to the place where Adam and Eve should have been all along: living in total dependence on God. And while we can do nothing to earn or achieve our salvation, in his mercy he is able to do it all. Praise him for the gift of his grace.
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