12 On account of this, just as sin entered into the world through one man and death entered through sin, and in this way death spread to all people, and upon the basis of this death all sinned. 13 For until the law, sin was in the world. But sin is not reckoned when there is no law. 14 But death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam’s transgression, who is a type of the one to come (5.12-14).
Paul stretches back into the beginning of the world, back to the opening pages of Genesis. How did we get to where we are today? It is on account of one man and one sin. Sin entered the world through one man, Adam. When Adam sinnned a foreign power invaded God's good creation. Sin entered the world. And when sin entered the world, just as God said would happen if Adam disobeyed his prohibition, death entered the world with sin. Becuase of this sin and the entrance of death upon God's good creation, all those who are born into the likeness of Adam are born into a world with death and sin, they are born alleinated from God, in rebellion against him. Because all born in Adam are born into death, all who are born into death sin.
After establishing this, Paul goes on to talk about how even before the giving of the Law through Moses, sin was in the world. All in the likeness of Adam sinned, even before the Law was given. But the sin was not reckoned until the Law was given. This does not mean that sin was still not sin. God punished humanity in the days of Noah (Genesis 6-9) and he brought judgment upon humanity at Babel (Genesis 11). But this sin of these times was not the same type of sin as Adam. It was sin, and still punishable by death, but it was not transgression. Transgression is the specific violation of a command or prohibition. There was a great deal of sin with the generations between Adam and Moses, but there was no transgression.
This section then takes a turn from talk of sin, death, and transgression to discuss the typological correspondence between Adam and Jesus. This will be the subject of the next post.
Until, then, though I have a bit more to chew on because a thought just hit me. Paulos, let me know what you think of this along with the translation and commentary above. Paulos, in v. 14 above Paul makes a link between Adam and Moses. The link being that both Adam and Moses heard commands and prohibitions, in other words, both Adam and Moses (representing Israel) were in covenant with God. Now, I know that is nothing new, but this is what is new for me, or at least deeper. That is, wouldn't Paul's connection here between Adam and Moses give fuller weight to Wright's arguments that Israel was a new Adam, and that God was setting up Israel to answer the problem began with Adam's sin, which is ultimately resolved in the True Israel, Jesus? Do you see what I am seeing? Paul does not mention Noah, even though he heard commands and prohibitions, and even though God made a covenant with creation. Why did he not mention Noah? Because Noah was not given in a way that Israel was. God was calling Israel as a means of righting the wrong of Adam. Granted the connection is implicit, but I think it adds weight to what I hear Wright and others talking about. What do you think?
Thanks for the help, the patience, and the counsel! Grace to you my wise, pater.
No comments:
Post a Comment