Reading Adam and Israel as our body of sin/death

Here is an experiment: let’s read Romans 5.12-6.6 with the man Adam for the singular anthropos.

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through the one Adam, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one ‘s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one Adam Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of the one Adam’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one Adam Jesus Christ.

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one  Adan’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one Adam’s obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old Adam was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

And what about Romans 7.21-24?

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner Adam, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched Adam that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

I think this is worth contemplating….

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