The End of Death's Reign
6/17/25 Bible Thought (Romans 5)
All of us can see the consequences of the original fall into sin on a regular basis. The fact that sin has plagued and marred God’s good creation is something we can all agree with, even the atheist and agnostic can see: this world has problems.
However, the root of the problem is where we would disagree. While anyone can recognize the effects of sin, not all would attribute the cause to sin. Yet, for the Christian, the Scripture is so clear that, “sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin (Rom. 5:12).
Adam’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden was a cosmically influential deed. It was a flagrant act of rebellion against the Creator. As a result, sin and death entered the creation and all Adam’s offspring are born with the condition of sin and participate in it.
Yet, just as true as these negative things are, so the gospel is true.
While we are born and placed “in Adam” we can be born again and placed “in Christ.” For those with this hope, the Scripture says,
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:1-2).
For those in Christ, the greatest reversal has occurred. No longer are we under the reign of sin and death, but we’re under the reign of righteousness and life! We’re no longer sentenced to separation, but we’re invited into relationship. We’re no longer hopeless, but we can have hope. We’re no longer alienated, but we’re adopted as His children.
In Romans 5, the apostle Paul is at pains to show us how much greater our standing is in Christ. If Adam’s sin was so effective in its scope and tragic in its consequences, how much more will the second Adam’s act of obedience be effective on behalf of those who believe?
We live in the dawn of a new age. We still deal with the effects of sin every day. We still wrestle with temptation. We still are subjected to the sins of others—yet, amidst all of this, there is now a hope of eternal glory that changes everything.
Just as Adam’s sin brought condemnation and death, so Jesus’ obedience brings about our justification, grace, and life.
As Paul further claims,
“For if, because of one man’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 man Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:17).
Death has had its reign. Death reigned from the Garden of Eden until the Garden of Gethsemane. But when the second Adam triumphed over temptation and willingly went to Calvary for our sins He brought about life! Life eternal.
Now, to the receivers of grace there is a hope that we will reign in life, eternally, through Jesus Christ. Death’s reign has been overthrown. We are heading for life eternal and glory beyond compare. This is what is to come for the believer in Jesus Christ and that hope will not put us to shame (Rom. 5:5).
We might look at the world today and be burdened by its sin and the chaos of life down here, but for those who have received the gracious gift of salvation this isn’t the end of the story.