Except for Ro 5:18, which is the early church.
So why don't you just give a clear explanation of Ro 5:18 without violating the text or the context.
"the result of one trespass was the condemnation of all men."
We would welcome your "puttting your money where your mouth is."
I have already addressed that verse quite a number times, the problem is that there is simply no explanation that would satisfy you because you are not yielded to truth. You are yielded to the teachings of men passed down and developed since Augustine. That is the box you are unable to leave most likely due to an emotional attachment. You don't care what the Bible teaches in harmony, you don't care what the early church taught, you don't care about the historical fact that it was Augustine who brought Original Sin into orthodoxy. All you care about is dogma and proof texts.
Anything you say is vacuous because you cannot reason through things, you have turned your mind off in favour of rote dogmatism. It is impossible to reason with the unreasonable.
Rom 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
By the offense of Adam judgment came upon all men to condemnation. That is a true statement but the context is that the condemnation came on by way of all men following Adam's example, not that Adam automatically condemned all men.
Your interpretation of that verse has an innocent baby being condemned to the lake of fire by God for simply being born. Such an injustice does not bother you because you have seared your heart in favour of rote dogmatism. If you really want to think that the love of God is inclusive of condemning souls for no fault of their own then so be it, your god is a false god, your god is an evil figment of your imagination. You can quote Bible verses out of context until you are blue in the face but it will not change reality one bit.
If Romans 5:18 is teaching that Adam's sin automatically condemned all men then the free gift automatically comes upon all men unto justification of life. So if the first part of the verse is teaching automatic universal condemnation then the second part is teaching automatic universal salvation. Yet you won't teach that will you because you because you hold to the TULIP. The TULIP is your god, not God. You bend the word of God in accordance with what the TULIP teaches.
Let's back track a little for everyone's benefit.
Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
1. Sin entered the world by one man and death by sin.
2. Death passed upon all men because all men sinned.
Rom 5:13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
Rom 5:14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
3. Until the law (of Moses) sin was in the world. You don't need the law of Moses to sin.
4. Sin is not counted when there is no law.
5. Yet despite no law being in the world death still reigned between Adam and Moses.
6. Death reigned over them that sinned not in the same way Adam sinned.
7. Adam was a figure of who was to come (Jesus Christ).
Adam sinned by breaking a direct command of God, a command which we could call a law. Between Adam and Moses people still sinned but they did not sin by violating a commandment because the commandments were not given yet. How did they sin? They violated the law of conscience.
Rom 2:12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
...
Rom 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
Rom 2:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another
It is the conscience of men which accuses or excuses due to having the law written upon the heart. Every human being knows it is wrong to go kill their neighbour in order to use their lawn mower. That knowing is natural law through the conscience and that law utterly refutes the notion that we are "born evil" with ability to make the virtuous choice.
Rom 5:15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
Rom 5:16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
Rom 5:17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
Rom 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
Rom 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Adam's sin bringing death upon many is contrasted to how grace brings life to many. Everyone of those verses above is in the context of example and you want proof? Well keep reading...
Rom 5:20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
Rom 5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
1. The law entered so that sin would become more manifest. In other words the wrongness of sin would be made clear to people because of the law. Yet even when sin was abounding grace was abounding even more, in other words even though there was wickedness in the world the grace of God, ie. his mercy and divine influence upon the hearts of men was ever present and powerful.
2. Sin reigns unto death because that is the nature of sin. You sin you die. Sin produces death, SPIRITUAL DEATH. Yet this is contrasted to how grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ.
Let's keep reading because things become even clearer...
Rom 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Shall we keep sinning so God's grace will keep abounding more than sin? Shall we do that? Should we do evil that good my come? How does Paul answer?
Rom 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
NO! Paul answers. How could we continue to sin if we are dead to sin? Now Paul goes on to explain the MECHANIC of how Romans 5:18 actually works...
Rom 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Rom 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Rom 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
That is the passage most people ignore today because they don't want to do it. People want an automatic salvation by just professing a belief in Jesus. Very few realise that believing in Jesus really mean you abide in His methodology, just like Noah believed God and built the ark. Without the methodology nothing changes.
Rom 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by
the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
The free gift. It is a wonderful free gift.
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but
the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
A most marvelous and blessed free gift.
Eph 2:8 For
by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
The free gift is a MECHANIC or a MEANS which produces a result. The free gift is not salvation. The free gift is the MEANS to salvation. Most people hate the means, most people despise the means, most people scorn and mock the means. Most people just twist salvation into being the gift and throw the MEANS out the window together.
Romans 6 speaks of the MEANS. We are to DIE WITH CHRIST in the BAPTISM OF REPENTANCE wrought by a godly sorrow which works a crisis of conviction whereby we change our minds about sin and rebellion and CHOOSE to yield ourselves to God. That is conversion.
During conversion we crucify our old man which means we put off our old way of living a selfish life in rebellion to God and in putting that old man off through repentance we destroy the body of sin which is the habitual programming which besets a sinner. That habitual programming is destroyed once and for all through the crisis of conviction wrought in repentance. We no longer want anything to do with wickedness because we come to realise how evil, foolish and an offense to God it actually is. This is not merely saying sorry, this is the sorrow of Zacheus who was going to pay back four times what he stole in restitution, this is the sorrow of Nineveh where they put on sack cloth and ashes and proclaimed "who can tell if God will have mercy." This is the sorrow of the thief on the cross who confessed that he was getting what he deserved and that Jesus wasn't, there was no presumption that mercy would be granted. This kind of repentance is practically unknown today, this kind of repentance STOPS SIN in its tracks.
In dying with Christ in the Baptism of Repentance we can then be raised up to newness of life with Jesus Christ. This is regeneration. This is where God quickens the repentant soul back to life. God does this, not us, only God can regenerate a dead soul and forgive their sins. This is the moment we go from darkness to life and ALL THINGS become new and we are truly awakened for the first time and born again.
Very few people experience this because very few are willing to count the cost and pay that cost which is everything.
So the free gift is sitting there and can be utilised by all. The mercy seat is still open. How many will truly take advantage of it and approach God with a true heart seeking a true cleansing whereby they go and sin no more having truly been redeemed of all iniquity and made pure?
Not many because the way is narrow and the gate is strait and there be FEW who will strive to enter in thereat.
