Jesus' Blood and Righteousness by Brian Vickers

Author:Brian Vickers
Format: epub, pdf
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

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JESUS’ BLOOD AND RIGHTEOUSNESS

“because” they sinned in Adam, apart from personally committing sin.80 The guilt of Adam’s sin spreads to all.81 This view rightly recog­ nizes the forensic nature of the statements in verse 19 and consistently applies that understanding to the phrase ef j j w/ pante~ h | v marton.82 { Moreover, this view seeks to understand verse 12 contextually by read­ ing it in light of the following verses that repeatedly emphasize the actions of the one having direct consequences on the many: many died because of one trespass (v. 15); condemnation was the result of one transgression (v. 16); death reigns through the trespass of one (v. 17); condemnation came to all men as a result of one man’s transgression (v. 18); and many are “made sinners” through the disobedience of the one (v. 19).83 The “all sinned” of verse 12 is read consistently as the con­ sequences of the sin or trespass of the one man in verses 15-19 that results in death, judgment, and condemnation for the many. Another contextual argument for this view is the consistent way in which the thought begun in verse 12, broken off through verses 13-17,84 and taken up again in verse 18 is followed through. The unfinished prota­ sis of verse 12 is not exactly finished in verse 18, but it is essentially restated and completed.85

One shortcoming of this view is that it comes very close to reading kai ; outw~ (“and so,” “and in this way”) as if it were outw~ kai(so also). { { ; It is almost universally recognized that the protasis of verse 12 (“For as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin. . . .”)

80 The implications for the Adam-Christ parallel are usually set forth as the strongest reasons for tak­ ing this view. See Murray, Imputation, 70; and John Piper, Counted Righteous in Christ: Should We Abandon the Imputation of Christ’s Righteousness (Wheaton: Crossway, 2002) 92-93. In sum, if the meaning is not “because all sinned,” i.e., had Adam’s sin been imputed to them, then the door is open to say that personal acts of righteousness may contribute to being “made righteous” (v. 19). This con­ clusion does not necessarily follow. If verse 12 is understood as providing a condition for the con­ demnation of humanity and the universal spread of sin which does in fact account for personal sins, then there is no lingering concern that the integrity of Christ’s obedience as the sole action that leads to being “made righteous” will be injured.

81 There is disagreement as to whether Adam’s sin is imputed to his posterity mediatley or immedi­ ately. See Murray’s extended discussion in Imputation, 42-64.

82 This is not at all to say that the other views miss the forensic nature of this text, at least in regard to how Christ’s obedience counts for our righteousness, but the representative view follows the com­ parison consistently into the relationship between Adam and his posterity as well.

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