1. Sin and death entered through one man (12-13)

The gospel is rooted in history. God is the Creator of the world, and he is the Sovereign Lord of history. But the course of history can be changed by one man. Sin entered the world through one man Adam, when he deliberately disobeyed God. Death entered the world through sin. All men die, because all men sin. The law, given through Moses, defines sin. But even in lawless times when people could not (and cannot) diagnose sin as sin, it still infects the human race and brings death. Humanity's greatest problem is the sin problem.

2. A pattern of the one to come (14)

Adam was a pattern of Jesus. One man, Adam, changed the course of history; one man, Jesus, also changed the course of history. When we believe in Jesus and obey him, we move from Adam's history into Jesus' history. Jesus' history moves toward God and life; Adam's history moves toward death and hell.

Application: Lord, help me to stand firmly in Jesus' history. Let my one life be a blessing and make a difference for good.
One Word: One person is important