Let's open our Bibles to Romans 5:12-19

If you're in Adam, you are under the reign of death, but if you're in Christ, you will reign in life, because Christ's gift is greater than Adam's sin

If you are in Adam, you are under the reign of death (5:12-14)

Sin and death entered the world through Adam and "in Adam," we all sinned

God appointed Adam as the representative head of the human race

The proof that Adam's sin affected the entire human race is that death is universal

All of Adam's descendants are implicated in his sin and die

All of Christ's descendants are counted as righteous, not because of their individual deeds of righteousness, but because of Christ's righteousness

If you are in Christ, you will reign in life because Christ's gift is greater than Adam's sin (5:15-17)

The work of Christ is greater than Adam's sin because it displays and dispenses the abundance of God's grace

"Many" is not viewing the affected groups numerically, but qualitatively

"Much more" refers to the superlative nature of salvation over judgment

The work of Christ is greater than Adam's sin because it overcame many sins to freely bestow justification

Christ's work is greater than Adam's sin because it overcame the great devastation that resulted from Adam's sin

The work of Christ is greater than Adam's sin because rather than bringing the reign of death, it causes those who receive it to reign in life

God doesn't just forgive your sins, He also bestows the positive righteousness of Christ to you

To sum up: Through Adam's sin all were condemned as sinners, but through Christ's righteousness all in Him are justified (5:18-19)

Since the universal problem of the human race is sin, the universal solution is the gospel

If the universal problem is guilt by identification with Adam's sin, then salvation cannot be through adding our good works

If we are in Christ, our salvation is secure not because of anything in us, but because we are in Him