For He Was Yet in the Loins of His Father

2020-01-01

And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham. (10) For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him. (Hebrews 7:9-10)

To make the case for every human being born a sinner and to describe the nature of sin, I had previously used this passage to describe how a human exists in his ancestor long before he was born. Here, Levi, the father of the priestly tribe was in his great-grandfather Abraham’s body long before his grandfather Isaac was born.

Again, we see that when Seth was born, he inherited his father’s sinful nature:

This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; (2) Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. (3) And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth (Genesis 5:1-3)

We see in Genesis 5:1, that God created Adam in His likeness, but there is also the subtlety that when Adam’s son was born, Seth was born after his father’s sinful likeness (Genesis 5:3). Not many debate these passages. But what of the one who is born again in Christ? Does the same rule apply? Was the born-again Christian, who is the new creature begotten again of the word of God, in the loins his father?

The answer is yes, and it is a fuller reality than that of the flesh in Adam as we see in Romans 5:12-21.

Adam Versus Christ

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: (Romans 5:12)

Because Adam sinned, as a progenitor of the entire human race, everyone after him was born a sinner and therefore died.

(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. (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. (Romans 5:13-14)

The law was not given until the days of Moses. If sin was not imputed to the sons of Adam, why did they continue to die? They were born with a sinner’s nature because of their ancestor Adam, even if sin were not held to their account.

Also, what does it mean to have “sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression”? Adam was given a commandment by God Himself (Genesis 2:16-17), before Eve was created (Genesis 2:18-25). Eve may have been deceived, as she was not alive when the commandment was given. This is not to excuse her, but Adam outright rebelled against God (Genesis 3:6). He heard the commandment from God and rejected it in favor of Satan’s lie. Nobody else received direct commandments from God like that until Moses at Sinai. Being Adam’s descendants, all people were born rebels because Adam rebelled. They might not have known the law, but they know the morality of the law to a certain degree: “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” (Romans 2:15). We are by nature sinners; we are by nature like our ancestor Adam.

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. (Romans 5:15)

This is the first comparison of Adam to Christ. Everyone born from Adam will die. Everyone born of Christ receives “the grace of God, and the gift by grace.” Note the phrase “much more.” This gift of grace is more abundant in the children of God than death was in the children of Adam. The gift here is “grace.”

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. (Romans 5:16)

Next, we see that condemnation was passed on to the entire human race because of Adam. In Christ, the forgiveness of sins and justification (being declared righteous) was passed on to all the children of God.

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.) (Romans 5:17)

Death reigns over the descendants of Adam. In Christ, we see another reference both to grace and righteousness, as we saw in the previous verses. However, those who received both grace and righteousness in Christ “shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.” We receive power in His resurrected life; it is also a part of the new nature and the new man in Christ.

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. (Romans 5:18)

Notice the use of the phrase “all men.” Everyone who is born in Adam received judgment and condemnation. Likewise, everyone who is born in Christ receives the gift of righteousness and justification of life. This is not about universalism, but all the descendants of the given progenitor receive the traits of the same.

For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. (Romans 5:19)

We were made sinners by Adam; we shall be made righteous by Christ. There is a tense change here, as we are not completely experientially righteous now, but will be in the resurrection.

Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: (21) That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:20-21)

The law came to show us the need for a Savior (Romans 3:20; 7:7, 13; Galatians 3:19), and how hopeless we are to find anything within ourselves to bring us merit before God. The grace that God showed to us is that much more magnified. As children of God, we receive that grace, and grace is unmerited by definition.

This passage is not in isolation; we also read this in the famous resurrection passage:

But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. (21) For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. (22) For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. (23) But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. (1 Corinthians 15:20-23)

Here we see that we will be like Christ in that we also will be resurrected to life from the dead.