Romans 5 - Introduction

D. IMPUTED GUILT OF THE FIRST SIN (Ch. 5)

We make no attempt (beyond what is said in the notes) to clear upthis Doctrine, which approaches as nearly as well can be to completemystery, and leans upon relations between the Head of an intelligent Race and that Race which are probably "knowable" by the Eternal alone. All that we do here is to clear up the statementof the Doctrine; which means not that the Omniscient Judge is to be held to think of every individual man as having done Adam's sin, but to hold every individual man (because of the mysterious link between him and the Head of his Race) liable to penalty because Adam sinned.

Exactly thus, we are not asked to believe that the Omniscient thinks of the justified as having personally satisfied His Justice, but that He holds them (because of their connexion with the Head of the New Race) accepted because Christ obeyed.