The lesson sets the first Adam and the Last Adam side by side, in their uniqueness and in their parallels and contrasts. By a man came death, and by a man came the resurrection of the dead: as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. The slides call this the great reversal, and under the old phrase felix culpa they turn to Paul’s contrast between the first man, a living soul from the earth, and the Last Adam, a life-giving spirit from heaven.
Romans 5 fills out the comparison. Sin and death entered through one man and spread to all, but the free gift is not like the transgression. One sin brought condemnation; the gift brings justification. Those who receive the abundance of grace will reign in life through Jesus Christ, and through one man’s obedience many are made righteous, so that grace reigns to eternal life.