On August 2, Kuala Lumpur Immanuel Church held its first Sunday service of the month and meditated on the work of salvation and life opened through the obedience of Jesus Christ.
During the service, which was presided over by Leader Dorcas Lim, Brother Benjamin Chang led the intercessory prayer, and Brother Joel Chang offered the offering prayer.
On behalf of Pastor Samuel Chang, who was visiting Korea, Pastor Maryon Kim delivered a sermon titled “By the Obedience of One, Many Will Become Righteous,” based on Romans 5:12–21.
In her sermon, Pastor Kim examined how the disobedience of the first Adam brought sin and death into the world, while the obedience of the last Adam, Jesus Christ, brought righteousness and eternal life. Grounding the exposition in Paul’s theology, she explained how humanity became entangled in a cosmic power of sin that acts as a harsh ruler over mankind.
Addressing a common stumbling block for believers, Pastor Kim tackled the doctrine of Original Sin, which teaches that Adam’s transgression was imputed to all humanity. Many struggle to accept why an individual’s ancient choice should affect modern generations, often dismissing the concept as illogical or unfair. However, she emphasized that Scripture views humanity through the principle of corporate solidarity and federal headship.
Drawing parallels from 1 Corinthians 15, Pastor Kim contrasted the two figures: the first Adam, who was made a living soul from the earth, and the last Adam, Christ, who became a life-giving spirit from heaven. While Jewish tradition and biblical history acknowledge that Adam’s fall introduced spiritual and physical death, humanity’s shared experience proves that sin is an undeniable structural reality in the world.
The sermon utilized the theological concept of representation to explain how a head influences an entire body, much like an interconnected organic system. Just as humanity was bound to the old head, Adam, in a shared legacy of disobedience and condemnation, believers are now united to a new head, Jesus Christ.
Pastor Kim illustrated this journey using the Chinese character for “way” or “road” (도, 道), which combines the radicals for “head” (首) and “walking” (辶). This imagery demonstrates that humans naturally walk the path dictated by whichever head they follow—either remaining under the old, fallen lineage of Adam or walking the new path of eternal life.
Expanding on the doctrine of Original Righteousness, she highlighted that just as condemnation spread through one man’s trespass, God’s abundant grace and gift of righteousness flow through Jesus Christ. Even though sin and death reigned heavily from Adam to Moses, God’s grace abounded all the more where sin once reigned, securing eternal life for believers.
Concluding the powerful message, Pastor Kim posed a vital, defining question to the congregation: “Are you in Adam, or are you in Christ?” Citing Romans 8:1, she reminded believers that those who are truly in Christ Jesus experience no condemnation, having passed from the reign of death into the glorious freedom of the new era of life.
After the service, the attendees enjoyed lunch and shared a blessed time of fellowship over the meal, discussing future mission plans.