“Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more” (Romans 5:20).

The first half of Romans 5:20 paints a dark picture in several respects. First, this reference to the law points us to the Mosaic Law as it appears in the first five books of the Old Testament. Yet, even though “The law of the LORD is perfect” as we’re told in Psalm 19:7, our text from Romans 5:20 seems to imply something else…

“This is a difficult passage because it sounds as if Paul is saying that God gave the Mosaic law to make sin greater. Paul explains in other places that the law had many purposes, but his point here is that one effect of giving the law was to show that sin is sin.

Of itself, law doesn’t create sin. Rather, the evil disposition of our hearts creates sin. The role of the law is to define, condemn, expose, and reveal sin for what it is. Moreover, there is a sense in which the law’s very presence incites us to sin. Now, it does not incite righteous creatures to sin, but it does incite ungodly creatures to sin. One of the ways to provoke me to sin is to tell me there is something I’m not allowed to do. My rebellious nature, fueled by an evil disposition, motivates me to greater sin simply because the law prescribes certain boundaries and limitations.” ₍₁₎

So, much like a beam of sunlight that illuminates the airborne dust particles that might otherwise be invisible, the Law illuminates the depth of our failure to adhere to God’s perfect standard.

This verse also alludes to an earlier portion of this chapter from Romans 5:13: “…sin is not counted where there is no law” (ESV). Since it is impossible to charge someone with a violation of the law when there are no laws to violate, “God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were” (NLT).

Thus, it is virtually impossible to recognize our need for divine grace until we confront the severity of our failure to uphold God’s Law. Until we recognize the weight of our transgressions, we will find it difficult to appreciate our need for forgiveness. However, that dark image also points us to a more positive aspect of the Law’s function…

“Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24).

(1) Sproul, R. C. (1992). Before the face of God: Book 1: A daily guide for living from the book of Romans (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House; Ligonier Ministries

“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19).

“Obedience” and “disobedience” are two seemingly familiar terms. The first involves compliance and acceptance, while the second involves an act of refusal or a failure to obey. However, the original language of this passage highlights two aspects of the word “disobedience” that enhance our understanding of this verse…

“‘Disobedience’ is parakoe. This is one of the nine words for sin in the New Testament. It describes the nature of Adam’s first act of sin, the one act that plunged the entire race into sin with its accompanying degradation and misery. The word is made up of akouo, ‘to hear,’ and para, ‘alongside,’ the compound word meaning, ‘to hear alongside.’

Trench says, ‘Parakoe is in its strictest sense a failing to hear or a hearing amiss, the notion of active disobedience which follows on this inattentive or careless hearing, being superinduced upon the word; or, it may be, the sin being regarded as already committed in the failing to listen when God is speaking. It need hardly be observed how continually in the O.T., disobedience is described as a refusing to hear (Jer_11:10; Jer_35:17); and it appears literally as such at Act_7:57.” ₍₁₎

This same commentator adds…

“The nature of the sin of Adam was a careless, indifferent attitude towards the commands of God. The particular word which is translated ‘disobedience’ in Rom_5:19 (parakoe) means literally ‘to hear alongside,’ thus, ‘a failing to hear, a hearing amiss.’ But this failure to hear is due to a carelessness in paying attention to what God had to say. Back of that carelessness is the desire to have our own will.” ₍₂₎

This should prompt us to make a careful assessment of the chain of events that unfolded within the Garden of Eden. For instance, it has often been noted that Eve misquoted God’s directive regarding the forbidden fruit in her interaction with the serpent (compare Genesis 2:16-17 with Genesis 3:2-3). Knowing this, it’s easy to jump to the conclusion that Eve failed to listen closely as Adam conveyed those instructions.

But that conclusion relies on the assumption that Adam accurately communicated those instructions to Eve. With this in mind, we should consider the possibility that Adam was the one who wasn’t listening. If Adam had been listening to God’s directive carelessly or inattentively, it might explain why Eve misquoted God’s prohibition and why the serpent deceived her.

Perhaps Eve quoted Adam accurately, but Adam quoted God inaccurately. If so, then Adam may have failed to communicate the deadly seriousness of breaking God’s command. If that was the case, then we might consider the possibility that Adam set his wife up to fail through his inattention to God’s Word.

(1) Kenneth S. Wuest, Word Studies in the Greek New Testament [Romans 5:19] Copyright © 1942-55 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

(2) Wuest, Ibid. [Hebrews 2:1]

“Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life” (Romans 5:18).

The word “therefore” makes its third and final appearance here in Romans chapter five, as the Apostle Paul presents his concluding summary of this section: “One man’s disobedience placed all men under the threat of condemnation, but one man’s obedience has the power to present all men righteous before God” (Romans 5:18-19 Phillips).

Paul addressed a similar topic in the New Testament book of 2 Corinthians, a portion of Scripture that has drawn our attention on several occasions throughout this chapter…

“…God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:19).

This act of reconciliation concerns the restoration of two parties who were formerly in a state of opposition. When it comes to the relationship between God (party number one) and humanity (party number two), the last few verses of Romans chapter five remind us that our need for reconciliation stretches back to the very first members of humanity.

When the first human couple made a conscious decision to disobey God, they severed the relationship they had previously enjoyed with Him. Things were no longer very good between the Creator and His creation as they were in the beginning. That decision has affected every member of the human family ever since.

However, Jesus’ sacrificial work effectively reversed the consequences that originated from that act of disobedience. As Paul tells us in a familiar passage from 1 Timothy 2:5…

“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.”

The Biblical epistle of 1 John offers a further explanation…

“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [that is, the atoning sacrifice, and the satisfying offering] for our sins [fulfilling God’s requirement for justice against sin and placating His wrath]” (1 John 4:10 AMP).

Finally, one commentary discusses the far-reaching effects that were brought about by this act of reconciliation….

“Adam’s sin and ours bring death, but the obedience of Christ brings life. His obedience parallels Adam’s disobedience in that both acts affect others, but ‘the free gift’ of our salvation that results from His obedience is ‘not like the result of that one man’s sin’ (Rom. 5:15–16a). The latter brings condemnation; the former brings justification. We can add to Adam’s disobedience and incur more legal guilt before the Lord, but we cannot add to Christ’s righteousness and incur more legal righteousness.” ₍₁₎

(1) Constituting us Righteous. (2014, April 14). Ligonier Ministries. https://learn.ligonier.org/devotionals/constituting-us-righteous

“And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification” (Romans 5:16).

The word “condemnation” is a prime example of an emotionally charged word. Even the word itself sounds like an admonishment: condemnation. For example, we condemn unsafe buildings and convicted criminals. We condemn inappropriate actions and unprovoked attacks. We condemn moral injustices like lying, murder, and theft, and social inequities like pride, arrogance, and exploitive behaviors. In a world of pundits, critics, and commentators of every kind, we never seem to be far from expressions of condemnation.

Here in Romans 5:16, the word condemnation refers to a damnatory sentence. ₍₁₎ It also conveys an image of punishment to follow. ₍₂₎ If it were not for Christ and His substitutionary work of atonement on the cross, such condemnation would be the fate of every human being. But as Paul the Apostle will later tell us in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

“For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)” (Romans 5:17).

This passage employs an expressive word-picture in portraying death as a reigning monarch over human lives. This, of course, was the opposite of what the serpent promised Eve in the Garden of Eden if she partook of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That episode in the Garden of Eden also represents the first recorded example of the unethical “bait and switch” sales technique commonly employed by deceptive salespeople.

The bait and switch approach is a fraudulent sales practice that presents an attractive commodity at a low initial price (the “bait”) with the intent to provide a lesser or costlier alternative (the “switch”). Consider how the serpent applied this technique in Genesis chapter three…

“…the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God…’” (Genesis 3:2-5).

So, the bait took the form of something valuable and desirable: “You will be like God” (Genesis 3:5). The switch is revealed here in Romans 5:17: “The sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to be king over all…” (TLB). Thus, we should be thankful that Christ effectively canceled that transaction on our behalf.

(1) G2631 – katakrima – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (KJV). (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2631/kjv/tr/0-1/

(2) Condemn, condemnation – Vine’s Expository Dictionary of NT Words – StudyLight.org. (n.d.). StudyLight.org. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ved/c/condemn-condemnation.html

“But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many” (Romans 5:15).

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul the Apostle made use of an important literary tool here in Romans 5:14. His implement of choice was a literary device known as “contrast.” This involves placing two elements in opposition to one another. That provides an easy way to compare those elements and highlight their differences.

The remaining verses of Romans chapter five will contrast Adam’s transgression in the Garden of Eden and Jesus’ work to reverse the effects of that choice. Romans 5:15 presents us with one such contrast in speaking of “one man’s offense” in contrast to the “free gift” offered by “he grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ.”

This reference to a gift points to Jesus’ sacrificial, atoning death on the cross. That redemptive gift brings life to many, while Adam’s offense brought death to his descendants. Several Biblical translations use the word “trespass” to identify the nature of Adam’s offense in this verse. As mentioned earlier, that reference is highly instructive, for “trespassing” implies an act of willful disobedience.

Much like the person who knowingly takes a shortcut across a neighboring property only to be reprimanded by the property owner, this term highlights Adam’s deliberate act of insubordination. Romans 5:15 thus emphasizes the abundance of God’s grace in bringing many to salvation through Christ. Yet, to borrow a phrase from this passage, this gift involves much more…

“The free gift was not like the effect of an individual who sinned. The effect of Adam’s sin was merely negative: guilt was established; the effect of Christ’s sacrifice was not only negative — guilt cancelled — but positive, in that it included the bestowal of an imputed righteousness upon those who receive him, as well as an imparted righteousness in the person of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Hence the Atonement does not simply put us back where Adam was prior to the Fall; we are lifted far above the level from which Adam fell, because we partake of the divine nature…” ₍₁₎

So, Christ’s finished work effected a reconciliation between the Creator and His creation. God, in His mercy, chose to impute our trespasses to Christ, instead of holding us personally accountable for them when we accept Christ as Savior. Here again, we should note that Adam’s heritage is disobedience leading to death, while Jesus’ heritage is obedience leading to life.

(1) Archer, Gleason Leonard. The Epistle to the Romans. 1959. pg. 32

“Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam’s transgression. He is a prototype of the Coming One” (Romans 5:14 HCSB).

Biblical translators have employed several different strategies to communicate Adam’s role as a type of Christ. For example, consider how translators present Adam’s relationship to Christ in the various renderings of this verse. Here in Romans 5:14, Adam is depicted as…

• a figure [GNB].
• an image [GW].
• a pattern [NIV].
• a symbol or representation [NLT].

While these depictions are closely related, the Holman Christian Standard Bible (quoted above) takes a different approach. That version identifies Adam as a “prototype” of Christ. This is an apt depiction, for a prototype refers to the very first example of something. We can illustrate this idea with two modern-day expressions of this concept.

In a manufacturing environment, a company will often test a prototype before it releases that item for production. If the prototype fails in some respect, the company has an opportunity to make corrections in a controlled environment. In a similar manner, software developers often release alpha and beta versions of a product for testing and evaluation. Any issues or defects that emerge during the testing phase can then be rectified before the final product goes to market.

These examples serve to illustrate our text from Romans 5:14. Adam and Jesus were similar in the sense that their actions produced an effect on many others. However, Adam was much like a prototype that failed in the testing stage. That failure brought slavery, bondage, and death into the world.

In one sense, this Adamic prototype did not perform according to its intended specifications. We find those specifications in Genesis 1:28…

“And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'”

By following the serpent’s enticement in Genesis chapter three, Adam relinquished his God-ordained dominion over the natural realm. We see the ultimate result of that decision in the account of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness…

“And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, ‘To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will'” (Luke 4:5-6 ESV).

But now, the last Adam has succeeded where the prototype failed by reversing the effect produced by His forerunner’s sin. We’ll look at another contrasting element in this relationship between the first and second Adam next.

“Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come” (Romans 5:14).

As we continue with our sub-study of Biblical typology from Romans 5:14, we now stop to examine various aspects of Adam’s role as a type of Christ.

We can begin by noting Adam’s foundational position as the first human person who ever came into existence. Through Adam’s act of disobedience, sin and death entered the human realm. But now, Christ has come as the “last Adam” according to 1 Corinthians 15:45: “…’The first man Adam became a living being.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.”

To illustrate the relationship between the first Adam and the second Adam, Paul the Apostle will establish a series of contrasts beginning here in Romans 5:14 and continuing in the verses that follow…

In Adam, we have:	In Christ, we have:
Offense	Grace
Transgression	Justification
Judgment	Righteousness
Condemnation	Acceptance
Disobedience	Obedience
Death	Life

As we consider these characteristics, it becomes clear that the second Adam counteracts the negative effects that were brought about by the first Adam. Just as Adam caused many to be sinners through his act of disobedience, Christ has also caused many to be made righteous through His obedience. Paul expands on this idea in 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, where he says…

“Death came into the world because of what one man (Adam) did, and it is because of what this other man (Christ) has done that now there is the resurrection from the dead. Everyone dies because all of us are related to Adam, being members of his sinful race, and wherever there is sin, death results. But all who are related to Christ shall be made alive” (TLB).

Our shared lineage with Adam means that physical death is an inevitable part of our existence. In like manner, eternal life is a certain reality for those who are in Christ. Therefore, our eternal life in Christ is just as certain as our mortal death in Adam.

Adam’s heritage is disobedience leading to death, but Jesus’ heritage is obedience leading to life for all who accept Him. As we’re told in the New Testament Gospel of John…

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13).

“Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. (Romans 5:14 ESV).

Romans 5:14 employs typology as a literary device by presenting Adam as a “type” of the one who was to come. Typology involves the study of figures, representations, or symbols that stand for something else. In the original language of this passage, the word translated “type” evokes the image of a mark that results from a forceful impact. It can also refer to a pattern or model for making copies. ₍₁₎

A mechanical typewriter from the early twentieth century offers a fitting illustration. A mechanical typewriter works by converting the physical action of a keystroke into a printed character.

When a user presses a key, it activates a hammer that features a corresponding letter or symbol. The hammer strikes an inked ribbon that sits between the hammer and a sheet of paper, thus allowing the raised metal form to make an impression on the page.

So, just as a typewriter leaves a mark upon a sheet of paper, typology involves the use of patterns or metaphors that serve to represent other things. Some examples of Biblical typology include…

• A national entity (1 Corinthians 10:1-6).
• A structure (Hebrews 8:3-5).
• An action (1 Peter 3:18-21).

One of the more common expressions of Biblical typology involves the example of an individual person. For instance, Jesus cited the prophet Jonah’s experience as a type (or representation) of His death, burial, and resurrection (Matthew 12:38-40). In addition, the Biblical book of Hebrews presents Melchizedek, the king-priest of Salem (Genesis 14:18-20, Psalm 110:4) as a type of Christ (Hebrews 6:19-20).

Among all the Biblical personalities we encounter in the pages of the Old Testament, Adam is the only one who is described as a “type” in the New Testament. Adam received that designation for several reasons…

• Adam and Jesus are both seen as the first in a series of others who will follow.
• Adam’s disobedience produced a global effect upon his descendants, as did Christ’s atoning death on behalf of sinful humanity.
• Each man left an inheritance, and each brought forth significant life changes in his respective followers.

So, much like the first Adam, the last Adam (Christ) leads those who follow. Just as our common humanity links us to Adam, so too is Christ united with those who are in Him. Those who are associated with Adam share in his characteristics, but those who are in Christ share in a very different set of characteristics that we’ll explore in our next study.

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

Romans 5:13 presents us with a statement that may seem out of place within the surrounding text. However, this type of digression is a hallmark of Paul the Apostle’s literary style. In reading through Paul’s New Testament epistles, we often find that he goes “off topic” to discuss related subjects before returning to his primary thought.

We can find one example of this approach in 1 Corinthians chapter thirteen. There, Paul momentarily shifted his focus to the topic of love while in the midst of a comprehensive, three-chapter exploration of spiritual gifts. That brief diversion served an important purpose, for it established love as the foremost priority in the exercise of our God-given gifts.

This brief digression in Romans chapter five serves a similar purpose, for it reminds us that sin was present before the advent of the Mosaic Law. However, it is impossible to charge an offender with a violation of the law when there are no laws to violate. Nevertheless, a verdict of “not guilty” is not synonymous with a declaration of innocence in this instance, for sin was in the world prior to the law, as evidenced by the presence of death.

The following sources help clarify this idea. The first offers a helpful explanation, while the second provides a useful analogy…

“The term impute is used both legally and financially and means ‘to designate any action, word, or thing as credited to another person’s account.’ Biblically, Adam’s sin was imputed to all his descendants, and they are to be dealt with as guilty. It does not mean they are personally guilty of Adam’s sin, only that his sin was credited to their account, and thus every person participates in the guilt and penalty of that original transgression.” ₍₁₎

“How many of you have driven down your street for years and never had to stop at a certain intersection because there was nothing that required it. Then one day a stop sign is erected. Now the law has come in. From that time on, to fail to stop at that intersection is to break a command. If you fail to stop, you are subject to a penalty, even though you have been driving through that intersection without stopping for years without any penalty. But now the law has come in, and thus you break a command if you fail to stop.

In order to have death, Paul says, there had to be a command to break. But people were dying long before the Law was ever given. People died from the time of Adam to Moses, even people who never had a command to break. How could that be, if death is the result of breaking a command? Paul’s conclusion is: The whole race actually sinned when Adam sinned. We broke the command in Adam.” ₍₂₎

(1) GotQuestions.org. What is imputed sin? (2022, January 4). https://www.gotquestions.org/imputed-sin.html

(2) Excerpted with permission from Rejoicing In God © 1976 by Ray Stedman Ministries. All rights reserved. Visit www.RayStedman.org for the complete library of Ray Stedman material. Please direct any questions to webmaster@RayStedman.org. https://www.raystedman.org/new-testament/romans/rejoicing-in-god

“Sin came into the world through one man, and his sin brought death with it. As a result, death has spread to the whole human race because everyone has sinned” (Romans 5:12 GNB).

In the final installment of our look at this pivotal verse, we will finish with a topic that most of us probably seek to avoid: death. The core concept underlying the term “death” is rooted in the idea of “separation.” From a Biblical perspective, this act of separation takes three distinct forms…

• Physical death. Physical death occurs when a person’s spirit separates from his or her body, for “…the body without the spirit is dead…” according to James 2:26. In spiritual terms, we commonly associate the end of our mortal lives with the idea of a “first death.”
• Spiritual death. Spiritual death involves one’s separation from God. As discussed earlier, Adam’s deliberate act of disobedience severed the relationship he previously enjoyed with his Creator. The Scriptures characterize this state as a form of death. While physical death eventually came to Adam, the immediate result was spiritual death, or separation from God.
• Eternal death. The Biblical book of Revelation uses the term “second death” to describe one’s eternal separation from his or her Creator. This involves the idea of permanent severance from one’s Creator in a place of outer darkness and torment, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

So, the central theme of this passage revolves around the global impact of Adam’s transgression in the Garden. As one New Testament scholar observed, “The literal Greek which follows is, ‘And thus into all men death came throughout.’ That is, when death entered the race, it went throughout the race, affecting everyone.” ₍₁₎

The following source will close our look at this passage with a helpful analogy that illustrates this universal condition and God’s gracious act of reconciliation through Christ…

“If the leader of your country declares war on another nation, even though you personally may not fire a shot, be called to serve, or have your personal property threatened, you are at war with that nation. Because your leader is your federal head, your commander in chief, you are now at war with the other nation. It matters not whether you disagree with the war. You are a citizen, and you are at war. Thus, with Adam as our federal head (Rom. 5:12–21; 1 Cor. 15:21–22), we are, as a race, at war with God. In Christ, our new federal head, we are at peace with God (Rom. 5:1).” ₍₂₎

(1) Kenneth S. Wuest, Word Studies in the Greek New Testament [Romans 5:12-14] Copyright © 1942-55 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

(2) Persuasively preaching pronouns | Tabletalk. (2023, August 11). https://tabletalkmagazine.com/daily-study/2001/02/persuasively-preaching-pronouns/