“(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/

“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 KJV).

Our text from Romans 5:12 offers an opportunity to discuss another important theological concept: original sin. St. Augustine of Hippo (354 to 430 AD) introduced this term in the 5th century AD to explain the pervasive sinfulness of humanity and the need for God’s grace.

At first glance, the phrase “original sin” might lead us to believe that it refers to the first sin ever committed. However, this term describes the repercussions that arose from Adam’s decision to disobey God’s commandment in the Garden of Eden. As one theologian explains, “It is ‘original’ in that it comes from Adam, and it is also original in that we have it from the beginning of our existence as persons, but it is still our sin, not Adam’s sin, that is meant.” ₍₁₎

So, original sin (also known as inherited sin) denotes the sinful nature that is present in all human beings at the outset of their lives. Another Biblical scholar offers the following analogy to help explain this idea…

“As our legal representative, Adam sinned on our behalf, and we received the legal consequences of his choice. In other words, Adam had the God-given power of attorney for the whole human race, and when he exercised it for ill, the consequences of his sin were directly imputed to all of his posterity—which is all of us.” ₍₂₎

So this term offers a quick way to reference the effects of Adam’s act of disobedience as described here in Romans 5:12. The Biblical book of Ephesians also speaks of that effect and its resultant behaviors…

“Among these we as well as you once lived and conducted ourselves in the passions of our flesh [our behavior governed by our corrupt and sensual nature], obeying the impulses of the flesh and the thoughts of the mind [our cravings dictated by our senses and our dark imaginings]. We were then by nature children of [God’s] wrath and heirs of [His] indignation, like the rest of mankind” (Ephesians 2:3 AMPC).

However, the following verses highlight Jesus’ work to reverse that effect and bring us into right standing with God…

“However, God is rich in mercy. He brought us to life with Christ while we were dead as a result of those things that we did wrong. He did this because of the great love that he has for us. You are saved by God’s grace!” (Ephesians 2:4-5 CEB).

Thus, as Paul the Apostle concluded in his epistle to the church at Colossae…

“Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds as expressed in your evil actions. But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through his death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before him” (Colossians 1:21-22 CSB).

(1) Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, Second Edition (Grand Rapids, Ml: Zondervan Academic, 2020).

(2) Geisler, N. L. (2004). Systematic Theology: Sin/Salvation. Bethany House Publishers.

“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).

As we continue our extended look at this passage, let’s consider a few analogies that serve to illustrate the way our choices and decisions influence others. For example…

• A soldier on deployment, or a vacationer in a foreign land, may meet and marry a local resident and then return home with him or her. That decision will impact their descendants for generations to come.
• An expectant mother can promote the health and well-being of her unborn child by carefully managing her diet and lifestyle, as well as by limiting her exposure to harmful substances. In like manner, an expectant mother who engages in irresponsible behaviors may negatively affect the development of her baby.
• A decision to partake in drug or alcohol abuse often leads to pain and sorrow among one’s friends, family members, and others.

So, much like the consequences that follow our actions and behaviors, Adam’s descendants inherited his fallen condition as a consequence of his decision to sin. However, we also engage in sinful behaviors because we make conscious and deliberate choices to do so. In the words of James 1:14, “…each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires” (HCSB). Thus, we sin because we are sinners by choice and nature.

This leads us to a frequent question concerning the events that transpired in the Garden of Eden. Since Eve was the first person to partake of the forbidden fruit, we might ask why Adam shoulders the blame for that offense (Hosea 6:7).

The answer lies in Adam’s duty and obligation. First, God conveyed His directive to Adam concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Thus, God entrusted Adam with the responsibility to follow those instructions. Unfortunately, Adam failed to take the initiative and neglected to ensure that he and his wife adhered to God’s command.

If Adam had intervened during Eve’s discourse with the serpent, things might be very different today. But Adam chose to remain silent during their interaction. Furthermore, Eve was deceived according to 2 Corinthians 11:3 and her own testimony. On the other hand, Adam sinned deliberately (1 Timothy 2:14). That’s why Romans 5:14 will later refer to Adam’s sin as a “transgression.”

So while Eve was responsible for her sin, Adam was responsible and accountable as well. That’s why he gets the blame.

“So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all people because all sinned –” (Romans 5:12 NET).

The following author’s commentary on this passage warrants an extended quotation. Consider this insight concerning Adam’s role as humanity’s representative before God…

“Can I be held responsible for what someone else does? More particularly, can I be held responsible for what someone else does for me? The answer to these questions is yes. If I hire a gunman to kill someone, I am still responsible, even though I am not the person who pulled the trigger…

Have you ever asked someone to represent you at a meeting or in public office and then been disappointed in how he or she acted? I think most of us have experienced this. Your representative is fallible. You are also fallible in selecting your representative. Suppose God himself selected a representative who was completely sinless. We would have to agree that such a situation would be unobjectionable. That is exactly what happened when God created Adam to be our perfect representative. He acted as we would have had we been there.

Adam was created sinless and was perfectly designed for his job. Further, we cannot object that we would have better represented ourselves, presuming that we would never have fallen to sin. The all-wise God did not see fit to give us that opportunity; to protest would only suggest that our wisdom exceeds the Lord’s…

If someone could not act for me in Eden, no one could die for me on Golgotha. That rejects the only means of redemption offered by God.” ₍₁₎

This same author adds…

“…in the case of Adam, God selected our representative, and that was the only time, apart from the cross, in all of human history when we were perfectly represented. This is because God’s choice of a representative was a righteous choice by a perfectly holy being, and it was made on the basis of His perfect knowledge. He knew us in advance, and He knew our representative.

Therefore, we cannot say to God that Adam misrepresented us, which is the basic assumption we make when we try to escape the transfer of guilt. We think we would have acted differently than Adam if we had been in the garden. However, Adam represented us flawlessly because he was God’s chosen representative…

The point is that Adam was chosen perfectly by an omniscient, righteous God, and Adam did our work for us, according to God’s judgment. That is why the sin of one man brought about our ruin, and our only hope to escape from it is the righteousness of another representative.” ₍₂₎

(1) Sproul, R. C. (1993). Before The Face of God: Book 2: A daily guide for living from the Gospel of Luke (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House; Ligonier Ministries.

(2) Sproul, R. C. (2014). Everyone’s a Theologian: An Introduction to Systematic Theology. Reformation Trust Pub. [pg. 118]

“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12 CSB).

The singular “man” referenced here in Romans 5:12 relates to Adam, the very first human being. This raises a valid (and important) question: “Why should Adam’s transgression affect me?” In response, there are two reasons that help explain why Adam’s sin continues to impact us today.

First, theologians refer to Adam as the “federal representative” of the human race. In other words, Adam represents everyone who follows him. As the very first human being, every subsequent member of the human family maintains an intrinsic link to him.

The International Olympic Games help to illustrate this idea. For instance, every athlete who takes part in the Olympic Games is someone who represents his or her nation. Thus, if the Canadian ice hockey team wins an Olympic medal, we acknowledge “Canada” as the winner, even though a relatively small number of Canadians actually took part in the event.

Much like an individual team or athlete who represents his or her country in the Olympics, Adam represented humanity as well. Because of this, everyone who follows Adam is impacted by his sin. Of course, Jesus also serves as a representative of a very different sort, and we’ll examine that aspect of His ministry as we progress through the remaining verses of this chapter.

Adam’s transgression also affects us in another way. Just as a parent sets an example for his or her child, Adam also set an example for his descendants through his act of disobedience. Having only the example of Adam’s sin to emulate, his descendants continued to follow that example even to our present day. These illustrations help explain why Romans 5:12 tells us, “Just as through one human being sin came into the world, and death came through sin, so death has come to everyone, since everyone has sinned” (CEB).

Finally, those who object to Adam’s role as our Federal Representative may wish to consider how they might have responded if they were in Adam’s position. Remember that Adam was flawless and perfect in every respect when he came into existence. In light of this, can any of us reasonably maintain that we would have chosen differently if our roles were reversed? Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that God selected a representative who responded exactly as we ourselves would have responded if He had placed us in the Garden of Eden instead.

“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12 NIV).

Some view the Biblical account of Adam and Eve as nothing more than a myth that purports to explain the origin of humanity. But before we embrace that narrative, let’s first consider Jesus’ perspective on that view. For instance…

1. Jesus affirmed the historical validity of Adam and Eve in Matthew 19:4-6 and Mark 10:6–9. He also referenced Abel, a son of Adam and Eve, by name in Luke 11:51.
2. Jesus subsequently validated His teachings (including His perspective concerning Adam and Eve) through His miraculous works and His resurrection from the dead (John 20).

Thus, we can accept Adam’s literal, historic reality (as well as the analogy that follows in Romans 5:12-21) on the basis of Jesus’ testimony.

In order to fully appreciate this contrast between the first and second Adam from Romans chapter five, it may prove useful to start at the beginning of Adam’s Biblical account and work our way back. We can start with Genesis chapter one and the origins of the human family…

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:26-27).

Later we’re told, “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good…” (Genesis 1:31 NIV). So, God’s initial assessment of His creation (including humanity) was “very good.” He then issued the following directive to the man He created…

“…’You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it, you will surely die’” (Genesis 2:16-17 NIV).

Unfortunately, the first human couple elected to disobey those instructions, as most of us are well aware. That deliberate act of disobedience severed the relationship Adam once enjoyed with his Creator- and things were no longer very good.

The Scriptures characterize this state as a form of death. This differed from the type of death that we commonly associate with those who pass from this life. While physical death eventually came to Adam, the immediate result was spiritual death, or separation from God.

We’ll next consider how that single act of disobedience impacts us today.

“And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation” (Romans 5:11).

The term “reconcile” designates the act of settling a dispute or disagreement. In this context, it conveys the idea of restoration and the renewal of a harmonious relationship between God and humanity. This topic forms a recurring theme within Paul the Apostle’s Biblical epistles. For example…

• “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ…” (2 Corinthians 5:18).
• “…God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them…” (2 Corinthians 5:20).
• “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5).

This secondary reference to a mediator identifies someone who works to resolve the differences between two parties and bring them together. Of course, it’s important to note that many groups and individuals falsely present themselves as mediators between God and humanity. In fact, Jesus warned us to be alert to that unfortunate reality in Mark 13:5-6.

However, Hebrews 9:15 tells us that Jesus’ intermediary role is exclusive and superior to that of any other purported mediator…

“The Greek word… (mesite, ‘mediator’) in this context does not imply that Jesus was a mediator in the contemporary sense of the word, i.e., he worked for compromise between opposing parties. Here the term describes his function as the one who was used by God to enact a new covenant which established a new relationship between God and his people, but entirely on God’s terms.” ₍₁₎

So, anyone who seeks to be reconciled to God must approach Him through the mediator He has established. This is especially important for anyone who may seek to approach God through the intercessory efforts of saints, ancestors, and/or others. As Jesus Himself once said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

The Biblical epistle of 1 Peter offers some further information regarding Jesus’ mediatory work: “Christ also has suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). Therefore, we have no reason to fear when we approach God through Christ. There we will find love and acceptance through His atoning sacrifice on our behalf. As we read in the Biblical book of Hebrews…

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16 NIV).

(1) NET Bible notes on Hebrews 9:15 https://classic.net.bible.org/verse.php?book=Heb&chapter=9&verse=15&mode=print

“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life” (Romans 5:10 ESV).

When conversing with others, we might attempt to clarify a point by saying, “Let me explain.” Paul the Apostle adopted a similar approach in seeking to illustrate his earlier teachings here in Romans 5:10. But like many of the concepts we have already explored in our study of Romans, this passage conveys a truth that many find hard to accept: “We were God’s enemies…” (GNT).

While we might readily associate “God’s enemies” with murderers, tyrants, dictators, or other purveyors of evil, the reality is that sinful behavior has made everyone God’s enemy. As the New Testament epistle of James reminds us, “…the person who keeps every law of God but makes one little slip is just as guilty as the person who has broken every law there is” (James 2:10 TLB).

But now, “…Christ [has] reconciled us to God by dying for us” (Phillips). Much like an intercessor who works to establish peace between two opposing factions, Christ has mediated our reconciliation to God. Paul elaborated on this idea in his epistle to the church at Colossae: “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight” (Colossians 1:21-22).

We should also note that God takes the initiative in this reconciliation process. Unlike two individuals who meet to negotiate a peace treaty on equal terms, God acts unilaterally in reconciling human beings to Himself. Through the redemptive work of His Son, God has undertaken the mission of reconciling those who have offended and rejected Him.

So, humanity does not initiate the process of making things right with God. Instead, God has moved to make things right with us. The following source adds some additional insight regarding this idea…

“In pagan rituals, sacrifices were made by people trying to placate God. In Christianity, it is never humans who take the initiative or make the sacrifice. It is God himself who, out of his great love for sinners, provides the way by which his wrath against sin may be averted. In Jesus, God placates his own wrath against sin so that his love may go out to save sinners.” ₍₁₎

We’ll explore these related themes of reconciliation and meditation in greater depth next.

(1) Boice, J. M. (2005). Romans: Justification by Faith (Romans 1-4). Baker Books. [p.375]