“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