“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