“For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression” (Romans 4:15 ESV).
The following commentator considers these twin references to the law from Romans 4:15 and broadens their scope beyond the members of Paul the Apostle’s first-century Jewish audience…
“The first use of this term has the Greek ARTICLE while the second does not. Although it is dangerous to draw too much attention to the presence or absence of the Greek ARTICLE, it seems in this case to help show that Paul was using this term in two senses.
1. the Mosaic Law with its Oral Tradition in which some Jews were trusting for their salvation
2. the concept of law in general
This wider sense would include the self-righteous Gentiles who conformed to this or that cultural code of ethics or religious rituals and felt accepted by deity based on their performance.” (1)
This brings us to the word “transgression” that appears within this passage. Though seldom used today, this word denotes an important Biblical concept. A “transgression” refers to a deliberate or willful act of misconduct. In other words, a transgression occurs whenever someone deliberately and purposely acts in violation of a known ordinance or law. Another commentary offers a definition of this word that expands on these meanings…
“Transgressions (Gr parabasis) mean a step beyond a fixed limit into forbidden territory. It is a willful act of violating an explicit law, overstepping what is right into the realm of what is wrong. The law was added much later to make men conscious of the existence and the extent of sin (Rom 3:19; 5:20). The law was added to reveal sin, not remove it. To show men the need of righteousness, not to be a means of securing righteousness.” (2)
The final portion of this verse serves to clarify this idea: “…where there is no law there is no transgression either” (NET). For instance, an action or behavior may still be wrong even if there is no law that prohibits it. However, that action or behavior becomes a transgression when we knowingly defy a law that forbids it. Thus, as Paul will go on to say in the following chapter…
“Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did…” (Romans 5:13-14 NLT).
(1) Dr. Bob Utley. Free Bible Commentary, Copyright © 2014 Bible Lessons International. Romans 1. (n.d.). https://www.freebiblecommentary.org/new_testament_studies/VOL05/VOL05_04.html
(2) Hindson, E. E., & Kroll, W. M. (Eds.). (1994). KJV Bible Commentary (p. 2387). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.