Romans 5:12-21

12-14 15-17 18-21

12-14

12

Paul begins another section here with therefore, building on what came before in chapter 5, that Christ died for our sins, now showing Adam as a type of Christ. But unlike Christ who takes away the sin of the world Adam’s fall brought sin into the world. Sin came in through Adam, and death through sin, both spiritual death and also physical death. This curse of death then spread to all men because we all sin, not just the active defiance of God but also the inherent sin nature that we recieved from Adam and Eve whom all peoples have come. The thought that Paul is making here is not finished before he goes to a different tangent thought in verses 13-16, this is even represented in many of the translations with a dash or a colon, or a colon and a dash in the ASV. In verse 17 Paul restates verse 12 and also finishes the thought.

13

Verse 13 starts a the tangent thought to verse 12. Before the law was given to Moses by God there was sin in the world, an ever abundant amount of sin was in the world, so much that God sent the flood to wipe out humanity but spared Noah and his family. They in turn populated the world again but death sill reigned because sin still reigned in our nature. The last part of verse 13 is referring back to what was said in Romans 4:15 “For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.” which also calls back to Romans 3:20 “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” Paul may bring this argument in to start to show that sin and death is universal, and some of the Jews may believe that there can be no sin and then no death apart from the law.

14

Then moving into verse 14 he immediately points out that everyone from Adam to Moses died, death reigned and had dominion over men from the fall to Moses even before God gave his written law. Before the law was given there was the natural revelation and God’s law written on the heart of everyone, sin is universal in creation since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The last part of verse 14 points out that everyone after Adam did not sin in the very same way as Adam and Eve did, Adam and Eve directly and willfully disobeyed the one and only commandment God had made when he put them in the garden, do not eat the fruit of that tree, everyone from Adam to Moses still sinned by their nature imputed upon humanity from Adam but it is transgressions on the natural law as opposed to the direct law given by God to Adam, then explicitly saying that Adam is a type of Christ. A type of Christ in that the act of one effects the many, from Adam sin and death and through Christ forgiveness and salvation.

15-17

15

Verse 15 starts to dive deeper into comparing the two works, Adam and his trespass and Christ the gift. Here in verse 15 and again in verse 18 Paul uses the same word to mean different groups, in verse 15 many, and in verse 18 all. Here in verse 15 Paul says that many died through the sin that was brought into the world through Adam, Paul uses the Greek work polys here and the same Greek word later in 15 but the first use of polys in describing the extent of sin through Adam and is widely agreed to mean all, as that was already established in verse 12 “so death spread to all men because all sinned” Going on stating that the grace of God is much more and this free gift of grace through the one man Jesus Christ abounded for many, polys again but this time actually meaning many, the many that would be given to Christ by God. The key part to grasp in this verse is the much more of the grace of God. Sin and death are universal and infecting every single human being, and not just one sin, a multitude of sins every day but much more does the grace of God through the free give of salvation and justification through Jesus Christ abound. Even though through Adam’s sin and thus death reigned universally the work of Christ was much more in abundance, thus showing that even though Adam was a type of Christ the effectiveness of Christ is much more than the universal condemnation work of Adam.

16

Verse 16 shows another difference in the work of Adam and the work of Christ, even though we have been pretty much saying this difference every time the two are compared, Paul specifically points out the outcome of the work of Adam, his one trespass brought condemnation, and the free gift, the work of Jesus, even after many trespasses from the human race brought justification, side note trespass meaning a false step, or to step over or out of the right and holy and into sin.

17

Verse 17 brings back the original thought from verse 12 and finishes the comparison between Adam and Christ, from one man, Adam, sin and death entered into the world and reigned over all, but much more is the abundance of grace in the free gift of righteousness that will reign and bring eternal life through the one man Jesus Christ.

18-21

18-19

Therefore, or in light of the deep dive into the comparison of Adam and Christ in verses 13-16 leads to the next thought, but before stating that next thought Paul again sums up 12-17 in 18 & 19. The trespass of the one man Adam led to condemnation for all men, but the one act of righteousness from Jesus leads to justification and life. Paul uses the same Greek word in both places in verse 18, pas, but the use of pas the second time is meaning all that belong to Christ, all that the Father has given him. Through the one man’s, Adam’s, disobedience led to sin for the entire human race, and so by the one man’s, Jesus’, obedience the many that are given to him will be made righteous.

20

In light of all that has been said in verses 12-19 Paul shifts to talk again about the law. The law was given to show the perfect Holiness of God and how much man falls short of that perfection, so the law showed man how much of an increase in his trespasses there really was, but the increase of the sin was not too much for the grace of God in the free gift through Christ, grace abounded all the more.

21

As sin is universal and reigns bringing death to all, the grace of God also reigns for all those that are in Christ and counted as righteous thus leading to the defeat of death and bringing eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord and savior.