Romans 5:12–21
12 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— 13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come. 15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! 18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. 20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
In this passage there are two extremely important words that are key to understanding it — “just as” and “so.” Right at the beginning, in verse 12, the Apostle Paul begins with the words, “Therefore, just as…” In verse 18 he returns to the thought he began in verse 12 and says:
18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.
As John Stott observes: “We may regard verses 18–19 as the completion of the sentence which the apostle began in verse 12. He breaks off his argument, however, in order to explain and justify (in verses 13–14) what he has just written (in verse 12).”
In fact, two parallel lines run through this passage. One is the comparison between sin and its consequences and the gift of justification through God’s grace; the other is between Adam’s disobedience and Christ’s obedience and the consequences of their actions. Here again we see the comparison — “just as…, so…” (verse 19):
19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
The Apostle Paul sums up everything he has said in this passage in verse 21. And here again we see the same key words — “just as…, so…”:
21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
This verse speaks to us of two reigns, two dominions — the reign of sin and the reign of grace. And the conclusion of it all is that sin reigned before. Its dominion is spoken of in the past tense. But now it is not sin that reigns, but grace. And the question is: “How does grace reign?” And the answer is: “Just as sin had reigned.” The thoughts of this whole passage revolve around this question and this answer.
The Reign of Sin
And so, according to the Apostle Paul, in order to understand how grace now reigns, we must first understand how sin had reigned. First, how did sin come to reign? It “entered the world” (verse 12) through “the trespass of Adam” (verse 14).
12 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—
14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.
These two verses — and especially the second — prompt us to ask: “Why did death, which is the consequence of sin, come not only upon Adam but also upon those who had not committed his trespass? Why does Paul say in verse 12 that ‘all sinned,’ when in fact the one who sinned was one — Adam?” So, although they “did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam” (verse 14), nevertheless all of them “sinned” (verse 12). How did this happen? In verse 14 Paul hints that Adam is “a pattern of the one to come” — of Jesus Christ. This helps us look for the answer in God’s “corporate” way of thinking. Evidently, when God thinks of humanity or of nations as a whole, He does not look at the individuals but at the one from whom they descend — their “forefather.” In God’s sight, what the forefather did, his descendants also did, because while he was doing it, they were “in him” — he was their full and rightful representative. We find an example of this kind of thinking in Hebrews 7:9–10:
9 One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, 10 because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.
Now, who is Levi? He is the third son of Jacob. He had died several hundred years before the exodus from Egypt. He was not part of the system of the Law under which the tribe descended from him was responsible for the tabernacle and was supported by the tithes of the other eleven tribes. Therefore, when it says that “Levi” collected the tithe, we must understand that it is not speaking of Levi himself, but of his descendants — the priests and Levites, who were required to descend from the tribe of Levi. So here we have a movement forward in time, from an earlier period to a later one, by several hundred years. But then we also have a movement backward by several hundred years. For it says that these descendants of Levi, who received the tithes, actually gave a tithe to Melchizedek. Melchizedek was not alive in their day; he lived in the time of Abraham. How then did the Levites, who had never met him, give him a tithe? The answer is “through Abraham” (Hebrews 7:9). Because their ancestor Levi, who was born to Abraham’s grandson Jacob, was still in Abraham’s loins when Abraham met Melchizedek after his victory over Kedorlaomer and gave him a tithe of everything.
With this way of thinking in mind, we can now understand why the Apostle Paul says that when Adam sinned, all people sinned. Why? Because they were “in Adam,” in his loins, when Adam committed this sin. In verse 19 Paul says:
19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
There are two progenitors in this world, two chief representatives or two “heads.” One is Adam — the one from whom every person descends according to the flesh. The other is Christ — the one from whom spiritual people descend. Christ is “the last Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:45) and “the second man” (1 Corinthians 15:47). He is the last representative of the earthly, fleshly race and the first representative of the new, heavenly race. So, just as through Adam’s sin all sinned, so also through the death and resurrection of Christ all who are in Him have paid the wages of their sin and have been justified. In 2 Corinthians 5:14–15 Paul says:
14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
And so, sin entered the world through “the trespass of Adam.” At first it was not so widespread, but it found a way to multiply. How? Through the Law.
13 …sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law.
20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase…
It was not enough that sin had already entered the world and passed to all people through Adam’s disobedience; “in addition,” the Law also came. Where there is no law, sin cannot be punished; but where there is law, there is punishment for sin. Moreover, when there is a law and something is forbidden, sin “seizes the opportunity afforded by the commandment” and tempts a person to do the very thing that is forbidden. In this way sin multiplies.
And so, having entered the world through Adam’s disobedience and multiplied through the Law, sin established its “lawful” dominion over all humanity. But it did not remain alone. As its most vile and cunning queen, it brought death along with it (verses 21, 12):
21 …just as sin reigned in death…
12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people…
Brought in by King Sin, Queen Death also came to reign with him over all people (verse 14).
14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.
The Reign of Grace
So far the story is this. We have “one man” (verse 12). From verse 14 we learn that this man is Adam and that in his disobedience (verse 19) he committed “one trespass” (verse 18). Because of this trespass he was condemned (verse 16), and his sentence is “death” (verse 21). But the good news is that there is not only “one man”; there is also another “One.” And this One was not disobedient, but obedient (verse 19), and in His obedience, instead of sin, He performed “one righteous act” (verse 18). Because of this righteous act, all who have sinned because of “Adam’s trespass” can be justified if they put their trust in Him (verse 19). Justified in this way, instead of the death demanded by the Law for their trespass, by God’s grace they receive eternal life (verse 21). Just as sin came to power through “one trespass” (verse 18) of “one man” (verse 12), so also grace came to power through “one righteous act” (verse 18) of “one man” (verse 15).
Verse 15 begins in an interesting way: “But the gift…” Up to this point Paul has been speaking of “sin,” “the law,” and “death.” But in verse 15 he begins to speak of “the gift,” “grace,” and “justification.” The “gift” spoken of here is not one of the “gifts of the Holy Spirit,” but “righteousness” — the gift of justification (verse 17), justification from many trespasses (verse 16).
Remember that in verse 21 Paul says, “just as sin reigned.” Notice, he speaks of sin in the past tense. Sin “reigned.” But it no longer reigns. Then who reigns? Grace reigns. And how does grace reign? Just as sin had reigned. Sin entered the world through Adam. Grace entered the world through Christ. But here we see not so much a comparison as a contrast — a contrast between the gift and the trespass, between condemnation and justification.
15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
The difference between the gift and the trespass is that with the trespass we have one sin — that of Adam, which brought death to us all; while with the gift we have one death — that of Christ, which brought not merely life but eternal life to us all. The difference lies in the very nature of their acts — Adam’s was a fall, Christ’s was redemption. In Christ we receive not only forgiveness for our sin. In Christ we receive God’s overflowing grace. In Christ we find more blessings than we lost in Adam. In His amazing grace God takes us out of Adam and places us in Christ. In 1 Corinthians 1:30 Paul says:
30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
Notice, our being placed “in Christ” is not a human work. It is God’s choice, God’s work, something accomplished by God’s wisdom, ability, and power.
The word “the many” is used twice in verse 15 (as also in verse 19), but for different people. The first “many” refers to all of us who became subject to death because of Adam’s sin. The second “many” refers to all who receive God’s grace in Christ. Grace is for all, but only those who put their trust in the Savior — true believers — benefit from it. God’s gift of justification is not only unlike the trespass; it is also unlike the “judgment” for that trespass. Here not only “the gift” and “the trespass” — grace and sin — are contrasted, but also their consequences. The judgment — the consequence of sin — is a death sentence for all because of the sin of the one; while the gift — the consequence of grace — is justification for the many because of the righteous act of the One.
16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.
The words here are almost the same as in the previous verse, only now the emphasis is not so much on the specific actions of Adam and Christ as on their consequences. Just as sin brought death along with it, so grace brought life along with it (verse 17). Formerly our queen was death, who reigned over us in despotic slavery. Now she is under our feet. We conquer her and reign in life through our Lord Jesus Christ.
17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
Some use this passage to teach universalism — salvation for all people without exception. They think that since all were condemned, now all will be saved. But this, of course, is a delusion. The verse we have just read says that only those “who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness” will “reign in life.” Who are they? Those who believe in Jesus. In other words, this verse teaches that the new birth and faith in Christ are absolutely necessary for salvation.
18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
And finally, just as sin multiplied through the Law, so also the gift (“that is, righteousness”) multiplied through grace.
20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,
Now it is not sin that reigns, but grace, and this grace brings us eternal life in Jesus Christ, our Lord. But this grace we are speaking of is not cheap. In his book The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer speaks of “cheap grace.” “Cheap grace,” he says, “is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. Costly grace… is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye that causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows Him.”
21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Just as sin brought death, so grace brought eternal life. If you want to live, if you want to have eternal life, enter into Christ through faith and abide in Him forever.