Romans 5:12,13 - Sin entered the world

5:12

There are arguments over whether this section, the latter half of chapter 5, belongs with the previous section, or with chapters 6-8. In one sense the answer seems blindingly obvious: it forms a bridge between the two. Paul has not suddenly dropped one topic and started another, but is transitioning from one aspect of the gospel to another.

Paul contrasts and compares Adam and Christ. All men derived from Adam. All of the new creation derives from Christ. In the previous material there has been a lot of “we”, that is absent from the rest of this chapter, and Paul is explaining general principles here.

Sin entered through one man, and death through sin. And so death came to all men because all sinned. There are debates over the exact way to take all this. Some think of all men being infected with Adam’s corruption and so all are sinners, and all die. Others see it as saying that every single man sins, so everyone experiences death. The more traditional view, and the one most in line with the Greek text, is that the one act of sin by Adam led to death and sin affecting the whole of humanity. In our individualistic society we find this hard to take, but it seems to be what the Bible says. There are also arguments over whether death means spiritual death or physical death, and whether all death (ie including animals) is included in this, but we don’t have time to go into that here.

Whatever the exact interpretation it is undoubtedly true that all men have always sinned, and are sinners, and all die.

5:13

What is Paul saying here? The context is all about contrasting Adam and Christ. What did the Jews focus on? They were completely focused on the Law, they saw everything as hanging on the Law. Paul seems to be saying that that is not the case at all. Sin was in the world long before the Law came. If the Law is the be all and end all of everything then this sin cannot be counted, for you cannot be charged with breaking a law that does not yet exist. Yet people were sinners before the Law, and sin was counted against them. So the Law is not the hook on which everything hangs.