5:20
“Now the law came in to increase the trespass”. Sin was sin long before the Law was given, but what the Law did was to make the sin, the trespass all the more evident. The Law showed how sin existed in every aspect of life, in relationships, in money, in justice, in faithfulness etc. It highlighted man’s failure in every area. The “T” in the Calvinism TULIP stands for total depravity, the Law highlights this, showing that in every area of life we are sinful. So the Law illuminated the problem, the light showed up the filth. But grace came in and abounded all the more, clearing up all the dirt of sin.
5:21
So “sin reigned in death”, death is a fundamental and unavoidable part of life. Grace reigns through righteousness. Grace is not overlooking sin, not ignoring sin. Instead it deals with sin. Anyone who thinks grace means getting away with sin is badly mistaken and understands nothing. Grace leads to righteousness, it leads to “eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. In the next three chapters Paul will explain how this works out in practice. How does the gospel enable us to live a good life?
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