Romans 5:12-13 (ESV)
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law.
I love it when there is the word “therefore” after poignant passages in the Bible because great insight follows. Here in Romans 5:12, Paul connects us back to the preceding verses, especially Romans 5:1–11. He has just finished explaining the benefits of being justified by faith: peace with God, access to grace, hope in suffering, and reconciliation through Christ. So when he says “therefore,” he’s moving us into a deeper theological explanation of how sin and death entered the world and why the Passion of Jesus is so necessary. It’s a pivot from the benefits of salvation to the reason salvation is needed in the first place.
Paul explains that sin entered the world through one man, Adam, and death came as a result of sin. This death then spread to all people. Here the English translation is that death spread to all men because all have sinned. However, I think there is different way of reading this. “Because of Adam, everyone is born into sin (being that our nature is to sin), and because of that, without rescue, we will all experience spiritual death.” What is important to grasp is that due to Adam’s sin, it became part of his nature and is why sin was passed down to every human being (except Christ of course). That nature is present from the moment of conception, making it impossible for people to live in a way that pleases God.
Paul clarifies that sin existed before the law was given (i.e., before Moses), but it wasn’t counted in the same way because there was no formal law written down to break. I like how John MacArthur says it, “Though all men were regarded as sinners, because there was no explicit list of commands, there was no strict accounting of their specific points of violation.”
Tomorrow…there is another wonderful “BUT” coming.
APPLICATION
I recognize that my struggle with sin isn’t just a personal issue—it’s part of a larger human condition that began with Adam. I see that death, both physical and spiritual, is the consequence of sin. Even when I don’t have a clear rule to break, I still fall short, which shows how deeply rooted sin is in my human nature (this body I call “the carcass I live in here on earth”). This passage reminds me that I need grace not because I’ve broken a specific law, but because I’m part of a humanity that has inherited sin and its consequences. As I look forward to what comes tomorrow, it humbles me and makes me grateful for the gift of reconciliation through Jesus, Who offers life where death once ruled.