The Free Gift: A Survey of Romans 5:12-21

Author’s note: This blog post is part of an ongoing series about the book of Romans. To see other Romans resources, click here.

The second half of Romans 5 is one of the most debated passages in the Bible. It also makes a proposition that is difficult to swallow, since it forces us to accept Adam’s sin as our own. However, it is glorious because it sets up the work of Christ in a dramatic fashion, allowing us to understand it in vivid colors.

The Spread of Sin and Death (5:12-15)

Paul posits that the reason why men die is because of Adam’s sin. Two theological theories have arisen to explain why. Federal headship teaches that men die because they inherit the guilt of Adam’s sin, since he represented all mankind when he sinned. Seminalism teaches that men die because they inherit a sin nature from Adam, but they are condemned because of their own sins. Both of these theories are helpful. Do we die because we are guilty of Adam’s sin, or our own sin? The answer is ‘yes.’

We can illustrate seminalism by a man who develops a genetic mutation, which leads to a fatal disease. He passes this genetic mutation on to all his descendents, with the result that they all develop the same disease. Their own disease kills them, but ultimately their death is traceable to him. Seminalism makes sense in light of Romans 1-3, where we find that all men are guilty of their own sin before God, and die as a result. This is also clear from verse 12, which says bluntly that “all sinned.”

But federal headship is also true. Adam was a representative of us all, and his sin is credited to the accounts of all his people. This is a necessary implication of the parallelism that Paul demonstrates between Adam and Christ in this passage. Verse 16, for example, shows this clearly – one trespass leads to one judgment which results in condemnation on all.

To understand this, we can make the implication that Adam represented all of humanity in a covenant that existed before the fall. Unlike other covenants, Adam was created in covenant relationship with God, and his unique position places him as our representative.

While these theories are helpful in understanding what is going on, Paul’s emphasis is on the death that spread because of Adam’s sin. This death occurred even without the introduction of the Mosaic law. As we’ve seen already, some people sin within the context of law, while others sin outside that context. The result is the same – death – even if there are different legal implications.

While “all sinned,” the sin that they committed is unique from Adam’s sin because it is “not like the transgression of Adam.” Adam’s sin stands out from the rest because he was “a type of the one who was to come.” This is again evidence that Adam stands in a unique position to us, with the results of his single act of sin flowing down to all those under him.

Adam’s Destruction and Christ’s Restoration (5:15-19)

Just as Adam was the covenant head for all those united to him, so Christ is the federal head for all those united to him. Here is where Paul ‘flips the sand timer’ and shows the great reversal that occurs under Christ.

These verses contain five contrasts, one each in verses 15-19. Each contrast emphasizes a specific element of the difference between Adam’s role and Christ’s role.

In verse 15, the emphasis is on the different results. While the trespass leads to many deaths, the free gift leads to an abundance (of life) for many. An abundance of generosity and a piling-up of good are the results of the ‘free gift,’ and Paul emphasizes God’s gracious generosity here. This is different from the ‘trespass’ which doesn’t lead to any abundance – just a scattering of corpses, since ‘many died.’

In verse 16, the emphasis is on the different legal results. The focus is on the actions themselves, rather than the persons. What is most remarkable about what Jesus does is that he doesn’t start with a blank slate, like Adam does. It is like Adam was given a cooking bowl and told to make cookie dough. He throws some ingredients in the bowl, but the dough that he creates is disgusting and inedible. Jesus is then given the same task, but he isn’t given a new bowl. Instead he must take the dough that Adam ruined and turn it into something delicious – which he does successfully. This is what is so remarkable about what Jesus does – he creates something beautiful out of what was ruined by Adam.

In verse 17, the emphasis is on the different rulers. One man’s trespass brought the reign of death, but one man’s righteousness leads to a whole crop of future rulers – those who have been redeemed. Paul says “if” not because it is doubtful, but to make a rhetorical argument. If we accept that Adam’s sin was so devastating (and who would deny that?), then we are led to acknowledge the even greater significance of Christ’s righteousness.

In verse 18, the emphasis is on how a single action brings universal consequences. Adam’s single trespass leads to condemnation, but Christ’s single act of righteousness leads to justification and life. While Paul recognizes the significance of all of Christ’s life as being righteous, he probably here is focusing specifically on the action of Christ’s death, since it is one action that is in view.

In verse 19, the emphasis is on how the action of a single man affects many. While this is similar to verse 18, it pans the camera toward the actors themselves. The actors change the status – and actual reality – of those who are united to them. Those in Adam actually became ‘sinners,’ and those in Christ actually become (presently in position, and practically in eternity) ‘righteous.’

The Purpose of the Law (5:20-21)

So far in this passage, Paul has breathed not a word about the Mosaic law’s role in history, except to note its absence before Sinai. Now he mentions that it has a role, but what he says is stunning for his Jewish audience. The Jews believed that the Law had a positive effect in human history, preventing sin and softening human hearts. Paul says the opposite. It actually increased the transgression.

Paul says that the law ‘slipped in,’ using a word that often has a negative connotation. It’s a word that can refer to something negative that happens to find a way in. Paul uses this word to show the secondary importance of the law in human history. The law isn’t primary in the history of sin, but it does have a secondary role by increasing the transgression.

What does this mean? Paul may be referring to either the quantity or quality of sins which are committed when the Law entered the scene. In Romans 7, Paul will point out that sin actually multiplies in the presence of law. Here, the emphasis is probably on the quality of sin – it is more sinful, more heinous, and more evidently evil, when performed in the presence of law. (Note the singular of the word ‘trespass’).

The place ‘where’ sin increased was Israel – the covenantal nation that God had chosen. These people, having the law, had an increase of the transgression. While the Jews were accustomed to think of the law as a sort of medicine to fix sin, Paul thinks of the law more like the contrast dye that is injected during medical tests. It doesn’t do anything to heal or remove the disease of sin, but it does light it up and make it clearly apparent.

Paul doesn’t give us much of a hint about why sin increasing would be positive in any way. It seems to imply, though, that grace would abound more because of sin’s increase. This will then DIRECTLY lead to the question that is asked in 6:1. If sin’s increase leads to grace’s abundance, should we increase our own sins? However, we are still left mostly in the dark about the way in which this sin increasing would then tend to God’s glory. Perhaps we are left at something like this: sin’s increase shows how powerful grace is, that when it arrives, it can completely vanquish sin. Hence, while it’s good to see the power of sin and the law puts that on full display, it’s not good for believers to sin, because that belittles grace and makes grace appear weak.

In 1983, the United States invaded the tiny island country of Grenada. It was a highly successful military operation, and it prevented the country from falling into the clutches of communism. But it doesn’t have the same prestige as America’s defeat of Nazi Germany. The one is just so much more powerful than the other. Just as the US military is powerful, but its power is more on display by destroying a larger enemy, so God’s grace is abundant, but it is seen to be more abundant when it takes on the sin that has increased because of the entrance of the law.

In place of comments, I would love to hear from you personally. Please reach out to me via the Contact Page to share your thoughts and perspectives on this post!

Enjoying this content? Subscribe to receive it directly in your email, once a week.