Romans 5:12-21

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Romans 5:6-21

The apostle here describes the fountain and foundation of justification, laid in the death of the Lord Jesus. The streams are very sweet, but, if you run them up to the spring-head, you will find it to be Christ's dying for us; it is in the precious stream of Christ's blood that all these privileges come flowing to us: and therefore he enlarges upon this instance of the love of God which is shed abroad. Three things he takes notice of for the explication and illustration of this doctrine:?1.... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Romans 5:12-21

5:12-21 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and, through sin, death entered into the world, and so death spread to all men, in that they had sinned; for up to the coming of the law sin was in the world, but sin was not debited against men because the law did not yet exist; but death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses even over those who had not sinned in the way that Adam had, Adam, who was the symbol of the one who was to come. But the gift of free... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Romans 5:12

Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world ,.... The design of these words, and of the following, is to show how men came to be in the condition before described, as "ungodly", Romans 5:6 , "sinners", Romans 5:8 , and "enemies", Romans 5:10 ; and to express the love of Christ in the redemption of them; and the largeness of God's grace to all sorts of men: the connection of them is with Romans 5:11 , by which it appears that the saints have not only an expiation of sin by the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Romans 5:13

For until the law, sin was in the world ,.... This is a proof of sin's having entered into the world, by one man's transgression of the positive law of God, which forbid him the eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil; since it was in the world before the law of Moses was given: the sin of Adam and the guilt of that were in the world before, and came upon all men to condemnation; the general corruption of nature appeared before; and actual sins, and transgressions of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Romans 5:14

Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses ,.... Though the law of Moses was not yet given, death exerted itself, and extended its dominion over all the sons and daughters of Adam, during the interval between Adam and Moses; which clearly shows that sin was in the world, and that there must be a law in being, which that was a transgression of: death is represented as a king, as sin and Satan sometimes are; and indeed, death reigns by sin, and Satan both by sin and death; their empires... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Romans 5:15

But not as the offence, so also is the free gift ,.... By "the offence", or "fall", as the word signifies, is meant the first sin of Adam; by which he offended God, and fell from that estate in which he was created, and all his posterity with him; and by the "free gift" is meant, the righteousness of Christ, which justifies from that, and all other offences: now, though there is a great likeness between Adam and Christ; both are men, the first Adam is called "the one man", and so is the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Romans 5:16

And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift ,.... The apostle goes on with the dissimilitude between the effects of Adam's sin, and Christ's righteousness: for the judgment was by one to condemnation ; by "judgment" is meant, not the judgment of God, or the judiciary sentence pronounced by God on Adam and his posterity for sin; but the guilt of the one man's sin, which is imputed to all men to condemnation, on account of which the sentence of condemnation passed on all men;... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Romans 5:17

For if by one man's offence death reigned by one ,.... It may be rendered, "by one offence death reigned by one"; for it was the single sin of Adam, the first sin that was committed by him, which gave death its reigning power over the sons of men: "Adam, say F6 Zohar in Num. fol. 52. 1. Vid. Caphtor, fol. 102. 1. supra citat. the Jewish doctors, transgressed, על פקודא חד דאורייתא , one commandment of the law,' and was the cause of death to himself, and to all the world.... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Romans 5:18

Therefore as by the offence of one ,.... Or by one offence, as before, the guilt of which is imputed to, and judgment came upon all men to condemnation ; which word is used in a legal sense, and intends condemnation to eternal death, as appears from the antithesis in the text; for if "justification of life", means an adjudging to eternal life, as it certainly does, the judgment or guilt, which is unto condemnation, must design a condemnation to eternal death, the just wages of sin: and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Romans 5:19

For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners ,.... Agreeably to this the Jews say F7 Tzeror Hammor, fol. 97. 1. , that "for the sin of the first man, all that are born of him, יהיו רשעים , "become wicked".' This is the sum of what is said in the foregoing verses, that as by Adam's sin all his posterity are made sinners, and so are brought under a sentence of condemnation; in like manner by the obedience of Christ, all his seed are made righteous, and come under a... read more

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