ROMANS ROAD
to RIGHTEOUSNESS |
Romans
1:18-3:20
|
Romans
3:21-5:21 |
Romans
6:1-8:39 |
Romans
9:1-11:36 |
Romans
12:1-16:27 |
|
SIN
|
SALVATION
|
SANCTIFICATION |
SOVEREIGNTY |
SERVICE |
NEED
FOR
SALVATION |
WAY
OF
SALVATION |
LIFE
OF
SALVATION |
SCOPE
OF
SALVATION |
SERVICE
OF
SALVATION |
God's Holiness
In
Condemning
Sin |
God's Grace
In
Justifying
Sinners |
God's Power
In
Sanctifying
Believers |
God's Sovereignty
In
Saving
Jew and Gentile |
Gods Glory
The
Object of
Service |
Deadliness
of Sin |
Design
of Grace |
Demonstration of
Salvation |
|
Power Given
|
Promises Fulfilled |
Paths Pursued |
Righteousness
Needed |
Righteousness
Credited |
Righteousness
Demonstrated |
Righteousness
Restored to Israel |
Righteousness
Applied |
God's Righteousness
IN LAW |
God's Righteousness
IMPUTED |
God's Righteousness
OBEYED |
God's Righteousness
IN ELECTION |
God's Righteousness
DISPLAYED |
|
Slaves to Sin |
Slaves to God |
Slaves Serving God |
|
Doctrine |
Duty |
|
Life by Faith |
Service by Faith |
|
Modified from Irving
L. Jensen's excellent work "Jensen's
Survey of the NT" |
AND THE LAW CAME IN THAT THE
TRANSGRESSION MIGHT INCREASE: nomos de pareiselthen (3SAAI) hina pleonase (3SAAS) to
paraptoma:
(Ro 3:19,20; 4:15; 6:14; 7:5-13; Jn 15:22; 2Cor 3:7, 8, 9; Gal 3:19, 20,
21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
Denny
introduces these last 2 verses of Romans 5 commenting that...
The comparison between Adam and
Christ is closed. But in the middle, between the two, stood the Law.
(quoting Meyer)
Adam may have
faded from the discussion but the consequences of his one transgression
(sin and death) linger on.
Marvin Vincent
agrees writing that...
Now that the parallel between Adam
and Christ is closed, the question arises as to the position and office
of the law. How did it stand related to Adam and Christ? Paul replies
that it came in alongside of the sin. “It was taken up into the divine
plan or arrangement, and made an occasion for the abounding of grace in
the opening of the new way to justification and life” (Dwight).
(Vincent, M. R. Word Studies in the New Testament. Vol. 3, Page
1-65)
And the Law
came in - Refers to God's giving of the Law to Moses and Israel at
Mount Sinai.
Law (3551)
(nomos
from nemo = to divide among,
parcel out, allot)
according to Vine
primarily meant “that which is
assigned” and hence, that which is the “custom” and finally that which
is “law as prescribed by custom or by statute”. The word ethos,
“custom,” was retained for unwritten “law,” while nomos became
the established name for “law” as decreed by a state and set up as the a
formalized set of rules for the administration of justice.
In this context Law refers to
the Mosaic Law given at Mount Sinai (it "came in beside" sin
and death)
(See related topics -
Summary of the Purpose of the Law
from Galatians 3; see also
William Newell's discussion of the
purpose of the Law in exposition of Romans 3:20)
Nomos can refer to the first five books of Moses (the Pentateuch
or the Torah in Hebrew) and that may be Paul's meaning here, but the
emphasis is clearly on the legal aspect, in the sense of prescribing
what a person must do and not do.
One might ask "Why
bring up the Law at this juncture?" Leon Morris
explains that...
It is somewhat unexpected that he
brings in a reference to law, but between Adam and Christ stood Moses,
revered by the Jews and often seen as the most significant figure among
the sons of men because of his giving of the law. This was so
important in Jewish religion and in the Old Testament that Christians as
well as Jews regarded as Scripture that it had to be seen in its proper
place in God’s great scheme of salvation. Law, says Paul, was
added, the verb (pareiserchomai) showing that it held no primary place. Its purpose
was that the trespass (Ed note: trespass singular - see
discussion below) might increase. It was not concerned with
preventing sin (it was too late for that {Ed note: Adam's original sin}). Nor was it concerned with
preventing (Ed note: continual committing of sins) sin (it was too weak for that). The law can only
condemn (see note
Romans 4:15).
It was concerned with showing sin for what it is, and it certainly
showed magnificently that there was much sin (cf. notes
Romans 3:19;
3:20).
(Morris,
L. The Epistle to the Romans. W. B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press)
Came in (3922)
(pareiserchomai
from pará = alongside + eisérchomai = to enter) means to
come in to beside and in some context means to slip in or to sneak in (see
use in Gal 2:4 below). To come in with something so as to be present beside it.
Thayer says the idea here in Romans is "to enter in addition" (in
addition to or "beside" sin and death which had previously entered into the Garden
of Eden through Adam).
Paul also has the
only other use of pareiserchomai
in Scripture...
Galatians 2:4 But it was
because of the false brethren (Judaizers - claimed allegiance to Christ
but demanded circumcision + obedience to the Law for salvation) who
had sneaked in (pareiserchomai)
to spy out (means primarily to view closely and in this context to spy out, learn about by secret
observation) our liberty (eleutheria - see study of related verb
eleutheroo = the idea is of freedom and in this context of freedom from the law as a means
of salvation and sanctification but not a license to sin!) which we have
in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage (Reduce to slavery,
imposing control over another for one's own ends = Total enslavement to
a system of works righteousness by which salvation and/or sanctification
is impossible). (Comment: In this context the meaning is clearly
to come in or slip in secretly, by stealth)
BDAG adds
that pareiserchomai means...
to come in beside, slip in, come in
as a side issue, of the law, as having no primary place in the divine
plan. (Arndt,
W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New
Testament and Other Early Christian Literature)
Friberg
says that the idea of this verb is that..
the (Mosaic) law (was) brought in to
play a subordinate role (Friberg,
T., Friberg, B., & Miller, N. F. Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New
Testament. Baker Academic)
Cranfield
adds that the prefix para in this verb means...
'alongside of’, ‘beside’, and the
most natural way of understanding pareiserchomai here is surely
to take it as a simple reference to the undisputed fact that the law was
given at a later date than that of Adam’s fall, namely, in the time of
Moses. To refer to this fact is not, in itself, to say anything about
the worth of the law depreciatory or otherwise. (Cranfield,
C. E. B Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans. Vol 1: Ro
1-8.;
Volume 2: Romans 9-16)
Paul
used the root verb eiserchomai earlier in Romans 5:12 when he
explained that
through one man sin entered
(eiserchomai) into the world (see note
Romans 5:12)
So just as sin
entered the world through Adam in Romans 5:12, here in
Romans 5:20 Paul says the Law of Moses "entered in beside"
or alongside sin. Men were sinners long before the Law was given
and God had begun
implementation of His plan of salvation before the Law was given (eg, see
Ge 3:15 - multiple translations;
Ephesians 1:4 - note).
The purpose of the Law’s entrance into the world was not to redeem men
for only Christ could accomplish this great objective. Don't
misunderstand the purpose of the Law for it was not given in order to make men sinful.
As Paul explained in Romans 5:12-19 man did not need to be made sinful
for he is born sinful and that is why he commits sins. Instead, Paul
explains that the Law was given so that sin might be made more evident.
Compare this role of the Law with Paul's earlier point in
Romans 3:20 [note]
where he explained
that...
by the works of the Law no flesh will
be justified (declared righteous) in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of
sin. (See
discussion)
In Galatians 3
Paul explained that the promise of God is superior to the Law which
raised the obvious question of...
Why the Law then? It was
added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels
(see Acts 7:53,
Hebrews 2:2) by the agency of a
mediator, until the Seed (the Messiah) should come to Whom the promise
had been made. (See note
Galatians 3:19)
(Comment: The Law was intended to reveal sin in its true
character as transgression and prepare the way for the coming of Christ
by demonstrating the dire need for His saving work. As Paul has taught
in Romans 5, sin existed before the Law [see note
Romans 5:14],
but men did not recognize it as transgression until the Law came
[remembering that transgression is the violation of a known law).
Paul made
similar statements regarding the purpose of the Law in Romans 7...
7:7
What shall we say then?
Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come
to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about
coveting if the Law had not said, "YOU SHALL NOT COVET."...
7:13
Therefore did that
which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it
was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death
through that which is good, that through the commandment sin might
become utterly sinful. (See notes
Romans 7:7;
7:13)
Harrison
makes an interesting comment regarding this revelatory purpose of the
Law...
This function of the law-viz., to
increase transgression-was not recognized in rabbinic Judaism (H.J.
Schoeps, Paul [Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1961], p. 174). From the
Sermon on the Mount,
however, it appears that Jesus sought to apply the law in just this way,
to awaken a sense of sin in those who fancied they were keeping the law
tolerably well but had underestimated its searching demands and the
sinfulness of their own hearts. (Gaebelein,
F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary 6-Volume New Testament.
Zondervan Publishing)
So that (2443)
(hina) introduces a purpose clause, and (as just alluded to) in this case
introduces the explanation of God's purpose for the Law.
The
transgression might increase - He is not saying that God introduced
the Law because He wanted to make us sin
more, but that He wanted us to be more aware of our sins and the
fact that we had a totally sinful nature. (See
more detailed discussion of this function of the law below)
Notice that Paul does not say transgressions (plural) but
transgression (singular), which is a reference to the sin of Adam.
How do we arrive at that conclusion? Notice that six times in Romans 5
Paul uses transgression and in each use it is in the singular
and in each context, transgression refers to
the sin of Adam. Observe the uses and see if you do not agree...
Romans 5:15
But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the
transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of
God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to
the many.
Romans 5:16
And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for
on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression
resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose
from many transgressions resulting in justification.
Romans 5:17
For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the
one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift
of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:18
So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation
to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted
justification of life to all men.
John Piper
explains the transgression as follows...
I
take it to mean that one crucial function of the law is to turn our
original sin into actual transgressions of specific commandments. First,
we are guilty in Adam and sinful by nature, and then the Law confronts
us with the specific will of God: "Don't steal. Don't lie. Don't covet."
And the effect is that it turns sinful nature into specific sinful acts
of transgression. One writer said it well: the Law makes little Adams
out of us all. ("The law has the function of turning those it
addresses into 'their own Adam.'" Douglas Moo, The Epistle to the
Romans)
So what was once one transgression in which we all shared by virtue of
the union with Adam that God ordained for all humanity, has now, because
of the Law, become millions upon millions of specific transgressions, as
verse 16b said, The free gift arose from many transgressions. So the
Law of Moses was given to increase the transgression of Adam into
millions of specific acts of transgression in all of us who resist
submitting to the Law of God because of our rebellious nature." (Read
the full message
The Triumph of Grace through Righteousness)
To review, every human being has inherited a sin nature from Adam,
and the effect of the Law is to stimulate our sin nature so that
we commit sins.
The commission of personal sins shows that we all have a sin nature. Recall that there are
3 aspects of sin - Inherited Sin (Sin Nature, Sinful Nature,
original sin),
Imputed Sin and Personal Sins ( See
discussion and chart on these three aspects of sin)
One might think of
the Law as like a mirror one uses to see dirt on one's face. The mirror is
not designed to remove the dirt but only to reveal it. Or think of the Law as like a carpenter's plumbline.
Plumblines are not meant to straighten the building but to tell one how
crooked it is and where the change needs to be made. The Law fulfills
its purpose when it makes men realize the full sense of how sinful they
are as they see the sins they commit.
Martin Luther wasn't far off when he said that the function of Law was not to justify but to terrify!
Transgression
(3900)
(paraptoma from para = aside + pipto = fall) is
literally a falling aside or beside to stumble on something (so as to
loose footing) and in its figurative ethical usage
(all uses in the NT) it describes a "false step", a violation of moral
standards or a deviation from living
according to what has been revealed as the right way to live.
Paraptoma is a false step out of the appointed way, a trespass on
forbidden ground, a stepping out of line of true conduct, a deviation
from truth and uprightness. Paraptoma describes what a
person has done in transgressing the will and law of God by some false
step or failure.
Paraptoma
is akin to parapipto, to fall beside a person or thing, to fall away, to
deviate from the right path, or to turn aside (see note
Hebrews 6:6).
The basic idea of paraptoma is
that of stumbling or falling
so as to lose one's footing
The NAS translates paraptoma with 2 words, either as transgression or
trespass (derived from Old French - tres =across [Latin - trans]
+ passer = to pass. Thus trespass means to make inroads upon the
property, territory, or rights of another and implies an unwarranted,
unlawful, or offensive intrusion).
The Hebrew word
(pesha' -
6588)
translated as “trespass” means “a stepping aside from the
(correct) path” (Ge
31:36;
Ex. 22:9), but the
Septuagint does
not use paraptoma to translate pesha'.
Thayer
writes that paraptoma means
1. properly, a fall beside or near
something; but nowhere found in this sense.
2. tropically, a lapse or deviation
from truth and uprightness; a sin, misdeed (R. V. trespass, `differing
from hamartema in figure not in force'
Vine writes
that paraptoma
primarily “a false step, a blunder”
(para, “aside,” pipto, “to fall”), then “a lapse from uprightness, a
sin, a moral trespass, misdeed,” is translated “fall” (KJV) in
Romans 11:11 (note),
of the sin and “downfall” of Israel in their refusal to acknowledge
God’s claims and His Christ; by reason of this the offer of salvation
was made to Gentiles... (Vine,
W E: Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament
Words. 1996. Nelson)
Paraptoma conveys the idea of a false step and so is translated a
transgression (transgress in English means to to go beyond or
overstep a limit or boundary and is from Latin trans-
across + gradi = to step).
There is a subtle distinction between
sin and transgression -- The idea behind transgression
is that we have crossed a line, challenging God's boundaries. The idea
behind sin is that we have missed a mark, God's standard
that calls for perfection, every time!
NIDNTT says
that in Classical Greek...
the noun paraptoma (Polybius
onwards) means oversight, error, mistake (unintentional). Here the
originally fig. sense was that someone deviated to the one side or the
other. (Brown,
Colin, Editor. New International Dictionary of NT Theology. 1986.
Zondervan)
ISBE says that trespass
means...
To pass over, to go beyond one’s
right in place or act; to injure another; to do that which annoys or
inconveniences another;
any violation of law, civil or moral; it may relate to a person, a
community, or the state, or to offenses against God. The Hebrew 'asham
("sin"), is used very frequently in the Old Testament when the trespass
is a violation of law of which God is the author. (ISBE
Article)
ISBE
comments that...
As in Levitical law and Jesus’
teachings, Paul noted that a trespass can have corporate implications.
The entire human race experienced vicariously the trespass of Adam (Ro
5:15
note).
In like manner, because of the trespass of Israel the message of
salvation through Jesus came to the Gentiles (Romans
11:11 note). (Bromiley,
G. W. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised. Wm. B.
Eerdmans)
Vincent has
this note on paraptoma used in Matthew 6:14 writing
that...
The Lord here uses another word for
sins, and still another (hamartias) appears in Luke’s version of
the prayer, though he also says, “every one that is indebted to us.”
There is no difficulty in supposing that Christ, contemplating sins in
general, should represent them by different terms expressive of
different aspects of wrong-doing. This word is derived from parapipto,
to fall or throw one’s self beside. Thus it has a sense somewhat akin to
hamartia, of going beside a mark, missing. In classical Greek the
verb (parapipto) is often used of intentional falling, as of
throwing one’s self upon an enemy; and this is the prevailing sense in
biblical Greek, indicating reckless and willful sin (see 1 Chr 5:25;
10:13; 2 Chr 26:18; 29:6, 19; Ezek. 14:13; 18:26). It does not,
therefore, imply palliation or excuse. It is a conscious violation of
right, involving guilt, and occurs therefore, in connection with the
mention of forgiveness (see notes
Romans 4:25;
Romans 5:16;
Colossians 2:13;
Ephesians 2:1,
2:5). Unlike
parabasis (transgression), which contemplates merely the
objective violation of law, it carries the thought of sin as affecting
the sinner, and hence is found associated with expressions which
indicate the consequences and the remedy of sin (see notes
Romans 4:25;
Romans 5:15;
5:17
Ephesians 2:1)
(Vincent, M. R. Word Studies in the New Testament).
Paraptoma
is used 19 times in the NT...
Matthew 6:14 (note)
"For if you forgive men for their transgressions, (false
steps or faults against others) your heavenly
Father will also forgive you.
Matthew 6:1 (note)
"But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your
transgressions. (false steps or faults against God where the
repetition in this way brings out the severity of faults against
others.)
Mark 11:25 "And whenever you stand
praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your
Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions.
(against whom one transgresses here is not specified).
Romans 4:25 (note)
He who was delivered up
because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our
justification.
Romans 5:15 (note)
But the free gift is not like
the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the
many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of
the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.
Romans 5:16 (note)
And the gift is not like that
which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment
arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other
hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in
justification.
Romans 5:17 (note)
For if by the transgression
of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive
the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in
life through the One, Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:18 (note)
So then as through one
transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so
through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to
all men.
Romans 5:20 (note)
And the Law came in that
the transgression (speaking here of the totality of sin) might
increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more (Comment:
Bauder in NIDNTT writes that "As in the OT, it is used as one of several
words for sin, but emphasizes strongly the deliberate act (only in
Romans 5:20 is it used of a universal fact) with its fateful
consequences. Hence, figuratively it means an action through which
man falls and loses the position that God gave him. Thus
trespasses committed by one man against another directly affect man’s
relation to God and in the final judgment provide the standard by which
he is judged (Matt. 6:14 f. par. Lk. 11:25f.). Thus a man must be
helped to put any failure right (Gal. 6:1). The first sinful act at the
beginning (Rom. 5:15ff.; cf. Wis. 10:1) brought in its train a mass of
sin and woe (Rom. 5:18,20), and even death (5:15, 17f.), and that in
such a way that even before his physical death man was in the power of
death (Eph. 2:1, 5; Col. 2:13). Thus Christ was given up to death (Rom.
4:25) in order that we might receive forgiveness for our sins (2 Cor.
5:19; Eph. 1:7; Col. 2:13). According to Rom. 11:11f., Israel’s fall
consists in its rejection of the gospel.) (Ibid)
Romans 11:11 (note)
I say then, they did not
stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their
transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them
jealous.
Romans 11:12 (note)
Now if their transgression
be riches for the world and their failure be riches for the Gentiles,
how much more will their fulfillment be!
2 Corinthians 5:19 namely, that God
was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their
trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of
reconciliation.
Galatians 6:1 Brethren, even if a man
is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a
one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, lest you
too be tempted.
Ephesians 1:7 (note)
In Him we have redemption through
His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the
riches of His grace,
Ephesians 2:1
(note) And you were
dead in your trespasses and sins,
Ephesians 2:5
(note) even when we
were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with
Christ (by grace you have been saved),
Colossians 2:13 (note)
And when you were dead in
your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made
you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
There are 14 uses
of paraptoma in the
Septuagint (LXX)
-Job
35:15; 36:9; Ps 19:12; 22:1; Ezek 3:20; 14:11, 13; 15:8; 18:22, 24, 26;
20:27; Dan 4:27; 6:4, 22; Zech 9:5
Psalm 19:12 Who can discern
his errors (Lxx = paraptoma - transgressions? Acquit me of hidden
faults.
Spurgeon comments on this
passage writing that David's
question is its own answer. It rather
requires a note of exclamation than of interrogation. By the law is the
knowledge of sin, and in the presence of divine truth, the psalmist
marvels at the number and heinousness of his sins. He best knows himself
who best knows the Word, but even such an one will be in a maze of
wonder as to what he does not know, rather than on the mount of
congratulation as to what he does know. We have heard of a comedy of
errors, but to a good man this is more like a tragedy. Many books have a
few lines of errata at the end, but our errata might well be as large as
the volume if we could but have sense enough to see them. Augustine
wrote in his older days a series of Retractations; ours might make a
library if we had enough grace to be convinced of our mistakes and to
confess them. (Spurgeon's
note)
Ezekiel 14:13 (note) "Son of man, if
a country sins against Me by committing (ma'al - 4603)
unfaithfulness (ma'al - 4603),
and I stretch out My hand against it, destroy its supply of bread, send
famine against it, and cut off from it both man and beast (Comment:
In
Ezekiel parapipto and paraptoma are used repeatedly and almost always translate the
Hebrew verb ma'al which describes the breaking or violation of
religious law as a conscious act of treachery, the victim of this breach
being God.)
Might increase (4121)
(pleonazo from pleion = more) means to cause to increase
and suggests an abundance. It means to become more and more so as to be
present in abundance.
Guzik has
an interesting illustration of the effect of the Law writing that...
The flaws in a precious stone abound
when contrasted with a perfect stone, or when put against a contrasting
backdrop. God’s perfect law exposes our flaws, and makes our sin abound.
There is another way that the law makes sin abound. Because of the
sinfulness of my heart, when I see a line drawn I want to cross over it.
In this sense, the law makes sin abound because it draws many clear
lines between right and wrong that my sinful heart wants to break.
Therefore, the law makes me sin more - but not because there is anything
wrong in the law, only because there is something deeply wrong in the
human condition.
Regarding the
law coming that transgression might increase, Spurgeon
comments that...
It was the practical result of the
giving of the law that men became greater sinners than they were
before, and it was the design of the law that they should see
themselves to be greater sinners than before. The law is the
looking-glass in which we see our spots, but it is not the basin in
which we wash them away. The law has a provoking power, for such
is-the perversity of our nature that, no sooner do we hear the command,
“You shall not do so-and-so,” than at once we want to do it. Our
nature is very much like quicklime. Throw cold water upon it, and
straightway it generateth heat; acting, as it were, against the nature
of that which is cast upon it. (Ed note: Quicklime is Calcium
oxide which reacts with H2O to form calcium hydroxide, this reaction
called slaking giving off much heat and causing the solid to nearly
double in volume.) So, the more God says to a man, “Thou shalt,”
the more the man says, “I will not;” and the more God says to him, “Thou
shalt not,” the more doth the man resolve that he will. “The
law entered, that the offense might abound.” It reveals the
depravity and disobedience of human nature, and lays us low before God
as convicted criminals.
Just as, sometimes, a physician may
give a medicine which causes the disease to be more fully developed in
order to its ultimate cure, so does the law make a discovery of
our sin to us, and it also excites us to greater sin, by reason of the
enmity of our nature, which is opposed to the law of God, and
becomes the more active the more clearly the law is known, even
as Paul says, further on in this Epistle (see note
Romans 7:7),
“I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.”
(Expository Note on Romans 5:6-21)
Denny
explains that...
The offense is multiplied because the
law, encountering the flesh, evokes its natural antagonism to God, and
so stimulates it into disobedience (cp
Galatians 3:19 [note]
and the development of this idea in
Romans 7:7 [note]
"...I would not have come to know
sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if
the Law had not said, "YOU SHALL NOT COVET."). As the offense
multiplied, the need of redemption, and the sense of that need were
intensified. (Nicoll, W Robertson, Editor: Expositors Greek Testament: 5
Volumes. Out of print. Search Google)
Although the
Mosaic Law is not flawed (Ro 7:12
- note), its
introduction into God's plan of salvation caused man’s sin to
increase (Ro 7:8, 9, 10, 11-see notes
Romans 7:8;
7:9;
7:10 ;
7:11). Thus
the Law made men more aware of their own sinfulness
and their inability to keep God’s perfect standard (Ro 7:7-note
Gal 3:21,22).
Ultimately, the Law was to serve as a tutor to drive sinners to Christ (Gal 3:24) (See related topic
Purpose of the Law).
In short, the Law then is good and holy and righteous because it
demonstrates to man his need for a Saviour.
This section also
speaks to the Jew who might ask, “What is the law for if it is not to
make us holy?” The answer is that the Law is...
the necessary yardstick of God’s holiness which served to bring out
into sharp relief the guilt of man in revolt against God, showing him
the hopelessness of attempting to earn salvation by good works (Gleason
L. Archer).
To reiterate, the law came
not to make a man a sinner, but to show him how great a
sinner he is.
The Amplified
Version puts it this way...
But then Law came in, [only] to
expand and increase the trespass [making it more apparent and exciting
opposition]. (Eerdmans)
The New Living
Translation paraphrases it simply that...
God’s law was given so that all
people could see how sinful they were (NLT
- Tyndale House)
The LAW was given that we might see the
AWFULNESS of our SIN! The law made sin even more sinful by revealing
what sin is in stark contrast to God's holiness.
Cranfield
explains the purpose of the Law writing that...
If sin, which was already present and
disastrously active in mankind, though as yet nowhere clearly visible
and defined, were ever to be decisively defeated and sinners forgiven in
a way worthy of the goodness and mercy of God and recreated in newness
of life, it was first of all necessary that sin should increase
somewhere among men in the sense of becoming clearly manifest. So the
law was given in order that transgression might increase, in
order that in one people (for their own sake and also for the sake of
all others) sin might be known as sin...When this is realized, it is
possible to see that the law, even in its apparently negative and
disastrous effects is, for Paul, the instrument of the mercy of God....
(Cranfield,
C. E. B Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans. Vol 1: Ro
1-8.;
Volume 2: Romans 9-16)
Douglas Moo
explains...
The fact and power of ‘sin’
introduced into the world by Adam has not been decreased by the law,
but given a new dimension as rebellion against the revealed,
detailed will of God; sin has become ‘transgression’ (Moo,
Douglas J. The Epistle to the Romans. New International Commentary on
the New Testament Series. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.,
1996
) (Bolding added)
Hendriksen
adds that Paul is not saying...
that God became the cause of sin’s
increase. It means that it was God’s will and purpose that in light of
His demand of perfect love (cf. Mt 22:37, 38, 39, 40; Mk 12:29, 30, 31; Luke 10:27)
man’s consciousness of sin might become sharpened. A vague awareness of
the fact that all is not well with him will not drive man to the Savior.
So the law acts as a magnifying glass. Such an instrument does not
actually increase the number of dirty spots on a garment. It makes them
stand out more clearly and reveals many more of them than one can see
with the naked eye. Similarly the law causes sin to stand out in all its
heinousness and ramifications. In connection with this see also Ro 3:20;
7:7, 13; Gal. 3:19.
Moreover, this increase in the
knowledge of sin is very necessary. It will prevent a person from
imagining that in his own power he can overcome sin. The more he, in
light of God’s law, begins to see his own sinfulness and weakness, the
more also will he thank God for the manifestation of His grace in Jesus
Christ. Result: where sin increases, grace increases also. Not as if
these two forces, sin and grace, were equal. On the contrary, grace not
only pardons; as verse 21 shows, it does far more: it brings
“everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Truly, where sin
increases, grace increases all the more! (Hendriksen,
W., & Kistemaker, S. J. NT Commentary Set. Baker Book
or
Logos)
The law entered the world because sin had entered the world,
for
just as through
one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death
spread to all men, because all sinned (see note
Romans 5:12).
But from Adam to Moses,
even though death reigned (they all died anyway--even though they did
not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did -- Ro 5:14
see
note), sin was not "imputed"
(Ro 5:13-note) because men
had only a vague intuitive knowledge of God's law even as Paul alluded
to in Romans 2:14,15
(note),
explaining that ...
when Gentiles who do not have the Law
do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a
law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in
their hearts, their conscience bearing witness, and their thoughts
alternately accusing or else defending them (Romans
2:14;
15)
J Vernon McGee
adds an interesting comment writing that...
When God gave the Law, He gave with
it a sacrificial system. Then later on Christ came to fulfill that part
of it also. In other words, God has given to the human race, a lost
race, an opportunity to be delivered from the guilt of sins—not the
nature of sin. You and I will have that old sin nature throughout our
lives. (McGee,
J V: Thru the Bible Commentary: Nashville: Thomas Nelson) (See
synopsis of flesh
for elaboration on
this evil disposition still present even in the mortal bodies of every believer)
When the law was
finally given through Moses, however, sin could be seen in full measure
in its ugliness. Nevertheless, God's grace was still more abundant,
capable of redeeming and saving even the most flagrant sinner.
Spurgeon
sums up this section on the purpose of the Law by noting that...
A stick is crooked, but you do not
notice how crooked it is until you place a straight rule by the side of
it. You have a handkerchief, and it seems to be quite white. You could
hardly wish it to be whiter. But you lay it down on the newly fallen
snow, and you wonder how you could ever have thought it to be white at
all. So the pure and holy law of God, when our eyes are opened to see
its purity, shows up our sin in its true blackness, and in that way it
makes sin to abound. But this is for our good, for that sight of our sin
awakens us to a sense of our true condition, leads us to repentance,
drives us by faith to the precious blood of Jesus, and no longer permits
us to rest in our self-righteousness
Ray Stedman wrote...
I remember reading one of Charles
Spurgeon's sermons some time ago; he told about spending some time down
in a little hut in Italy. When he went into the hut he noticed that the
floor was as dirty as he had ever seen a floor in his life. After he had
lived there a day or two he could stand it no longer, and he sent for a
cleaning woman to come in and scrub the floor. The woman came in and she
scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed, but the longer she scrubbed, the
worse it got. Finally, he began to investigate and he discovered that
there wasn't any floor -- there was nothing but the bare ground -- and
all the efforts of the water to clean it only made it worse!... There is
nothing wrong with the law, but this is the thing that we must always
understand: Law has no ability, none whatsoever, to change the change
the heart -- to change the desire. It cannot touch what goes on inside,
and all the rules of life only increase the frustration and rebellion
with which we face life. And, at best, the Law simply makes you content
with outward conformity. (Read his full sermon
To Reign in Life)
BUT WHERE SIN INCREASED GRACE ABOUNDED ALL THE MORE: ou de epleonasen (3SAAI) e hamartia
hupereperisseusen
(3SAAI) e charis:
(Ro
6:1; 2Chr 33:9, 10, 11, 12, 13; Ps 25:11; Isa 1:18; 43:24,25; Jer 3:8,
9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14; Ezekiel 16:52,60, 61, 62, 63; 36:25, 26, 27, 28,
29, 30, 31, 32; Micah 7:18,19; Mt 9:13; Lk 7:47; 23:39, 40, 41, 42, 43;
Jn 10:10; 1Cor 6:9, 10, 11; Eph 1:6, 7, 8; 2:1, 2, 3, 4, 5; 1Ti 1:13,
14, 15, 16; Titus 3:3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
Ray Stedman...
"where sin increased, grace abounded
all the more" {Ro 5:20 RSV}, Paul says. That is, if Law does this to
you, it is all the more certain that the life of Jesus Christ indwelling
you shall create in you a desire to live more and more to the glory of
God inwardly. You see, Christ's life is more powerful than Adam's life.
That is what the meaning of the "much more" is all the way through,
simply because God is greater than man. You cannot control the old Adam
inside -- neither can I -- but Christ can! (Ibid) Sin (266)
(hamartia)
originally had the idea of missing
mark as when hunting with a bow and arrow. Later it came to mean missing
or falling short of any goal, standard, or purpose. Hamartia in
the Bible means to miss God's mark as an archer misses the “bull’s eye”
and ultimately to miss the true purpose and end of our lives which is
God Himself. Sin is any violation of God’s righteous character.
It is anything we say or do or think or imagine or plan that does not
meet God’s standard of perfection.
Increased (4121)
(pleonazo from pleion = more)
means to cause to increase or to
superabound. It suggests an abundance, an increase in number. It means
to have or cause to have much, or more than enough. To have a surplus of
grace so to speak!
Hodge comments that as...
great as is the prevalence of sin, as
seen and felt in the light of God’s holy law, yet over all this evil the
grace of the Gospel has increased. The Gospel or the grace of God has
proved itself much more efficacious in producing good than sin in
producing evil. This idea is illustrated in the following verse...Where
(sin increased) — that is, in the sphere in which sin abounded — there,
in the same sphere, grace superabounded. The fact of the triumph of
grace over sin is expressed in the clearest manner. (Hodge,
Charles: Commentary on Romans. Ages Classic Commentaries or
Logos)
Grace
(5485)
(charis
[word study])
is God’s generous favor to
undeserving sinners and needy saints.
The grace of God is undeserved,
unsought, and unbought (except that it is made available by the precious
blood of the Lamb of God).
Grace
is not license to do as we please, but power to do as we should. God’s
grace
insures that those who have been truly regenerated will persevere until
the end of life. Saving grace is God's provision for the believer's
sinful past and enabling grace His portion for daily Christian living.
Spurgeon
has an interesting note on grace writing that...
Someone asked me once, “Why do you.
say free grace? Of course, if it is grace, it’s free.” “Oh,
well!” I replied, “I do so to make assurance doubly sure.” We will
always call it, not only grace, but free grace, to make it clear
that God gives his grace freely to sinners,—the undeserving and ungodly.
He gives it without any condition. If, in one place, he says that he
requires repentance, in another place he promises it; if he demands
faith at one moment, he bestows it at another. So grace is always God’s
free gift, and that suits a man who has not a penny in his pocket.
Harrison
writes that...
Lest someone raise a charge against
the Almighty that to make possible an increase in sin is not to His
credit, Paul insists that only where sin is seen in its maximum
expression can divine grace truly be appreciated. "Grace increased
all the more." The apostle waxes almost ecstatic as he revels in the
superlative excellence of the divine overruling that makes sin serve a
gracious purpose. (Gaebelein,
F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary 6-Volume New Testament.
Zondervan Publishing)
Denney said that
grace is the first and last
word of the Gospel; and peace—perfect spiritual soundness—is the
finished work of grace.
Boice comments that...
The second half of Romans 5:20 is one
of the truly great verses of the Bible. Even in the midst of a book in
which every sentence is splendid, Romans 5:20 stands out like a
brilliant beacon on a dark and dangerous night. The dark background is
sin and its horrible proliferation in the world. But the beacon flashes,
“Where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” (Boice, J. M..
Romans. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House)
Abounded (5248)
(huperperisseuo [hypererisseuo] from hupér [hyper] = over, super + perisseúo
= be over and above, cause to overflow or superabound) means to superabound
(even more than "superabound"!) or to abound much more in a
comparative sense. The idea is to be in great excess or abundance (Ro
5:20). It is also used figuratively in 2 Corinthians 7:4 where the idea
is to be full and running over, to be overflowing or to experience
exceedingly.
The only other use of
huperperisseuo in Scripture is found in 2 Corinthians...
Great is my confidence in you, great
is my boasting on your behalf; I am filled with comfort. I am
overflowing with joy in all our affliction. (2 Corinthians 7:4)
Barnhouse comments on Paul's
use of abound and abounded noting that...
In the Greek, these are two different
words. “Where sin overflowed, grace flooded in.” Where sin measurably
increased, grace immeasurably increased. Where sin abounded—pleonazo—grace
did much more abound—huper-perisseuo. The prefix huper is
like the Latin super. The movie ads have taught us what super
does to a word. Instead of being colossal, something is supercolossal.
So, where sin could be measured by multiplying the number of
commands of the law by the number of human beings in the world, grace
could never be measured because it would require the multiplication of
the number of acts of God’s grace by the infinity of His being. Our text
might well read: “Where sin was finite, grace was infinite.” (Barnhouse,
D. G. God's Grace: Romans 5:12-21. Grand Rapids, MI.: William B.
Eerdmans Publishing Company) Grace
abounded all the more - Grace abundantly overflowed. "Where sin reached a high-water mark,
grace completely flooded the world." (Barnhouse)
Martyn Lloyd-Jones
explains that...
The idea is that of an overflowing,
as if a mighty flood were let loose, sweeping everything before it.
Indeed, we might well use the term ‘engulfed’; such an abundance, such a
superabundance that it drowns and engulfs everything. Contemplating the
truth of superabounding grace, Spurgeon wrote...
Blessed be God for that! Sin may be a
river, but grace is an ocean. Sin may be a mountain, but grace is like
Noah’s flood, which prevailed over the tops of the mountains fifteen
cubits upward.
NEB renders it...
Where sin was thus multiplied, grace
immeasurably exceeded it.
J. B. Phillips paraphrases
it...
Though sin is shown to be wide and
deep, thank God his grace is wider and deeper still.
As Spurgeon says, the Law is a storm
that wrecks your hopes of self-salvation, but at the same time washes
you up upon the Rock of Ages, not only rescued, but restored and raised
to the side of the Eternal God. Who would not want to cry out in joy! The words of Julia Johnston
convey a beautiful picture of this overflowing grace... you might
consider pausing a moment and singing this hymn as you worship the God
of all grace...
Grace Greater than Our Sin
Play hymn
Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.
Refrain
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin.
Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,
Threaten the soul with infinite loss;
Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
Points to the refuge, the mighty cross.
Refrain
Dark is the stain that we cannot hide.
What can avail to wash it away?
Look! There is flowing a crimson tide,
Brighter than snow you may be today.
Refrain
Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see His face,
Will you this moment His grace receive?
Law added transgressions, showing
even more vividly the superabundant grace of God. Grace did not set aside the law, but
rather completely satisfied it. As deep as sin goes, God’s grace goes
deeper. As wide as sin is, God’s grace is wider. When sin abounded,
grace super-abounded. God’s grace is greater than all our sin. Praise
the Lord! How sad it is when some hear this glorious truth and "run the wrong direction"
with it (see notes
Romans 6:1;
6:2)
As Guzik says
We might have expected that where
sin abounded, God's anger or judgment would have abounded much more. But
God's love is so amazing that grace abounded much more where we might
have expected wrath. If grace super-abounds over sin, then we know that
it is impossible to out-sin the grace of God. We can't sin more than God
can forgive, but we can reject His grace (Ed note:
even believers can "frustrate" it = Paul declares "I do not frustrate
the grace of God" - Galatians 2:21, KJV) and forgiveness. (Romans 5)
(Bolding added)
Boice makes two practical
points concerning God's superabounding grace...
(1) Grace is not withheld because
of sin. We need to understand this clearly, because in normal life
you and I do not operate this way. If we are offended by someone, we
tend to withdraw from that person and restrain any natural favor we
might otherwise show. If someone offends us greatly, we find it hard
even to be civil. God is not like this. On the contrary, where sin
increases, grace superabounds.
(Barnhouse adds that...The
fundamental idea of our text is that no dam erected by sin can stop the
flow of God’s grace. The great dams of the world, such as Assouan,
Hoover, Bonneville, Friant, Shasta, are used to arrest the flow of
rivers or to divert waters from their normal course. But nothing can
arrest or divert the flow of the grace of God. Adam had not gone very
far from the scene of his rebellion before the grace of God sought him,
called him by name, pursued him in the obscurity of the grove where he
was hiding.)
(2) God’s grace is never reduced
because of sin. There is an unlimited supply of grace available.
Some people mistakenly suppose that there is only so much grace to go
around. They envision God as looking down on mankind and seeing a great
variety of sinners in need of salvation. One man is fairly good, but he
is not perfect. He can only be saved by grace, of course, so God dips
into his bucket of grace and splashes out just enough for this man to
find Christ and salvation. Here is another person, a woman. She is not
as “good” as the man. She needs more grace. Finally, here is a very
terrible person. He has committed every sin in the book and is not the
least bit inclined toward God or godliness. This man is also saved by
grace, but it takes a lot of grace to save him. God has to scrape the
very bottom of the bucket to get this vile profligate in.
All this is a gross misunderstanding.
Grace is not something that is depleted as it covers our deficiencies.
Furthermore, by grace God provides one hundred percent of what is
necessary for the salvation of one hundred percent of the people he is
saving. Grace is not doled out in proportion to our misdeeds. And God’s
superabundant supply never runs dry!
There is another error related to the
first. Imagine a man who was once walking close to God but who fell into
some great sin. I do not care what sin it was. It may have been Moses’
sin, David’s sin, your sin. Having fallen into sin, this man now thinks
that he has forfeited something of God’s grace. It is as if he had
originally been given one hundred percent of God’s grace but now
supposes that he is slowly wasting away this treasury of grace by his
major transgressions.
Do you ever find yourself thinking
that? Are you thinking that now? That you were saved in the past and you
were once a first-class Christian; but now, having sinned, you are
condemned to be only a second-class or third-class Christian forever?
Forget that idea. Your sin did not keep God’s grace from flowing to you
in full measure when you came to Christ. It will not keep grace from you
now.
(Barnhouse adds that..."God does
not say of a monstrous sinner, “Oh, that man is so bad that I must
scrape the bottom of the barrel of grace for him!” Nor does He say of
another, “There is an average man, doing average things in an average
way, so I need only an average amount of grace to deal with him.” He
does not say of a third man, “There is a highly moral man, well thought
of by all his fellows; just a scoop full of grace will meet his need.”
The degree of sinfulness does not enter into God’s dealing with men. The
question of sin was settled forever when the Lord Jesus Christ shed His
blood on the cross of Calvary. Now, because of that righteous act, God
can reach any man in any degree of sin, and save him. The grace that
goes forth to all sinners, whether first-class, second-class or
third-class, is the limitless, measureless, infinite grace of God. It
knows no change of source or purpose. It would be impossible for God to
exert more pressure and bestow more grace, because grace is already the
supreme, infinite flow of perfect love. It would likewise be impossible
for God to do less for a sinner, for no brakes can check the work of
God. At the cross He forever destroyed all that sin is and all that sin
can do. - Ibid)
I do not mean to suggest even for a
moment that God condones sin. God hates sin so much that he sent Jesus
Christ to die to rescue men and women from its destructive rule and
tyranny. He hates sin in you. He will continually work to remove it and
give you victory over it. But the point I am making here is that God
will never diminish his grace toward you because of your sin. (Ibid)
Wayne Barber in his sermon on
this passage says...
I want you to look at
Romans 5:20 [note]. There is something I want
to point out that may help you as we enter into Romans 6. It says
And the Law came in that the
transgression might increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded
all the more.
Now there are two words used in that
verse for abound or increase. The first one is
pleonazo, which means "is more than enough; to have enough." The
other word used, perisseuo, is actually a synonym, but when they
are used together, they are saying different things... pleonazo means to abound, but perisseuo means to
go even beyond that... (and) takes it to a greater extreme. Not only that, but
Paul put a preposition, huper in front of the word perisseuo. So what he is saying is, not only
does it go beyond increasing, where sin increased, but it goes way
beyond.
There is another difference in the
words. Grace has abounded over what sin did to man. The word
perisseuo means you are conscious of this abounding. The first words "sin increased,"
describes something that you may not be
conscious of. But the second word means you are
conscious of this. This is very important. How did sin abound?
When you cry out to the Lord Jesus Christ and grace super abounds
over that sin that you were once in, the grace of God is extended to
you. Now are you aware of it? Oh, yes! You’re aware of it! You’re aware
of the fact that something happened to your life. We’re going to be
looking at this in Romans 6.
First, you are aware that the
penalty of sin is gone.
No longer will you have to endure the
penalty of death. Even when you die physically on this earth,
immediately you are in the presence of God. Death no longer reigns over
you. He took your death for you. He went to the cross for you. The
penalty fell on Him. He went to the cross. Therefore, when we put our
faith into Him, it has no effect on us.
Secondly, the power of sin, now,
has no more claim over our lives.
Whereas, when we were in Adam, Sin
ruled and reigned in our lives. We were sinners, ungodly, all of us! But
when you reach out to Christ, His grace is something you experience.
It’s not just something you preach about! It’s not just something you
talk about! You actually experience the grace of God. You are
conscious of His grace, of the fact that now something new has happened
in your life.
Not only does it deal with the
power of sin, it even deals with the desire to sin. I think
Paul is trying to get us to the point of understanding that when you
become a Christian, you are aware that something brand new has taken
place in your life. It’s not like when you were (unsaved, unregenerate)
in Adam. You didn’t even know what the problem was until the
Scripture came and revealed your need. But when you put your faith in
Christ, you seek after Him. When the Holy Spirit opens this truth, you
reach out to Christ.
Now when I say, "You seek after Him"
I really mean He sought after you! But when you see the grace, you reach
out for it. That grace coming into your life transforms you!
2Cor 5:17 says,
"Therefore, if any man is in
Christ."
Where was he before? In Adam. How did
he get in Christ? He put his faith into Christ, and the result of that
was baptized into His body with the Holy Spirit. There is
no such thing as the baptism of the Holy Spirit. That is
never found in Scripture. It’s the baptism with the Holy
Spirit or by the Holy Spirit into the body
of Christ. The moment you reach out for that grace, it super
abounds over the sin and you are consciously aware of it.
"Therefore, if any man is in
Christ, he is a new creature; the old things [all of that old
life style in Adam] passed away; behold, new
things
have come."
What? The old becomes new. Here it
is, right here in Romans. Oh, if you can get this down in your thinking,
it will radically transform your lifestyle. |
