Romans 5:20
Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,
Truth to Learn
God’s grace easily covers the glaring presence of our sin.
Behind the Words
The word translated “entered” is the Greek word pareiserchomai. This is a double compound word made up of para, meaning “alongside,” eis, meaning “into,” and erchomai, which means “to come or to go.” Hence, it means “to come in alongside.”
“Abound” is from the word pleonadzō, which means “to make more or to increase.”
The words “abounded much more” are translated from the Greek word huperperisseuō, which is a compound of huper (or hyper), meaning “over or above” and perisseuō, meaning “to be in excess or to superabound.” Hence hyperperisseuō means “to be more than in excess” or “to more than superabound.”
Meaning Explained
In these two final verses in the fifth chapter of Romans, Paul seems to anticipate an objection that might be raised against the argument he has been making. The objection would be, “If sin was already in the world and man was already condemned, then what purpose did the Law serve?” That is the question that Paul is going to answer here.
From the word that Paul used we can see that the Law came in alongside. You see, God did not deliver the Law as something new or to replace something else. It was delivered to stand alongside the sin guilt that already existed in man.
The real question is, “Why?” According to Paul, the Law was delivered so that the offense might “abound” or “increase.” Did it actually create more sin? No, it simply made it more obvious. It’s like turning-on a light in a dirty, dusty room. With the light off, the filth is there but it can’t be seen. When the light is turned on, the dirt and dust become obvious and undeniable. That was the purpose of the Law, to make our sinfulness obvious.
The greatest news in this verse, is that where sin was in abundance as a result of having had the light turned on, the grace of God did not simply more abound, it more than superabounded. When God bestows His grace to us, it is not just barely enough to cover our sin guilt, it is way more than enough. There is no question that it is more than sufficient. It was necessary for us to see our sinfulness in the light of God’s presence so that we could not deny it and so that God’s grace would be even more evident when He saved us from that sinfulness.
Once again, we see that God did not leave us out in the dark but provided us a way to freely come into the light!
Application
Anyone who has honestly faced the fact of their own sinfulness knows that they are not just a little bit of a sinner. We know how great our sinfulness really is. But God’s grace is more than enough to cover all of our filthy sinfulness. Praise God!
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2010 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
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