For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
Truth to Learn
We don’t have to break the Law of Moses to be sinners.
Behind the Words
“World” is from the Greek word kosmos, which is probably derived from komeō, meaning “to take care of.” Kosmos specifically refers to “an orderly arrangement.” This word is used in the New Testament to refer to the world system, not the physical world.
The word “imputed” is similar to a word we saw in the previous chapter. It was the word logidzomai, meaning “to credit to someone’s account.” This word is ellogeō, which is sometimes used synonymously but it has a subtly different meaning. It means “to take into account” or “to take into consideration.”
Meaning Explained
Remember that this letter was originally written to Christians in Rome who were predominantly Jewish and who were still tied to keeping the Law, even after their conversion to Christianity. Throughout this letter Paul has been showing them (and us) that righteousness before God is not attained by keeping the Law but by the free, gracious gift of God, which comes only after we believe His promises.
In the previous verse Paul told us that sin (and death as a result) entered the world through Adam, and death passed on to all of us because all of us have sinned. Since the recipients of this letter were convinced that sin was a result of not keeping the Law, Paul now points out to them that sin existed in this world even before the Law was delivered to Moses. In other words, sin did not commence with the Law, sin commenced with Adam.
Now look at this carefully! Paul then says that sin is not imputed (taken into consideration) when there is no law. If we read this too quickly we might want to respond, “If sin is not imputed where there is no law then it wasn’t imputed to those who lived before the Law was delivered!” This is precisely the argument that Paul is refuting. You see, since death is the penalty of sin and death passed on all men after Adam, then all have sinned. Therefore there must have been a “law” (not “the Law”) that was transgressed even before the Law of Moses was delivered.
For those of you who think we Christians have to keep the Law (the Ten Commandments) in order to be “right” with God, you will find that Paul is arguing against you. Keeping the Law (or even keeping God’s higher moral law) is not what makes us acceptable (righteous) in God’s sight (for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God [Romans 3:23]). Only the righteousness that God gives to us when we believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as payment for our sins can make us acceptable in His sight.
Application
We don’t have to keep the Law of Moses to be righteous, but we don’t have to break the Law of Moses to be sinners either. However, if you know that you are a sinner and believe that Jesus died to pay the penalty of your sin, then you are reckoned as righteous in God’s record book.
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved