Romans 5:12

“Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, etc..] The design of these words, and of the following, is to show how men came to be in the condition before described, as “ungodly”, (<450506>Romans 5:6), “sinners”, (<450508>Romans 5:8), and “enemies”, (<450510>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 (<450511>Romans 5:11), by which it appears that the saints have not only an expiation of sin by the blood of Christ, but a perfect righteousness, by which they are justified in the sight of God; and the manner how they came at it, or this becomes theirs, together with the…”

“COMPARISON AND CONTRAST BETWEEN ADAM AND CHRIST IN THEIR RELATION TO THE HUMAN FAMILY. (Rom 5:12-21) Wherefore--that is, Things being so; referring back to the whole preceding argument. as by one man--Adam. sin--considered here in its guilt, criminality, penal desert. entered into the world, and death by sin--as the penalty of sin. and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned--rather, "all sinned," that is, in that one man's first sin. Thus death reaches every individual of the human family, as the penalty due to himself. (So, in substance, BENGEL, HODGE, PHILIPPI). Here we should have expected the apostle to finish his sentence, in some such way as this: "Even so, by one man…”

“Romans 5:12-21 has been usually regarded as the most difficult part of the New Testament. It is not the design of these notes to enter into a minute criticism of contested points like this. They who wish to see a full discussion of the passage, may find it in the professedly critical commentaries; and especially in the commentaries of Tholuck and of Professor Stuart on the Romans. The meaning of the passage in its general bearing is not difficult; and probably the whole passage would have been found far less difficult if it had not been attached to a philosophical theory on the subject of man’s sin, and if a strenuous and indefatigable effort had not been made to prove that it teaches what…”

“Therefore - This refers to all the preceding discourse; from which the apostle infers what follows. He does not therefore properly make a digression, but returns to speak again of sin and of righteousness. As by one man - Adam; who is mentioned, and not Eve, as being the representative of mankind. Sin entered into the world - Actual sin, and its consequence, a sinful nature. And death - With all its attendants. It entered into the world when it entered into being; for till then it did not exist. By sin - Therefore it could not enter before sin. Even so - Namely, by one man. In that - So the word is used also, Co2 5:4. All sinned - In Adam. These words assign the reason why death came upon…”

“5:12 Adam is both the name of the original man, Adam, and a Hebrew word that means “human.” Paul emphasizes the solidarity of Adam with the human race. • sin entered the world: The significance that Paul ascribes to this act, and the parallel that he draws between Adam’s sin and Christ’s act of obedience on the cross, makes clear that Paul views Adam and his sin in the Garden of Eden as historical fact. • everyone sinned: Death is universal because sin is universal. It is not clear when or how everyone sinned, but Paul later attributes the condemnation of all people to the sin of Adam, their representative (5:18). • Jewish tradition is divided on the relationship between Adam’s sin and the…”

“as by: Rom 5:19; Gen 3:6 and death: Rom 6:23; Gen 2:17, Gen 3:19, Gen 3:22-24; Eze 18:4; Co1 15:21; Jam 1:15; Rev 20:14, Rev 20:15 for that: or, in whom all: Rom 3:23; Jam 3:2; Jo1 1:8-10 Romans 5:13”