Romans 5 13

Romans 5:13 kjv

(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

Romans 5:13 nkjv

(For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

Romans 5:13 niv

To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone's account where there is no law.

Romans 5:13 esv

for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law.

Romans 5:13 nlt

Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break.

Romans 5 verses

Romans 5 13 Meaning

Romans 5:13 explains that sin was present in the world even before the Mosaic Law was given. During that period, death reigned (as stated in the following verse), demonstrating the reality and consequence of sin. However, without a specific, revealed law, sin was not "imputed" or charged in the same specific way as a transgression against an explicit divine command. People were still sinners, and faced death as a result, but the exact legal accountability shifted once God delivered His Law at Sinai.

Romans 5 13 Context

Romans 5:13 is nestled within a pivotal section (Rom 5:12-21) that draws a profound parallel between Adam and Christ. This "Adam-Christ typology" contrasts the entrance of sin and death through one man (Adam) with the abundant grace and righteousness that come through the other (Christ). Verse 13 specifically addresses the period between Adam and Moses, a crucial theological interval where no written law like the Mosaic Law existed. Paul uses this period to emphasize that even without a codified law, humanity was universally affected by sin (evidenced by the reigning power of death), setting the stage for the universal solution in Christ, independent of specific legal systems. The chapter emphasizes justification by faith and the secure hope believers have in Christ.

Romans 5 13 Word analysis

• For (γὰρ - gar): A conjunction that introduces an explanation or a reason, connecting this statement to the preceding truth that sin and death entered through Adam (v.12).
• until (ἄχρι - achri): Marks a boundary or a point in time, indicating "up to the time of" or "as far as." Here, it denotes the period leading up to the giving of the Mosaic Law.
• the law (νόμου - nomou): Refers specifically to the Mosaic Law given through Moses at Mount Sinai, which comprehensively outlined God's will and explicit commandments. Paul differentiates this from an inherent moral law known by conscience or general revelation.
• sin (ἁμαρτία - hamartia): Literally "missing the mark"; it signifies moral failure, rebellion against God's will, or a state of estrangement from God. Here, it denotes the active principle and presence of human fallenness and wrongdoing.
• was in (ἐν ἦν - en ēn): Indicative past tense, meaning sin existed or was present.
• the world (κόσμῳ - kosmō): Refers to the human realm, the entire order of fallen creation and humanity. This emphasizes the universal spread and influence of sin since Adam's fall.
• but (ἀλλὰ - alla): A strong adversative conjunction, introducing a contrast or a qualification to the preceding statement.
• sin is not imputed (ἁμαρτία οὐκ ἐλλογεῖτο - hamartia ouk ellogeito):
  • Imputed (ἐλλογεῖτο - ellogeito): The verb means "to put to one's account," "to charge," "to reckon," or "to count against someone." In this passive imperfect tense, it signifies that sin was not being formally charged as transgression against a known written law. This doesn't mean people were guiltless, but that the precise nature of the legal charge was different.
  • Not (οὐκ - ouk): A direct negative, meaning "no" or "not."
• when there is no law (μὴ ὄντος νόμου - mē ontos nomou):
  • When there is no (μὴ ὄντος - mē ontos): A genitive absolute construction indicating the condition or circumstance "when law does not exist." The use of mē (instead of ou) in negative clauses implies a hypothetical or a condition where the lack of law is presented as a concept rather than a direct factual denial in all contexts.
  • law (νόμου - nomou): Again, referring to a specific, revealed divine code, like the Mosaic Law.

Words-group analysis:

• "For until the law, sin was in the world": Establishes a historical timeframe (Adam to Moses) where sin was universally operative, despite the absence of a formal legal code from God. This lays the groundwork for understanding the full extent of humanity's sin problem, even without explicit prohibitions.
• "but sin is not imputed when there is no law": This qualifying statement highlights a nuanced theological point. While sin was present and brought death, the way it was reckoned or legally charged changed with the introduction of a specific divine law. Transgression against a clearly defined commandment introduces a different level of specific culpability compared to violations of general revelation or an inherent moral sense. This explains how death could reign (v.14) even when sins were not "imputed" as direct "transgressions" in the later Mosaic sense.

Romans 5 13 Bonus section

This verse subtly prepares the reader for understanding why "the law was added because of transgressions" (Gal 3:19) and how it truly highlighted the extent of humanity's rebellion against God. The existence of sin and death before the Law demonstrates that humanity's problem is not simply one of breaking specific rules but a deeper issue of spiritual fallenness. The Law's primary role was not to save but to reveal the full scope of human inability to attain righteousness on their own. It heightened human responsibility by making specific, identifiable transgressions, thereby necessitating God's grace through Christ all the more. The statement that sin is not imputed without law does not mean that sin was inconsequential; rather, it highlights God's justice in dealing with culpability based on the degree of revelation received. The "reckoning" (imputation) of sin is distinct from its presence and effects, with death itself being the undeniable proof of sin's power throughout all human history, regardless of explicit codified law.

Romans 5 13 Commentary

Romans 5:13 clarifies that sin's presence and effects preceded the Mosaic Law. It's not that people were not sinful before Moses; death, as the penalty for sin (Rom 6:23), reigned from Adam onward (Rom 5:14). However, the specific imputation or formal charging of sin as a direct violation of a revealed commandment was distinct once the Law was given. Before the Law, humanity's sin stemmed from their inherent Adamic fallenness and their rebellion against God's general revelation (Rom 1:18-32), rather than specific, articulated precepts. The Law did not introduce sin but defined it, exposing it as transgression (paraptoma in Rom 5:15) and demonstrating its true extent (Rom 3:20; 7:7). This verse therefore bridges the theological gap between Adam's fall and the giving of the Law, underscoring humanity's universal need for justification by faith, independent of any legal system, and pointing towards Christ as the universal solution to both Adamic sin and legal transgressions.