“Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” Gen. 26:5.
12. By whom did sin enter into the world?
“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Rom. 5:12.
13. Then what did Adam violate?
Since Adam sinned, he must have had and violated the law of God, for “sin is the transgression of the law.”
14. What particular period does the apostle specify, during which death reigned?
“Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.” Rom. 5:14.
15. What alone causes death?
“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Rom. 5:12. “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” James 1:15.
16. And what is necessary in order that sin may be imputed?
“For until the law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law.” Rom. 5:13.
17. Then what besides sin and death must also have existed from Adam to Moses?
18. What does Paul say of the condition of both Jews and Gentiles.
“What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise; for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin.” Rom. 3:9.
19. If one is charged with sin, of what is he certainly in possession?
“Because the law worketh wrath; for where no law is, there is no transgression.” Rom. 4:15. “For until the law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law.” Rom. 5:13.
20. To whom alone can a law speak?
“Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” Rom. 3:19.
21. As a consequence of what the law says, how do all the world stand?
22. Then who are under obligation to keep the law? The whole world.
23. If the law existed from the beginning, why was it necessary to give the law from Sinai? Rom. 5:20.
“The law entered, that the offense might abound.” Rom. 5:20. An offense is a violation of law; a transgression; a sin. Therefore the text means, “The law entered that the sin might abound.” Then there was sin before the time spoken of when the law “entered.” But as there can be no sin without law, it follows that the law existed before the time when “the law entered,” which was at Sinai. The “entering” of the law was the formal giving of it from Sinai. Before that time people knew the law only as portions of it remained written in their hearts (Rom. 2:15), or as they were taught it by the servants of God, like Enoch and Noah, who had direct communication with Heaven. But after the giving of the law from Sinai, each person could at all times carefully examine the whole law for himself, and consequently sins which before might have seemed trivial, or might have passed unnoticed, were made to stand out in their true character. Thus the offense was made to “abound.” As Paul elsewhere says, sin, by the commandment, became “exceeding sinful.” Rom. 7:13.