Grace has superabounded. After sin has held men sunk in ruin, grace then comes to their help:
for he teaches us, that the abundance of grace becomes for this reason more illustrious. — that
while sin is overflowing, it pours itself forth so exuberantly, that it not only overcomes the flood
of sin, but wholly absorbs it.^180 And we may hence learn, that our condemnation is not set before
us in the law, that we may abide in it; but that having fully known our misery, we may be led to
Christ, who is sent to be a physician to the sick, a deliverer to the captives, a comforter to the
afflicted, a defender to the oppressed. (Isaiah 61:1.)
21.That as sin has reigned, etc. As sin is said to be the sting of death, and as death has no power
over men, except on account of sin; so sin executes its power by death: it is hence said to exercise
thereby its dominion. In the last clause the order of the words is deranged, but yet not without
reason. The simple contrast might have been thus formed, — “That righteousness may reign through
Christ.” But Paul was not content to oppose what is contrary to what is contrary, but adds the word
grace, that he might more deeply print this truth on the memory — that the whole is to be ascribed,
not to our merit, but to the kindness of God.^181 He had previously said, that death reigned; he now
ascribes reigning to sin; but its end or, effect is death. And he says, that it has reigned, in the past
tense; not that it has ceased to reign in those who are born only of flesh, and he thus distinguishes
between Adam and Christ, and assigns to each his own time. Hence as soon as the grace of Christ
begins to prevail in any one, the reign of sin and death ceases.^182
(^180) The superabounding has a reference to the increasing of sin by means of the law. Grace not only abounded so as to be
sufficient to remedy the first sin and the sins which followed it; but it abounded still more, so as to be an adequate provision for
sin when increased by the law, through the perverseness of human nature. — Ed.
(^181) The antithesis to “sin” is properly “righteousness;” but, as Calvin observes, “grace” is connected with it. To preserve the
contrast, the sentence might be rendered, “grace through righteousness;” and then to show the medium or channel through which
this “grace through righteousness” is to reign so as to issue in “eternal life,” it is added, “through Jesus Christ our Lord.” So that
in this single sentence, we have the origin, “grace,” the means or the meritorious cause, “righteousness,” the agent, or the procurer
of it, “Jesus Christ,” and the end, “eternal life.” Some take “grace” as antithetic to sin, and connect “righteousness” with “eternal
life,” and render it “justification;” but this does not so well preserve the antithetic character of the clause. Those who render it
“holiness” completely misunderstand the drift of the passage.
The first part is differently rendered: instead of “unto death,” Hammond renders it, like Calvin, “through death,” and Grotius,
“by (per) death.” The preposition is and not , and its common meaning is “in,” and it may be here translated, “in death,” i.e.,
in a state of death. The reign of sin was that of death and misery; the reign of grace through Christ’s righteousness is that of life
and happiness, which is never to end. — Ed.
(^182) That the antitheses of this remarkable passage, from verse 12 to the end, may be more clearly seen, it shall be presented in
lines. The contrast in Romans 5:12 and 20 will be found in the first and last line and in the second and the third; and as to all the
other verses, in the first and the third line and in the second and the fourth, except Romans 5:13 and 14, which are an explanation
of the 12th. The 17th includes the two ideas of the 15th and 16th, in an inverted order. The 18th and l9th contain the summing
up of the argument, —
- For this reason, — as by one man sin entered into the world, And death by sin, Even so death came upon all men, —
Because all had sinned: - Sin indeed was until the law in the world, But sin is not imputed when there is no law;
- Yet reign did death from Adam to Moses. Even over those who had not sinned, After the likeness of the transgression
of Adam, Who is the type of him who was to come. - But not as the transgression, So also the free favor; For if through the transgression of one Many died. Much more has
God’s grace, and his free gift through the grace of one man, Jesus Christ, Abounded unto many: - And not as through one sin, So the free gift; For judgment was indeed Through one sir to condemnation, But the free
favor Is from many transgressions to justification, — - For if for one transgression, Death reigned through one; Much more shall they, who receive abundance of grace and of
the gift of righteousness, Reign in life through one, Jesus Christ. - So then, as through one transgression, Judgment was on all men to condemnation; So also through one righteousness,
The free favor is on all men to justification of life: