Romans 5:15

"Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those whose sins weren’t like Adam’s disobedience, who is a foreshadowing of him who was to come."

Key Reflection

This verse emphasizes that the consequence of sin and the dominion of death extended widely, affecting not just those who committed acts similar to Adam’s disobedience but also others whose transgressions were different in nature. Adam's act serves as a symbolic precursor to the coming Messiah, highlighting the universal impact of sin and the need for redemption.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 15. But not as the offence. This is the first point of contrast between the effect of the sin of Adam and of the work of Christ. The word offence means, properly, a fall, where we stumble over anything lying in our way. It then means sin in general, or crime, Mt 6:14,15; 18:35. Here it means the fall, or first sin of Adam. We use the word fall as applied to Adam, to denote his first offence, as being that act by which he fell from an elevated state of obedience and happiness into one of sin and condemnation. So also. The gift is not in its nature and effects like the offence. The free gift. The favour, benefit, or good bestowed gratuitously on us.

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