Adam and the Law

Having foretold that upon the sin of Adam and upon the decision of death all the rest sinned (Rom 5:13), it is confirmed that they sinned by the coming; for before the law, sin was in the world. For do not think, he says, that sin was not until the law of Moses, nor was sin imputed to men; for it was indeed imputed, since law also was.

what then does the law show? The natural one, according to which we move, distinguishing the better and the worse, concerning which law he already spoke; for when Gentiles, not having the law, do the things of the law by nature, these, not having the law, are a law to themselves. Thus also before the Mosaic law was the law of nature.

But as being sinners and living as aliens, death reigned from Adam until the setting of the law, and over those not having sinned, nor having transgressed a commandment of God according to Adam, but having violated the law of nature. And this is a type of the coming, that is, a type of Christ, Adam, is not according to the sin or the righteousness—for contrary to these things he held—but according to the preceding; for just as from Adam death was distributed to all, so from Christ life was distributed to all.

And there is a type also according to another reason; for just as Adam was the head of Eve according to being a man, so also Christ is the head of the church according to which he is proclaimed her bridegroom, as also the apostle says: 'for this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall be joined to his wife' (Gen 2:24). This mystery is great (Eph 5:32), but I speak concerning Christ and the church. This seems to have the opposite to the aforementioned, that death passed to all men (Rom 5:14); for having spoken earlier concerning all, now he speaks concerning many (Rom 5:15).

But it must be known that death passed to all because all have sinned, but it passed to all while searching and testing, seizing not those who sin simply, but those who persist in their own sins, which he makes clear by saying the following: that many were made sinners, through which the unchangeable nature of their wickedness is shown. Thus death passed to all searching, seeing them sin, but it killed not all. Some thought a difference in death was shown by these things, and because death appears bodily for all, and because for many it is accidental.

But none of these things the sequence of the word now demonstrates; for there is no distinction in it, but it proceeds as concerning one universal matter. He strives, however, to show that even if the evil one fashioned the transgression of Adam, discussing for himself the beginning of the kingship over men, the Lord, having granted a greater gift, bestowed grace. Instead of the gift regarding one sin of Adam (Rom 5:16), for it was great and much, surpassing the sins of all through philanthropy (Rom 5:17), which he teaches, leading to: the judgment indeed from one to condemnation, but the gift from many transgressions to righteousness (Rom 5:17).

For he wants to say that Adam's sin was one, but nevertheless, being one from one sin, he condemned the many because of imitating Adam, but the gift of the Lord was not measured against the one sin, but against the many things existing of all. Thus, having freed them from many transgressions, he led them into righteousness; for in this is the abundance of grace, that he not only freed from the transgressions, but also led into righteousness.

Having examined and having stripped bare both the harm through Adam which was pressed upon men and the benefit bestowed by the Lord (Rom 5:18), he proceeds then teaching more decisively, that the transgression of Adam condemned and killed men, but the Lord made the righteousness alive. And what is the transgression of Adam? Disobedience. What...