Romans 5:20 - The Final Contrast (Conciliation Series, Part XI)
Part IV: God’s Conciliation, Confirmed
Yet law came in by the way, that the offense should be increasing. Yet
where sin increases, grace superexceeds…
And now, we have made it to the end of chapter 5. Written above is the final contrast between Adam’s accomplishment and Christ, but, as with all the other verses in the chapter, let’s take this slowly.
The “Yet” of the beginning of the sentence (and the beginning of the next) are “conjunctions.” In English, conjunctions are usually, “and,” “but,” “for,” “nor,” “yet,” and so on. In Greek, the force of the word “yet” takes on a whole different level of importance. It can be used in two different ways: either “adversative,” or “continuative.” If it is “adversative,” it is expressing an explicit contrast between two phrases. If it is “continuative,” it is simply connecting two thoughts together, whether it be two clauses in a sentence, or to connect two sentences.
Why do I mention this? The beauty is that either of these purposes of the word can be fulfilled in considering this sentence! Here, we are certainly expressing a contrast, not just between the sin and grace of the second sentence (though the word “yet” does kick that sentence off,) but we are also connecting law into the grand scope and argument that Paul has been talking about here!
This works on a few different levels. First, we’ve been, er, “contrasting,” if you will, the Jewish objections with the true evangel since chapter 3. Paul also set up this discussion of the law back in 5:13-14, when he mentioned sin not being accounted to the individual when there is no law. As such, it follows, after proclaiming that all shall be constituted just, that the Jewish objector must go, “Oh that’s nice and all, buuUUUUuUUuuuuUUtTT what about the law? Didn’t you say, ‘by works of law no flesh at all shall be justified in God’s sight?”
This is, arguably, the first question from the Jews that sounds reasonable to me. Are they correct? No. They’re ripping Paul’s words out of context. But if this is your first read, it’s reasonable to presume that you’ve found an inaccuracy, which could tear Paul’s argument to bits.
Nonetheless, it is our perception that is inaccurate, not Paul’s inspired words. The law did indeed force one to take account of their sins; you could not even act without being a transgressor under law, because man, in all ways, are completely irreverent and unjust when pitted against God’s righteousness. Yet this does not erase Paul’s 5:18-19 conclusion! The penalty of law is death by a priest, which is what any under law have suffered, and suffer today, if they still place themselves under law.
The law reveals itself, then, to be a cog in the wheel, not the wheel itself. It is a process by which God makes Himself known in contrast to man, not the only way in which God can make Himself apparent to us (see: the book of Job, in which a man not under law is educated on God’s righteousness.)
Law crept in, is the original term, here. It’s funny; I would think of that as more of a difficult concept to comprehend! How did law “creep in?” It was a big show of clouds and lightning on Mt. Sinai! All the Israelites saw it! Hell, Yahweh spoke to Moses just as a man speaks to his associate (Ex. 33:11!) This was no small event. I guess you could argue that no other nation saw it, and thus it “crept in” in relation to the nations? You could also argue that, as we’ve been dealing with the effects of concepts (justification, 5:1, and conciliation, 5:10,) that we are now dealing with the effect of law, per the second half of the first sentence. The latter is far more feasible to me. You could even argue that Paul is being ironic, or maybe that he’s purposely understating the law in order to identify its smaller role in the grand design of creation.
Why did law creep in? That the offense should be increasing. Notice, that this does not say, “that sin should be increasing.” The term is offense. As we’ve discussed already, Adam was the first to offend God, in directly transgressing the law God gave him and listening to another voice which was not His own. This same “offense” is referenced 4 other times, in 5:15, 17, and 18, and adds new context to the “many offenses” in 16.
Consider this: Where no law is, neither is there “transgression” (Rom. 4:16,) but “transgression” is not the definition of “offense.” Offense is “getting your feelings hurt by another’s misdeed,” if I may paraphrase. Every “offense” since then has, in essence, repeated the “offense” of Adam’s disobedience. We all offend God – all the time (Col. 2:13, Eph. 1:7!) Yet “offense” is not limited to “transgression” – otherwise, “offense” would be limited to “law,” which is not what this verse says. This verse points out that law’s underlying function was to expand, or increase, the offense, not cause it to be, or exist. Law didn’t create sin, but emphasizes its nature (Rom. 3:19-20.)
And that’s what this whole “behavioral” thing comes down to, doesn’t it? People presume that, because the law is in and of itself “divine” (Rom. 7:7,) that this must mean that the law must be followed – or else. “Yet” that simply isn’t what God reveals concerning His law! Its divine aim, at this point in time, is to increase the offense (2 Cor. 4:15.) Its goal is not for the offense to cease, but to grow. This is the only possible result when you give a bunch of sinners a righteous precept and tell them to “follow this.” It highlights man’s enmity toward God, when all is said and done. When I say that God made an example of the Jews, it is not without Scriptural verification (Rom. 3:19-20.)
Finally, the law did not promise life eonian, as God promises His saints in 5:17, nor is it the method by which God states that all will be constituted just in verse 19. God says the many “shall be constituted just” through the obedience of Christ, not your obedience! You are told you will “live in law” if you perform the action properly (Lev. 18:5,) yet those under law are considered “under a curse” by Paul, in Gal. 3:10-12! As common sense indicates, we clearly aren’t talking to any righteous keeper of law today, save for Christ, the only obedient One.
Here is the final contrast: where sin increases, grace superexceeds. The word “sin” is used here, and not “offense.” Am I going to pretend that I know the intricacies of this difference? No. But there is a difference. “Offense” concerned God’s feelings on the subject, whereas sin concerns the embodiment of injustice itself. Sin increases daily. As man increases on the face of the earth, so also does sin. Physically, this has been the process since Adam transgressed. Like a plague, sin grows and infests, and apart from Christ this process is not reversed (Gen. 6:5-7.)
All that said, the question obviously becomes: why? Why the hell should this be the process? The only rational and satisfying answer to the question can be found in the second half of the contrast: grace superexceeds. Sin in its entirety is consumed by grace superexceeding. “Increases” and “superexceeds” give strong contrasts in themselves. What you may not realize is that the Greek word for “superexceeds” is huper-perisseuo. This is a word that Paul, in essence, made up to convey the strength of grace. The word perisseuo, on its own, is “BE-ABOUT,” and is translated “superabound” in the CLNT. It is used, for examples, in Rom. 3:7 and 5:15. Yet here, the prefix huper is added, which changes the Greek elements to “OVER-ABOUT.” This is even stronger than “superabounds,” which had previously been used to contrast the “offense” with “the grace and the gratuity in grace.” Here, we have what is called a superlative form of perisseuo, which grammatically conveys the highest quality or degree that something can be. In this case, that “something” is “grace.”
Sin increases because man’s place increases. The offense increases through the law; the sin increases because the offense is the effect of sin. The grace superexceeding is the effect of the sin. The contrast is in the strength of each noun. The sin increases, but this is nothing compared to the grace, which, in its highest form, superexceeds and swallows sin in every way. Grace doesn’t “increase,” because “grace” is God’s quality. How can God’s qualities “increase?” Does God become even more God as time passes? That’s a head scratcher. No, grace superexceeds because the highest quality of God is grace, and it cannot be understated that His qualities are far and away “over,” or “above” us. Simply put, sin can’t “beat” grace!
Woe to those who ignore these words! Imagine being in a religion where “grace is good, and excessive, but only offered in light of sin!” Goodness gracious. How many times must Paul put this for us to get it? Where does God say He “offers” grace?? What a pathetic idea for God to just “offer” His goodness! “I went too far this time, in creating sin!” God said (Is. 45:7.) “Some sins are just too much for me! Like murder? I told them! I said, ‘Hey, don’t murder!’ And what do they do?? King Von was just too much for Me to handle! I could never love someone with so much sin in them! Grace superexceeds to everyone except those who sin too much!”
Seriously, do we hear how this sounds?? And yet every day, it’s all man talks about in churches! That God is not good enough to handle all of sin. Wow. Do people not realize that, if He is unable to handle sin, then it ceases to be grace?? That it ceases to be a product of Love and becomes a conditional precept that relies on man to defeat sin?? Who the hell are we?? Need I remind you of Acts 17:24-25:
“The God Who makes the world and all that is in it, He, the Lord inherent
of heaven and earth, is not dwelling in temples made by hands, neither is He attended by human
hands, as if requiring anything, since He Himself gives to all life and breath
and all.”
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This is God’s ultimate assurance that He has defeated sin at the cross (John 16:33, Col. 2:13-15.) Sin is our enemy. Our fatal flaw. It works in us, and “yet” God looks past that now, because of His Son (Rom. 5:10.) Is God’s grace somehow not adequate to save? “Yet” all these pastors actively preach this! That you must do something, when God says no such thing, now 5 chapters in to His evangel. He says that His power outweighs sin – even their lie, which I’m sure they’ll be happy to hear on Judgment Day. Sin and grace were pitted against each other on the cross, and grace won – it’s why we, who receive the grace and gratuity in grace are reigning in life, and not remaining subject to death. Sin has been exposed. It has been weighed, measured, and found wanting. Sin has lost; grace is victorious.
- GerudoKing
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