Romans 5:12-21 – Review with Answers

• In Romans 5:12-21 Paul draws a parallel (and contrast) between two men. Who are the two men?

– Adam and Christ

• When Paul writes that “sin entered the world through one man”, who is that “one man” that Christ is referring to?

– Adam

• When Paul says in Romans 5:12 that “all [men] sinned”, is he talking about sins that men have personally committed? Explain your answer.

– No. Paul is referring to the fact that all men sinned “in Adam”, because Adam was representing the human race when he sinned.

• Men who lived before the Mosaic Law was given were still condemned as sinners. How do we know this? What happened to the men who lived during this time that shows that these men were guilty of sin?

– They died - first spiritually then physically

• In Romans 5:12-14, Paul addresses the following problem. See if you can answer the way Paul did: The men who lived before the giving of the Mosaic Law were not guilty of law-breaking because God had not yet given the any law (remember “sin is not taken into account where there is no law”, Romans 5:13). And yet, the men who lived during this time period died which shows they were guilty of sin (otherwise they wouldn’t have died). What sin were these men guilty of?

– Adam’s sin

• In Romans 5:14, Paul writes that Adam was a “pattern” or “type [NASB]” of the “one to come”. Who is the “one to come” that Paul is speaking of?

– Christ

• In Romans 5:20 Paul gives us God’s reason for giving the Law of Moses. What is the reason?

– So that trespasses (sin) would increase.

• As sin increased, what did God’s grace do?

– Increased “all the more” in order to cover the sins committed