Rom 5:20 has been a quite difficult verse in the bible. It says:
The law added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more. (NIV)
At first glance, this verse is like to mean that the function of the law is to increase sin, so, when the sin is increased, grace will increase all the more. Does it mean that the law is given to make us sin?
Answering this question is not easy though. But, understanding what the whole idea of the book Romans is might help. The main idea of the book of Romans, which is also what the gospel is, is Salvation by faith (Rom 3:28, 1:17). If we add more detail to that short phrase it would be: Salvation by faith through the grace of The Lord. That’s all. Salvation has not something to do with our deeds; it depends on the grace of God only. It even has nothing to do with law; it depends on our faith in Jesus Christ. Well, don’t get it wrong, to mean that now we can do everything since the law is not needed anymore. In fact, this is what Rom 5: 20 try to explain.
The law of God was there even when Adam was not created. But, it was first publicly proclaimed in the Mount of Sinai. In Mount of Sinai, human race for first time, heard the voice of God proclaiming his law and then not only was being proclaimed, the law was also being written. We can see this moment as the time when the law was added. Why was it added? To save Israelites? Absolutely not. Like in the New Testament, so it was in the Old Testament that Salvation comes only from the Grace of The Lord. God didn’t wait the Israelites to live a righteous life until he saved them from the bondage of Egypt. He saved them first before they realized how big their sins were. After saving the Israelites, God then gave His law. Why? To make them know how great their sin are. The law was given to make the Israelites knew their position; knew their trespass that might never be realized if God’s law has never been given. The law acts like a mirror to show our sins. The more knowledge we know about the law the more we realize how extent our sins are. In this term, we could say: “The law added so that the trespass might increase”. But it doesn’t stop there. It continues with: “But where sin increased, grace increased all the more”. This next sentence is as important as the previous one. Because, this sentence gives us the other purpose of law given that is to make us seek the grace of God that indeed has already been there. The law-giving purpose is not only to make us realize our sins but also to encourage us to hold on God tightly because He offers us the grace that abounded enough to deal with our sin.
Note:
For deeper bible study, you may find this link useful.
