Romans 29: Sin and God’s Grace (Romans 5:20-21)

The Law and Sin
“The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase…” (Rm 5:20a)
 
Paul said that the law was given to us to increase trespasses. It sounds as if God’s law is a negative thing that triggers sin. At first glance, it can be hard to understand because we generally think that God’s law is good and decreases sin.
 
To understand the meaning of this verse, we first need to know how Paul understood the law. In Romans 7:7, Paul said,
 Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” (Rm 7:7)
 
Paul clearly stated that the law is not sinful. The role of the law was to make people realize what sin is. For example, Paul said that he knew coveting was sin because it was written in the law.
 
However, we know that even though we realize what sin is, we can’t be free from it. Because of our sinful nature, we keep repeating what we know is sin.
 
So Paul added in the next verse, 
“But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting.” (Rm 7:8)
 
Again, the role of the law is to make us know what sin is. However, the sinful nature inside us causes us to continue to be sinful. So, what’s really evil is the sin in our hearts, not the law. Paul concluded, 
 
“We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin… And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.” (Rm 7:14, 16-17)
 
This is how Paul understood the law. He was teaching that the law itself proves that it is not lack of knowledge that prevents us from obeying God, but rather our sinful nature.
 
That’s why Paul said in Rm 5:20,
“The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase…” (Rm 5:20a)
 
It doesn’t mean that the law itself increases sin. The real problem is our sinful nature that keeps us from following what’s right in God’s eyes.
  
Sin and God’s Grace
However, what Paul added next was more important.  “… But where sin increased, grace increased all the more” (Rm 5:20)
 
Sin is definitely a very strong power that governs our lives, so it often frustrates us, but what Paul is saying here is that we don’t really have to be frustrated because where sin increases, God’s grace also increases all the more. God’s grace toward humanity is much greater than humanity’s rebellion against God. That’s great news for us.
 
At the cross, we can see the power and terrible result of sin. Even though Jesus was the Son of God, He had to lay down His life to pay the ransom for our sins. That shows us just how powerful and destructive our sins are.
 
However, we also see that even the power of sin cannot stop God’s salvation. At the cross, God’s grace overwhelmed sin, and His eternal life triumphed over death.
 
It’s like how the darker the night is, the brighter a candle shines. When our sins look too dark for us to overcome, we should know that God’s grace covers us all the more. As the prophet Isaiah said,
 
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” (Is 9:2)
 
Jesus came to the world to save us and free us from sin and its terrible result—death. There is life in Him, and that life is the light of all mankind. Jesus is the true light, and whoever believes in Him can receive the light of life.
 
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (Jn 8:12)
 
If we’re in Jesus, we are no longer under the power of sin, but under God’s grace and the true light of Jesus Christ. That’s the only reason we can continue to follow God despite our weaknesses and sinful nature.
 
We not only entered God’s grace by believing in Jesus, but are continuously standing in it. His grace overwhelms our sin.  When we rely on God, and when we are full of His grace, we can keep walking this path of life until we ultimately see Him face to face.