Romans 5:13, "For until the Law was given [Adam to Moses] personal sin was in the world, but personal sin was not imputed when the Law did not exist. [Paul used this period to make a point namely those personal sins were not imputed for condemnation as per the next verse. Personal sins apart from Adam’s Original Sin were not imputed until the cross at which time, they were imputed and judged.]"

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ἄχρι γὰρ νόµου ἁµαρτία ἦν ἐν κόσµῳ, ἁµαρτία δὲ οὐκ ἐλλογεῖται µὴ ὄντος νόµου·

 

1. Though personal sins existed in the world from Adam to Moses, they were not the basis for condemnation from the justice of God.

 

2. The only sin ever imputed to us was Adam’s Original Sin which was imputed to our sin nature at birth which imputation brought about our spiritual death and subsequent condemnation from God.

 

3. Our personal sins are the manifestation of spiritual death, but they are not the cause of spiritual death.

 

4. It is imperative to understand that personal sins apart from Adam’s Original Sin were never imputed until the cross. Only Adam’s Original Sin was ever imputed to us and that occurred at our physical birth resulting in our spiritual death and condemnation.

 

5. On the cross Christ not only bore our sins as a result of imputation but was judged for our sins as the means of salvation.

 

Romans 5:14, "Nevertheless the spiritual death ruled from Adam to Moses [because Adam’s Original Sin was imputed at birth], even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of Adam's transgression, who [Adam] is a type of Him [Christ] who was destined to come [1st Advent]." (Adam was created perfect; Jesus was born perfect.)

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ἀλλὰ ἐβασίλευσεν ὁ θάνατος ἀπὸ Ἀδὰµ µέχρι Μωϋσέως καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς µὴ ἁµαρτήσαντας ἐπὶ τῷ ὁµοιώµατι τῆς παραβάσεως Ἀδάµ, ὅς ἐστιν τύπος τοῦ µέλλοντος.

 

Even though there was no Mosaic Law which defines sins, from Adam to Moses, yet spiritual death ruled.  Even though these people did not sin in the likeness of Adam’s transgression, they were in Adam’s loins. Being in the loins of Adam, God imputed Adam’s Original Sin to their sin natures at the time of their birth. So, what is the point? Spiritual death is not related to our personal sins for apart from Adam’s Original Sin, no sin is ever imputed to any member of the human race for condemnation. These sins were imputed directly to Jesus on the cross for judgment.

 

Religion always distorts this truth. Religious people like the Judaizers always maintained that one is saved by doing good namely by keeping the Mosaic Law and by avoiding the gross sins as religious people would describe the more obvious sins.  However, this is not true for one is not saved by keeping the Mosaic Law nor is one condemned by any sin he may commit whether it be an overt sin or one not so obvious.

 

A few points of explanation:

 

1. Adam’s sin was negative volition, direct disobedience to the command of God, regarding the prohibition of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

 

2. While members of the human race do not commit the exact sin that Adam committed, they do have the facsimiles and the justice of God recognizes the facsimiles under the principle of guilt. In other words, everyone does not express sin in the same way.

 

3. Not only sin but good and evil emanate from the old sin nature. Sin, good, and evil however, are not the basis for spiritual death. They are the result of spiritual death. 

 

Romans 5:15, "But so that gracious gift [the Incarnation and the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross] is not like that transgression [Adam’s Original Sin].  For if by the transgression of that one [Adam] the many [the entire human race] died [spiritual death at birth] and they did, much more the grace of God [of the Father imputing all our sins to Christ and judging them], even the gift with grace abound to the many [persons who believe in Jesus Christ and then advance spiritually] by the one Man, Jesus Christ."

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 Ἀλλ’ οὐχ ὡς τὸ παράπτωμα, οὕτως καὶ τὸ χάρισμα· εἰ γὰρ τῷ τοῦ ἑνὸς παραπτώματι οἱ πολλοὶ ἀπέθανον, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡ χάρις τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἡ δωρεὰ ἐν χάριτι τῇ τοῦ ἑνὸς ἀνθρώπου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς τοὺς πολλοὺς ἐπερίσσευσεν.