https://youtu.be/5QAQu61GR-E
In our verse-by-verse study of Romans last time we started on the first phrase Rom 5:20; The Law came so that the transgression (of Adam) would increase....
The constantive aorist of "pleonazo" translated (increase) gathers into one entirety the function of the Mosaic Law. So from the time the Law was given until the end of time it acts in a small role of making the consequences of spiritual death and condemnation from Adam's sin more obvious by revealing personal sin.
The active voice: Adam's original sin produces the action of the verb. The subjunctive mood is a potential subjunctive that is qualified by the element of contingency. In other words, the potential depends on the proper use of the Mosaic Law.
Paul who is the human author of Romans under the ministry of the Holy Spirit draws an analogy from the Greek theatre to describe the purpose and place of the law in God's plan.
The law is analogous to an actor who enters the stage to play a small role. The law reveals condemnation in terms of the existence of the old sin nature by making it more obvious.
This anticipates Rom 7:7; where Paul states that he was not even aware of the existence of the old sin nature apart from the tenth commandment.
While the Law is a minor actor on the stage of life Paul recognizes its true function and purpose. He describes the Law's purpose in Gal 3:24;
The Mosaic Law also reveals the person and work of Jesus Christ so the law receives an award for being the best supporting actor in history.
The imputation of Adam's sin that produced the condemnation of spiritual death is increased through the law's disclosure of personal sin. Personal sin is not a means of spiritual death but it is the manifestation of the production of spiritual death.
Adam's transgression is imputed to the entire human race at birth as the condemnation for spiritual death. As a result of our spiritual death that comes from Adam's transgression before we could sin we commit personal sin that increases our awareness of our status of spiritual death.
This augmentation or increase of sin on the basis of breaking the Law leads to more awareness of personal sins but we must understand that personal sins are the result of our spiritual death not the cause of our spiritual death.
Our personal sins are not imputed to us but they are reserved for their judicial imputation to Jesus Christ on the cross.
Adam's transgression results in our spiritual death through a real imputation at birth, but the augmentation or increase of personal sins ultimately results in our salvation through the judicial imputation all of the personal sins committed by the entire human race to Jesus Christ on the cross and judged.
The imputation of Adam's sin to every human baby at birth is a real imputation because it has the genetically formed old sin nature as a home.
The imputation of our personal sins to Jesus Christ on the cross is a judicial imputation because Jesus Christ did not have an old sin nature, or any personal sin therefore there was no home for them in Jesus Christ because He was impeccable.
The Mosaic Law enters history as a minor actor to distinguish between Adam's original sin and its judgment that is the basis for our condemnation at birth and our personal sins that are judged on Jesus Christ that is the basis for God imputing His perfect righteousness to us when we believe in Jesus for a moment of time and receive justification and everlasting life.
God's solution for sin through the imputation and judgment of our personal sins on the cross to Jesus Christ is the basis for the imputation of God's righteousness to us for justification and eternal salvation.
In other words, spiritual death is the real imputation of Adam's sin to mankind at birth while righteousness, justification and eternal life when we are born again is the result of the judicial imputation of our personal sins to Christ on the cross.
Personal sins are never imputed to the perpetrator; they are all reserved for Jesus. Only one sin, Adam's original sin, was imputed to us at the point of birth is the basis for our condemnation.
The Mosaic Law demonstrates that we are spiritually dead at birth by defining personal sins in terms of the production of spiritual death.
The Mosaic Law also defines the old sin nature as a part of spiritual death and resultant condemnation, but at the same time the Mosaic Law defines personal sins as the increase or the augmentation on the basis of spiritual death that came from he imputation of Adam's original sin.
God's justice imputation of Adam's sin to us condemns but God's justice imputation of the augmentation of (all personal sins) to Christ provides us with righteousness, justification and eternal life when we believe in Jesus Christ.
"But where sin increased" the adverb of place, "hou" (where) is used to indicate a circumstance, not an actual place. Plus the postpositive conjunctive particle "de" (but) sets up a contrast between the increase of Adam's sin through personal sins and the super increase of God's grace to cover any and all increase of sins on the basis of Jesus Christ's work on the cross.
We see from this that God's provision of grace is always greater than any historical increase of sinning from mankind's spiritual death. Spiritual death occurs at birth; personal sins are a natural production of spiritual death.
No increase of personal sins is ever greater than what God's grace can cover with Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.
Next we have the nominative singular subject "hamartia" (sin), referring to personal sin in contrast to "paraptoma" (transgression) that refers to Adam's original sin.
"But where personal sin" is a better translation; " (increased) the verb of augmentation is the aorist active indicative of "pleonazo" (increased or abounded) that describes the increase of personal sins through the rule of the old sin nature over the human souls that were housed in the biological bodies of spiritually dead human beings.
The aorist tense is culminative so it views the imputation of Adam's sin to the old sin nature at birth, resulting in spiritual death that results in personal sins being committed.
The active voice: personal sinning produces the action of the verb by increasing as history continues. The indicative mood is declarative so it views the action of the verb from the viewpoint of historical reality, the increase of personal sins throughout human history.
Expanded Translation so far: "But where personal sin increased (overflowed in great abundance), the grace abounded much more." " The grace super abounded all the more," is nominative singular subject with the definite article, "ho charis" (the grace).
The definite article is used here to describe God's grace through Jesus Christ. Plus the aorist active indicative of the verb "hypereperissuo"(super abounded) (huper = over and above); (perisseuoo = increase) that means to increase in greater abundance, or to super abound so "the grace increased in super abundance."
God's Grace is always way ahead of any amount of personal sin.
The aorist tense is the culminative aorist that views the superabundant supply of grace in its entirety but emphasizes it from the viewpoint of the existing results of the imputation of all personal sins to Jesus Christ on the cross resulting in salvation. The active voice: grace produces the action of the verb in superabounding or increasing in superabundance.
Expanded Translation: "Now the law came in as a minor actor to play a minor role, in order that the transgression (of Adam) might be increased (enlarged). But where personal sin increased (in abundance), grace increased in superabundance."
We see from this verse that personal sin is the augmentation of spiritual death. Spiritual death occurs when Adam's original sin is imputed to the OSN that is its genetic home that has been formed in biological life at human birth.
The old sin nature becomes the sovereign of human life ruling through spiritual death. One of the three trends of the old sin nature is the trend to sin. That trend is the source of personal sin.
The Mosaic Law came in as a minor actor to define personal sin as an augmentation to spiritual death. Adam's personal sin is multiplied many times in history through the function of the OSN that resides in the biological bodies of the human race.
But while Adam's original sin has been parlayed into many personal sins they are more than covered by grace because personal sin is never imputed to the sinner. All personal sin was imputed to Christ on the cross and judged by God the Father.
The judicial imputation of all personal sins to Jesus Christ on the cross indicates that the increase of sins is more than matched by the super-increase of God's super abundant grace.
Man cannot create a problem that God has not already resolved. God's justice that condemns mankind is the same justice that blesses mankind. The grace factor is the difference. Man's volition brought sin but God's sovereignty brought grace.
The reality of more sin means the greater reality of more grace.