Which came first: the Law or sin?
Well, this is a question that’s to be expected. Romans 5:13 says, “For sin was indeed in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned when there is no law.” Romans 4:15 also says, “For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law, neither is there transgression.” Again, Romans 7:7–8 says, “What then are we to say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet, if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’ But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law sin lies dead.”
Looking at these passages, if we do not understand them properly, we might be confused and ask the following questions:
- If there was no Law, could Adam and Eve have sinned?
- If they did not know the Law, could those who have not heard the Gospel be counted as sinners?
- If they did not sin, then they should not be punished. But they died—and everyone dies. How can this be?
- If this is the case, why didn’t God give the Law before He created us?
Other related questions can also be raised.
What we must understand is that “the law” mentioned in Romans 5:13 refers to the Law of Moses—the Law given to him by God. But looking at this verse alone does not give us the full picture. Let us broaden our view and turn to Romans 5:12–14. In verse 12, we see that sin already existed in the world before God gave the Law to Moses at Mount Sinai. It says, “Sin came into the world through one man.” This sin is the sin of Adam—the sin of humanity. Since he represents the whole human race, everyone becomes a sinner (cf. 1 Cor. 15:22; Rom. 3:23; 5:12). Because of this, verse 14 tells us, “Death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam.”
Now, the question is: what happened to those who lived between Adam and Moses—the period between the fall of man and the giving of the Law?
2 Corinthians 5:10 tells us, “For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive due recompense for actions done in the body, whether good or evil.” Romans 2:6 also says, “He will repay according to each one’s deeds.”
This means that everyone, whether under the Law or before it, will be repaid for what they have done. Romans 2:12–16 clarifies this further:
“All who have sinned apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged in accordance with the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous in God’s sight but the doers of the law who will be justified. When Gentiles, who do not possess the law, by nature do what the law requires, these, though not having the law, are a law to themselves. They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, as their own conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts will accuse or perhaps excuse them on the day when, according to my gospel, God through Christ Jesus judges the secret thoughts of all.”
This clarifies that there is no difference between those who are under the Law and those who are not. Sin is sin, and the one who commits it—whether knowingly or unknowingly—becomes a sinner.
Romans 1:18–20 clearly says, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and injustice of those who by their injustice suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. Ever since the creation of the world, God’s eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been seen and understood through the things God has made. So they are without excuse.” There is no excuse.
Now let us revisit the questions we posed earlier. Firstly, even though Adam and Eve lived before the Law was given to Moses, they deliberately broke the command given to them by the Lord (Gen. 2:16–17) and became sinners. Sin is rebellion against God. This is why Romans 5:14 says, “Death reigned… even over those who did not sin.” If this is the case, then everyone becomes a sinner. All the other questions we raised are now answered.
The universal law of God remains. And in that, Adam and Eve, by their own free will, went against it—and because of that, all humanity became sinful.
In order for people to understand their sin, the Law was given to Moses.
In Galatians 3:19, Paul tells us why the Law exists. Further, in Galatians 3:24 he writes, “Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be reckoned as righteous by faith.”
We were made in the image and likeness of God, and we should obey His commands. But we have become sinners. The Law of Moses was therefore given so that we might understand what sin means (Rom. 7:7).
Before Moses, adultery was not specifically condemned by the Mosaic Law because it had not yet been given. Yet mankind remained sinful because of Adam’s transgression (Rom. 5:14). Death proves sin—because they died.
Consider this illustration: someone has a bad stomach ache. Before going to the doctor, he might imagine many reasons—maybe I ate too much spicy food, maybe that food was stale… But when he goes to the doctor, the doctor examines him and discovers the real cause. Just because the man didn’t know the cause doesn’t mean there was no pain—he was in pain, but he didn’t know why. Likewise, before the Law was given, sin still existed, but people were unaware of its true nature. The Law did not create sin; it revealed and explained it.
As the Law explains sin, it also reveals the need for sacrifices, the role of the priests, holiness, and other means by which man could draw closer to God.
Scholars agree that there are roughly 613 commandments in the Law. It was almost impossible to follow them all. Whenever man tried, he failed. In short, it was impossible to reconcile ourselves to God—and we remained sinners.
But God came down. He loved us no matter what.
Jesus Christ did it for us. He was blameless, yet took upon Himself our sins. Through His life, death, burial, and resurrection, He saved us from the punishment we deserved.
Colossians 2:13–15 says it clearly:
“And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it.”
And so, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”
Romans 8:1-2
Hallelujah!
