Romans 5:12

Context

Romans 5:12-21 is a passage that compares Adam and Christ side by side. Its central point is that just as sin and death came through the offense of one man, so grace and life came in abundance through the obedience of one man, Jesus Christ (vv. 18-19). Verse 12 begins a sentence with "Wherefore" but does not complete the comparison; the thought resumes only in verse 18, after the explanation in verses 13-17. For this reason, many commentators note that verse 12 should be read within the passage as a whole rather than in isolation. The account of the Fall in Genesis 3 forms its background.

Interpretation

The point of dispute is the closing phrase of verse 12, "for that all have sinned" (eph' hō pantes hēmarton).

• Augustine and the Western tradition: Latin translations of the fourth and fifth centuries rendered eph' hō as "in whom" (in quo), and Augustine read this to mean that all people sinned in Adam. On this basis he formulated the doctrine of original sin, according to which Adam's guilt and corrupted nature are transmitted to all his descendants through birth. The Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and Reformed churches all accept the doctrine of original sin.
• The Reformed principle of representation: Many Reformed theologians hold that eph' hō is properly translated "because," yet they explain that since Adam was the covenantal representative of all humanity, his sin was imputed to all people. This view is connected with the concept of the covenant of works in covenant theology.
• The Eastern Orthodox reading: The Orthodox Church holds that what all people inherit from Adam is not guilt but death and a weakened nature subject to death, and that in this condition each person commits sin individually. For this reason it sometimes uses the term "ancestral sin" rather than "original sin."
• The Pelagian reading: Pelagius, in the fifth century, held that people sin by following Adam's bad example; the church condemned this view as heresy (Pelagianism).

Debates

Arminianism and the Wesleyan tradition affirm original sin while holding that God's prevenient grace restores to all people the ability to respond. In the modern era, the historicity of Adam has become a new issue in light of the theory of evolution. One view holds that Paul's argument presupposes a historical Adam, while another holds that its theological meaning stands independently of that question. This is treated further in the article Creation and Evolution.

Related Passages

• Genesis 3:17-19
• Romans 5:18-19
• 1 Corinthians 15:21-22
• Psalm 51:5
• Ephesians 2:1-3