Romans 5:20 New International Version (NIV)
20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,
Paul had already alluded to sin being in the world (Romans 5:13) so how does the introduction of the Law increase trespass
How can we understand the above text?
The Law was not brought in (παρεισηλθεν - pareisēlthen) with the express purpose of increasing trespasses; but rather, it had that effect, since the law made clear which things were transgressions and which were not (see, e.g., the discussion you started on Romans 5:13).
Transgressions perhaps made in ignorance before the Law became more severe, since, having the Law as a guide, the transgressor should have had no doubt that they were offenses.
The verse may not seem perfectly clear because the phrase "so that" in English can indicate either a cause or a consequence. In this case, it indicates a consequence, not a cause. The same ambiguity exists in the original Greek in the word ἵνα (hina). The Byzantine Greek commentator John Chrysostom (349-407) explained:
The word “that” (ἵνα) is not every where indicative of cause, but frequently also of the event of things. Thus Christ Himself uses it, when He saith, For judgement I am come into this world; that they which see not may see, and that they which see may be made blind.1 So likewise Paul in another place, when discoursing of the law, he writes, And the Law came in beside, that the trespass might abound. But neither was the law given to this end that the trespasses of the Jews might be increased: (though this did ensue:) nor did Christ come for this end that they which see might be made blind, but for the contrary; but the result was such.2
I think the NIV would have been clearer with the simple addition of a comma (as appears in the KJV):
The law was brought in, so that the trespass might increase
The Orthodox New Testament translates the verse:
Now the Law came in beside, so that the offense abounded
1. John 9:39
2. Homily XXVII on First Corinthians
The way in which the Law 'entered' indicates the reason that the παραπτομα, paraptoma multiplied. (πλεοναζο, pleonatso, is not to merely 'increase'; it is to abound.)
παρεισερχομαι, pareiserchomai, is not just 'entered'. The prefix παρεισ, pareis, is a matter of 'being led in by one's side' (Liddel & Scott); 'to be at hand' 'to be present' (Thayer).
Examining the way in scripture that the four other verbs with the same prefix (namely παρεισαγο, παρεισακτος, παρεισδυνο and παρεισφερο) are used, it becomes clear that the idea is of an uninvited guest. The proof of this is too lengthy to report here, but it is clear from the four texts involved.
This witness was not invited in. It accompanied someone else, but it, itself, had no invitation. Israel followed Moses out of Egypt and through the Red Sea, but afterwards another witness joined Moses (as it were) at Sinai. Uninvited.
Once the Law witnessed to what men were doing, it became clear that the world was full of abundant paraptoma.
Ptoma is a corpse. Para is a matter of alignment.
It became clear that the state of humanity was as close to a corpse as it is possible to be without actually being in the grave.
It became clear, due to the uninvited witness of Law, that humanity was (in the words expressed by Paul in Ephesians 2:1) 'dead in trespasses and sins'.
It became clear, in fact that humanity did nothing but offend, for the Law, now in the world as an uninvited guest, witnessed to every deed, every word and (to those who were honest enough to admit it - see Romans 7) every desire, for the Law said, Thou shalt not covet.
Thus the Law witnessed to outward actions and it came right inside (if one was awakened to its true activity) and spoke to the inner man of the interactions within the spirit of humanity.
Thus did the Law 'enter' and thus did trespasses multiply.
Romans 5:20 New International Version (NIV) The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,
Adam disobeyed God's command to not eat, which was therefore not only a sin but also a trespass.
All of the people from Adam to Moses sinned but did not trespass because there was no applicable law.
Once the law was given to the Jews all of their sins became transgressions of the law of Moses.
The law was given to turn sins into transgressions:
NIV Galatians 3:19 Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of [to accumulate] transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator.
Sometimes it simply means what is says. The Law was added that people might become more aware of what they should do but can‘t making them sin even more. The Law from a civil stanpoint threatedned punishment so it also prevented the external expression of some crimes through fear while yet increasing the actual desire. For example murder. This way as their sins increased, it smashed all self-righteoueness, making them prepared for a saviour, symbolized by the all the ceremonial parts of the Moasic system.
Paul shows his experience of his ‘sin increasing’ by the law.
Rom 7:7-8
For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead
Some who still have self-righteousness in them, and we all do, try to avoid the clear meaning of this verse and limit it to just ‘an increased awareness’ but not an actual increase of sin. However, these scriptures clearly refute that opinion.
In other wrods, it just means what is says, no matter how shocking it may seem.
As the apostle concluded his comparison of Adam and Christ, he says that the Law (that he introduced in v.13), came in alongside of the Sin (personified as a master or tyrant), Death and condemnation. Another way to say this would be, because of men’s transgressions [Gal.3:19,23 & Heb.9:15], the law came in so that in effect [Barnes]; or, with the purpose [Denney]; or, with the result that [Chrysostom] that the trespass of Adam's [Rom.5:15,17-18]) might increase by giving Sin its power [I Cor.15:56], showing its true nature, and being more evident and manifest [Rom.7:7,13]). Yet, thankfully, where the power of Sin that resulted from Adam's trespass had increased (in the history of Israel), the Grace of God [Rom.5:15,17] had increased much more, overflowing beyond all measure to the whole human race [Rom.5:15])!
