… ¹³ for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. ¹⁴ Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.

What happened before the Law came to Moses, dictating exactly what God expected? To be sure, Adam sinned against a clear commandment of God, but until Moses there were no unambiguous commandments against which people could transgress. When Cain killed Abel (Gen 4), clearly not something God was pleased with, there had not yet been a clear prohibition against murder. God saw wickedness over all the earth (Gen 6:5) and sent a destroying flood, but there was no transgression against a specifically revealed law. The same can be said about the tower of Babel. In all these cases, we can say “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness…for even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God …” (Rom 1:18, 21). But there was no transgression against any verbally revealed law of God, because the Creator had not verbalized any. To be sure, people from the time of Adam to the time of Moses and the Law did violate God’s “natural revelation” and were held accountable, but they did not contravene God’s “specific revelation,” that is, specifically revealed commands.

Paul’s point is that before the Law came (God’s specific revelation), sin did exist, but was not imputed. I am reminded of a child once saying to his father after being disciplined, “But Dad, you never told me not to do that.” Therefore, without the verbalized revelation of God’s requirements, sin was not formally charged to the spiritual ledger of those between Adam and Moses. They may have suffered consequences for their sin, but not because of the Law.

So even though sin was not “imputed”—and this is a big “even though”— all those people died (with the singular exception of Enoch-Genesis 5:24). Unlike Adam, they did not violate a specifically verbalized command from God, but like Adam they died. We conclude, then, that even though not consciously violating a command of God, people still inherited the consequence of Adam’s sin, since their own sin was not held against them.

In Adam, as the federal and seminal head, they were guilty. The proof of that guilt was found not only in their experience of death, but in their choices that God clearly found displeasing. This unique connection with Adam, which all of us humans share, is parallel to the unique connection we have with Christ.

Lord, though I am connected with Adam in death through sin, I look forward to better understanding my connection with Christ in life through faith.