Romans 5:13

The context

Romans 5 compares Adam and Christ and argues that death reigned from Adam to Moses. Verse 13 makes a concession on the way: sin existed before the law was given, though it is not reckoned where there is no law. Verse 14 then adds that death still reigned over those who did not sin as Adam did.

What it establishes

It establishes that Paul distinguished the presence of sin from its being counted, in order to explain why death could reign in a period without a code. The distinction is made in passing, as a step in the argument.

What it does not establish

It does not explain how sin is reckoned without law. Paul raises the problem and moves on, and the following verse asserts the reign of death without resolving the tension. The sentence is a concession inside an analogy, not a developed account of moral responsibility.

Short note, first pass, October 2026. Corrections welcome.

Cited in these answers

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Part of Scripture, Opened — the exegetical layer behind every citation on this site. Scripture quotations are from the ESV.