One trespass and one act of righteousness; the law came in, and grace reigns (Romans 5:18–21)

Says "So then, just as one trespass brought condemnation for all men, so also one act of righteousness brought justification and life for all men" (5:18, BSB). "For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners" (5:19, BSB), and "through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous" (5:19, BSB). παρακοή answers ὑπακοή (lex.G3876; lex.G5218; note.language.Rom.1.5.hypakoe-pisteos), and δικαίωσις is the verdict of acquittal (lex.G1347; note.language.Rom.4.25.dia-paraptomata-dikaiosin).

Uncertain δι᾽ ἑνὸς δικαιώματος (5:18). This commentary follows the Greek note's lean to "one act of righteousness" (BSB), because 5:19 restates it as τῆς ὑπακοῆς τοῦ ἑνός, Christ's obedience, culminating in his death (compare Phil 2:8). The alternative, "one verdict," keeps the sense of δικαίωμα in 5:16 (note.language.Rom.5.15-Rom.5.19.dikaioma-kathistemi). Whether the obedience counted includes Christ's active obedience is left as it stands in note.exegetical.Rom.1.17.imputation.

Uncertain "Were made sinners" (ἁμαρτωλοὶ κατεστάθησαν, 5:19a). The team's lean is forensic: the many were constituted sinners by Adam's disobedience counted to them, federal headship with immediate imputation, because καθίστημι means to appoint or constitute (lex.G2525) and 5:16, 18 set κατάκριμα in parallel (WCF 6.3, by reference; src.wcf-1646). Realism reads it of all sinning in Adam as present in him; mediate imputation reads it of guilt reckoned through the corruption each person inherits. The mechanism is treated in note.exegetical.Rom.5.12-Rom.5.21.adam-and-christ.

Implies "Will be made righteous" (δίκαιοι κατασταθήσονται, 5:19b) is forensic: the many are constituted righteous by Christ's obedience counted to them, the δικαίωσις of 5:18, not by an infused quality. The case is set out in note.exegetical.Rom.1.17.imputation and note.exegetical.Rom.4.3-Rom.4.8.crediting-righteousness and is not repeated here.

Uncertain Whether 5:19 alludes to Isa 53:11, where the Servant makes "the many" righteous. This commentary follows the Hebrew note's lean: probable, since 4:25 probably echoes Isa 53:12 and one person's work brings righteousness to "the many"; the alternative is that οἱ πολλοί is Paul's own counterpart to "the one" (note.language.Rom.5.19.isa-53-11; xref.Rom.5.19.Isa.53.11.heb; xref.Rom.4.25.Isa.53.12.heb).

Implies "All" in 5:18 does not teach universal salvation. 5:17 limits life to "those who receive" the gift, and 5:19 speaks of "the many"; the "all" of 5:18 are all who are in Christ, as all in Adam are condemned (note.exegetical.Rom.5.15-Rom.5.17.not-like-the-trespass).

Other readings. Universalist readings take the second "all" of 5:18 as all humanity without exception, read apart from 5:17.

Uncertain "The law came in so that the trespass would increase" (5:20, BSB). This commentary follows the Greek note's lean to purpose: ἵνα with the subjunctive, the purpose ἵνα of 5:21, and Gal 3:19, the law "added because of transgressions," sin becoming open transgression of a command (4:15; 7:7–13). The alternative is result, with the ecbatic ἵνα of later Greek (11:11) and sin, not God, the agent of the increase in 7:13 (note.language.Rom.5.20-Rom.5.21.pareiselthen-hina; lex.G3922; lex.G4121).

Says Paul adds, "but where sin increased, grace increased all the more" (5:20, BSB), so that, as sin reigned in death, "grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (5:21, BSB) (lex.G5248).