SEV Biblia, Chapter 5:15
Mas no como el delito, tal es el don; porque si por el delito de aquel uno murieron muchos, mucha ms la gracia de Dios, y el don por la gracia de un hombre, Jess el Cristo, abund a muchos.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Romans 5:15
Verse 15. But not as the offense, so also is the free gift.] The same learned writer, quoted above, continues to observe:- "It is evident that the apostle, in this and the two following verses, is running a parallel, or making a comparison between the offense of Adam and its consequence; and the opposite gift of God and its consequences. And, in these three verses, he shows that the comparison will not hold good in all respects, because the free gift, carisma, bestows blessings far beyond the consequences of the offense, and which, therefore, have no relation to it. And this was necessary, not only to prevent mistakes concerning the consequence of Adam's offense, and the extent of Gospel grace; but it was also necessary to the apostle's main design, which was not only to prove that the grace of the Gospel extends to all men, so far as it takes off the consequence of Adam's offense, (i.e. death, without the promise or probability of a resurrection,) but that it likewise extends to all men, with respect to the surplusage of blessings, in which it stretches far beyond the consequence of Adam's offense. For, the grace that takes off the consequence of Adam's offense, and the grace which abounds beyond it, are both included in the same carisma, or free gift, which should be well observed; for in this, I conceive, lie the connection and sinews of the argument: the free gift, which stands opposed to Adam's offense, and which, I think, was bestowed immediately after the offense; Gen. iii. 15: The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head. This gift, I say, includes both the grace which exactly answers to the offense, and is that part of the grace which stretches far beyond it. And, if the one part of the gift be freely bestowed on all mankind, as the Jews allow, why not the other? especially, considering that the whole gift stands upon a reason and foundation in excellence and worth, vastly surpassing the malignity and demerit of the offense; and, consequently, capable of producing benefits vastly beyond the sufferings occasioned by the offense. This is the force of the apostle's argument; and therefore, supposing that in the 18th and l9th verses, literally understood, he compares the consequence of Adam's offense and Christ's obedience, only so far as the one is commensurate to the other, yet his reasoning, ver. 15-17, plainly shows that it is his meaning and intention that we should take into his conclusion the whole of the gift, so far as it can reach, to all mankind." For if, through the offense of one, many be dead] That the oi polloi, the many of the apostle here means all mankind needs no proof to any but that person who finds himself qualified to deny that all men are mortal.
And if the many, that is, all mankind, have died through the offense of one; certainly, the gift by grace, which abounds unto touv pollouv, the many, by Christ Jesus, must have reference to every human being. If the consequences of Christ's incarnation and death extend only to a few, or a select number of mankind-which, though they may be considered many in themselves, are few in comparison of the whole human race-then the consequences of Adam's sin have extended only to a few, or to the same select number: and if only many, and not all have fallen, only that many had need of a Redeemer. For it is most evident that the same persons are referred to in both clauses of the verse. If the apostle had believed that the benefits of the death of Christ had extended only to a select number of mankind, he never could have used the language he has done here: though, in the first clause, he might have said, without any qualification of the term, Through the offense of one, MANY are dead; in the 2nd clause, to be consistent with the doctrine of particular redemption, he must have said, The grace of God, and the gift by grace, hath abounded unto SOME. As by the offense of one judgment came upon ALL men to condemnation; so, by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon SOME to justification, ver. 18. As, by one man's disobedience, MANY were made sinners; so, by the obedience of one, shall SOME be made righteous, ver. 19.
As in Adam ALL die; so, in Christ, shall SOME be made alive, 1 Cor. xv. 22. But neither the doctrine nor the thing ever entered the soul of this divinely inspired man.
Hath abounded unto many.] That is, Christ Jesus died for every man; salvation is free for all; saving grace is tendered to every soul; and a measure of the Divine light is actually communicated to every heart, John i. 9. And, as the grace is offered, so it may be received; and hence the apostle says, ver. 17: They which receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness, shall reign in life by Christ Jesus: and by receiving is undoubtedly meant not only the act of receiving, but retaining and improving the grace which they receive; and, as all may receive, so ALL may improve and retain the grace they do receive; and, consequently, ALL may be eternally saved. But of multitudes Christ still may say, They WILL not come unto me, that they might have life.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 15. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift , etc..] By the offence, or fall, as the word signifies, is meant the first sin of Adam; by which he offended God, and fell from that estate in which he was created, and all his posterity with him; and by the free gift is meant, the righteousness of Christ, which justifies from that, and all other offences: now, though there is a great likeness between Adam and Christ; both are men, the first Adam is called the one man, and so is the second Adam Jesus Christ; partly for the sake of the comparison between him and the first, and also to express the truth of his human nature; and because the Redeemer ought to be a man, though not a mere man; both are sole authors of what they convey to their respective offspring, Adam of sin, Christ of righteousness; both convey single things, Adam only one sin, not more, for when he had committed one sin, he broke the covenant made with him and his posterity, and so ceased in after acts to be a representative of them; Christ conveys his righteousness, or obedience to the law, without any additional works of righteousness of ours to complete it; and both convey what they do, to all their respective offspring: yet there is a dissimilitude between them, as to the manner of conveyance and the effects thereof; the offence or sin of Adam is conveyed in a natural way, or by natural generation, to all who descend from him in that manner; the righteousness of Christ is conveyed in a way of grace, to his spiritual seed: hence it is called, not only the free gift, but the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ; because of the grace of the Father, in fixing and settling the method of justification, by the righteousness of his Son; in sending him to work out one, that would be satisfying to law and justice; and in his gracious acceptation of it, on the behalf of his people, and the imputation of it to them; and because of the grace of the Son in becoming man, in being made under the law, yea, made sin and a curse, in order to bring in an everlasting righteousness; and because of the grace of the Spirit, in revealing and applying it, and working faith to receive it; for as the righteousness itself is a free grace gift, bestowed upon unworthy persons, so is faith likewise, by which it is laid hold on and embraced: and as there is a disagreement in the manner of conveying these things, so likewise in the effects they have upon the persons to whom they are conveyed; and the apostle argues from the influence and effect the one has, to the far greater and better influence and effect the other has: for if through the offence of one many be dead ; as all Adam's posterity are, not only subject to a corporeal death, but involved in a moral or spiritual, and liable to an eternal one, through the imputation of guilt, and the derivation of a corrupt nature from him: then much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many ; that is, the righteousness of Christ, in which the grace of God is so illustrious, is much more effectual to the giving of life to all his seed and offspring; not barely such a life as Adam had in innocence, and which he lost by the offence, but a spiritual and an eternal one; which sheds the exuberance of this grace, which secures and adjudges to a better life than what was lost by the fall.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 15-19 - Through one man's offence, all mankind are exposed to eterna condemnation. But the grace and mercy of God, and the free gift of righteousness and salvation, are through Jesus Christ, as man: yet the Lord from heaven has brought the multitude of believers into a mor safe and exalted state than that from which they fell in Adam. Thi free gift did not place them anew in a state of trial, but fixed the in a state of justification, as Adam would have been placed, had he stood. Notwithstanding the differences, there is a striking similarity As by the offence of one, sin and death prevailed to the condemnatio of all men, so by the righteousness of one, grace prevailed to the justification of all related to Christ by faith. Through the grace of God, the gift by grace has abounded to many through Christ; ye multitudes choose to remain under the dominion of sin and death, rathe than to apply for the blessings of the reign of grace. But Christ wil in nowise cast out any who are willing to come to him.
Greek Textus Receptus
αλλ 235 CONJ ουχ 3756 PRT-N ως 5613 ADV το 3588 T-NSN παραπτωμα 3900 N-NSN ουτως 3779 ADV και 2532 CONJ το 3588 T-NSN χαρισμα 5486 N-NSN ει 1487 COND γαρ 1063 CONJ τω 3588 T-DSN του 3588 T-GSM ενος 1520 A-GSM παραπτωματι 3900 N-DSN οι 3588 T-NPM πολλοι 4183 A-NPM απεθανον 599 5627 V-2AAI-3P πολλω 4183 A-DSM μαλλον 3123 ADV η 3588 T-NSF χαρις 5485 N-NSF του 3588 T-GSM θεου 2316 N-GSM και 2532 CONJ η 3588 T-NSF δωρεα 1431 N-NSF εν 1722 PREP χαριτι 5485 N-DSF τη 3588 T-DSF του 3588 T-GSM ενος 1520 A-GSM ανθρωπου 444 N-GSM ιησου 2424 N-GSM χριστου 5547 N-GSM εις 1519 PREP τους 3588 T-APM πολλους 4183 A-APM επερισσευσεν 4052 5656 V-AAI-3S
Vincent's NT Word Studies
15. Of one (tou enov). Rev., correctly, the one - Adam. So the many. Much more. Some explain of the quality of the cause and effect: that as the fall of Adam caused vast evil, the work of the far greater Christ shall much more cause great results of good. This is true; but the argument seems to turn rather on the question of certainty. "The character of God is such, from a christian point of view, that the comparison gives a much more certain basis for belief, in what is gained through the second Adam, than in the certainties of sin and death through the first Adam" (Schaff and Riddle).
Robertson's NT Word Studies
5:15 {But not as the trespass} (all' ouch h"s). It is more contrast than parallel: "the trespass" (to parapt"ma, the slip, fall to one side) over against the free gift (to carisma, of grace caris). {Much more} (pollwi mallon). Another _a fortiori_ argument. Why so? As a God of love he delights {much more} in showing mercy and pardon than in giving just punishment (Lightfoot). The gift surpasses the Sin. It is not necessary to Paul's argument to make "the many" in each case correspond, one relates to Adam, the other to Christ.
