For All Sinned
A Sermon on Romans 5:12-21
Originally preached Feb. 28, 1958
Scripture
12Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 13(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14Nevertheless death …
Sermon Description
The Bible tells that all humans are guilty of sin. In this sermon on Romans 5:12–21 “For All Sinned”, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones dives deeper into this truth to discover the magnitude of what this actually means. He begins by showing through Scripture that sin goes all the way back to the first sin of Adam. Death, the punishment of sin, was passed to all generations through the first act of sin by Adam. He points out how this means sin and its consequences were evident even before the law was given. Adam’s sin was imputed to all humanity from the very beginning, causing all to be guilty of sin. However, Dr. Lloyd-Jones does not stop there and instead goes on to show the parallel between the relationship with Adam and the relationship with Jesus. The same way that Adam imputed sin to humanity through his actions, Jesus likewise imputed His righteousness to them. Just as one offense brought death to all humanity, so also Jesus’s one act of obedience put all offenses aside in forgiveness. He concludes by showing the beauty of the justification Jesus brought in light of this parallel.
Sermon Breakdown
- Sin entered the world through Adam, and death came through sin. Death spread to all people because all sinned.
- A better translation of Romans 5:12 is “because all sinned” rather than “for that all have sinned.” This refers to a specific historical act of sin by Adam.
- Verses 13-14 explain verse 12. Before the law was given, sin was in the world, though not counted as transgression. Still, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin like Adam.
- The passage compares Adam and Christ. We are in Adam and Christ in the same way. What is true of one is true of the other.
- Verse 15: Through one man’s offense, many died. This shows we were somehow in Adam’s sin.
- Verse 16: One man’s sin led to condemnation. The free gift led to justification from many sins.
- Verse 17: One man’s sin brought death. One man, Christ, brings life.
- Verses 18-19: One man’s sin brought condemnation. One man’s righteousness brought justification. By one man’s disobedience many were made sinners.
- “Made sinners” means “constituted sinners” or “regarded as sinners.” We were made sinners through Adam’s disobedience, just as we are made righteous through Christ’s obedience.
- Adam’s sin is imputed to us, just as Christ’s righteousness is imputed to believers. We die because of Adam’s sin, which we are held guilty of.
- We do not understand how this works, but we accept it because Scripture teaches it. We accept mysteries like the Trinity, Christ’s natures, and atonement.
- When Adam sinned, all sinned. This is why death spread to all. We were in Adam. Now believers are in Christ.
Sermon Q&A
What Does "All Sinned" Mean in Romans 5:12 According to Martyn Lloyd-Jones?
What is the correct translation of the phrase "for that all have sinned" in Romans 5:12?
According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the correct translation is "because all sinned" rather than "for that all have sinned." This is significant because the Greek uses the aorist tense, which indicates a completed action that happened at a specific point in history. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that Paul is referring to "a specific action which took place once upon a time" rather than making a general statement about humanity's sinful condition across time.
How does Lloyd-Jones explain the universality of death before the law was given?
Lloyd-Jones explains that Paul points to the period between Adam and Moses (before the Law was given) to demonstrate that sin and death were already universal. Even though there was no formal law to transgress during this time, death still "reigned from Adam to Moses." This proves that sin existed before the Mosaic Law. Most significantly, even infants who had not committed any personal acts of sin still died during this period, which leads to the crucial question: why would infants die if they hadn't personally sinned?
What interpretations of "all sinned" does Lloyd-Jones reject and why?
Lloyd-Jones rejects two common interpretations:
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The interpretation that "all sinned" simply means all people have committed actual sins in their lives. He rejects this because infants who die haven't committed personal sins, yet they still die.
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The Calvinist interpretation that "all sinned" means all people inherit a sinful nature from Adam. Lloyd-Jones rejects this because the text says "all sinned" (an action), not "all became sinful" (a state).
He further argues that both interpretations break the parallel between Adam and Christ that Paul is establishing throughout the passage.
What is Lloyd-Jones' interpretation of "all sinned" in Romans 5:12?
Lloyd-Jones argues that "all sinned" means that all humanity sinned in Adam. When Adam sinned, we all sinned in him and with him. This is why even infants die—they are counted as having sinned in Adam. He cites verse 19 as crucial evidence: "by one man's disobedience many were made [constituted] sinners." This means that Adam's sin is imputed to all his descendants, just as Christ's righteousness is imputed to all who believe in him.
How does Lloyd-Jones connect the doctrine of original sin to justification by faith?
Lloyd-Jones shows that Paul's parallel between Adam and Christ is the key to understanding both original sin and justification. Just as we are condemned through our union with Adam (without personal action on our part), we are justified through our union with Christ (not by our own actions but by faith). He states: "Adam's sin is imputed to us in exactly the same way as Christ's righteousness is imputed to us." This maintains the doctrine of justification by faith alone, as our salvation comes not from our own righteousness but from Christ's righteousness being credited to us.
The Book of Romans
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.