Thomas Aquinas

After the Apostle has shown that through the gift of grace sin is taken away, which had entered into this world through Adam, here he shows that through the grace of Christ sin is removed, which had abounded when the law supervened. Concerning this he does two things. First, he sets forth the abundance of sin, which was through the law; second, the absolution of sin, which is through the grace of Christ, at the place "where sin abounded," and so on.

He says therefore first: it has been said that through the obedience of one man many are made just, but the law was not able to do this; rather, the law entered in besides, that sin might abound the more. Concerning this saying of the Apostle, a twofold difficulty arises. First indeed concerning his saying that the law entered in besides — that is, entered secretly after original and actual guilt, or after the natural law, as the Gloss says. For the law did not enter secretly but was given openly, according to John 18:20: "I have not spoken in secret." It must be said therefore that although the legislation itself was given openly, yet the mysteries of the law were hidden, and especially as to God's intention in giving the law — that it should show sin, not heal it — according to what follows below at Romans 11:34: "Who has known the mind of the Lord," and so on. It can also be said that the law entered in besides, that is, entered as it were in the middle, between the sin of man and the gift of the grace of Christ, both of which he had said above passed from one to many.

The second difficulty, however, concerns his saying that the law entered in besides that sin might abound. For thus it seems that the abundance of sin is the end of the law, and so it follows that the law is evil, since that whose end is evil is itself also evil; and this is against 1 Timothy 1:8: "We know indeed that the law is good," and so on. To this, however, the Gloss responds in three ways.

First indeed, that we should say that the word "that" is not placed causally, but consecutively. For the law was not given for this purpose, that sin might abound; rather the law, as far as it was in itself, forbade sin, according to Psalm 118:11: "In my heart I have hidden your words, that I may not sin against you." But, the law having been given, an abundance of sins followed in two ways.

In one way, as to the multitude of sins. For although the law pointed out sin, it did not take away the concupiscence of sin. But when that which someone desires is forbidden to him, he burns the more vehemently with desire for it, just as a river, when an obstacle is placed against it, flows the more strongly and breaks the obstacle. Of which the reason can be threefold. One indeed, because that which lies within a man's power, no one reckons as great, but that which is outside a man's power is apprehended by man as though it were great. But the prohibition of what is desired places that which is forbidden as it were outside a man's power, and therefore desire burns the more toward the desired thing while it is forbidden. The second reason is that interior affections, when they are retained within, so that they are not led outward, are for this very reason more inflamed within; as is clear in sorrow and anger, which, while they are kept shut up within, are increased the more; but if they proceed outward in any way, their force is diminished. But prohibition, on account of fear of punishment, compels a man not to bring his desire out into external acts, and therefore that very desire, retained within, is the more inflamed. The third reason is that what is not forbidden to us we apprehend as something that can be done whenever it pleases us, and therefore many times, when the opportunity exists, we avoid it; but when something is forbidden, it is apprehended by us as something that cannot always be had by us, and therefore when an opportunity is given of obtaining it without fear of punishment, we are the more eager for it. And hence it is that, the law having been given, which forbade the use of concupiscence and yet did not mitigate the concupiscence itself, that very concupiscence led men to sins more fervently. Hence it is said in Ezekiel 5:5f.: "This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the midst of the nations, and the countries round about her; and she has despised my judgments, so as to be more wicked than the nations."

But according to this it seems that every human law, which does not confer grace diminishing concupiscence, makes sins abound — which is contrary to the intentions of lawgivers, since they aim at this, that they may make citizens good, as is clear from the Philosopher, in Ethics II. But it must be said that the intention of human law is one thing, and that of divine law another. For human law is referred to human judgment, which concerns exterior acts; but divine law is referred to divine judgment, which concerns the interior movements of the heart, according to 1 Kings 16:7: "Man sees the things that appear, but God looks upon the heart." Thus, then, human law attains its intention, in that through prohibition and the threat of punishment it prevents the exterior acts of sin from being multiplied, although the interior concupiscence is increased the more; but as regards divine law, even the interior evil desires are imputed as sin, and these abound when the law forbids but does not take away concupiscence.

It must be known, however, that, as the Philosopher says in Ethics X, the prohibition of law, although it restrains those who are badly disposed from exterior sins by fear of punishment alone, yet it induces certain well-disposed persons through love of virtue. But this good disposition, as to a certain extent, can be from nature, but its perfection is only through grace; from which it happens that, even with the old law given, sin does not abound in all, but in the majority. Some indeed, with the law forbidding and grace further assisting, at length arrived at the perfection of the virtues, according to Ecclesiasticus 44:1: "Let us praise glorious men," etc., and further on: "men great in virtue."

Secondly, sin abounded the more with the law supervening, as to the gravity of the guilt. For sin was more grave where transgression was added, not only of the law of nature, but also of the written law. Hence it was said above at Romans 4:15 that "where there is no law, neither is there transgression."

Secondly, however, it can be answered, as it is said, that the word "that" be taken causally, yet in such a way that the Apostle is speaking of the abundance of sin according as it is in our knowledge, so that the sense is: the law entered in besides that sin might abound, that is, that sin might be more abundantly known, according to the manner of speaking whereby a thing is said to come to be when it becomes known. Hence it was said above, that "through the law comes the knowledge of sin."

In a third way it can be explained such that the word "that" be taken causally, yet in such a way that the abundance of sin is not understood as the end of the law entering in besides, but rather that which follows from the abundance of sin, namely the humbling of man. For with the law entering in besides, sin abounded, as was said in the first exposition. From this abundance of sin, indeed, it followed that man, recognizing his own weakness, should be humbled. For proud man used to say, presuming on his own strength: there is no lack of one to fulfill, but a lack of one to command, according to Exodus 24:7: "All things that the Lord has spoken, we will do, and we will be obedient." But when, the law having been given, a multitude of sins followed, man came to know his own weakness for keeping the law, according to Wisdom 9:5: "A weak man, and of short time," and so on. The intention, therefore, of God giving the law does not terminate at the abundance of sins, but at the humility of man, for the sake of which he permitted sins to abound. Thus, then, because this was hidden, he says pointedly, with regard to this, that the law entered in besides.

But because here the matter treated is the law and the end of the law, two things occur to be considered. First indeed, in how many ways law is said; second, what the end of the law is.

Concerning the first, it must be known that law, in one way, is said of the whole Scripture of the Old Testament, according to John 15:25: "that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law: They have hated me without cause," although this is written in the Psalm. Sometimes, however, law is said of the Scripture of the five books of Moses, according to Deuteronomy 33:4: "Moses commanded us a law." Thirdly, the Decalogue of precepts is called law, according to Exodus 24:12: "I will give you two tables of stone, and the law and the commandments which I have written, that you may teach." Fourthly, the whole content of the ceremonial precepts is called law, according to Hebrews 10:1: "The law, having a shadow of the good things to come." Fifthly, some special ceremonial precept is called law, according to Leviticus 7:11: "This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings." Here, however, law is taken by the Apostle commonly, as regards the whole teaching of the law of Moses, that is, as regards the moral and ceremonial precepts, because, namely, through the ceremonies of the law grace was not given, by which man might be helped to fulfill the moral precepts with concupiscence diminished.

Concerning the end of the law, however, it must be known that among the people of the Jews there were three kinds of men, as also in any other people, namely the hard, that is, sinners and rebels, those making progress, and the perfect. As regards the hard, then, the law was given as a scourge — both as to the moral precepts, to the observance of which they were compelled by the threat of punishment, as is clear in Leviticus 2, and as to the ceremonial precepts, which were multiplied for this reason, lest it be permitted to them to add another worship to strange gods. Exodus 20:34: "With a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will reign over you." But for those making progress, who are called the middling ones, the law was a tutor, according to Galatians 3:24: "the law was our tutor in Christ." And this both as to the ceremonial precepts, by which they were held to divine worship, and as to the moral precepts, by which they were advanced toward justice. For the perfect, however, it was, as to the ceremonial precepts indeed, a sign, according to Ezekiel 20:12: "I gave them my sabbaths, that they might be a sign between me," and so on. But as to the moral precepts, it was a comfort, according to what follows below at Romans 7:22: "I delight in the law of God according to the inward man."

Then, when he says "where sin abounded," etc., he shows how, through grace, the abundance of sins is taken away. And first he sets forth the abundance of grace; second he shows the effect of abounding grace, at the place "that as sin has reigned," and so on.

He says therefore first: it has been said that, with the law entering in besides, sin abounded; nor is the divine purpose concerning the salvation of the Jews and of the whole human race impeded on this account, because where sin abounded — namely in the human race, and especially among the Jews — grace also abounded the more, namely the grace of Christ forgiving sins. 2 Corinthians 9:8: "God is able to make all grace abound in you." Of what is said here, a twofold reason can be assigned. One indeed from the effect of grace. For just as only a strong and efficacious medicine heals the greatness of a disease, so an abounding grace was required in order to heal the abundance of sins. Luke 7:47: "Many sins are forgiven her, because she has loved much," and so on. Another reason can be taken from the disposition of the sinner, who, while he recognizes the greatness of his sins, sometimes indeed despairs and grows contemptuous, according to Proverbs 18:3: "The wicked man, when he has come into the depth of sins, grows contemptuous," etc.; but sometimes, through divine help, from the consideration of his sins he is the more humbled, and obtains a greater grace, according to Psalm 15:4: "Their infirmities were multiplied: afterward they made haste."

Then, when he says "that as sin has reigned unto death," etc., he shows the effect of abounding grace, which indeed corresponds by opposition to the effect of sin. "That," namely, as sin, introduced through the first man and abounding through the law, "has reigned," that is, obtained full dominion over men, and this even to the point of leading them into temporal and eternal death — below, Romans 6:23: "the wages of sin is death" — "so also the grace of God might reign," that is, might fully have dominion in us, "through justice," namely which it works in us; above, in the same chapter: "justified freely through his grace." And this even to the point of leading us into eternal life, according to what follows below at Romans 6:23: "the grace of God, life everlasting." And all this is "through Jesus Christ our Lord," who is the giver of grace, according to John 1:17: "Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ," and also of justice, 1 Corinthians 1:30: "who was made unto us justice from God," and the giver of eternal life, John 10:28: "I give them life everlasting."