Romans 5:21 (LSB)

Passage

so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Nearby Context

Romans 5:19 For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were appointed sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be appointed righteous.

Romans 5:20 Now the Law came in so that the transgression would increase, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,

Romans 5:21 so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "grace", "reigned", "death", "even", "through", "righteousness", and "eternal". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "grace" and "reigned", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The prior verse says "Now the Law came in so that...", giving immediate footing for "grace" and "reigned". In Romans context, the local focus is righteousness by faith, union with Christ, life in the Spirit, and God's covenant faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "grace" and "reigned" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.