Romans 5:20 (WEB)

Passage

The law came in besides, that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded, grace abounded more exceedingly;

Nearby Context

Romans 5:18 So then as through one trespass, all men were condemned; even so through one act of righteousness, all men were justified to life.

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

Romans 5:20 The law came in besides, that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded, grace abounded more exceedingly;

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "grace", "came", "besides", "trespass", "might", "abound", "where", and "abounded". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "grace" and "came", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "For as through the one man s..." into verse 21's "that as sin reigned in death even...", so "grace" and "came" belong inside that flow. 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 "came" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.