This statement,
“all have sinned,”
is found in Romans 3:23
(“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”)
and in the last clause of Romans 5:12
(“…because all sinned”).
Basically,
it means that we’re all
lawbreakers,
because sin is the
violation of God’s law
(1 John 3:4).
Sinfulness is the general characteristic of all mankind;
we are all guilty before God.
We are sinners by nature
and by our own acts of transgression.
In Romans 5:12 the point of “all sinned” seems to be that all humanity “participated” in Adam’s sin and were condemned to death even before they themselves deliberately chose to sin; in fact, that is
exactly what Paul confirms in Romans 5:14.
Within this passage (5:12-21),
Paul explains how and why
the “death sentence”
for Adam’s sin
has come upon the entire
human race.
Augustine explained Adam’s transmission of his sin to us with a theory known as “federal headship,” a view held by most evangelical scholars. Augustine taught the concept of “inherited guilt,” that we all sinned “in Adam”: when Adam “voted” for sin, he acted as our representative.
His sin was thus imputed or credited to the
entire
human race—we were
all declared “guilty”
for Adam’s one sin.
Another view is that the statement “all have sinned” refers
only to personal sin arising from our sin nature.
After clarifying in Romans 5:13-17
how personal sin is imputed and then spreads,
Paul explains why “all die,” even if they have not committed personal sin. The reason all receive this “death sentence” (5:18a)
is that, through Adam’s disobedience, all were “made sinful” (5:19a). The verb mademeans “constituted”; thus, the sin nature is an inherited
condition that incurs a death sentence,
even in those who are not yet guilty of personal sin (5:13-14).
This inherited condition inevitably spawns
personal sin when conscience matures and
holds a person accountable as soon
as he chooses to knowingly transgress the law
(2:14-15; 3:20; 5:20a).
We are all sinners because Adam passed on his sinful condition that leads inevitably to our personal sin and death. All share Adam’s death sentence as an inherited condition (the “sin nature”) that is passed down to and through the human race and that every child brings into the world. Even before a child can be held accountable for personal sin, he or she is naturally prone to disobey, to tell lies, etc. Every child is born with a sin nature.
“The Lord
looks down from heaven
on the sons of
men
to see if there are
any
who understand,
any who
seek God”
(Psalm 14:2).
And what does the all-seeing God find?
“All have turned aside, they have
together become corrupt;
there is no one who does good, not even one”
(verse 3).
In other words,
all have sinned.
“all have sinned,”
is found in Romans 3:23
(“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”)
and in the last clause of Romans 5:12
(“…because all sinned”).
Basically,
it means that we’re all
lawbreakers,
because sin is the
violation of God’s law
(1 John 3:4).
Sinfulness is the general characteristic of all mankind;
we are all guilty before God.
We are sinners by nature
and by our own acts of transgression.
In Romans 5:12 the point of “all sinned” seems to be that all humanity “participated” in Adam’s sin and were condemned to death even before they themselves deliberately chose to sin; in fact, that is
exactly what Paul confirms in Romans 5:14.
Within this passage (5:12-21),
Paul explains how and why
the “death sentence”
for Adam’s sin
has come upon the entire
human race.
Augustine explained Adam’s transmission of his sin to us with a theory known as “federal headship,” a view held by most evangelical scholars. Augustine taught the concept of “inherited guilt,” that we all sinned “in Adam”: when Adam “voted” for sin, he acted as our representative.
His sin was thus imputed or credited to the
entire
human race—we were
all declared “guilty”
for Adam’s one sin.
Another view is that the statement “all have sinned” refers
only to personal sin arising from our sin nature.
After clarifying in Romans 5:13-17
how personal sin is imputed and then spreads,
Paul explains why “all die,” even if they have not committed personal sin. The reason all receive this “death sentence” (5:18a)
is that, through Adam’s disobedience, all were “made sinful” (5:19a). The verb mademeans “constituted”; thus, the sin nature is an inherited
condition that incurs a death sentence,
even in those who are not yet guilty of personal sin (5:13-14).
This inherited condition inevitably spawns
personal sin when conscience matures and
holds a person accountable as soon
as he chooses to knowingly transgress the law
(2:14-15; 3:20; 5:20a).
We are all sinners because Adam passed on his sinful condition that leads inevitably to our personal sin and death. All share Adam’s death sentence as an inherited condition (the “sin nature”) that is passed down to and through the human race and that every child brings into the world. Even before a child can be held accountable for personal sin, he or she is naturally prone to disobey, to tell lies, etc. Every child is born with a sin nature.
“The Lord
looks down from heaven
on the sons of
men
to see if there are
any
who understand,
any who
seek God”
(Psalm 14:2).
And what does the all-seeing God find?
“All have turned aside, they have
together become corrupt;
there is no one who does good, not even one”
(verse 3).
In other words,
all have sinned.
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