Romans 5:20 : "And the law came in besides, that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded, grace did abound more exceedingly." Here again there is no the before law in the Greek text. "Law came in." This would include all divine law given before Christ--the law of Moses as well as whatever law was given before Moses. Some laws were revealed to man before the law of Moses was given. Law in this verse must refer to revealed law, instead of the moral law that is inherent in the very nature of the relations that exist among men. Law came in "that the trespass might abound." One thing is certain, and that is that God did not give laws for the purpose of making people any worse sinners. Law was given to restrain people from wrong and guide them in the right way. There is this, however: the more things law prohibits and the more things it requires, the more points there are where we may violate law. In that way law may in-crease the number of sins. A man might observe the moral law out of regard for himself and his fellow man, without any regard for God; but a positive law determines his attitude toward God. If a man has rebellion in his heart, positive law reveals it. Adam violated a positive law, not a moral law. Any time a person violates a positive law, he repeats the trespass of Adam; every positive command, therefore, tends to increase the trespass. The law also made people see the enormity of sin and their helplessness under its reign. This would help them to realize more and more their need of some other means of deliverance. Sin abounded in that it triumphed over the sinner, made him feel his helplessness, and offered him no hope of deliverance. Where there was law, sin abounded. On the other hand, where sin abounded, much more did grace abound.