A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans.

Sin entered the world through one person, and through sin, death; and thus death has spread through the whole human race, because all have sinned.

Sin existed in the world long before the Law was given.  There was no law and so no one could be accused of the sin of “lawbreaking,”

yet death reigned over all from our first parents to Moses, even though their sin, unlike that of our first parents, was not a matter of breaking a law.

But the gift is not like the offense.  For if by the offense of one all died, much more did the grace of God, and the gracious gift of Jesus Christ, abound for all.  The gift is entirely different from the sin committed by the first human.  In the first case, the sentence followed upon one offense and brought condemnation, but in the second, the gift came after many offenses and brought acquittal.

If death began its reign through one person because of an offense, so much more will those who receive the overflowing grace and gift of justice live and reign through the One, Jesus Christ.

To sum up, then: just as a single offense brought condemnation to all, a single righteous act brought all acquittal and life.  Just as through one person’s disobedience all became sinners, so through one person’s obedience all will become just.

The Word of God recorded in the letter of Paul to the Romans.