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Romans 1:17
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Romans 2:5,6
But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; …

Romans 3:19,20
Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God…

where.

Romans 2:12,13
For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; …

Romans 5:13
(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

And where there is no law, there is no transgression.
This phrase underscores the relationship between law and sin. In the absence of law, there is no transgression, meaning that sin is not accounted as a legal violation without a defined law. This does not imply that sin does not exist without the law, but rather that it is not imputed in the same way (Romans 5:13). Historically, before the law was given, sin was still present in the world, as seen in the narrative of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3) and the subsequent generations. However, the law made sin explicit and accountable. This concept is crucial in understanding the role of the law in God's redemptive plan, as it points to the necessity of faith in Jesus Christ, who fulfills the law and offers righteousness apart from it (Romans 3:21-22).

Paul’s statement is blunt: “because the law brings wrath” (Romans 4:15). He is explaining why justification can never rest on human obedience to the Mosaic Law.

• The law defines sin. When God gave the commandments, He drew a clear line between righteousness and unrighteousness (Romans 7:7–8).

• By exposing sin, the law awakens our accountability. Once we know the line, crossing it is rebellion, and rebellion stirs divine wrath (Deuteronomy 28:15;Galatians 3:10).

• Wrath here is not a loss of God’s love; it is His holy reaction against sin, ensuring that justice is upheld (Nahum 1:2;Romans 1:18).

• Therefore, if salvation were tied to law-keeping, all would face condemnation, because “whoever keeps the whole law yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it” (James 2:10).

In short, the law acts like a mirror: it shows the dirt on our souls but cannot cleanse it. Its function is diagnostic, not curative (Galatians 3:24).

Paul continues: “And where there is no law, there is no transgression” (Romans 4:15). He is not saying sin disappears without the law; rather, specific violations are not charged when no command has been given (Romans 5:13).

• Before Sinai, people still sinned (Genesis 6:5;Job 1:5), but they were not held accountable for breaking commands that had not yet been issued.

• Once the law arrived, offenses became transgressions—willful oversteps of clearly stated boundaries (1 John 3:4).

• Paul’s argument drives us to grace: if inheritance depends on law, then everyone forfeits it; only faith can secure the promise (Romans 4:16).

• Abraham, who lived centuries before the law, was justified by believing God (Genesis 15:6;Romans 4:3), showing that righteousness has always come by faith, not by rule-keeping.

The absence of specific legislation removes technical guilt, but it cannot erase the reality of sin. Only Christ’s atoning work deals with both (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Romans 4:15 teaches that the law’s chief effect is to amplify divine wrath by turning sin into overt transgression, underscoring humanity’s need for grace. Where no law exists, transgression cannot be charged, yet sin still reigns; consequently, salvation must rest not on our performance but on the righteousness God credits to those who trust Him, just as He did for Abraham.

Where no law is.--Transgression isex vi termini the transgression or breach of law, and therefore has no existence in that age of unconscious morality which precedes the introduction of law.

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