Romans Study X - Dead in Adam, Alive in Christ

Continuing in Romans 5:

¹⁰For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.  ¹¹And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

We have now received the atonement. It is a done deal. I also wanted to note that there is not any neutral ground on which anyone stands with God. We are either his elect, or his enemies.

 ¹²Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Expulsion From the
Garden of Eden
Thomas Cole 1827

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

I have to say that I really don't understand the above statement. It almost sounds as though Paul is saying that the sins that people committed before the giving of the Law were not imputed to them, even though they did suffer death.  Thoughts?

 ¹⁴Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

So even though the Law was not in effect from the time of Adam until Moses, the wages of sin (death) was still in effect. This is interesting, too. Some sects say that the Law was always known, but it was just Moses that wrote it down. This seems to say that it was not, that there was a time span before the dispensation of the law as there is now a time span after.

 ¹⁵But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

 ¹⁶And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.

 ¹⁷For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

 ¹⁸Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

 ¹⁹For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

It seems to be that what Paul is saying is that all are born sinners due to the sin of Adam, but all that are born from above are made righteous through the sinlessness of Christ.

 ²⁰Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 

The law entered to make our sin even more sinful.

 ²¹That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.