What was the role of conscience before the written Law, and what did the written Law reveal?
Before the written Law, humanity could only go by conscience. When the Law entered through Moses around 1500 B.C., it removed doubt, revealing that man's actions—even after a seared conscience—were breaking God's Law, and sin became clearly evident. The Law did not make sin worse; it exposed sin for what it really is.
Les explains that until the written Law appeared, man could only go by conscience. Then, as Romans 5:20 shows, the Law entered in 1500 B.C. when Moses came down off the mountain and introduced the Law to the nation of Israel. The Law entered so that the offense might abound—not to make sin worse, but so it might be seen for what it really is. When the written Law came, there was no doubt that everything man was doing, even after searing his conscience, was breaking God's Law, and it became sin.
Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
More Questions
How did the written Law change the way human actions relate to sin?
Once the written Law came, everything people did—even when they had seared their conscience—was undeniably breaking God's Law and therefore counted as sin.