Paul explicitly assigns the universality of death to Adam’s sin The Greek word eph’hô ( literally “upon which” or “for which”) can be translated by the phrase "inasmuch as". In this passage death appears to be a later consequence of personal sin. In other words, Paul seems to imply that our individual deaths are the result of our own personal sinfulness, not of Adam’s primordial sin. The descendants of Adam unto all generations have incurred death for their own guilt in association with Adam, the father of the human race. The consequences of Adam's fall have spread to the whole human race. Death came to everybody "inasmuch all sinned". The whole human population includes infants and young children who have never sinned, but certainly will. This translation means that each human being is responsible only for their own sins. Adam is simply the proto-type or father figure of all future sinners, each of whom in being like their father bears responsibilty for their personal sins, and thereby the consequences. 'Only for his own guilt shall a man be put to death' (Deut. 24:16). We do not participate with Adam in his sin, and so it cannot be passed on to us. But we are guilty by association.
The Latin phrase ‘in whom (in quo) all have sinned’ is acceptable provided that it is properly understood. This translation can be taken to mean the passing on of Adam's sin to all future generations of desendants in the sense that human nature has been infected as a result of Adam's sin. The disposition towards sin (ancestral sin) is something we have inherited from Adam on a generic scale. Attendant upon his sin is our responsibilty for turning away from God in our own lives. By the sin of Adam, sin has become so deeply rooted in our human nature, which in and of itself is good, however wounded or tarnished. The truth is there isn't one descendant of Adam, save the Mother of God, who has been exempted from the hereditary inclination towards sin. 'Therefore, as by the offence of one, unto all men to condemnation; so also by the justice of one, unto all men to justification of life. For as by the disobedience of one man, many were made sinners; so also by the obedience of one, many shall be made just' (Romans 5:18-19). Finally, The name Adam (Hebrew: אָדָם) can be translated as "man" or "mankind". So in Romans 5:12, for instance, the subject, Adam ("one man") can be referred to in a collective sense. There is a common identity that exists between Adam and the human race.
