In verses 12-14: Sin, death, and the law.
In verse 12: tracing sin and death to one man, Adam, is based on Gen 3.
Universal sin brings universal death (Rom 3.9).
In verses 13-14: Adam's sin preceded the Mosaic law chronologically, but the law make sin and its consequences specific, thus easier to deal with.
Adam is seen as a type (a figure with important similarities) of Christ, the one who was to come (1 Cor 15.45-47).
In verse 15-17: Adam and Christ.
Free gift translates different Greek words ("charismata," vv. 15a, 16b; "dorea," vv. 15b, 17; "dorena," v. 16), but they all refer to God's free gift of Christ, which is contrasted with the one man's (Adam's) trespass.
Both event are alike because they show how one person can affect many people.
But they have very different effects.
Adam's trespass brought condemnation (v.16) and death (v. 17), whereas God's free gift of Christ brought justification (v. 16) and life (v. 17).
In verses 18-21: Law and grace.
In verses 18-19: These verses summarize and extend the contrast of the previous section.
In verses 20-21: The Mosaic law came in and made sin and its consequences clear (4.15).
Trespasses multiplied because awareness of sin increased.
Yet, the lethal effects of sin were exceeded by God's grace shown through Jesus Christ our Lord.
This event revealed God's righteousness by proving God reliable and making real the prospect of eternal life (6.23).
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