He means that, unlike Adam, who heard directly from God not to eat from the Tree, those who lived between Adam and Moses never heard from God. He was silent all those years. God never commanded anyone until Moses. Yet, people died anyway. That's his point. God held them responsible for their sins even though there wasn't a commandment forbidding sin.
But no law = no sin.
To understand why "no law" would mean "no sin," we must first look at how the Bible defines sin. Sin is not an abstract concept; it is specifically defined by the moral standard God has set for the universe.
The most direct definition is found in 1 John 3:4, which states that "whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law."
The law acts as a mirror to show us our true condition. Without it, we would be unaware of our spiritual defects. As it says in Romans 3:20.
"for by the law is the knowledge of sin." Paul further illustrates this in Romans 7:7, saying, "I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet."
For God to justly judge the world, a law must be in place. If there were no law, there could be no violation, and therefore no guilt or penalty.
No Law, = No Transgression: Scripture explicitly links the existence of transgression to the existence of law. Romans 4:15 tells us, "Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression."
If God were to abolish His law, He would essentially be abolishing the possibility of sin. However, the Bible confirms the law's presence throughout history because sin was being counted. Romans 5:13 explains, "For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law."
A law known to the people in some way. God talked to people. Before Sinia.
The Strength of Sin: The power that sin has to condemn us comes directly from the law we have broken. 1 Corinthians 15:56 states, "The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law."
Some mistakenly believe the law did not exist until Mount Sinai. However, the presence of death—the wages of sin—proves that the law was already in effect from the very beginning
Because "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23), the fact that people died before Sinai proves they were transgressors of a law. Romans 5:14 notes, "Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses."
Abraham ..... Long before the stone tables were given, God commended Abraham for his loyalty. In Genesis 26:5, the Lord says, "Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws."
I hope this helps.
