Is There a Penalty to Death?

Two questions come in from two different sources, but they are very closely related. Tom asks: In what sense did death enter the world when adam sinned? Matthew says he can't pronounce a greek word and wants to know if those who had not received the law were not charged for breaking it. So there's one of the big shifts which we have to make to understand paul saying that gentiles as well as jews weren't under the law. And deuteronomy is picking up on that strongly too.