Down an Unfamiliar Road

NOW I BELONG TO JESUS, AND JESUS BELONGS TO ME

Over the years I’ve heard stories about dying patients who’ve called their family, friends, or pastor to be at their bedside before they passed away. But I have never heard one exactly like this. It touched my heart, I hope it touches yours.

A terminally ill man was in a nursing home and his daughter called to ask her pastor if he wouldn’t mind dropping by to pray for her father. The pastor was only too happy to do it and so he was soon on his way. When the minister arrived at the man’s room, he walked inside and found the gentleman lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows. There was an empty chair sitting beside his bed. The parson assumed that the daughter had told her father that he was coming, so it appeared that in a very hospitable way the old man had pulled up a chair for him to sit down in.

“Looks like you were expecting me,” said the pastor. “I’m sorry,” said the old gentleman, “But I’m afraid I’ve never met you.” “Oh, yes,” said the minister, “I can understand that. I’m Reverend Foster, the new pastor at your daughter’s church. She asked me to come by and have a word of prayer with you. That’s why when I saw the empty chair, I figured you knew I would soon be here.”

“Oh yeah, the chair,” said the bedridden man. “Would you mind closing the door, Reverend?” The pastor was somewhat puzzled by the request but did as the old man asked him to do. Then the gentleman called him closer and said, “I’ve never told anyone this before, not even my daughter. But most of my life I never really knew how to pray. I could repeat the ‘Our Father,’ but I just didn’t know how to talk to God. A long time ago when I heard our pastor talk about prayer, it went right over my head. So I gave up trying.”

“But a few years back, one of my best friends and I were talking about prayer and I told him about my frustration in trying to come up with the right words to say. But my best friend looked me in the eyes and said, ‘Joe, prayer is as simple as having a conversation with someone. So when you want to pray, just believe you are having a conversation with Jesus.”

“He asked me to try it. Told me to sit down in one chair, and then place an empty chair in front of me. Then imagine Jesus sitting there listening to me. Tell Him how I felt, what’s going on in my mind and what was bothering me. Be honest with Him, because He can see what’s in your heart anyhow. It seemed a little odd to me a first, but I promised my friend that I’d do what he told me to do.”

“So, I tried it, and I’ve liked it so much that I started doing it a couple of times a day. I never let my wife or daughter see me talking to an empty chair because I was afraid they’d think I had gone off the deep end and have me sent off to the funny farm. So you see pastor, every time I talk to Jesus, He’s sitting there in that empty chair.

The minister was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old man to continue talking to Jesus that way. He then anointed him with oil and prayed with the elderly gentleman. He promised to come back again. But if the old man needed him sooner, just give him a call. Two days later, the daughter called to tell the minister that her daddy had died that morning. “He died peacefully,” she said. “He even had a smile on his face.” “That’s wonderful,” said the Pastor. “I’m glad he is now at rest with the Lord.”

But before the pastor could hang up, the daughter said to him, “But you know something strange happened when he died. I left the house early before going to work so I could stop by and see him. When I walked into the room he called me over to his bedside, told me he loved me and kissed me on the cheek. He had a big smile on his face. About an hour after I got to work, they called me from the nursing home and told me to come over right away. By the time I got there, he had already expired. But the thing that really struck me odd was that I found him leaning over the side of the bed with his head resting on the empty chair he had sitting there. And it looked like he had been holding onto something and didn’t want to let go.” The minister wiped tears from his eye and thanked her for telling him what happened. As he put the phone back in its cradle, he looked up and said, “Lord, I want to go the same way.”

I’m sure most of us at one time or another have thought about what our last moments on earth will be like. And the older we get the more often it crosses our minds. But you could not ask for anything better than to be holding the hand of the One who will raise you from the grave on resurrection morning as you go to your rest. So if you’ve had trouble praying, why don’t you try what this old man did. Maybe it will work for you too. And perhaps at that same moment, the song we used to sing long ago will be on your lips: “Now I belong to Jesus, and Jesus belongs to me. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER SEVEN (Lesson XIII)

Furthermore, has it not also been documented that believers who stay away from all these things can still be found guilty of gossip, hatred, bias, racism, hypocrisy, and disdain for others? Again, the culprit is knowing that by misusing or abusing such things we are out of God’s will and against His Word – that is a sin. So until we tackle the problem of evil tendencies and sin, all these other things will remain distractions and keep people from finding the real answers they need.

The realization of being misled or falling into sin on purpose was pointed out by Isaiah who spoke of those who turn from reverencing God to worshiping idols. He says: “A deceived heart has led him astray; he is trusting what can never give him any help at all. Yet, he cannot bring himself to say,’This thing in my hand is a fraud!’”¹ That is why we find in Jeremiah: “The heart is the most deceitful thing there is and desperately wicked. No one can really understand it all!”²

No wonder Paul told the Ephesians this about those who live as pagans: “Their intelligence has been shrouded in darkness, and they are estranged from their life in God, because of their ignorance, which in turn, comes from resisting God’s will.”³ Paul goes on to tell them that in that immoral state of mind they abandon themselves to impurity, and continue to want more and more of what is not good. But the Apostle warns them: “You must strip off your old nature, because your old nature is thoroughly rotted by its deceptive desires; and you must let your spirits and minds keep being renewed.”⁴ All of this is necessary in order for believers not to be deceived by imitation gospels or errant lifestyles.

Several early church teachers have interesting things to say about this verse. One theologian, who taught in Alexandria, finds that the word sin does not refer to a particular matter, but to the manner and life of one who sins. In other words, it is internal before it ever becomes external. With that in mind, Paul calls nothing sin except the one who inspires such rebellious and disobedient behavior – the devil.⁵ Ambrosiaster concurs. He suggests that we take the word sin in this verse a synonym for the author of sin, the devil. Jesus made this very clear when he told the Scribes and Pharisees: “You are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.”⁶

That’s why the devil is always looking for opportunities, provided through the law, to satisfy his rebellious attitude and hatred of God. When law threatens sinners, Satan is there to tell them it’s all a lie. The devil points out that the law was given without it being requested. As such, it insults a person’s sense of individualism and independence. So they see it as an effort to restrict their access to what pleases them. But what they do not realize is that they are being led into a trap from which they cannot escape on their own.⁷

Chrysostom is impressed by how Paul blames sin and clears the law of any responsibility.⁸ And Augustine, from personal experience, knows how treacherous going against the law can be. This sets up one of two conclusions. A person can acknowledge that sin’s power of persuasion is even more compelling when its restrictions include forbidden fruit. Or else, they can try to appease their conscience by saying that if they did abide by the law’s demand, their obedience would be sufficient to cover their evil tendencies. In other words, they did not need God’s help, even if they are not under grace. Were they to do so, they would sin all the more because of their pride.⁹ It is a well-known saying, that forbidden fruit is the sweetest. That’s often because sins committed in secret are more satisfying because only they know about it. But at the same time, they can also be the deadliest. Not only does the dishonor destroy the reputation, but the fact that it was achieved through deception, leaves a bitter taste that is even more disgusting.¹⁰

Reformist John Calvin agrees that while a person may try to live without knowing the will of God for their lives, it keeps the light of truth from exposing the sinful tendencies within them. With this kind of attitude their life is destined to go indefinitely, forever astray, and growing in the accumulation of unintended errors. What happens is that people wander off course, and will continue to do so until the law shows up and points the way to the right path. Once the light of the law shines in a person’s mind, they then can better perceive why they are going in the wrong direction. It is then that the Holy Spirit is sent to admonish the sinner. It’s at this point where the evil tendencies either get their way, or God’ gets His way. In either case, it was the law that made sin evident for all to see.¹¹ In other words, Calvin is saying that the Law points to the right way, but our sinful nature wants to go a different way, and so we are led off course. Again, Paul is building up to an obvious question, how do we get back on the right path?

Adam Clarke takes this as part of Paul’s personal testimony. Even though the opportunity to sin came from a confrontation with the law, and that opportunity was accompanied by the threat of separation from God. Yet its allure was so deceptive that it overpowered all reason and drew Paul into an act of disobedience, promising him gratification, honor, and independence. It was the same trick that Satan used on Eve. Scholars say what Paul says here has a strong allusion to Eve, and uses the very same expression, “deceived me.”¹² From Clarke’ perspective, Paul then became subject to the death which the law pronounced as a curse on all transgressors. As a result, that rendered him miserable as he tried to deal with such a reality. This is a discernment every sinner must make in order to be saved. Sin cannot only ruin your life here on earth but ruin it for eternity. I like the way Clarke puts it: “By the influence and the effects of sin a person either lives a dying life or a living death.”¹³

Robert Haldane finds that by sin blinding Paul’s mind as to what the law was really demanding, it convinced him that he could still fulfill it. By doing so, he could obtain justification and life. He only came to see the deception involved when he met Christ. When Paul saw beyond the legal aspect of the law into its spiritual heart and soul, did it dawn on him that sin had never been confronted this way before so as to help Paul see its real power to victimize? But once he saw that in the light of truth, and finally understood it, he realized that instead of the law bringing him together with God, it was contributing to his eternal separation from God. He then realized that he was not only a transgressor of the law but deserving of the condemnation of the law. All along he thought it would bring him life, but it was just the opposite. So when those evil tendencies came to life, it signaled Paul’s spiritual death. Every high and respectable opinion he had of himself as a self-confident Hebrew and Pharisee, were swept away and destroyed. In fact, Paul himself would call it all trash¹⁴.¹⁵

Albert Barnes suggests that perhaps Paul was being reminded of this story he read in Jewish wisdom literature:

     One day, I was looking out my window at some foolish teenagers and noticed one who had no sense at all. He was walking through the marketplace and came to the corner where a certain woman lived. He then turned up the road that goes by her house. The day was ending. The sun had set, and it was almost dark. Suddenly, there she was in front of him, dressed like a prostitute. She had plans for him. She was a wild and rebellious woman who would not stay at home. She walked the streets, always looking for someone to trap. She grabbed the young man and kissed him. Without shame, she looked him in the eye and said, “I offered a fellowship offering today. I gave what I promised to give, and I still have plenty of food left. So I came out to find you, and here you are! I have clean sheets on my bed—special ones from Egypt. My bed smells wonderful with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let’s enjoy ourselves all night. We can make love until dawn. My husband has gone on a business trip. He took enough money for a long trip and won’t be home for two weeks.” This is what the woman said to tempt the young man, and her smooth words tricked him. He followed her, like a bull being led to the slaughter. He was like a deer walking into a trap, where a hunter waits to shoot an arrow through its heart. The boy was like a bird flying into a net, never seeing the danger he was in. Now, sons, listen to me. Pay attention to what I say. Don’t let your heart lead you to an evil woman like that. Don’t go where she wants to lead you. She has brought down some of the most powerful men; she has left many dead bodies in her path. Her house is the place of death. The road to it leads straight to the grave.¹⁶

However, in Paul’s case, he sees the woman as representative of the Law playing the role of a temptress to his sinful tendencies and was, therefore, led astray, just as the young man in the story. Charles Ellicott agrees. The cause of this young man’s failure could not be laid at the feet of the Law. It belonged to the sinful tendencies within that had not been conquered. In this case, sin played the temptress. It made use of the law to awaken the contrariness and contempt for authority that lay hidden inside. It not only made a victim out of the young man but did so with the intent of destroying him. All this time, however, the Law and the Commandments remained perfectly good in themselves. This was guaranteed since they came from the hand of God. Sin is a deadly and fatal power. The Law and the Commandments are passive instruments which can be used for good or bad. When used for good it is seen as holy, but when used to deceive it identifies sin as the real culprit.¹⁷

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER SEVEN (Lesson XII)

Early church preacher Chrysostom also sees no reason to blame the law when death, both physically and spiritually, come as a result of sin. The fault does not lie with the law, but with those who disregard the law. The law is trying to point them to the Way that leads to the Truth in order to find the Life God wants them to enjoy. In other words, if a person ignores the sign that says, “BRIDGE OUT,” if they die at the bottom of a ravine or river their survivors cannot blame it on the sign. The culpability lies squarely on the shoulders of the one who drove past the sign in defiance. Early church scholar Constantius sees Paul using the word death to define a form of punishment sin keeps hidden. It does so by offering temporary pleasures to satisfy the earthly nature as though they were good and long-lasting. By doing so, sin persuades the transgression of a law that promises eternal life to those who obey it.¹

Pelagius also believes that Paul is saying that while he was knowingly doing what was wrong on the outside, he was dying on the inside. The very commandments which were meant to point him in the direction of eternal life, were, in fact, leading him down the road to eternal punishment. All because he chose not to obey them. And Bishop Theodoret makes an interesting observation about Adam and Eve and how sin deceived them. As soon as God let them know that they were not supposed to eat the fruit of the tree that would open their eyes to what was good and what was evil, it was then, and only then, that the devil showed up and lied to Eve.² The fruit was too tempting, too alluring for her to resist. What does this tell us? It tells us that the tendency to sin was already inside the heart and mind of Adam and Eve before its presence was ever discovered. Had these tendencies not been there, then there would have been no need for God to have given them free will³.⁴

Martin Luther makes an interesting point about those who seek to be declared as righteous before God because of all the good works they do. They are so blinded by their pride they cannot see or understand what the law of God really says. If they would just take a look, they would see that what they are doing is just the opposite. And because of that, they are unaware that it is sinful. We must understand that for something to be declared sinful, it must go against God’s Word and His Will. And because they are so blinded by their own actions, they are not open to instruction. Were they to receive instruction about the law, they would come to realize that what they were doing to look good in the eyes of God was actually making them look bad. In other words, the sin that was lying dormant in their lives came alive. Was it wrong for the law to do that? No! By awakening them to the sin that lies within, they can seek forgiveness and be cleansed of such unrighteousness. That would then redirect them from the road that was leading to everlasting punishment to the way that leads to everlasting life.

So how does that happen? It is done by the Holy Spirit who is sent by God to open their eyes to the fact that it’s not works that saves, it’s faith. Faith in the work of Christ, not in the work of their own hands. Should a person be happy with what they already know about the sinful tendencies within them? No! If they know only about a few, then they will only confess and ask forgiveness for a few. By not knowing about these tendencies, then the probabilities for sinning increase. So it’s best to deal with our evil inclinations before they are inflamed by the law. We should all repeat the words of the Psalmist who said: “When I confessed my sins to You; when I stopped hiding my guilt, and I finally said, ‘I will confess my wrongs to Adonai;’ then You, You, O Lord, will be the one who forgives my sin and takes my guilt away.”⁵‘”⁶

John Calvin sees two things happening here. The law shows us the way we should be living to honor God and His Word, but our corrupt nature keeps us from doing what we ought to do. That’s why we must learn to distinguish between the character of the law and the law of our character; between its quality and our quality. There is no hiding it, sometimes the law causes us to suffer wounds that bring pain and resentment. But unfortunately, the law has no healing remedy. So if the wound is not taken care of, it can lead to the infection of our soul and then giving up. But it is not the law that keeps us from seeking help. In fact, it encourages us to do so. It is our sinful nature that does not want to acknowledge that it was our fault the wounds were inflicted by fighting against the law.⁷

Adam Clarke agrees with other scholars that Paul represents sin here as an armed and flagrant adversary. The reason for this is clear. When failing to heed the law, it threatens us with death. The violator must be punished. That’s exactly what Paul meant when he said that the wages of sin is death.⁸ What happened in the Garden of Eden helps illustrate this point. He sees Paul as saying that he finally realized that by violating the Law it would lead to death. He also discovered, that it only presents the duty to obey and lays down the penalty for disobedience. However, it yields no strength to resist sin or subdue evil tendencies.⁹

Robert Haldane wonders, what did Paul mean that he was alive but the law put him to death? Obviously, Paul was alive and doing well and proud of his accomplishments before he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. Even so, he was already struggling with keeping the law in a perfect way. But after speaking to Jesus, and then with Ananias, his eyes were opened. That’s when it hit him. All that he had done up until then to be righteous before God was a failure. All of his legal appeals for attaining eternal life were turned down. Paul was not ignorant of the law. He just didn’t know that it was the law that evoked the evil tendencies within him. He knew the letter of the law but was totally blind to the spirit of the law. He knew what the law said, but he didn’t really know what it meant. In other words, he had no true discernment of his innate corruption. It was only when he understood that the true significance of the law rested in its ability to speak to the inner tendencies of the heart, not to the logic of the mind.

Paul had studied the law with great intensity. He understood it word for word. But he didn’t really appreciate the full extent and power to which it was designed to speak to one’s conscience. Even Paul admitted what all people know, to a certain extent, when they do wrong but are totally blind to exactly what kind of person they are. Thank God Paul took the time to give us an account from his own experience both in his unconverted and renewed state. That’s why it so important to appreciate that he took the time to point out what unconverted minds do not perceive – that the evil inclination within is the root of sin. We see this in the 7th and 8th verses where ‘lust’ or ‘concupiscence’ are used. Lust is – having strong desires; concupiscence is – to have been longing for those strong desires. Such enlightenment can only come when the Holy Spirit brings conviction to a sinner’s heart.¹⁰

Albert Barnes notes that while the Law was given as a path to life, in the end, it opened a highway to death. After all, didn’t God tell Moses: “I am Adonai your God. You are to observe my laws and rulings; if a person does them, he will have life through them.”¹¹ So in every sense, the Law is good and holy. But such life could only be acquired if the Law is kept perfectly. But with sin embedded in mankind’s nature, this was impossible. The real problem is that the Law caused a short-circuit in man’s built-in inclinations. So, instead of producing life and peace one expects as a holy testament to God’s standards, it produces only misery and evildoing. We can see this in everyday life. Parents may lay down laws for their children which are intended to promote happiness and success. If followed, they bring harmony and cooperation within the family circle. But what happens where there is one obstinate, self-willed, and stubborn child? Their only interest being to get what they want, even if it not best for the whole family. This only brings bickering and nasty attitudes to the dinner table. In the same way, the law was ordained for the good and success of the human family. When obeyed, it promotes healthiness and welfare. But we all know what happened among the children of Israel in the wilderness. And sadly, it has affected the family of God in a similar manner.¹²

Charles Hodge sees all of this as Paul’s way of directing his readers toward an answer regarding this dilemma of the law giving mixed signals. Even though the law was designed to be followed in order to secure life, it ended up becoming the cause of death. We must remember that life and death are used here by Paul as figurative terms. Life includes the ideas of happiness and holiness; being given something to live for and a reason to live. The law was designed to make people happy and holy. But when Paul speaks of death, it includes the ideas of misery and sin. When all is said and done, the sinner ends up losing everything. Even for Paul, the law became, through no fault of its own, the means of rendering the Apostle miserable and resentful. So it is as obvious as the nose on one’s face that expecting the law to save was an ill-conceived idea. All that the law does is condemn the unrenewed heart and awaken its opposition to being changed. Truth is, even the law could not change the nature of fallen man. The law brought the knowledge of sin, (Romans 3:20); here it produces a reaction that leads to sin (see verse 5); because it awakens all manner of physical attraction, (verse 8); it wakes up sin from its sleep (verse 9); it then seduces the individual to commit sin (verse 11). No wonder it cannot save! That’s why those who only see religion as a legal code are miserable and deluded!¹³

Verse 11: Sin found a way to fool me by using the command to make me die.

Paul raises a very pertinent point in his discourse on the awakening of the conscience. Is it possible that something good, like the law, could prove to be what caused him to give up? No! Indeed not, exclaims the Apostle! Rather it was sin that used something which was intrinsically good, as a weapon to bring about the death of his hope for salvation by works. Today we hear questions about tobacco and alcohol use; about dancing, motion pictures, TV, fashions, etc., being discussed as to their inherent insignificance in a Christian’s lifestyle. But many fail to see that just as the holy Law was used, so can these things be used to awaken our conscience to the fact that we have a weak spiritual life.

When it comes to the prohibition of participating in these worldly activities, we try to find Biblical justification for them. After all, David danced before the Lord. Alcohol was often used as a disinfectant; motion pictures can be used to display the life of Christ; TV can send the Gospel to places that missionaries would not be allowed to enter. But they also have their bad side. Listen, two people who went into the same bank to get money. Both walked out with a handful of cash. One made a legitimate withdrawal from their account, while the other committed robbery. This is the same way sin corrupts things meant for good by evil intentions.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER SEVEN (Lesson XI)

British Bible scholar John Stott also takes note that the Greek word aphormē (“opportunity”) was used in connection with military operations. It signified the starting-point or base of operations for an expedition, a springboard for further advance. This is what sin does. It establishes a base of operation within us and then uses the law to start a skirmish between our sinful nature and our spiritual nature and provoke us into action. Believers have come to experience such provocations almost every day. As mentioned before, since the days of Adam and Eve, people have found forbidden fruit very enticing. This phenomenon is called, by some, “contra-suggestibility.” It is the tendency to do something, or say something, that is contrary to what they’re being told to say, or do. For example, a traffic sign may read: REDUCE SPEED NOW. But instead of slowing down, this type of person ignores the sign and continues on at the same speed. Their first reaction is, “Why should I?” Then, “I’ll do what I want to do because I can keep this vehicle under control at any speed. Who are they to tell ME what to do?” So it is when the law says do not tell a lie. Sin inflames the tendency of self-will, and the person decides, “I’ll say what I want to say whether anyone likes it, or believes it!”¹

Messianic Jewish writer, David Stern, lets us know that when a Jew heard what Paul had to say about sin, it would come very close to the rabbinic notion of, “yetzer ra,” – evil inclination. But unlike what some Rabbis would do, Paul pictures sin here, and through verse 25, as unconquerable by man in his own righteous strength. It is “sinful beyond measure.”² That means, it is beyond the control of anyone; it cannot be held in check without help. The point Stern makes is that Rabbis would say this evil inclination can be overcome with prayer, study, and righteous acts.

Shakespearean director, computer programmer, teacher, and writer Marcus Geduld wrote a paper titled: “Do bad people exist? Or are they just good people making mistakes?” In his paper, he outlines situations that allow the reader to make that determination. It clearly permits us to see that what the Jews called the evil inclination, or as Paul puts it, sinful intentions, already existed inside. All it takes is the opportunity for it to reveal itself. Geduld based his findings on 35 years of study in Psychology, Economics, History, Biology, and Neuroscience. Here is what he found:

1. People who have a mixture of selfless and selfish drives, who sometimes give into the latter. Example: a husband who loves his wife but who gives into an impulse (or a series of impulses) and cheats on her.

2. People who are distracted (tired, busy, sick, mired in a personal trauma) and don’t have the mental capacity (at least at the moment) to consider anyone besides themselves. And so they wind up doing cruel and or thoughtless things to others.

3. People who are under pressure (external or from some internal drive or desire) and who, in order to relieve that pressure, act in a way that hurts someone else. For example, a wealthy person who feels pressure to maintain his lifestyle (maybe believing he’ll no longer attract his mate if he doesn’t) might abuse less-fortunate people in an attempt to hold onto his fortunes.

4. People who, as children, learned that the only way they could get attention was by acting out – by getting negative attention. For example, a woman might continually humiliate her boyfriend, because she wants to have a relationship with him, and she never learned how to have one based on love and respect.

5. People who have low impulse control. When they get angry or upset, they can’t stop themselves from behaving in cruel ways. They don’t have the same internal brakes the rest of us have. (Though most people’s breaks will fail if they’re under enough stress.)

6. People who have been bullied and are left with an intense need for revenge – or for a way to assert the status that was robbed from them by the bully. Some of them may (without necessarily being conscious of it) use proxies (innocent bystanders) to stand in for the bullies.

7. People with terrible social skills. They may not mean to hurt anyone’s feelings, but they simply don’t know how to behave in ways that show respect for others.

8. People with a disorder like psychopathy (or narcissism) which leaves them unable to feel empathy – or with their empathetic abilities severely blunted. To them, other people are toys, tools, or obstacles – not fellow humans.

9. People in an extreme situations in which their survival is threatened, such as those caught up in wars or extreme poverty. They may behave cruelly because it’s their only means of protecting themselves. (People who grew up in abusive or stressful environments may not be able to turn off their aggression once the threat has passed.)

10. People who have bought into (or been indoctrinated) into a system (a religion, a social group, a political ideology, etc.) that is partly based on cruelty. Generally, they have been convinced by the system that the cruelty is a means to some greater good.

11. People who are “cruel only to be kind,” such as a group of friends holding an intervention for another friend who is a drug addict. Often, people disagree about whether a certain action is cruel or kind. Regardless of who is right, the “kindness” may seem cruel to the person it’s inflicted on.

      12. People who are members of a tribe, team, political party, or any other sort of group with a strong             sense of inner-loyalty may wind up being cruel to outsiders (and insiders who betray the trust of the group), as a way of showing group solidarity.

As we can see, Geduld witnessed among ordinary, everyday people what Paul has been saying. These tendencies were already present inside each individual, regenerate or unregenerate. So as soon these inclinations encounter a situation where it doesn’t get its way, it springs into action to protect its selfish desires.

Verses 9-10: Before I knew the law, I was alive. But when I heard the law’s command, sin began to live, and I died spiritually. The command was meant to bring life, but for me it brought death.

Here Paul is speaking of a different birth than the new birth Jesus introduced to Nicodemus. In this case, it was the birth of his conscience. We see this illustrated in the story of the prodigal son who took his inheritance and spent it all on immoral living. Then we are told: “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired men have food enough and to spare, and here I am, dying of hunger!‘”³ Once he returned home, his father had this to say: “He was dead and has come back to life! He was lost and is found!”⁴

The Psalmist went through a similar experience: “Problems far too big for me to solve are piled higher than my head. Meanwhile, my sins, too many to count, have all caught up with me, and I am ashamed to look up. My heart quails within me. Please, Lord, rescue me! Quick! Come and help me!”⁵ That’s why the Apostle Paul wanted the Galatians to know the consequences once mankind’s conscience was awakened to the truth of sin: “The Scriptures point out very clearly, ‘Cursed is everyone who at any time breaks a single one of these laws that are written in God’s Book of the Law’.”⁶ That why he goes on to clarify: “Consequently, it is clear that no one can ever win God’s favor by trying to keep the Jewish laws because God has said that the only way we can be right in his sight is by faith.”⁷ Paul also told them about his awakening: “It was through reading the Scripture that I came to realize that I could never find God’s favor by trying—and failing—to obey the laws. I came to realize that acceptance with God comes by believing in Christ.”⁸

Again, Paul was an accomplished student of Jewish law. He knew what the Scriptures quoted God as saying: “You must obey only my laws, and you must carry them out in detail, for I am the Lord your God. Only if you obey them, will you live. I am the LORD.”⁹ And, even as late as the prophet Ezekiel, God repeated this warning.¹⁰ Then, when Jesus came and was asked by an expert on Jewish law what must a person do to live forever in heaven, our Lord asked him: “What does Moses’ law say about it?” The expert knew for he said: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind. And you must love your neighbor just as much as you love yourself.” To this, Jesus replied: “Right! Only if you can do this will you live!”¹¹

The problem, however, was this proved impossible to live up. It required a form of perfection that was unachievable in order to attain everlasting life. That’s what made trying to comply with the law so frustrating. It would have been one thing if after the law pointed out an error, it would have offered help and ultimate forgiveness, but it was not empowered to do so. In my mind, the law is analogous to the weather vane on top of the farmer’s barn. It can tell you which way the wind is blowing, but it can do nothing about it. Or like a thermometer, it can let you know the temperature, but it cannot change it. We could go on with a barometer or altimeter, etc.

In his sermon on this text, Chrysostom explains that while this looks like condemnation by the law, if you look closer you’ll see that it is actually praise for the law. The law did not bring into existence any tendency to sin that did not already exist. Instead, it points out what had previously escaped notice. This is why Paul praises the law. Before it arrived, people were sinning and didn’t realize it. If the law did nothing else for people, at least it made them aware that what they had been doing was a sin. This is not something a person can dismiss if they truly want to be delivered from wicked living. The fact that they may not yet be free is not the law’s fault. It does not have such power. It was given to show the need for being set free by pointing out how bad sin really is. Therefore, any blame for not being free does not go to the law, but wholly against their unwillingness to change. And by refusing to repent, it shows just how bad their situation is.¹² This reminds me of a commercial I see on television quite often where a man dressed as a security guard in a bank is asked to “do something” when bank robbers stormed in. He replies: “I’m not a security guard, I’m only a security monitor.” It’s the same thing with the law given to Moses. When asked, “Can you save me from sin?” it answers, “No, I can’t save you from sin, I’m only a Sin Monitor.”

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER SEVEN (Lesson X)

In one of Chrysostom’s sermons on this text, he exclaims: “See how Paul clears the law of any blame!” In his own answer, he points out that it was sin all along that took advantage of the situation to do what was wrong. In fact, the law only made it more desirable to do evil because of the joy of going against authority. This is not what the law intended. It is the weakness of a person’s virtues and values that prevent them from going ahead with their plans even though they know it’s wrong. It’s like the law inflames a person’s desires, instead of putting them out. So why can’t the law be blamed for starting the fire? The law is not at fault, it was only trying to warn and keep the person away from giving into such desires. So what is to blame? It is the person’s own careless attitude and bad temperament. They take what was meant for good and use it for the exact opposite. To accuse the law would be like blaming a physician for his patient getting sick because they didn’t follow the instructions that came with the prescription. The law was given to us to help us get well, not to cause the inflammation of our desires. But instead of extinguishing those desires, it did just the opposite. Not because the law did it on purpose, but because sinful desires used it with the wrong intent.¹

Martin Luther believes we must examine what Paul says about a person’s response to the law by looking at it as a believer, not a sinner. As a believer, we are to love the law. It helps keep us straight and on the right path. The law has no intention of arousing our sinful nature and then pushing us to do what is wrong. That’s because the dominating power of sin that used to control us is now dead to us. Luther uses lime compound to make his point. You don’t know there is any heat in the lime until you pour water on it. It is a calcium-containing inorganic material found in the ground, which carbonates, oxides, and hydroxides when combined with water. It’s not the water that creates the heat, it’s what’s in the lime. That’s the same way it is with man and his will when it comes into contact with the law. It’s the sin inside us that reacts in such a way that it bubbles up and gives off energy that then is used to commit the very things the law prohibits. So the results cannot be blamed on the law. And it is only through the love, grace, and mercy of God that the fire of sin can be extinguished.²

Reformist John Calvin contends that it appears as though Paul is saying that the knowledge of sin, without the law, is somehow hidden. To make the point, Paul applies this idea to his own case. If the interpreters had rendered this Greek passage in the imperfect tense it would be much more revealing³ You see, Paul not only admitted that these sinful tendencies were part of his carnal nature in the past, but they were in him to that day.⁴ In other words, an unbeliever does not discover that they have become a sinner when they begin to sin. They have been sinners all along, but it took the Law to reveal to them that what they were doing was in fact sin.

Robert Haldane is fascinated by the fact that while Paul uses the same Greek word epithymia in verses 7 and 8, the translators of the KJV used the English word, “lust” in verse 7, and “concupiscence” in verse 8. The reason for this question arises from the fact that epithymia indicates a natural inclination to sin, not just sin when we decide to do it. Thayer, in his Greek Lexicon, says that this means: having a “craving” or “longing” for something. And more specifically, a great desire for something that is forbidden. The Apostle James uses it the same way when speaking of temptation.⁵ Temptation usually comes when the opportunity is given to do something a person has always wanted to do but was afraid of the consequences. Paul made it clear in verse 7 that the law does not cause sin. It only points it out. In other words, sin is stripped of its disguise and seen for what it really is. Then in verse 8, Paul asserts that the law discovered something in him, which was this innate sinful nature he was carrying around with all its evil desires.

When happened then? Paul felt a sudden urge to resist them. But the natural corruption of his heart saw an opportunity to sin, so it struggled against Paul’s urge to resist. This only produces more conflict and disharmony within Paul’s soul, heart, and mind. That’s when Paul realized that the more something is prohibited or forbidden, the more his corrupt human nature wanted to have it. It could not be more clear. Instead of the law helping to subdue the urge to sin, its very prohibition of such acts only increased the desire to have it. While a person may be able to restrain themselves from committing the outward act, the inward desire to participate only grows as the evil inclinations of the mind get excited about the prospects. Does this make the law wicked? By no means. The wickedness is within the person’s sinful heart and mind.⁶

Charles Hodge does not see verse 8 as logically connected with verse 7. In other words, because Paul didn’t know that sin was within him until it was shown to him by the law, once it was revealed Paul realized that his greatest sin was greed. Was this Paul’s thorn in the flesh?⁷ That’s when the greed inside him began to suggest all kinds of things that Paul could lust after. Had the law not pointed out this tendency to lust, Paul would have never known it was there. So we can see why someone hearing this might ask, Is the law evil? Paul had his answer ready: No! Just the opposite! This should open our eyes to the sins hidden inside us. So how can we call a thing evil when it helps unmask the bad tendencies going on inside our hearts and minds? And once they are disturbed, these sinful tendencies are awakened and began to demand their desires be satisfied. But Paul cautions that we must understand, that when we refer to these passions as sin, they are to be understood as potential sin, not actual sin. While our indwelling sin, or corruption of nature, is the principal source for producing action and not the act itself, should this make us sad? No! God be thanked that He made it possible for us to detect such tendencies. And as believers, we need not fear them after we have been sanctified and the disposition to serve and obey the Spirit is much stronger than the desire to serve and obey the flesh.⁸

Albert Barnes also sees the law acting as a detector. In other words, just like a lie detector will reveal a lie when uttered so the Law will detect a sinful tendency the moment it raises its ugly head. But rather than causing this tendency to run away and hide, after being uncovered it begins to demand attention. And when not addressed immediately, it becomes exasperated, and the urge only grows bolder and stronger in its demands, no matter how depraved those demands may be. Now, for sinners, this only makes them more stubborn, obstinate, and desperate to get what they want. Any attempt to resist or set up authority over them only makes them take a rebellious stance in utter opposition. Anyone who has witnessed this type of behavior in a spoiled and obstinate child will understand. But we should not become overly alarmed. Just as a parent will not throw a disobedience child to the dogs, so God will not throw a rebellious and impious sinner into hell. It’s only if they keep following the road they are on they will get there on their own. Likewise, God will not drag a resistant, screaming sinner into heaven. One can only enter there after receiving an invitation that they must then decide to accept or reject.⁹

Henry Alford has some interesting thoughts about sin and law. To him, the inactivity of sin without the law waking it up must not be understood as meaning that somehow a sin was committed without the person knowing it. If a person has no conscience or basic knowledge of right and wrong, then yes, that might be the case. But that is not Paul’s argument. Dutch scholar and translator Erasmus (1466-1536) explains that the word “dead” in verse 8 should be taken as meaning “being unawares.” In other words, before the law was promulgated, people were ignorant that some of their passions were in fact sinful. So when a person without such knowledge feels the urge to do something, they must depend on their own conscience to tell them if it’s right or wrong. But when they come to the conclusion that since such acts are not forbidden, they can go ahead and do what they planned to do without condemnation. What Paul has put his finger on here is the fact that people are less enthusiastic about doing the things they are permitted to enjoy whenever they like. It’s only when an opportunity presents itself to do something that is off-limits and strictly forbidden that they get stirred up. As odd as it may sound, it’s the thrill of doing something wrong that excites them, not the wrong itself.¹⁰

As Charles Ellicott sees it, the law woke up tendencies Paul didn’t know he had. And one that stood out was his hidden greed. He then realized he was not only wanting things he could have but even those that really wasn’t his to have. Ellicott sees this in Paul’s use of the Greek word aphormē, which Thayer in his Greek Lexicon says implies a military metaphor. It describes a place from which a movement or attack is made, a base of operations. And even more, it suggest an advanced post occupied as the starting-point and rendezvous for further advances. Paul is telling us that sin was unable to incite an attack on man’s immoral tendencies without the co-operation of law. But when the law forbidding it was held up in front of him, that’s when it’s real motives jumped into action.¹¹ While the KJV translates the Greek word aphormē as “occasion,” it is better understood today as “opportunity.”

What Karl Barth sees here is that, fundamentally, sin is the possibility that the union between a person and God may be broken if action is taken. This then opens the door to another possibility, and that is being then predestinated to blessedness or damnation. But this secret is known only to God. That does not mean that sin originated in God. But it does mean that only in God can we find the truth about what sin in our lives can or will do. And since believers are known as servants of God, as such, they are subject to the possibility of disobedience, and even rebellion. They can decide to separate themselves from Him. Some who do not want to follow Him openly, try to follow His shadow. But there is no divine glory in His shadow. In fact, His shadow prevents His glory from shining upon the one standing there. In other words, people take the opportunity of making the god they like, and in doing so attempt to make themselves gods. That way, they can decide and predetermine everything in their lives without consultation with God or His Word. It is the presentation of such an opportunity that provides the consequent capacity to make use of it. And that, my friend, is sin.¹²

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER SEVEN (Lesson IX)

In one of his sermons, British preacher Charles Spurgeon made it known that there are some people who hope to overcome their bad tendencies through habit breaking and making resolutions. They think that as long as they do all the things the church tells them to do, it will somehow cause a halo to form over their heads and by some miracle that will make them holy. There’s no doubt that in itself the law is holy because the One who gave it is holy. But just by reading it does not make the reader holy. So what effect should the law have on the mind? For those who still have an unrenewed mind, instead of discouraging sin, it encourages it. There is something in the sinner’s mind that immediately wants to rebel against the law the moment it’s read, or it is heard. If you don’t believe that, just tell one of your children not to do something they want to do. There will be little time before they throw themselves on the floor in a fit of anger. That’s because there are some things a person would never think of doing until they are told they can’t do it. By the same token, if they are told they must do it, they resist because they don’t want to obey. If that isn’t enough, the more people are prohibited from doing, or are forced into doing, the greater their despicable nature will urge them to go against the law.¹

John Stott’s impression of what Paul is claiming requires a reiteration of what has been said all along: The law was meant to reveal sin, not salvation. Paul already explained, “through the law, we become conscious of sin.”² Now he writes: “Indeed, I would not have known what sin was except through the law.” This no doubt implies that he came to recognize the seriousness of sin because the law unmasked and exposed it for what it really is – rebellion against God. This is what brought Paul under conviction. In his case, it was the tenth commandment prohibiting envy.³ In other words, when God gave humans a free will, He also included an alarm system in mankind’s conscience to alert them that they had done something wrong. But it wasn’t until the Law was given that his wrong-doing was finally explained. And once this was revealed, then man knew that what he had done was a sin against God’s instructions.

Douglas Moo sees an important factor between Christians and Mosaic law. We must not make the mistake of taking Paul’s claim that believers are “released from the law.” In fact, we cannot apply this liberation to any particular function of the law. What has happened is that the believer has been set free from the commanding authority of the Mosaic law. If any part of the Law is broken, it no longer has the power to condemn us to die as sinners. But it also means, that no part of the Old Testament law should be taken as an immediate requirement for Christian living. We know, that when a person leaves one country and settles in a new one, they are no longer under the legal jurisdiction of the country they left. So it is with Christians. They have left the dominion of an old covenant and are now living under a new covenant.⁴ So now, by being obedient to the teachings of Christ, they fulfill every Old Testament law that is relevant to salvation and Christian living.⁵

Jewish writer David Stern translates the first part of this verse this way: “Therefore, what are we to say? That the Torah is sinful.” The reason Stern brings this up is because in Romans 2:18, 3:20, 5:13, 20 Paul indicated that some think the Torah makes people sin. He doesn’t want anyone jumping to the conclusion that it’s the Torah itself that is sinful. That’s why the Apostle reacts to any such assumption with a strong, negative reply – Heaven forbid!⁶ Then we must analyze how a holy, just, and good Torah can stir up such sinful desires. The answer is simple. It’s not the Torah’s fault, it’s our own. For instance, the tenth commandment, concerning adultery,⁷ can be transgressed mentally before it is violated physically. The same is true with envy. Long before anything is stolen, the penchant to sin was already in one’s heart. This should help everyone understand that the Torah cannot be taken as a set of behavior rules that must be followed to the letter before any accusation of having sinned is made. The fact that these things were written was to combat what was already in the human mind.⁸

That’s why another Jewish writer thinks everyone should admit that sin existed before the Torah was ever written. However, the Torah gave sin a power it didn’t have before.⁹ This means, understanding what sin is was all the Torah had to explain to become the agent to take that knowledge and get the sinner excited about fulfilling all their sinful passions. The Torah itself is not a part of those passions. People were sinning before the Torah was ever composed.¹⁰ But without the Torah’s explanation of what sin really is, people don’t fully recognize how it offends God and the danger of punishment it brings.¹¹ That’s why Paul uses himself as an example in this chapter of someone in whom Yeshua lives, therefore, they can walk (follow the Torah) according to the spirit, not legalistically. By doing that, they are then free to live without obeying this sin.¹²

Verse 8: And sin took the opportunity to use that command and make me want all kinds of things that weren’t mine. So sin came to me because of the command. But without the law, sin has no power.

But Paul is not finished with this subject of showing the relationship between the Law and sin. Paul is about to testify about this phenomena from his own experience. We know that Paul spent time with the Apostle James, and perhaps they exchanged thoughts on this because James tells his readers: “No one being tempted should say, ‘I am being tempted by God.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, and God Himself tempts no one. Rather, each person is being tempted whenever he is being dragged off and enticed by the bait of his own desire. Then, having conceived, the desire gives birth to sin; and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.”¹³

Some Bible scholars suggest that the last part of what Paul says here in this verse should read: For without a law sin is dead. In other words, where there is no law, there is no transgression. But sin is the transgression of the law. In other words, the very essence of sin consists in the violation of some positive or negative law. In effect, that’s what Jesus said: “They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin. “¹⁴ Paul echoes this same truth: “For sin – the sting that causes death – will all be gone; and the law, which reveals our sins, will no longer be our judge.”¹⁵

When early church scholar Origen read what Paul said here, he wondered: Why is it, that when someone is told that something is forbidden, they want to do it even more? That’s what happens when people read what the commandments prohibit. Even though they are holy, just, and good, laws, nevertheless, when they say, “Don’t,” people think they are being kept from having or doing something pleasant and enjoyable. Paul says that is the very core of what the law does that it was never meant to do. It was not given to provoke, inflame, or drive people to sin. That’s why we cannot blame the law when that happens. It’s the sinful tendencies and inclinations that exist inside people’s hearts and minds that are to blame. And as Paul said, if it is not somehow taken care of by a higher power, it will be the death of him.¹⁶ Early church Bishop Theodore wholeheartedly concurs with Paul. In fact, anyone with an open mind will nod in agreement, that without the law around to define sin, it would be of little value. And why is this? Because no deed in itself can be considered sin unless it can be pointed out that it is wrong. Then, once a person knows it’s wrong and yet goes ahead and does it, that is this the dirty little secret of sin.¹⁷

Let’s put this in layman’s terms: When the Pennsylvania Turnpike was first built in 1940, there was no speed limit. So speeding on this new four-lane highway was not illegal. But as soon as the speed limit signs were posted it became a violation of the law and punishable by a fine. Yes, before speeding laws were enacted, speeding could result in injury and death. But that was due to foolishness and recklessness. But once the signs were up, it became a violation of the law. So it was before God gave the law to validate what was already part of mankind’s conscience. Before the law, such immoral acts were due to foolishness and carelessness, but after the law was given, it became sin.

Saint Augustine tells a story about himself that illustrates this tendency that Paul addresses here. When he was a young man, all he wanted to do was involve himself in immoral activities. He had a number of mistresses. He apparently grew thin with so much senseless activity, and later he would tell God: I must have looked totally depraved in Your eyes. Yet when he looked in the mirror, all he saw was a handsome young gigolo.¹⁸ This led him into committing robbery. Not because he was hungry or too poor to support himself, but out of contempt for all the do-gooders in the community and an out-of-control desire to do what was wrong in their eyes. He confessed to stealing something he already had plenty of and of much better quality. He had no intention of stealing it to bring him any enjoyment, but just for the thrill of stealing and not getting caught.

Augustine tells about a pear tree that was close to his parent’s vineyard. Although it hung heavy with fruit, there was nothing about its color or taste that tempted him to take some without permission. But late one night, after he and his cohorts finished playing their games out in the street, he and his band of rebels did what they were in the habit of doing, going out looking for trouble. So they all decided to go over to this beautiful pear tree and shake it until all the fruit lay on the ground. They then picked them up and carried off a huge load of pears. They had no interest in eating the pears themselves, but they wanted to feed them to the pigs. This was their way of degrading their value. He said they got a kick out of doing this just because they knew it was against the law.¹⁹ So by telling this story, Augustine illustrates what Paul had been saying all along: It isn’t the law that makes you sin, it’s the evil inside you as soon as you find out it’s the wrong thing to do. No wonder Paul cried out for help in 7:24.

Both joy and peace in the Hebrew and Greek languages, spoken by Paul, prove relatively easy to translate into English, but the Hebrew ‘arek ‘aph, is more of a challenge. To understand this better: ‘arek means “long” and ‘aph means “face. Most of us certainly know what a long face conveys, but it borders more on sadness and disappointment than patience.

So the early English translators gave us the term, “longsuffering.” It means: “to allow, to tolerate” or “to put up with something for a long time without despairing.” This clearly is the essence of patience. It expresses an attitude toward people in which one endures their stubbornness or procrastination no matter how unreasonable they may be; and never loses hope for them, however ugly and unmanageable they become. At the same time, it denotes an attitude toward circumstances that never admits defeat, and never loses hope or faith no matter how dark the situation becomes or how inexplicable events may turn out to be.

The oft-repeated phrase in the Old Testament, “slow to get angry,” has more in common with the Greek word for patience than the Hebrew “long-faced.” The Greek word is makrothumia, and like the Hebrew requires two words to translate instead of one. Makro means “long,” and thumos means “temper.” It’s another way if identifying people who possess tempers with long fuses; individuals who endure patiently. We all know what “short-tempered” refers to, but English does not provide the antonym “long-tempered.” Instead, we use “Patience,” which we will further define as a fruit of transforming love.

Even Solomon in his wisdom taught that sensible people control their temper and earn respect by overlooking wrongs (Pro. 19:11). Also, people with common sense control their anger because they know a hot temper makes them look foolish (Pro. 14:29). Furthermore, patience ought to be more admired than influence; self-control should be more desired than winning (Pro. 16:32). For Solomon, patience did not imply weakness; rather it spoke of the power to pause; strength to stand; energy to endure. This gives us, even more, reason to accept that love is an act of the will, not the expression of romantic emotions, no matter how deeply they are felt. Patience is love that has matured and become more tolerant and tempered. – Dr. Robert Seyda.

WHAT A MESS!

When I read this story, it seemed so simple at first, but at the end, it contained a profound and abiding truth. It involved a six-year-old boy named Dan. He watched cooking shows on TV where kids did the cooking. So he decided one Saturday morning to fix pancakes for his parents. He found a big bowl and spoon, pulled a chair up to the counter, where he could reach the heavy flour canister. While opening it, he spilled half of it on the floor.

He scooped up some of the flour into the bowl with his hands. As he was pouring in some milk from a half-gallon carton, it slipped from his hand and landed on the kitchen floor and mixed with the flour that was there. He decided to clean it up when he was finished, so he mixed the milk and flour together in the bowl. Then he wanted to add some eggs. He broke open three of them but didn’t notice parts of the shells that fell into the mixing bowl. After mixing in the eggs, he wasn’t sure if he should add some sugar but decided it wouldn’t hurt. So he put in three scoops from the sugar canister.

By now Dan had flour and milk all over his hands, arms, kitchen counter, and the floor. He was getting frustrated with himself because he hadn’t done a better job. The lad wanted so bad to do something nice for Mom and Dad, but it wasn’t going very well. But he decided to keep going, so he pulled a heavy frying pan out from the drawer at the bottom of the stove, and could barely lift it up on the burner. Then he reached for the bowl and in the process knocked the egg carton to the floor breaking the rest of the eggs inside. He remembered seeing the kid on TV used a big dipper to put the pancake mixture into the frying pan. So after turning on the burner, he put in his first scoop.

Just then he heard a noise behind him. Looking around he saw his Dad standing at the door with his hands on his hips and a stern look on his face. Just then, big crocodile tears welled up in Dan’s eyes. All he’d wanted to do was something nice to impress his parents as a way of telling them how much he loved them. But instead, he had only made a big mess. He was sure a scolding was coming his way, maybe even a spanking as he saw his father watching him.

Then, walking over through the mess the father gently picked up his crying son, hugged him, and told him it was going to be okay. It hadn’t taken dad long to figure out what his son was trying to do. Now they both stood there with white, sticky flour and eggs on their bedroom slippers.

From this story, we can learn how God often deals with us. We try to do something good for Him, but it turns out to be a mess, sometimes even a disaster. For instance, we tried to witness to someone at work, but it turned into an argument. We thought we were helping out a friend who was having marital problems, but we ended up being accused of sticking our nose in other people’s business. We were working hard to impress our boss that as a Christian we could be counted on, only to find out that our coworkers heard about it and thought we were telling him that all of them couldn’t be trusted.

When that happens, we may find ourselves in tears because we can’t imagine how we are going to straighten it all out. That’s when God picks us up in His loving arms and tells us it’s going to be alright. Even though what we tried to do made a mess of our reputation and His. He knew exactly what we were trying to do. But just because we messed up doesn’t mean it was a failure. It shouldn’t stop us from trying to do things for God. Sooner or later, and with His help, we’ll get it right, and then they’ll be glad we tried, and He’ll be pleased that we didn’t quit. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER SEVEN (Lesson VIII)

Listen to the Psalmist as he exclaims: “God’s laws are pure, eternal, and just. They are more desirable than gold. They are sweeter than honey dripping from a honeycomb. For they warn us away from harm and give success to those who obey them. But how can I ever know what sins are lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. And keep me from deliberate wrongs; help me to stop doing them. Only then can I be free of guilt and innocent of some great crime.”¹ So Paul joins the Psalmist by saying that if he had not been introduced to the Law, he would not have known that what he thought was only a natural longing or desire, was, in fact, inexcusable greed.

This was where sin began in the Garden of Eden after Satan tempted Eve to try the forbidden fruit. We read this account: “The woman was convinced. How lovely and fresh looking it was! And it would make her so wise! So she ate some of the fruit and gave some to her husband, and he ate it too.”² Her greed came from the fact that the fruit was not hers, it belonged to God, but she wanted it anyhow because Satan promised it would make her as wise as God.

In the text here, Paul refers back to the Old Testament. In particular to Exodus 20:17 and Deuteronomy 5:21 where God explicitly forbids wanting what belongs to someone else without earning it or it being given as a gift. The Complete Jewish Bible uses the term, “covet” in both scriptures. The Amplified Bible renders the text in both places this way: “You shall not covet [that is, desire and seek to acquire].” Based on this, Paul makes note that without this revelation of God’s law against such desires he would have never known that what he was doing was wrong. And so it goes with all the laws of God. So don’t blame the law for your ignorance to cover up your sin. Acknowledge your sin as being intrinsic and only with help from God will you be able to win the victory over its power.

In his writings against the teachings of Marcion,³ early church scholar Tertullian wanted to make the point that we have no reason to give high praise to the law because it serves to bring to light the latent presence of sin in our lives. It isn’t the law that leads people astray, it’s sin that uses the commandments to evoke a response that leads to sinning.⁴ On the other hand, we have the Bishop of Paul’s hometown of Tarsus who thinks that Paul believed, even without the law the Gentiles knew what was required of them as preferred conduct in any situation.⁵ So we cannot excuse them, while they didn’t know everything, they knew enough to tell right from wrong. Even the Gentiles distinguished the difference between what was good and proper, and what should be considered as bad and unlawful. But God wanted people to know what He thought was right and wrong, good and bad. That’s why the law was given to define those things that should and should not be done. That way, people could distinguish between the behavior of a righteous person and unrighteous person.⁶

Then Ambrosiaster notices that Paul shows why the law is not sin; it is the yardstick by which sin is measured. It’s clear from what Paul said that from the day we were born the tendency to sin lay dormant inside us and had to be dealt with by God. When a person finds this out, they immediately feel guilty and see no reason to thank the law. After all, who would be grateful to anyone who tells them they are an accident just waiting to happen? But Paul does give thanks to the law of grace because the person who was convicted under the law of Moses for sinning against God can now be reconciled to God. In such cases, the law of Moses can be considered just and good in itself because it warned us that danger is near. But is it not enough to forgive us. For that, we need the law of grace.⁷

Augustine was convinced that the law was not given to introduce sin or even to exterminate it but simply to make it known. By such a demonstration of what sin really was, it gave the human soul a sense of its guilt instead of letting it continue going down the road toward punishment without being aware of its danger. Sin cannot be overcome with human effort, it’s only with faith and by the grace of God. That’s why the law was given to convict the soul by making it troubled about its guilt. But that’s not all, it also made the soul aware that it needed salvation because it could not escape on its own. That then opened the heart to receive God’s grace and forgiveness. This desire to find peace with God was not implanted by the law, it was brought by the work of the Holy Spirit.⁸

Early church Patriarch Cyril points out that Paul did not say that he never sinned, only that he wasn’t aware of it until the law made it plain to him. Therefore, the law is not the cause of sin but rather points it out so everyone will be aware of what it really is. It did not do this so that once a person was aware of their sinning, they should continue on down the same path toward ruin. On the contrary, its intention was to cause people to turn around and go in the direction where redemption can be found.⁹ Perhaps now we can see why people hate the law so much. Not because it is bad, but because it shows them just how bad they are.

John Calvin agrees with Paul. Everyone should know the difference between right and wrong, good and bad. But that would have been impossible without the law making them aware of it. So it goes without saying that without the law no one would have been able to discern their depravity. It would have also kept them from finding out that all along they had been anesthetized through self-flattery to the point they didn’t know how miserable and painful their condition really was.¹⁰ Calvin indicates that this statement by Paul actually gives an explanation of the previous sentence in which he spoke about his inability to perceive the sin of greed in his character. That’s why it took the Law to awaken his conscience. Therefore, since the Law is holy, knowingly breaking that law is then identified as sin. For Calvin, Paul only discovered this hidden disease when it was revealed by the law. Therefore, it follows that all those who are convicted of sin by what the law says, can by no means be free from condemnation unless God pardons them. And God will not pardon them until they ask forgiveness.

Adam Clarke agrees that the giving of the law was the only means by which people could be awakened to their sinful tendencies. It doesn’t mean that the law produced those inclinations, only that it shined a beam of light so it could be seen. It’s the same as when the sun shines through a window in a house and reveals millions of dust mites which appear to be dancing all around the room. And just as the sunbeam did not create those mites because they were there before, it was only by the help of the light that they became manifest. In the same manner, those evil tendencies were inside us all along, but we could not see them because we wandered around in the darkness of ignorance. It was only when the light of the Gospel shined into our souls that we saw them for the first time.¹¹

It’s like the song sung by country and western singer Hank Williams, “I wandered so aimless, life filled with sin, I wouldn’t let my dear Savior in. Then Jesus came like a stranger in the night. Praise the Lord, I saw the the light. (Chorus) I saw the light, I saw the light. No more darkness, no more in night. Now I’m so happy, no sorrow in sight. Praise the Lord, I saw the light.” In other words, just as when you turn on the light in a dark room and notice mold on the wall or bugs running for cover, the light did not create these entities but merely revealed them. In many cases, when this happens people just turn off the light hoping it will all go away. This does not work in the physical world, nor will it work in the spiritual world.

Robert Haldane notices how the law revealed sin to Paul. Paul did not say that he wouldn’t have been a sinner without the law, but that he wouldn’t have known what a big sinner he really was until the law pointed it out to him. Even though no one is without sin, yet the proud Pharisees of Paul’s day considered themselves sinless because they were keeping the law. But they were only looking on the outside, not in their hearts. Paul mentioned, back when he was a Pharisee before his conversion, that he considered himself as being blameless.¹² It was only after being made aware of the law as explained by Christ in His teachings, that he finally understood the law to its fullest extent. That’s when self-condemnation set in.¹³ The same can be said of those who thought they were morally pure and righteous because of their virtues and ethics, only to discover after hearing the Gospel they were just as lost as the most lawless sinner.

Albert Barnes doesn’t think anyone would try to say that Paul was advocating that sin and the law are the same thing. That would only be done by a skeptical mind with very little prodding. For instance, the Jew might ask: Are we to suppose that the holy Law of God is not only insufficient to sanctify us but that it is really meant to increase our sinning? Is it the law’s goal to simply awaken our sinful passions so that we end up being worse off than we were before? Paul would answer this with great wisdom by showing that the law was not evil, neither was there any evil in the law. Evil resides in the person, not in the law. And even if the effects of the law were to produce sin and more sin, the law itself is good and pure.¹⁴ Put another way, don’t blame the policeman who stopped you for speeding, for making you speed. You saw the Speed Limit sign and the tendency inside you caused you to disobey. The policeman is only informing you that you violated the Law. You have no one else to blame but yourself for being stopped, not the policeman or the Law.

Charles Hodge feels that the kind of knowledge Paul is speaking about is not mere intellectual cognition, but also conviction. It includes the consciousness of guilt and impurity. The law awakened in Paul the awareness of his own state and character. He realized then that he was a sinner. And by sinner, Paul did not mean that he saw himself only as an occasional transgressor, but one in whom sin had taken up permanent residence. It was the corrupt nature inside him that the law revealed to Paul.¹⁵ We should take from this that God was not using the Law merely to condemn us so He could punish us, but to awaken in us the need for a Savior so that we would turn to Him for forgiveness.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER SEVEN (Lesson VII)

For Reformer John Calvin, what Paul means here by saying, “we have died to the Law,” is that we have been set free. The law no longer has any hold or sway over us. That is the reason we no longer feel pressed down by its intolerable burden and the relentless condemnation of death held over our heads like a curse. And by indicating that this comes as a result of our newness of spirit, Paul is setting the spirit of the Law in opposition to the letter of the Law. Calvin suggests that before our will was transformed to the will of God by the Holy Spirit, there is nothing in the law but words on paper or etchings on a stone tablet. While it restricted our actions, it did nothing to restrain the fury of our passions. Paul attributes this to the newness of life and our joy in the Holy Spirit. No longer do we rehearse the law to memorize and practice it by repeating it over and over. It has been replaced by our spiritual nature rejoicing in being regenerated in Christ.¹

John Bengel makes the point that those who live by the letter of the law, take each word literally and try to do as the word says. But Christ came so that we can live by the spirit of the law, which Bengel calls, “a spiritual and living instinct with life.” In other words, when the law says to love your neighbor, it doesn’t mean to fawn over them and try to become intimate with them, but to show them respect and be kind and gracious to them; doing to them what you would want them to do to you. He goes on to say that the letter of the law does not give life. In fact, after condemning the sinner, it leaves him or her to die in their sins. On his own, the sinner cannot break or overcome this power of sin. As far as Bengel is concerned, that can only happen through the Spirit as a result of hearing the Gospel and then having enough faith to believe and be changed into a new creation in Christ.²

About the Letter of the Law, Adam Clarke sees as applying to the Old Testament rites, ceremonies, rituals, and sacrifices have been done away with. This is because, by the newness of the spirit and the true intent and meaning of what all these rites, rituals, etc., implied, they can now be fully disclosed to us. In so doing, the Spirit is able to move believers from a state of constant failure into a state of growth and maturity in Christ. Many sought justification and sanctification, pardon and holiness, by way of the law, but found that the law could not provide any of them. On the other hand, those who sought them in the Gospel found that they were all available. We now serve God, not according to the old literal sense, but in the new spiritual sense.³ This echoes what Jesus told the woman in Samaria.⁴

With regard to serving God in the newness of the spirit and not by the outdated law, Robert Haldane sees it as one of the greatest benefits in being delivered from the law. To make it clear, Paul refers to the difference in attitudes and actions between those who were married to Christ, and those who were still married to the law. Those married to Christ serve God using such principles, dispositions, and views, as the Spirit of God implants in their hearts upon renewal. Serving in the spirit is more than what one would expect of an employee, it is that which one would anticipate from a spouse. After all, the one we serve is the One who gave His life for us. We are not bound to do so by some law, but out of response to His love. This is what brings us such joy contained in the privileges of grace under the new covenant. Just as the privileges of marriage can be discerned as opposed to what one did not have when they were single, so can the privileges of being united with Christ be compared to what a person lacked when they were sinners. This makes believers, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, capable of serving God with a new and Divine nature created in Christ. As His children, with cordial affection and gratitude, it is more than the service of a maid or butler, but of a son or daughter; not as a slave but of the friend; not with the view of being saved by the keeping the law, but saved by an almighty Deliverer to whom we give all obedience, commitment, and allegiance.⁵

In looking at this text, Albert Barnes came to the conclusion that in order to understand what Paul is saying, it is necessary to remember that the law prescribed the forms of worship among the Jews. In Paul’s mind, such worship was lacking the effectiveness and power in renewing the heart which he attributed to the Gospel. Jewish worship consisted of external forms and ceremonies; the offering of sacrifices and of incense. This was all done according to the literal requirements of the law rather than the sincere offering of the heart.⁶ That’s why it is said: “The letter kills, but the spirit gives life.” ⁷ We cannot deny that there were many holy servants of God during the time the Law reigned supreme. There were also many offerings presented to God in an atmosphere of the Spirit.⁸ But for the most part, the majority of Israelites saw it as mere form and ceremony. As such, the worship was conducted in response to the letter of the law, not from the spirit of the heart. The main idea is that the worship rendered to God may have certain external forms and rites, but they are of no value unless they are performed from the heart in an atmosphere of spiritual worship⁹.¹⁰

As Charles Spurgeon preached it, no longer do we receive this message: “Do this or do that and you will live.” So, my friend! We are much more than slaves toiling under the threat of being punished; we have been promoted to a new status. We are now free to rejoice in the glorious liberty of the children of God. What we do now is done out of a spirit of love, and not out of fear. We are not trying to be holy for the sake of being saved by it, neither do we look for a way to escape from sin because we are afraid of going to hell. We have a totally different spirit driving us forward now. The Spirit of the Living God.¹¹

Karl Barth describes this in an interesting way by saying that it’s not what we are, but what we are not. And this is not by virtue of our own freedom but by the freedom of God. We have been set free from the inner contradictions of religion that tells us to do this or that whether or not our heart is in it, and liberates us from the questionable involvement of the flesh, no matter how good it is supposed to make us feel. The universe that wraps around this world of ours is shattered in one great eternal “Moment of enlightenment,” bathed in the light of the resurrection, in the light of God, and in the light of His Word, in order that we may be able to see what cannot be seen by the eyes of man but only by the eyes of faith. And it is not what men say we should think, will, and do, but what God thinks and wills and wants us to do. Those who continue standing in the shadow of the law, cannot perceive the brilliance of this vision by the candle of the law. Man’s philosophy is weak in the light of God’s wisdom.¹²

Then John Stott feels we must look back at the question whether Christians are still bound to obeying the law. This can be answered as “Yes,” and “No!” Yes, in the sense that Christian’s freedom is freedom to serve, not freedom to sin. It was God who wrote the Law and inspired the writing of the laws, so as servants of God we are expected to keep those things still valid in guiding and guarding our conduct as children of God. No, we are not free to worship another god, bow to idols, lie, steal, commit adultery, perjure ourselves, and lust for things that do not belong to us. But also, “No,” because the motives and means of our service have completely changed. Why do we serve? Not because the law is still our master and demands it of us, but because we are united to Christ and as our Lord and Master we want to please Him to the glory of God the Father. Also, it’s not because obedience leads to salvation, but because salvation leads to obedience. So, how do we serve? We no longer serve just in the flesh but also in the spirit. It is the indwelling Holy Spirit that makes all the difference. What we do for God is not imitating the things we did for the law in the flesh, but what we are free to do in the newness of life given to us by our risen Savior.¹³

One Jewish scholar adds his thoughts by pointing out that this verse clarifies what Paul was saying with his analogy (verse 1-4) and looks ahead to what will be said in chapter 8. In letting the influence of sin die to us, we make room to let God in to influence our will and life. A regenerated person is now governed by the positive side of the commandments, not the negative. That’s because we no longer walk according to the dictates of the flesh, but according to the yearnings of the Spirit.¹⁴ So Paul makes it clear that we still serve God by doing what is right according to the Law, but that is no longer our master. That’s because a person cannot serve two masters. In this case, they are either still “bound” to fulfilling the letter of the law, or as the Jews would say, serve their Yetzer Hara (evil inclination), or have been freed to serve the living God because that is our spiritual inclination. This doesn’t mean that believers never make mistakes or sometimes disobey God’s leading or Word, but it does mean that the same one who condemns us for our sin is the same one who can forgive us of our sins and make us clean from all those things that displease Him.

Verse 7: You might think I am saying that sin and the law are the same. That is not true. But the law was the only way I could learn what sin means. I would never have known it is wrong to want something that is not mine. But the law said, “You must not desire what belongs to someone else.”¹⁵

Paul now picks up on what he thinks may be a false conclusion the Roman Jewish believers may come to in reading this letter. He has tried to make this point several times: The Law is not sin. The Law only exposes conduct that is sinful. The Law is right in pointing out the wrong they are committing. That’s why Paul told the Corinthians that the fatal sting that causes death is sin, and that the validity of something being sinful came from the power of the Law to declare it so.¹⁶ This is considered so valid that Paul says had it not been for the Law, sin would not exist. So, was it wrong for God to issue the Law? No! For only by examining the Law could a lost person discover how lost they were, and how desperately they needed someone to save their life. God did not want them to die in such ignorance.