The argument of Romans 7
Keith asked how Romans 7 functions in the argument of Romans. Paul
has a lot of things to say about the Torah (covenant law) in his
writings. He said that if you don't keep the Torah it's worse than not
having it (chapter 2). While he insisted that having the Torah had
advantages (3:1-2) he insisted it wasn't all advantage since it
pronounced judgement on the Jewish nation because of its sin (chapter
3:19-20). He also insisted that God's saving purposes came to fullness
in Jesus and independent of the Torah (3:21). This all made it look
like he was undermining the covenant law and despising the Jews (see
3:31). No wonder they asked (3:1), "What advantage is there then in
being a Jew?"
Worse was to come in 5:20 when he said God brought the Torah in
"so that the trespass might increase." Chapter 5:12-20 summarizes
humanity in Adam and "the trespass" that was to increase was the sinful
rebellion of Adam's children. Instead of making things better the
entrance of the Torah only made the human sinful situation worse. And
Paul said it was meant to do that (note the use of "hina" and compare
11:32). This all sounded terrible. The covenant law (Torah) was meant
to increase sin? Does that not make the Torah a bad thing? Besides, if
the wages of sin is death and the Torah was brought in to increase sin
then it was brought in to bring death rather than life. And what is
more, if the purpose of the Torah was to promote sin so that God would
get more glory for his increased grace that should mean that people
"should" sin since they're supposed to bring God glory.
His critics would claim that the logic of Paul's gospel would put
them under obligation to sin or live after the flesh (see 6:1 and
8:12). The whole of 6:1 through 8:17 is one piece that is dealing with
these matters.
Paul insists that that is not the logic of the gospel. He insists
that their baptism which brought them into union with the living Christ
and his death, severed them from sin in every way (6:2-10). He insisted
they were now slaves to Christ and must follow this sin-destroying
Master. Yes, but if the Torah has been set aside, having done its job
of making the human sin situation worse, why aren't they free to sin?
Because they are free only to unite with and serve Christ the
sin-destroyer.
Yes, but has he not said bad things about the Torah? No, he
insists that the Torah is holy and righteous and good and it was given
to Israel that they might have life with God (7:7-13). But, like the
good and holy commandment in the Garden of Eden, the Torah became an
occasion for Sin to seduce Israel as the Serpent had seduced Eve. The
result for both was death. Israel re-enacted the sin of Adam and Eve. It
wasn't that the Torah was evil--it was the reverse. But the holy
commandment bound Israel to its rebellion and pointed her out as under
God's judgement. In doing this, the Torah was doing precisely what it
was supposed to do. The problem was in Israel's divided heart (see
7:14-25) because the Torah was always holy and spiritual.
In fact, as it turns out in the purposes of God, when people walk
after the Spirit (in more ways than one) they fulfil what the
righteous Torah was after (8:3-4). The holy Torah never becomes evil
though it becomes a tool in the hands of Sin (7:7-11). The Torah itself
never brings death (7:10). It is Sin that makes use of it to condemn
sinners and so it becomes "a Torah of sin and death" (7:21-23).
In this whole
discussion Paul is dealing with the many faces and roles of the always
holy and spiritual Torah. He shows he doesn't despise it, that it
serves more than one function depending on the angle one looks at it
from, that its covenant form and nature has served its purpose and is
restructured by the Spirit in Christ (Romans 8:1). It's only on the
surface he appears to contradict himself and it's only on the surface
that he seems to be promoting sin by speaking evil of the Torah. Be
sure to see 13:8-10 where he calls Christians to live out the
requirements of the Torah.
©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.
Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.
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