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<\/a><\/p>\nBy almost universal consent,\u00a0 Romans 8 is a conclusion to a major subsection of Romans. I would say that we have to recognize it as the climax of the positive arguments or \u2018probatio\u2019 in Romans before he goes on to argument refuting some common misunderstandings, particularly by Gentiles, about Israel, and whether or not they are still God\u2019s chosen people, if they have not yet accepted Christ as the Jewish Messiah, a people for whom God has a plan.\u00a0 Without question, the greatest and most detailed exegetical study on Paul\u2019s discussion of the Holy Spirit is Gordon Fee\u2019s, classic study\u00a0God\u2019s Empowering Presence,\u00a0<\/em>not the later edited version but the earlier large study.\u00a0 This certainly has a bearing on interpreting Romans 8, since it is the most Spirit-filled chapter in the whole Pauline corpus.\u00a0 Tom has decided not to dialogue with other professors in this study, which leaves more room for his own exposition, but in this case I think he should have made an exception.<\/p>\nIn line with various previous studies,\u00a0 Tom reads Rom. 5-8 in light of his conviction that Paul is telling the story in light of Exodus, the liberation from literal slavery, and indeed in light of the later exile among other things, which is to say in light of Exodus and Deuteronomy\u2019s end in particular.\u00a0 \u00a0I have been, and continue to be unconvinced by this line of approach, not least because Paul connects the new covenant to the Abrahamic covenant, not the Mosaic covenant, which he sees as an interim arrangement until the coming of Christ (see Gal. 4, and also 2 Cor. 3), and this hermeneutical move changes how we should view Paul\u2019s discussion of the Mosaic law, as opposed for example to the law of Christ mentioned in 1 Corinthians but also in Galatians.\u00a0 As Jesus was to say about the Mosaic teaching on divorce, a good deal of the OT law was given due to the hardness of hearts, and now that the divine saving reign was breaking in, in the ministry of Jesus, new occasions teach new duties, and even the old laws which are continued into the new covenant, or modified, intensified, and in some cases said to be fulfilled and are no longer applicable to either Jews or Gentiles in Christ (see for example Mark. 7, and Mark\u2019s comment there).<\/p>\n
I bring this up because of Tom\u2019s discussion of Rom. 7, which is not primarily a discussion about the Mosaic law, or Israel, but rather in Rom. 7.7-13 we have Adam speaking in his own voice about the one commandment he was given, and about the sin that was committed, and the spiritual death that ensued.\u00a0 He is not talking about the Mosaic law covenant which did not exist in his day. And the rest of Rom. 7.14-25 is about all those \u2018in Adam\u2019.\u00a0 \u00a0It is important to note for example verse 22 where the law of the mind of the speaker is one thing, and the law or ruling principle also working in this fallen person is another.\u00a0 \u00a0While it is possible to argue that Rom. 7.14-25 is talking about Jews in bondage to sin, it seems more likely it is talking more generally about those in Adam, who know something of God\u2019s good law and principles, but because of another ruling principle in them, cannot do it.\u00a0 This sounds far more like the Gentiles described in Rom. 1.18-32, and it is good to bear in mind that in Rom. 2 Paul had already mentioned that there are Gentiles who do various good things mentioned in the law, without being under the Mosaic covenant.\u00a0 And when Paul talks about himself in Phil. 3.6 he says as a Pharisaic Jew in regard to law keeping he was blameless, which totally rules out Rom. 7 being a description of Paul\u2019s pre-Christian life.\u00a0 \u00a0So to sum up\u2014 not every reference to law in Romans or elsewhere is a reference to the Mosaic law, and in any case Rom. 10 says,\u00a0 Christ fulfilled the Mosaic laws demands, and it reached its end, goal, zenith in Him.\u00a0 This does not mean that there were no imperatives or commandments in the new covenant, and some of them were identical to those in the Mosaic covenant, for example \u2018thou shalt not commit adultery\u2019 which actually Jesus even intensifies.\u00a0 \u00a0 When you read pp. 36ff. of Tom\u2019s exposition on Rom. 7 it becomes clear enough that it only partially agrees with what I\u2019ve just said.\u00a0 In particular the problem with the Mosaic Law, according to Paul is that it could not give life.\u00a0 It could tell a person what to do, but it could not enable them to do it.\u00a0 \u00a0So the problem is that while the Mosaic Law was meant to be life giving, its effect on those in the bondage of sin was condemnation rather than commendation,\u00a0 it was not life-giving, it was death dealing.\u00a0 At the same time Paul is emphatic that the Mosaic law in itself is holy, just, and good.\u00a0 But it\u2019s not the Holy Spirit who enables persons to obey God.\u00a0 Here\u2019s Fee\u2019s exposition is especially helpful.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Notice there is absolutely 0 reference to the Holy Spirit in Rom. 7.7-25, which is a strong clue this is not about the Christian life, which by contrast is characterized in Rom. 8 as involving the Spirit at every turn.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By almost universal consent,\u00a0 Romans 8 is a conclusion to a major subsection of Romans. I would say that we have to recognize it as the climax of the positive arguments or \u2018probatio\u2019 in Romans before he goes on to argument refuting some common misunderstandings, particularly by Gentiles, about Israel, and whether or not they […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":69245,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[15242,15239],"class_list":["post-69254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-and-those-in-adam","tag-rom-7-is-about-adam"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n