Paul, in Romans 7:15-23 sounds like he gives us a riddle. Seems those Verses lead to Paul then asking, ‘Who am I?’ like a riddle.
Within Verses 7:15-23 he distinguishes himself from God’s Law. He seems to suggest that right and wrong, which exists in himself is different from the right and wrong implied in God’s Law, because he, like the rest of us, were born in sin. Good and evil on the other hand is God’s Domain. We would never know God’s Good and Evil unless we know what God wants.
The clear distinction between right and wrong according to us, and good and evil according to God, is alluded to in Verse 14 when Paul says, “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin.” That is, the spiritual Law originates with God, while sin waits to govern our actions; and it does so when we know nothing about God.
It’s interesting that Paul speaks to the Romans about the spiritual law of God. Consider that before Christ, the Romans worshipped many Gods, and our God wasn’t one of them. Roman gods had their laws, but they were purely ritual ones i.e. how to worship the Gods, which is different from God’s Laws in the OT. Those Law are not only ritual but moral ones explaining how we should conduct ourselves with God and others in a moral sense. The NT focuses on the moral laws of God through Jesus, that originated in the OT. Rituals like what to eat and when to pay our respects to God during the year is largely ignored in the NT.
Going back to Paul speaking to the Romans, I imagine it was hard for the Romans to visualize God having moral laws, since such laws didn’t exist with their gods. Their gods were not concerned with how people should act with each other; their gods were not concerned with people loving them. All their gods wanted them to do was to perform the rituals, some of which may involve performing sacrifices to them.
To a person not knowing anything about God, right and wrong is according to individuals and thus different among individuals. The sin factor in us may compel us to formulate what is right and what is wrong, so that what’s right for us may be wrong toward others. But without a sense of morality which in our case is formulated by God, we may not care what our actions do to others unless they do something wrong to us in return. It is then we may decide if we do something wrong to others it may turn out to be wrong for us as well.
If we love God, it is the right and wrong, ergo the good and evil, at matters to Him that we should be mindful of if we are hopeful about dwelling in His House forever.
Within Verses 7:15-23 he distinguishes himself from God’s Law. He seems to suggest that right and wrong, which exists in himself is different from the right and wrong implied in God’s Law, because he, like the rest of us, were born in sin. Good and evil on the other hand is God’s Domain. We would never know God’s Good and Evil unless we know what God wants.
The clear distinction between right and wrong according to us, and good and evil according to God, is alluded to in Verse 14 when Paul says, “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin.” That is, the spiritual Law originates with God, while sin waits to govern our actions; and it does so when we know nothing about God.
It’s interesting that Paul speaks to the Romans about the spiritual law of God. Consider that before Christ, the Romans worshipped many Gods, and our God wasn’t one of them. Roman gods had their laws, but they were purely ritual ones i.e. how to worship the Gods, which is different from God’s Laws in the OT. Those Law are not only ritual but moral ones explaining how we should conduct ourselves with God and others in a moral sense. The NT focuses on the moral laws of God through Jesus, that originated in the OT. Rituals like what to eat and when to pay our respects to God during the year is largely ignored in the NT.
Going back to Paul speaking to the Romans, I imagine it was hard for the Romans to visualize God having moral laws, since such laws didn’t exist with their gods. Their gods were not concerned with how people should act with each other; their gods were not concerned with people loving them. All their gods wanted them to do was to perform the rituals, some of which may involve performing sacrifices to them.
To a person not knowing anything about God, right and wrong is according to individuals and thus different among individuals. The sin factor in us may compel us to formulate what is right and what is wrong, so that what’s right for us may be wrong toward others. But without a sense of morality which in our case is formulated by God, we may not care what our actions do to others unless they do something wrong to us in return. It is then we may decide if we do something wrong to others it may turn out to be wrong for us as well.
If we love God, it is the right and wrong, ergo the good and evil, at matters to Him that we should be mindful of if we are hopeful about dwelling in His House forever.
