ISSUES IN ROMANS #6

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! Certainly, I would not have known sin except through the law…[Romans 7:7].

This verse begins a much debated passage in Romans. How do you understand the "I"? You know this passage—in a paraphrase—what I wish to do I don't do but the things I don't want to do, that is what I do. Did Paul intend (1) a reference to himself and other Christians; (2) a reference to his own pre-Christian experience and by implication all Jews; or, (3) a reference to himself as a child of Adam and by implication all people?

Every commentary worth its salt discusses these options and more. I wish to eliminate the first option as undoubtedly un-Pauline. Juxtapose the struggle described in this passage with what Paul writes in the chapter afterward: For the law of the life-giving Spirit in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death [8:2]. Indeed the end of chapter 7 is a declaration of the victory believers have in Christ—Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! Later in Romans the Apostle declares that the kingdom of God is all about righteousness, peace, and joy [14:17]. The struggle of chapter 7 hardly conjures up these images. It is hard for me to reconcile Paul's belief of victory in Christ with what he says here so I eliminate option one.

Pastorally, what kind of good news is chapter 7 if Paul is discussing the Christian life? Why would one want to turn to God in Christ if all he has to look forward to is a life of extreme struggle leading to self-condemnation?

While the third option has much to commend it, and obviously includes option one, I think Paul has his pre-conversion life as a Jew attempting to keep the law primarily in his mind. This option is best when one takes the occasion of the letter into consideration. Jew/Gentile tensions are real in the Roman church from later sections of the letter one gets the sense Jews were critical of Gentiles for refusing to embrace some of their customs [he will correct some Gentile attitudes as well]. Paul tells them that all keeping law does is bring a struggle. It is impossible. You may want to do what is good but cannot do it. The law is not sin but neither does it provide power. Deliverance from the struggle comes only in a relationship with Christ. The result of keeping law is self-condemnation. On the other hand, there is no condemnation in Christ (8:1).

In sum, of the three options above, the first one makes most sense in context. Paul has discussed the universality of sin already in chapters 1-3; I believe he is being more specific here. He is hitting at the Jew/Gentile strain in the church by reminding Jewish believers that ultimately keeping law is impossible and they should not despise Gentile believers for embracing that truth.