Chapter VII.
(Vers. 1.)
(Verse 1.) Brothers, you who are ignorant, for I am speaking to those who know the law. I use the example of human law to strengthen their minds in divine doctrine; and once again to persuade them about heavenly things through earthly things, just as God is known through His creation of the world. For although all things are diverse, they are in some way similar to each other. The Romans know the law, for they are not barbarians; they have understood natural justice partly from themselves and partly from the Greeks, for the laws of Rome were derived from Athens, just as the Greeks derived them from the Hebrews. For before Moses, the Law was not hidden, but there was no order, nor authority. Therefore he speaks to those who are not ignorant of the Law:
Because the law governs man for as long as he lives.
It is not hidden that the entire life of man is under the law of nature, which is given to the world: this is the general law. Now, however, he proposes another law (although it is also general, but since it is not accepted by everyone, it becomes special) through which he wants to prove his assertion; for he wants to convey the truth gradually. Therefore, he says:
(Vers. 2.)
(Version 2.) For the woman who is under the authority of a man, while the man is alive, she is bound by the law of the man. This law is from the Gospel, not from Moses, nor from earthly justice. Therefore, some things, following nature, and some things, learning from the law of Moses, have been perfected through the Gospel of Christ. Therefore, by the following example, it persuades more clearly that Christianity should be free from the law of works, not from all law; nor is it anymore necessary to live under the law, lest the grace of God be emptied by returning to the law; because the grace of God has freed man from the law, so that he may serve God with his spirit, that is, with his mind. For just as a woman, when her husband dies, is freed from the law of her husband, not from the law of nature, so also those who have been freed by the grace of God from the law are freed from the law by which they were held; so that when it is dead to them, they may not be adulterers but joined to Christianity. For if the law lives among them, they are adulterers, and being called Christians will profit them nothing, because they will be subject to punishment. For the adulterer will not be subject to the law, but to the Gospel, who, when joined to the Gospel, is dead to the law, but returns to the law afterwards; for the law is said to be dead when one who was held guilty by it is unknown to it, and the authority of the law ceases.
(Vers. 3.)
(Verse 3.) But if her husband dies, she is released from the law of the husband, so that she is not an adulteress if she is joined to another man. Having been removed from the Law, having received the forgiveness of sins, and being joined to the Gospel, they are not adulterers of the Law; because she is dead to them. But if they, thinking that by observing the Law they can approach the Gospel, they will be adulterers; because they have joined themselves in faith to the living Law, and they will be adulterers in both.
(Vers. 4.)
(Verse 4.) Therefore, my brothers, you have also been dead to the Law through the body of Christ. For our Savior allowed his body to be crucified by the devil, knowing it was for us and against him; therefore, he says that we have been made safe through the body of Christ. For to die to the Law is to live to God; for the Law rules over sinners. So to whom sins are forgiven, the Law dies, that is, to be freed from the Law. Therefore, through the body of Christ, we obtain this benefit; for our Savior, by giving his body, conquered death and condemned sin. For in him the devil sinned, when he killed him who was innocent, since he had no knowledge of sin at all; for when he defended a man as the cause of sin, he was found guilty, in whom he accused. Hence it happened that all who believe in Christ are delivered from the law, sin being removed; because conquering sin, which is the devil, through the body of Christ, does not have authority over those who belong to him, by whom he was conquered. For while he does not sin and is killed as guilty; he overcame sin from sin, that is, he condemned the devil by his own sin, which he committed in him: and he destroyed the handwriting of Adam's sin, which was a decree about sin (Colossians 2:14); when he rose from the dead, he gave this kind of form to those who believe in him, so that they could not be held by the second death. And by this, we have died to the Law through the body of Christ; for he who has died to the Law is free from guilt: and he who is guilty cannot escape the second death.
That we may be the likeness of the one who has risen from the dead, that we may bear fruit for God. He says this because we are dead to the Law, so that we may be servants of Christ alone: and this will bring forth fruit for God. For it is given by God, who remains in his grace, to be deemed worthy of the promised resurrection.
(Vers. 5.)
(V. 5.) For when we were in the flesh. Since he says that he is in the flesh, and being in the flesh means being in the body, he denies that he is in the flesh, because here he is said to be in the flesh, who follows something that is prohibited by the law. Therefore, to be in the flesh is understood in various ways: for every unbeliever is in the flesh, that is, carnal; and a Christian living under the law is in the flesh; and whoever hopes for something from human beings is in the flesh; and whoever misunderstands Christ is in the flesh; and if any Christian leads a sinful life, they are in the flesh. Nevertheless, in this place we understand being in the flesh in this way, because before faith we were in the flesh; for we were living under sin, that is, following carnal desires, and subjecting ourselves to vices and sins. But to be in the flesh means not to believe in spiritual things, that is, to believe that a man can be born from a virgin without the involvement of a man, and that a man can be born again from water and the Holy Spirit, and that a separated soul can rise again in the flesh. Doubting these things, one is in the flesh, thus:
Vices, he says, of sins which are shown through the Law, were working in our members, so that they may bear fruit unto death. It is clear that one who does not believe acts under sin, and is dragged towards admitting vices; so as to bear fruit unto the second death: for death then becomes profitable when one sins. However, he says that vices operate in the members, not in the body, lest there be an occasion for those who mistreat the body; for in evil speaking the tongue is accused, and in theft the hand is seized, and in deceiving the ears are rebuked, and in the rest, which even though they may come forth from the heart, are attested to by the Lord in the Gospel (Matthew 15:18); yet they are filled by the ministry of the members with works. This debate concerns the Jews and those who are called Christians, and who desire to live under the Law; that they may learn that they are carnal, and depart from the Law. However, he shows that the vices of sins, which prevail in those who live in the flesh, are revealed by the Law, but are not caused by the Law; for the Law is the indicator of sin, not the instigator, making sinners guilty.
(Vers. 6.)
(Verse 6) But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code. Therefore, sinners are not evil, but just, and good is spiritual. For who can doubt that it is spiritual to prevent sinning? But because he could not save man by forgiving sins, the law of faith was given, which would free believers from the dominion of the Law; so that they could restore themselves to life, whom the Law held guilty unto death. For the Law itself is the death to those for whom it works the cause of sin.
So that we may serve in the newness of the Spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. Here he is thought to be touching on the law, which indeed he makes inferior to the law of faith; however, he does not judge it as an enemy. For this reason he says that we have been delivered from the law of death, so that we may serve the law of faith, which has bestowed on us a saving aid that the old law could not; lest we appear to make the grace bestowed on us void by serving the old law. The old law is certainly not the name of guilt, but rather of time or age; for it has become old, because it has ceased. But the law of the spirit is the law of faith; because faith is in the mind, and is not learned by works, but believed in the heart. And the mind itself understands that what it believes is of its own nature, and it is not seen with the eyes or touched with the hands. And the gifts that are hoped for are not visible, nor earthly, but spiritual. Therefore, the old law was formed on stone tablets; but the law of the spirit is written spiritually on the tablets of the heart, so that it may be eternal. The letter of the old law, however, is consumed by age. There is also another interpretation of the spirit of the law; that because the previous law inhibited evil deeds, this law, however, when it says that one should not sin in the heart, is called the spirit of the law; that it may make the whole person spiritual.
(Vers. 7.)
(Verse 7) What then shall we say? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”
But I did not know sin except through the Law. So the Law is not sin, but rather the index of sin; for it reveals both the hidden sins and the fact that they will not be without punishment before God. When this was discovered, man became guilty; and therefore, he does not seem to give thanks to the Law. For who willingly welcomes someone who announces punishment to him? But, thanks be to the Law of faith; because the one who became guilty through the Law of Moses is reconciled to God through the Law of faith: although the Law itself is just and good; for it is good to reveal the impending danger. But he is more thankful to the person through whom he was saved from danger and is alive.
For I did not know what concupiscence was, until the Law said in Exodus: You shall not covet (Exod. X, 17). It did not distinguish this concupiscence from sin, but rather mixed them together, signifying that even the suspicion of it not being allowed by God was sinful. I came to know, he said, that it is a sin. He acts as if representing the general case. Therefore, the Law prohibits concupiscence, which, because it is pleasurable, was not considered to be sin. Indeed, the cause seemed simple, to desire something of one's neighbor, but the Law declared this to be a sin; for to secular people, nothing seems so unpunished and peaceful as pleasure.
(Vers. 8.)
(Verse 8) Therefore, taking advantage of the opportunity, sin was accomplished in me through the commandment, arousing every desire. By saying 'every desire,' it signifies all sins. For above desire, according to the Law, it mentions all other vices, and it says that every desire is accomplished in man through the impulse of the devil, whom it signifies in sin. Thus, the Law, which was given to benefit man, became the opposite for man. For the devil, seeing the help provided to man through the Law, rejoiced at his condition, both due to Adam's sin and his own, but then he realized that it was done against him. For whoever saw a fact done under the Law, certainly understood that his dominion was taken away; for man recognized how to escape the punishment of hell. Hence anger arose against man, so that he would overturn the Law; by admitting what was prohibited, he would offend God again, and he would fall into the power of the devil once more. He began not to command, but to deceive subtly; because the devil, knowing that man now belonged to the judgment of God, lost his dominion given in the Law.
For without the law, sin was dead. This must be understood in two ways: that you should know that the devil is signified in sin, and also this very sin, which is called sin. For the devil is said to have been dead, because he stopped deceiving humans before the Law, but he was as if quiet; for he was secure in his possession. But he said that sin was dead, because it was believed that it would not be imputed to God: therefore it was dead before humans, as if one could sin with impunity. For the sin was not hidden, as I said above; but it was unknown, because God is the judge. And when the Law was given, it became evident that sin had revived. Why did it revive, except because it had lived before, and afterwards it was considered dead due to the negligence of men, even though it was alive? For it was thought that sin was not imputed when it was imputed. Therefore, he who was alive was considered dead.
(Vers. 9.)
(Verse 9) But I was once living without the law. What is living without the law, when the law has always existed, as I mentioned above; except that without the fear of God, man lived secure that God would not judge human actions.
But when the commandment came, sin revived. Therefore, it said that sin had revived to signify that it had existed before: afterwards, however, the negligence of men was considered dead, even though it was alive, as false rumors are wont to be spread among strangers. Therefore, this signifies that in the beginning, sin was not hidden from being imputed to God, that is, it was alive: but when the habit of sinning had obscured this, it was considered dead; so that the crime was thought to fail along with the person. But when the Law was given or reformed, it revived among them, among whom it was considered dead; for they began to understand sin to be imputed.
(Vers. 10.)
(Verse 10) But I am dead. A man is dead; for he sees himself guilty before God, who before thought he would not be liable for the sins he committed.
And the commandment that was given to me, which was for life, I found to be for death. It is true, because the law was given for life; but when it made man guilty, not only of past but also of future sins, the law given for life became for death. But, as I said, for the one who sins; for the obedient, it is unto life.
(Vers. 11.)
(Verse 11) For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. Understand sin in this place as the devil, who is the author of sin. He found an opportunity through the law, how he could satisfy his cruelty by killing a man; so that because the Law threatened sinners, man, always admitting by his own instinct what was prohibited by it, offending God, would incur the vengeance of the Law; so that he would be condemned by that which was given to him for his own benefit. Because, indeed, the law was given against his will, envy flared up against the man, so that he would be stained with more wicked pleasures, lest his hand would escape.
(Vers. 12.)
(Verse 12.) Therefore, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy, and just, and good. So that no suspicion remains in the Law, it commends it in such a way that it pronounces it not only just, but also holy and good. For the Gospel declares that the commandment is understood as the Law. For it says: If you want to enter life, keep the commandments (Matthew 19:17).
(Vers. 13.)
(Verse 13) So is death good for me if it is good? Far from it. Truly far from it; for how can it be possible that what is proven to be good is understood as death?
But sin, in order that it may appear to be sin, worked death to me by that which is good. The devil said that he had received occasion through the good, in order that he might work evil to mankind, while he led him astray to death. For so that those things which were done wickedly before the Law might be proved to be sins through the enticement of desire, and might be avoided in the future, the Law was given, manifested in writing. Then Satan was inflamed, certainly through what is good; for he saw that provision was made for mankind, and he persuaded him to desire what is forbidden; so that, from the Law, death might come to him instead of life. This certainly must be attributed to human negligence, which weakened the strength of its nature by the desire to sin, so that it could not resist the temptations of the enemy. However, the enemy, who is signified by sin, received the opportunity to work death for man through the Law, in order to reveal himself as an enemy. For by enticing him to what is unlawful, it becomes evident that he is an enemy. Although he had already caused death for man before the Law, apart from the first cause of Adam, yet after the Law he discovered greater punishments for him in the underworld, where the second death is. For it is less of a crime to have sinned before the Law is made manifest, than after the Law.
In order that the sin itself may be above measure, it sins by commandment (Genesis, 15:16). What is meant by 'above measure,' as though a limit were given to those who commit sin, when it is not allowed to sin? But these are God's words, saying, 'The sins of the Amorites are not yet complete' (ibid.). By this, He shows that there is a certain measure of sins, and when sinners have filled it, they are deemed worthy of the least judgment of life; just as Pharaoh, because he had filled this measure, God's powers and signs were shown to him, by which others were terrified to exercise themselves in the benefits of life, so that life in death may be learned. But there is another way, which the Apostle discusses; for he shows that sin is more under the Law than it was before the Law, and above this, he indicates that the wider extent of sins increased after the Law due to the envy and cunning of Satan; so that the providence of God would contradict man, who should not sin in the least with fear of the Law. Therefore, in order to overcome the envy of the devil and to establish His providence for man, God changed the order by sending the Savior Christ, who would conquer both the devil and the ordinances of God towards man.
(Vers. 14.)
(Verse 14.) For we know that the Law is spiritual. Since it speaks to those who know the Law, it says: We know that the Law is spiritual; for they would not subject themselves to the Law unless they recognized it as spiritual. It calls the Law of Moses spiritual, which was given on tablets: because it prohibits sin, it is spiritual; indeed, it prohibits the worship of visible and carnal things. These things pertain to the commendation of the Law, so that it might not be thought to be worthy of blame by anyone; because it exercises severity against sinners.
But I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. Therefore it is from here that he says: the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. This means that the law is strong and just, and is free from guilt. But man is weak, and enslaved to either his own or inherited transgressions, so that he cannot use his own power to obey the law. Therefore, he must seek refuge in God's mercy in order to escape the severity of the law, and once freed from sins, with God's favor, resist the enemy from now on. For what is the subject of sin, if not to have a body corrupted by the vice of the soul, into which sin inserts itself and impels man, as a captive to sins, to do its will? Hence the Lord says among other things: The devil comes and takes away what has been sown in their hearts, so that they may not be saved (Luke 8:12). Therefore, the same Apostle says in another letter: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12), which are known to be the followers of Satan. For before the deceit of man, before he made himself subject to death, there was no power for them to enter into the interior of man and insert perverse thoughts. From whence his cunning was made, that he would deceive man through conversation by means of the serpent. But after he deceived him and subjugated him, he received power to assail the interior man, joining himself to his mind, so that he cannot discern what is his own in thought, and what is not his own, unless he looks towards the law.
(Vers. 15.)
(Verse 15.) For what I am doing, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good.
(Vers. 16.)
(Verse 16.) But if I do what I hate, I agree with the Law. The Law rightly forbids when it declares that it is against one's will to do what the law prohibits, and that it is in accordance with one's nature to do what the Law commands; because whatever is done outside of that, it says is hateful to itself.
(Vers. 17.)
(Verse 17.) But now it is not I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. Therefore, I always call sin what it is, knowing that it is the devil with his angels; for if the first man had not sinned, all these things would not happen, and thus sin is what causes all these things.
(Vers. 18.)
(Verse 18.) For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh. He does not say, as it seems to some, that the flesh is evil, but rather that what dwells in the flesh is not good, but sin. How does sin dwell in the flesh, since it is not a substance, but a deviation from what is good? Because the body of the first man was corrupted by sin so that it could be dissolved: the corruption of sin itself remains in the body, holding firm the divine sentence given to Adam, which is a sign of the devil, by whose influence he sinned. Therefore, because of the fact that it remains as a result of the deed, it is said that sin dwells in the flesh, to which the devil approaches as if to his own law, and it remains as if in sin; because the flesh is already of sin, in order to deceive man with evil suggestions; so that man does not do what the law commands.
For I am adjacent to wanting. It asserts so good, which the Law commands, that it say it pleases itself naturally and wants to do it. However, I cannot find perfection in good. And so, what is commanded by the Law pleases, and there is a desire to do it, but to fulfill it, there is a lack of power and strength; because he is so pressed by the power of sin that he cannot go where he wants, nor can he resist; for his power is of another Lord. For man is already burdened by the habit of sinning, and he more easily succumbs to sin than to the law, which he knows teaches good; and if he wants to do good, the habit suppresses him, with the help of the enemy.
(Vers. 19.)
(Verse 19.) For what I want to do, I do not do good: but what I do not want, I do evil. He often repeats it to make it clear. Therefore, this is what was said above, that as a captive, he is compelled to do what he wants, sin.
(Vers. 20.)
(Verse 20.) But if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. This is what I have already mentioned, that sin, not I, but sin living in me, fulfills its will. Does it mean that because he says a reluctant man sins, he should be seen as exempt from guilt? For he does what he does not want, compelled by the force of power. Not at all; for these actions are the result of his own fault and negligence. For by giving assent to sin, he has become its slave; for it first persuades so that it may then rule over the conquered. But the apostle, in order to show the grace of God, explains these things: from what great evils he has freed man, or what destruction comes from Adam, and what benefits he has obtained through Christ; in order to demonstrate to whom even the Law itself could not assist.
(Vers. 21.)
(Verse 21.) Therefore, I find the law willing to do good for me, because evil is present in me. The law of Moses asserts its consent to sin that dwells in the flesh, which forces one to do what man and the law do not desire.
(Vers. 22.)
(Verse 22) For I delight in the law of God according to the inner man. He says that the mind is pleased with those things which are delivered by the law: this is the inner man; because sin does not dwell in the mind, but in the flesh, which is from the origin of sinful flesh, and through a mediator all flesh becomes sinful. For if the soul itself were from a mediator, and sin dwelled in it, because the soul of Adam sinned more than the body: but the sin of the soul corrupts the body. Therefore, sin dwells in the flesh as if at the door of the soul, so that it does not allow it to go where it wants. But if it were to dwell in the soul, man would never know himself; but now he knows himself and takes pleasure in the law of God.
(Vers. 23.)
(Verse 23.) But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. He mentions two laws, of which he desires to see one in his members, that is, in the outward man, which is the flesh or body. This is the opposing law, this is the one opposing the soul, dragging it captive into the condition of sin; lest, as he advances further, he should find an advocate. There is another law of the mind, which is the law of Moses, or the natural law, which is in the soul. This is the oppressive violence of sin, indeed its own negligence, because while it loves vices, it subjects itself to sin, so that it may be held captive by its own habit; for habit rules over man. Indeed, it mentions four laws: the first spiritual law, which is also natural, which was reformed by Moses and placed in authority, it is the Law of God: then the law of the consenting mind to the law of God: thirdly, the law of sin, which it says dwells in the members as a result of the transgression of the first man: but fourthly, that which appears in the members, while it suggests evil and departs. But these laws seem to be repeated four, when there are two, that is, good and evil. For the law of the mind itself is the spiritual law, or the law of Moses, which is called the law of God; but the law of sin is the same as that which, it is said, appears in our members, which contradicts the law of our mind.
(Vers. 24, 25.)
(Verse 24, 25.) Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. He calls himself a wretched man because he is born under sin. Indeed, is not a man truly wretched who has inherited this legacy of disobedience, having sin as a companion that grants Satan access to him? Adam paved the way, through which the enemy ascends to his descendants, unless the most merciful Lord in his loving-kindness had granted his grace through Christ; so that the redeemed human race, having received the forgiveness of sins, may repent from now on, with sin being suppressed and condemned. For he, being freed from evil and purged, resists his adversary, having received power against him, while he is assisted by God. This, as if introducing a more powerful law, he calls faith, which he also calls grace: which, however, has its origin from the spiritual law; because through it man is set free, so that because Moses gave the law, and the Lord also gave it, they are said to be two: but they are understood as one, as far as the meaning and providence are concerned. For that one is the initiator of salvation, but this one is the consummator. But I am not speaking of that part of the law which is included in the feasts and in circumcision and in the dietary laws; but of that which pertains to the sacrament of God and discipline. Therefore, by the grace of God through Christ, man has been freed from the body of this death. This is the death which he mentioned above, the death found in the condemnation of man through sin in the depths, which is called the second death; but the body of death encompasses all sins; for many sins are like one body, as if each one were a member created by one author, from which man, saved by the grace of God through baptism, has escaped the aforementioned death. For he did not say that he was snatched away from a fleshly body, but he said this body, which signifies that it is destroyed above by baptism and the observance of the Law. For even when he says, 'Of the body of death,' he shows that there is another body which is not subject to death.
Therefore, I myself serve the law of God with my mind. When he says the law of God, he means both the law of Moses and the law of Christ. But with the flesh, I serve the law of sin. I myself, that is, the one who has been set free from the body of death. It is in the body; how is he set free from the body of death, except that he is set free from all evils? For the forgiveness of sins takes away all sins. Therefore, having been set free from the body of death by the grace of God through Christ, I serve the law of God with my mind or soul, but with the flesh, I serve the law of sin, that is, the devil, who instills evil suggestions in the soul through the subjected flesh. Therefore, since man is twofold, turned towards the flesh and towards the soul, he declared that he would serve the law of God with his mind; for the soul is devoted to God, and having regained its power, it can resist sin, which operates through the flesh. For because the flesh is corruptible and subject to death, it was made in such a way that it would not die in association and conjunction with the soul; it receives desires, which it transfers to the soul as a kind of burden, so that it also becomes burdened. But what rejects her? The death of God's grace.
I serve with my mind the law of God, but with my flesh the law of sin, as it is said. For now my mind is set free and restored to good habit, with the help of the Holy Spirit, and can reject evil suggestions; for it has been given the authority to resist the enemy. For he who is no longer subject to sin cannot be investigated against his will. But the flesh, because it does not have judgment nor the ability to discern (for it is a brute nature), cannot shut the enemy out; lest he come in and persuade contrary things to the mind, and thus: I serve with my flesh the law of sin. For since man consists of both flesh and soul, by that part in which he is wise, he serves God; but by the other part in which he is foolish, he serves the law of sin. But if man had persisted in the state in which he was made, there would be no power for the enemy to approach his flesh and whisper contrary things to his soul. But in order that man, who was not completely restored by the grace of Christ to his original state, might not have been obstructed, a sentence was given to Adam (Gen. III, 17); for it would have been unjust to annul a sentence that was rightfully pronounced. Therefore, with the sentence remaining, the providence of God found a remedy so that the salvation which man had lost through his own fault would be restored to him; so that, having been healed, he would believe that his adversary, defeated by the power of Christ, would not dare to defend himself against him, and that with the sentence of the first death being annulled, man, joined with the race of Adam, would not be returned to the condition of the first origin, but would remain wholly immortal.