January 2021
On Romans 7:7 and 2:14-15
01/18/21 03:51 PM Filed in: Christianity
There appears to be a contradiction between what Paul says about how Gentiles know sin and how he knows sin. Concerning Gentiles, in Romans 2:14-15, Paul writes:
That is, Gentiles have an intrinsic, if imperfect, knowledge of what God's law requires. In this verse in the original Greek, notice how Paul switches between "a law" and "the law," i.e. the Mosaic Law.1
But in chapter 7, Paul says that he would not have known what sin was if the Mosaic Law hadn't told him:
That's surprising. Shouldn't Jews have at least the same basic knowledge of right and wrong, just like Gentiles?
I pondered this on and off for months, getting nowhere. During a discussion last week, someone made a statement similar to Paul's: "I wouldn't know adultery was wrong unless the Mosaic Law told me." And the answer fell into place. "Then you don't know what love is," I replied, "because love does no harm to a neighbor, and your spouse is your closest neighbor."
I think the resolution to the dilemma between verses 2:14-15 and 7:7 is that Paul is letting on that he was a hard, loveless man prior to the Damascus Road. And because he had no love, he needed the Law to show him how to live in his society. That makes the love passage in 1 Cor. 13 even more impressive, as it would then have come solely from his Damascus change, where he came under the New Covenant and God replaced his "heart of stone" with a "heart of flesh".
[1] For an example of this, see Another Short Conversation.
When Gentiles, who do not possess the law, do instinctively what the law requires, these, though not having the law, are a law to themselves. They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, to which their own conscience also bears witness; and their conflicting thoughts will accuse or perhaps excuse them...
That is, Gentiles have an intrinsic, if imperfect, knowledge of what God's law requires. In this verse in the original Greek, notice how Paul switches between "a law" and "the law," i.e. the Mosaic Law.1
But in chapter 7, Paul says that he would not have known what sin was if the Mosaic Law hadn't told him:
What then should we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet, if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”
That's surprising. Shouldn't Jews have at least the same basic knowledge of right and wrong, just like Gentiles?
I pondered this on and off for months, getting nowhere. During a discussion last week, someone made a statement similar to Paul's: "I wouldn't know adultery was wrong unless the Mosaic Law told me." And the answer fell into place. "Then you don't know what love is," I replied, "because love does no harm to a neighbor, and your spouse is your closest neighbor."
I think the resolution to the dilemma between verses 2:14-15 and 7:7 is that Paul is letting on that he was a hard, loveless man prior to the Damascus Road. And because he had no love, he needed the Law to show him how to live in his society. That makes the love passage in 1 Cor. 13 even more impressive, as it would then have come solely from his Damascus change, where he came under the New Covenant and God replaced his "heart of stone" with a "heart of flesh".
[1] For an example of this, see Another Short Conversation.
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2020 Reading List
01/01/21 06:44 AM Filed in: Books
1 The Parables of Grace Robert Farrar Capon 2 The Puppet Masters Robert A. Heinlein 3 Christianity and Liberalism J. Gresham Machen 4 The Witches of Karres James H. Schmitz 5 The Twelfth Victim Linda M. Battisti & John Stevens Berry, Sr. 6 Street Level Romans Michael Baer 7 Creation Myths: Revised Edition Marie-Louise Von Franz 8 Breakfast At Tiffany's Truman Capote 9 The Teaching of Jesus concerning the Kingdom of God and the Church Geerhardus Vos 10 The Dispossessed Ursula K. Le Guin 11 The God Delusion Debate (Transcript) Richard Dawkins & John Lennox 12 The Computer and the Brain John Von Neumann 13 Divine Misfortune A. Lee. Martinez 14 The Unknowable Gregory J. Chaitin 15 Warren-Flew Debate On The Existence of God Thomas B. Warren & Antony G. Flew 16 Agile Conversations Squirrel & Fredrick 17 The Divine Dance Richard Rohr & Mike Morrell 18 The Letter to the Romans William Barclay 19 Natural Theology Jean Rioux 20 Jesus and the Forces of Death Matthew Thiessen 21 Paul: A New Covenant Jew Pitre, Barber, Kincaid 22 The Prodigal God Timothy Keller 23 The Emperor's New Mind Roger Penrose 24 Worlds of Exile and Illusion Ursula K. Le Guin 25 Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood Aimee Byrd 26 The Parasitic Mind Gad Saad 27 Uniform Decisions John Caprarelli 28 But What If We're Wrong Chuck Klosterman 29 The R. A. Lafferty Fantastic MegaPack R. A. Lafferty 30 The Golden Apples Eudora Welty 31 Stardance Spider & Jeanne Robinson