The Romans 7 man is a man whom Paul refers to in the first person whose struggling with the law of God and with sin. Much debate has gone on throughout Christendom as to whether or not Paul in his example is referring to himself as a ‘saved’ man or as an ‘unsaved’ man. I believe most of these debates come from a sincere, but overly individualistic, comparison of one’s self with Paul. We force ourselves into this text because it is so easy to relate to Paul here. But the fact is that none of us can relate to Paul here except perhaps in a peripheral way.
First off Paul is not writing to us. Apart from the obvious that he was only writing to those who lived in 1st century Rome; he was specifically at this point in Romans writing to his fellow Jewish brothers. Paul states in Romans 7:1 “Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law.” Not only does Paul state to whom he is speaking, but he also draws his fellow brothers into the Romans 7 man when he references their second temple Judaist soteriology. Romans 7:10 “The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me.” The promise of life through the Torah was in Paul’s day the teaching of the Rabbis.
Here is a quote that promotes an idea that Paul and his audience would familiar with.
Why are the words of Torah compared to a Prince? To tell you that just as a prince has the power to put to death and to grant life, so do the words of Torah have the power to put to death and to grant life. – Talmud Shabbat 88b
Paul and his Jewish brothers were soaked in the idea of ‘life through the Law/Torah’. Not ‘life’ in the idea of simple biological existence, but life in its fullest sense–life in its COVENANTAL sense. Their mode of existence was a covenantal mode of existence where they related to the whole world, and especially to God, through the Torah. There was covenantal relationship and life only through the Torah. The Romans 7 man is a man who lives in this mode of existence. We Gentile Christians have no idea what is like to live in ‘this world’ where God’s righteousness is based on his keeping Covenant with man and man’s righteousness is based on keeping covenant with God through Torah observance.
Paul then establishes from the Romans 7 man the fault of that mode of existence. He does this while still upholding the holiness and goodness of the law (which is fitting considering his audience). Without going into a verse by verse exegesis of this portion of scripture we can clearly draw out of the text that it is not the Torah that is the problem, but the sinful nature of man. Though the law of God is good, man is sinful and even though there is a desire to keep the law, there is along with that desire the desire to do evil. At this point we modern day gentiles will want to jump in and try to personally relate. Though we may relate to the desire to do evil, this is not Paul’s purpose in speaking to his Jewish brothers, i.e., simply stating mankind’s general inclination towards evil.
Paul’s desire to do ‘good’ under the Torah, while giving way to the evil he does not want to do statements are consistent with Judaist teachings. This is a concept that Paul would have understood from his youth, having been taught under the Rabbi Gamaliel. The Rabbis taught the people that along with Torah, there is a God ordained “evil inclination” (their term). Through the Torah is life, but the ‘evil inclination’ is a harasser of those who pursue this life.
“A man’s inclination attacks him every day and seeks to put him to death, as it is said, “the wicked watches for the righteous; seeking to put him to death” (Psalm 37:32), and if it were not for the Holy One who helps him, he could not withstand it” B.Suk. 52b
In this midrash, the “wicked” who is on the lookout for an opportunity to kill the righteous is not another person, rather, the “wicked” is a person’s own nature continually waging war against him (that is the Rabbis interpretation of the Psalm). The help that comes from the Holy One is the Torah, but the ‘evil inclination’ is not taken away rather it is just soothed as medicine soothes a soar, but the soar will always remain.
“Why is the Torah likened to life giving medicine? This can be compared to the case of a man who struck his son with a huge blow and put a compress on his wound. He said to him, “my son, so long as this compress is on your wound, eat whatever you like and drink, and bathe in hot or cold water, and you need not be afraid. But If you take it off, it will break into soars.” Thus the Holy One said to Israel, “My son, I created the evil inclination; I created Torah as its antidote. If you occupy yourselves with Torah, you will not be delivered into its power. . .”” b. Qidd. 30b
Now alongside this ‘evil inclination’ is also the ‘good inclination.’ Here is one more quote from the Rabbis.
“A person should always incite his Good Inclination against his Evil Inclination, as it is written, “So tremble and sin no more.” If he is victorious over it, well and good. If not, let him occupy himself with Torah.” B. Ber. 5a
Perhaps this Judaistic concept is precisely what Paul is referring to (which his audience would be familiar with) when he says “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” (Rom. 7:18). Paul understands that he must ‘incite his Good inclination against his evil inclination’, but he just can’t do it. And even though he has the Torah as the antidote for the evil inclination, and even though he does occupy himself with Torah (delighting in it as he says), it is not working. In fact the Torah, which promises life, is proving to be death to him (Rom. 7:10). This is where Paul dramatically departs from the Rabbis. But Paul provides something much better in their place.
Part 2 -
From looking at Paul (within his Judaist worldview as the Romans 7 man), in part one, we may find ourselves asking the question “What sin or evil deed was Paul specifically struggling with?” The ‘evil inclination’ was clearly part of his life—he did not simply subdue it permanently with the Torah. So, what ‘evil inclinations’ under the life of the Torah did Paul struggle with, what was Paul’s sin(s)? Was he a habitual coveter, or perhaps he was once an adulterer or luster, maybe he was, as someone once suggested in a bible study I attended, a habitual ‘dog kicker’? One thing we do know is that Paul was not without sin, that he may have with his mind coveted his neighbor’s house, or possessions, but, as regards to the Law as covenant Paul was blameless. Paul was not a habitual Law breaker; in fact he had a righteousness of his own under the Law.
For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. . . having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law. (Philippians 3:4-9)
Paul had reason to boast in the flesh (i.e., human will, power, and exertion). He, being blameless, had done everything right; sort of speak, under the Law. According to his own will and strength under the law he was righteous. This sounds a little different than the Romans 7 man on the surface, but I think if we get into it a little deeper we will see the connection. I believe the conduit for the connection is the ‘deceitfulness of sin.’ A surface reading of the Romans 7 text may lead us to believe that the law psychologically stimulates man to disobedience. There is in this the thought that the commandment which forbids a certain practice will actually stimulate a man’s desire to break that commandment. This though, which may in fact be true (especially as is seen in small children), is missing not only Paul’s point in Romans 7, but Paul’s entire gospel message as regarding the Law. Sin is much more deceitful than this.
I believe that the thrust of the problem here is not even the disobedience itself (though that should not be dismissed), but something much deeper as concerning Paul and his Jewish audience. At the heart of Paul’s gospel message is this statement “Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works.” (Romans 9:31). Disobedience is not the problem here, but rather Israel’s striving after righteousness by means of Law observance, i.e., ‘works’. This is the ‘deceitfulness of sin’ which had deceived the Romans 7 man, who is really in a way a picture of Israel. We have already seen in part 1 that Torah observance was the way in which a Jew was to pursue life according to the Rabbis interpretation(s). This pursuit of life by works was not only brought about because of sin, but was condemned as sinful itself. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. In this is revealed the sinfulness of sin, that even in the pursuit of Law observance they became guilty of sin.
Thus the question “what was Paul’s evil inclination?” is answered–not in a personal way for him alone, but for all of Israel. The Rabbis teaching, that the cure for the ‘evil inclination’ of man is Torah observance, has itself become the problem—it is actually the most deceitful part of the ‘evil inclination’ and causes the ‘sore’ of which they spoke to become gangrened rather than soothed. Paul’s (and the Rabbis and the Jews) perverted use of the Law of God was the sinfulness of sin (the great ‘evil inclination’). Not only did healing not take place through their use of the law, as they expected, but rather death. The Torah slew Paul (Romans 7:11) because the deceitfulness of sin lured him into a perverted use of the law, i.e., pursuing life by means of law observance based on human power and performance. The Romans 7 man now finds himself in a very big dilemma. He cannot disobey Torah, because this is sin, but he cannot obey Torah either, because of sin. He has found himself within a corporate body of death (sin) in which there does not seem to be a way a way of escape (i.e., resurrection).
Part 3 to follow soon
