Wednesday, January 22, 2025

THOUGHTS on SIN

 THOUGHTS on SIN

Romans 6 – INTRO

Middendorf comes up with a helpful table in his Romans commentary (Romans 1-8, CPH, 2013, p.441), an improved version is here:

Word

Earlier

5:12-21

6:1-23

7:1-25

8:1-13

8:14-39

latter

Total

Sin

4

6

16

15

5

0

2

48

Death

2

5

7

5

2

1

0

22

Law

35

3

2

23

5

0

6

73

Flesh/

mortal Body

4/2

0/0

1/2

3/2

13/3

0/1

5/3

26/13 =39

 

According to table the main theme for chapter 6 is sin which results in death. The final verse of the chapter summarizes it, connecting both terms together: for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (6:23).

48=12*4 – square shape of 12 (tribes of Israel, apostles, etc.)

22 – number of letters in Hebrew alphabet – a complete basis for the Word. In connection with death might mean a complete sentence or judgement (cp. the structure of the Book of Lamentations).

So, what is sin? St. John says: sin is lawlessness (1 John 3:4b). This reinforces what St. Paul wrote in the previous chapter – 5:13.

Both Hebrew and Greek words mean missing the mark. It might relate to the Garden story – how Adam and his wife missed the mark using the wrong tree for their spiritual growth (Gen. 2:25-3-7).

We can’t fix this – the eternal life that we get in Christ Jesus is a free gift (MS Word underlines this phase [free gift] as redundant). Question at hand – how God “brings us back to the trek” to the ways of the righteous? That’s our next lesson. 

No comments:

Post a Comment

PSALM 117

All nations praise the L ORD . Only two lines – but such a deep meaning. Allow me to walk you through. v. 1a. Praise the L ORD , all nat...