THE LAW EXPOSES SIN St Paul ends his confrontation with the Jews concerning their first claim and pretense to be the children of Abraham by speaking about true freedom which is obtained only by becoming adopted children of God. Then he tears down their second claim of being the chosen ones to receive the Law. He proclaims that the Law exposes sin and does not deal or treat it. That is why the Law does not justify sinners, but it leads them to the Lord Jesus Christ in order to enjoy His righteousness. 1-The need to be liberated from the Law 1-6 2-The Law Exposes sin 7-13 3-The Law of God and the law of sin 14-25 1. The Need to be Liberated from the Law : The Law, of which the Jews boast, is like a man who judges a sinful woman and condemns her to death…he indicts her! It then becomes necessary to liberate her from his judgment by bringing in another man for her, after the death of the first. Consequently, she becomes liberated from the dominion of the first. In other words, it is necessary for man to be liberated from the literal application of the Law in order to accept the other Groom who is the Lord Jesus Christ. “Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man. Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another--to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God” (1-4). Note the following in the above words of the Apostle: First: The Apostle seeks to deal with the subject of pride which the Jews use to daunt Gentiles. It arises from their claim to be chosen out of all other nations to receive the Law. While seeking to destroy their pride and to attack the way they use the Law, he does not wish to attack the Law itself as it is the holy Law of God. This is clear in his careful choice of words that accurately convey his thoughts on this very delicate issue: a. He presents the example of a relationship between a woman and a man as an example of the ties between the Jewish nation and the Law. He says: “for I speak to those who know the law”(1)…as though the same example is relevant to the Law and is a subject that the Law itself is concerned with. In other words, the Apostle proclaims that he accepts the judgment of the Law itself on this matter, or that he appeals to the Law because it is fair and holy. b. In the example of the woman who is tied in a relationship with a man, St Paul mentions only the death of the man as a sufficient reason that liberates the woman from his authority. As a result, she would not be accused of adultery if she were to marry another man. The woman here refers to the Church- as a whole congregation or as separate individuals (each one being a Church in himself). A believer cannot cling to the 157 letter of the Law and its ordinances while at the same time submitting to divine grace; otherwise he would be like a woman who is married to two bridegrooms. Note the accuracy of St Paul as he speaks about the union of man with the Law. He does not speak about the death of the Law itself so that man can be liberated from it. Rather, with great precision, he says ‘… you also have become dead to the Law...’. It is as though man is the one who dies to the Law in order to live for the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle uses these words so that no one would think that he opposes the Law in itself or demands to put it away. He seeks the liberation from its judgment and the deadliness of the letter. Once more, he says: “the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives” (1); but if he dies, he no longer submits to the literal ordinances and acts of the Law. Second: In the passage we are studying, the Apostle presents to us one woman and two men. The woman obeys the laws of the first man as long as he lives. Once he dies, she is liberated from his dominion and joins the other man without her being considered an adulterous woman. The woman represents the body of believers, and the first man is the Law while the second is the Lord Jesus Christ. When believers follow the Law and practice its dictates they submit to its rulings and judgments…therefore it becomes necessary for believers to be liberated from such authority-that is from its literal acts and its pronouncement of death issued against us. Such liberation enables us to be joined to the Lord Jesus Christ risen from the dead. This death to the Law and the liberation from it has been achieved through the Lord’s death on our behalf. In this manner, He has fulfilled the judgment of death that was issued against us by the Law! That is how the Lord did not break the Law. Indeed He has completed it, and has achieved its goal by coming as a Bridegroom to the holy congregation through His death on the Cross. He comes so that she would live as His Bride, never to be separated, but to be united with Him eternally. Death in order to attain union with the Lord Jesus Christ does not constitute the destruction of the Law. Indeed, it indicates the fulfillment of its goal, as it leads us to the other Man, who has been raised from the dead, so that we might arise with Him. The Apostle underlines our commitment to the second marriage in these words: “…know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (1 Cor 6:19). “Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men”, (1 Cor 7:23). “And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again”, (2 Cor 5:15). Third: This marriage has conceived fruit for God. St Paul says: "we should bear fruit to God" (4). Contrary to the previous marriage, when believers were subject to the first man- that is subjected to the Mosaic Law- they were unable to bear fruit to God not because of the Law itself, but because of the nature of their rebellion. Therefore the resulting fruit was: ‘the Law issued the sentence of death against us. The Apostle compares between the two fruits: the fruit of being united with the fist man whose verdict has been cast upon us due to our evil nature; and the fruit of being united with the Second Man who liberates us from the Mosaic Law and offers us new potentials: "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. For when we were in the flesh, the 158 motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter’, (4-6). St John Chrysostom comments as follows: [You see here what we have received from the earlier marriage. St Paul does not say ‘When we were under the Law’, for he tried in every word to give the chance to heretics (to despise the Law). Rather, the Apostle uses the words ‘when we were in the flesh’-that is to say, when we were ruled by evil deeds and the life of the flesh. His words are not intended to convey that men were previously in the flesh and that now they no longer have bodies. His intention is to indicate that the Law is not the cause of sin and at the same time it does not liberate from its shame. This is because the Law plays the role of the harsh prosecutor who uncovers the sins of men. This is specifically relevant to those who adhere to it while they do not try to obey it in any way. Consequently, the Law reveals their rebellion in a most striking manner. This has led the Apostle to say: "the passions of sins, which were aroused by the law" (through the Law), rather than ‘the motions of sin resulting from the law’… to convey that through the Law, sin has become revealed and published. Moreover, St Paul does not accuse the body itself – for he does not say ‘the passions committed by our members’, but he says ‘that were at work in our members’. By these words, the Apostle intends to reveal that the origin of harm arises from another source which is that of our thoughts. These affect us, and not our bodily members, and arouse passion within us. Indeed, it is the soul that plays the role of a player who plays on the violin which is the body, and affects its passions in this manner. The unharmonious tune is not caused by the latter (the violin) but more specifically by the former (the soul/thoughts)1]. That is how St Paul explains and proclaims the need to be liberated from the Lawthe first man. Yet, he neither blames the Law nor the members of the flesh, but finds that the fault lies in the soul that arouses and leads the passions within us more than the flesh…even though the flesh bears responsibility with the soul, yet the flesh does not carry the primary burden of responsibility. Now that the second marriage has been fulfilled, the Apostle says: "But now we have been delivered from the Law…" (6). The Greek word used here for ‘delivered’ means that ‘there is no longer any trace from its effect’. St John Chrysostom comments on this expression as follows: [ Note how St Paul dismisses that the Law or the body is the origin of harm, for he does not say that the Law is no longer a factor, or that the body is no longer a player; but that we are no longer effective (for He has delivered us). How has He delivered us? He has delivered us through the death and burial of the old man who was caught by sin. This is what the Apostle means by his words: "…having died to what we were held by…" (6). It is similar to saying that the cords that held us have been torn and removed (have died), so that sin which had held us no longer binds us. Therefore, do not fall backwards and do not be negligent; for you have been liberated in order to become slaves. However, you have become slaves in a different manner for ‘…we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter’. When Adam sinned and his body became subject to pain and death, he suffered many physical losses. The horse (the body) became less lively and obedient. However, 1 In Rom. hom 12 159 with the advent of the Lord Jesus Christ, He granted the body more grace through baptism, and raised it on the wings of the (Holy) Spirit. In this manner, the features of the race are no longer the same as the old ones. Indeed, the race was not as easy as it has become now (for the horse has become more graceful). That is why He not only commands believers to abandon killing as He did in the past, but He also commands them not to give in to anger. They are to abandon not only adultery, but also to abandon impure looks; to stop not only false swearing but even truthful swearing as well, ( Matt 5: 21, 27, 33). Concerning friendships, He commands them to love even their enemies. In all matters, He has provided us with a bigger space to run on; and if we are disobedient, He threatens with hell. He intends to underline that we have an obligation to struggle through such matters as celibacy and poverty…and commands us to complete the task…therefore He says: ‘Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven,’ (Matt 5: 20). Consequently, those who do not enter the kingdom of heaven surely are thrown into hell. That is why St Paul also says: ‘For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law but under grace’, (14: 6). In this passage also, he says: ‘that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter’, (6); for the letter no longer no longer indicts- that is the old Law- but it is the Spirit that helps and supports. For this reason, it was a completely astonishing matter to find among ancient people one celibate person. However, this has become widespread all over the world at the present time. Long ago very few despised death, but now (at the time of St John Chrysostom) there are countless thousands of martyrs in the villages and cities- not only men, but women as well1]. At the present time, we have been liberated from the letter, and enjoy the newness of the spirit. We are similar to Malchus, the slave of the high priest whose ear was cut off by the sword (Jn 18:10) and the Lord Himself caught his ear and healed Him. According to St Augustine2, this was a symbol of the renewal of the ear: tearing away the old literal way of thinking and the enjoyment of the new spiritual mind. 2. The Law Exposes Sin: St Paul is concerned that the readers would misunderstand his words: ‘But now we have been delivered from the law’ (6), and that they would think that he was attacking the Law or diminishing its sanctity. Therefore he puts forward a question: “What shall I say? Is the Law sin?” (7). and the answer comes clear and candid: “Certainly not!”...Then why is he happy to be liberated from the Law? First: Because the Law exposes sin and does not treat it…it shows us the sins that we commit in case we are ignorant of them, (7). Second: Because the Law has exposed the nature of rebellion when it delivered the commandments (8-11). Maybe we would not have been interested in committing a certain act if there had been no specific Law prohibiting it. Yet just the existence of that commandment arouses our nature (everything that is forbidden is desirable)…this is a defect in the nature of rebellion hidden within us, and it is not due to the commandment. This rebellious nature would not have appeared if there had been no commandment. 1 Ibid 2 In Ioan tr 112:5 160 St Paul underlines these two points clearly in this Chapter (7-13). St John Chrysostom comments on them as follows: [St Paul states earlier: “For when we were in the flesh, the passions of sin which were aroused by the law were at work in our members…” (7:5); “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (6:14); “…for where there is no law there is no transgression” (4:15); “Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound”, (5:20); “…because the law brings about wrath…” (4:15). In order to ensure that all these words do not lead to misunderstanding the Law, and to correct any misconception as a result of them, St Paul presents an objection by saying: ‘What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? Certainly not! (7). Before presenting the evidence, he uses this oath ‘God forbid’ to gently win his audience after the confusion arising from the question… Note that he does not say: ‘What shall I say’ but rather, he says ‘What shall we say?’ It is as though they are all faced with a decision and an indictment; for they have met together, and an objection has been presented –not by him- but it arose from the discussion and on account of the current circumstances. Yet he does not deny that the letter kills and the Spirit gives life (2 Cor 3:6), for this is completely clear and unquestionable. Now, since this is an accepted truth, what shall we say about the Law? Is the Law sin? God forbid? Then it is clear to us that this is a difficult matter!.... He states that the Law is not sin, “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”, (7). Do you not note how he does has not indicate that the Law is the judge of sin, while at the same time he indicates that it is to a certain degree its origin – not due to an error in the Law of itself; (but due to our weakness and rebellion)…the Law is partly the source of sin due to our weakness, and not due to a defect in the Law. The reason is that when we desire something and are forbidden to attain it, our passion becomes greatly aroused. This does not stem from the Law, for it forbids us in order to protect us from sin; but sin is caused by our negligence and misdemeanor. We use what is good for contrary ends. The defect is not in the Physician, but in the patient who misuses the medicine. The Law has not been given to arouse passions but to abate them, whereas the result has been contrary to that. Therefore we are the ones to be blamed and not the Law…indeed, the task of the physician ends with the prohibition, but it is up to the patient to control himself. What happens when sin has used the Law as an opportunity for it? There are definitely many wicked people who have used the good commandments as a chance to become more evil. This is the path that Satan used to destroy Judas as he immersed him in the passion of greed, and led him to steal what belonged to the poor. What happened was not the result of the confidence given him by entrusting him with the money box; it was the result of his evil spirit. The same applies to Eve who brought the fruit for Adam to eat, and consequently leading to exile from Paradise…the tree was not to blame, even though the tree was used as an opportunity to commit sin and wickedness… If the Law were to be blamed because sin found in it an opportunity, then this would also apply to the New Testament. Indeed, we find in the New Testament hundreds of commandments that are far more important… The Lord says (in the New Testament): “If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no excuse for their sin” (Jn 15:22). 161 Sin found an opportunity in the coming of the Lord and His words to His audience, and their punishment became harder in spite of that. Similarly, when St Paul speaks about grace, he says: “Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God”, (Heb 10:29)1…?!]. You have received the Law, and you desire to obey it yet you are unable to do so. In this manner, you abandon your pride, and realize your weakness. Therefore run to the physician and wash your face. Seek the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in Him. Have faith and depend on Him. By enjoying the Holy Spirit- after having followed the literal letter earlier, you are redeemed. We listen to the Law, but if there is no grace, we listen to the punishment that will be inflicted on us. St Augustine2 St John Chrysostom continues his previous commentary by asking: If man has not known passion before the Law was instituted, then why did the flood take place? And why was Sodom burned? He answers these questions by stating that man knows sin (through natural law-instinctively). However, the Law was instituted to define and reveal sin and in this manner providing precise knowledge to mankind. So natural law and the written Law together confront mankind with a stronger indictment. This is what has led the Apostle to say: “I was alive once without the Law” (9). Indeed, there was no precise or definite knowledge or a candid indictment of death against me. In saying: ‘I was alive once’, he means ‘I was not convicted by the precise and harsh Law and that condemned me to death’. St John Chrysostom: [The Law has not produced the existence of sin for it was there before. However, the Law has indicated sin which had escaped our recognition. This is a compliment to the Law, for people were sinning before the Law came and without realizing it. When the Law was delivered, although they did not benefit by it, yet it revealed sin to them accurately in order to show them that they were sinning. This is not a simple matter for it would liberate them from evil. The Law cannot be blamed if they did not become liberated for it has defined everything necessary for the fulfillment of that goal. The whole blame falls on the spirit of man... This explains the words of the Apostle: “And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death”, (10). He does not say: ‘The Law came to issue death’ or ‘it led to death’; but he said: “I found…”. In other words, he intends to say: I wish you to know the aim of the Law, it is that it leads to life and was issued for that intention. If it has led to death, then the fault lies in the person who has received it and not in the commandment which leads to life. This is an issue that the Apostle presents in a new light as he says: “For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me” (11). Note that on every occasion, the Apostle justifies the Law from blame and protects it. “Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good”. (12)…If the Jews were not pure through the Law, and were unjust and greedy, this does 1 In Rom. hom 12 2 In Ioan tr 86:5; Ser. On N.T. lessons 95:3 162 not corrupt the goodness of the Law. This is exactly applicable to their betrayal which does not cancel the loyalty of God1]. In this passage, the Apostle has underlined the sanctity of the Law and its justice. He has commended it, for even though sin has found in the commandments an opportunity to kill me, yet it has –more importantly- revealed its evil in its dead victims…this is how the Law leads us to the necessity of being saved from it. Accordingly, St Paul says: “Has then what is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful” (13). By these words, the Apostle transfers the blame from the good Law to the very wicked sin. In other words, he focuses our eyes upon our inward depths, since by our own wickedness what is beneficial becomes transformed and causes our own harm. Accordingly, St Augustine says: [The focus and importance is the person who receives the object and not what he receives…for even good things can be harmful, and the harmful can be beneficial depending on the person receiving them. You see how evil has come through the good (Law) since the one who has received it has received it in a wrong manner2]. 3. The Law of God and the Law of Sin In the beginning of this Chapter, St Paul reveals the need to be liberated from the Law which has revealed my sins and has issued the sentence of death against me. He then underlines that this is not due to a defect in the Law, but it is the result of sin actively working within me. Having revealed the law of sin that exists in the members of my body, the Apostle moves on to praise the divine Law which, when I discover it, will make me turn to the Savior. He alone can save me from sin. “For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin” (14). St John Chrysostom3 considers that by saying this, the Apostle proclaims that there is no need to present evidence that the ‘Law is spiritual’; for it is far removed from being a source of sin or a reason for ongoing wickedness. The Law is ‘spiritual’: it teaches virtue and opposes vice. It carries us far away from all forms of sin by threats, by advice, by punishment, and by correction, as well as by praising virtue. Then from where has sin come since the Law is such a teacher?! It arises from us: ‘…but I am carnal, sold under sin’. I have welcomed passions and become a slave to sin. I have become immersed in its depths, and fallen under its law, therefore have been counted as carnal. The original divine curse (due to the fall of our parents) has made us carnal, and we were condemned to thorns and hardship. Our father sold us with a miserable contract which has rendered us incapable to doing the good deeds we want to do. We often stop remembering the sublimity of God as we are obligated to be preoccupied with matters pertaining to human weakness. While we yearn to be pure, we usually become involuntarily disturbed by natural passions which we do not even wish to recognize. Consequently, we learn that there is nothing good dwelling within us (7: 18). In other words, we need to meditate here on the eternal constant peace that does not dwell in our flesh. 1 In Rom. hom 12 2 In Ioan tr 62:1 3 In Rom.hom 12 163 Fr Theonas1 ‘…but I am carnal, sold under sin’, (v 14). This means: ‘Being a carnal person, I am a free agent positioned between good and evil. I have authority to choose what I want. The Holy Word says: ‘Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death’, (Jer 21:8; Eccl 8:15; Ex 30:15). This indicates that death is the fruit of rebellion against the spiritual Law or the commandments, and of obeying the law of the flesh or the advice of the serpent. Having such a choice, I am sold to the devil and fallen to sin. This is how evil has taken hold of me, adheres to me and lives in me. By breaking the Law, justice had handed me over to the wicked one. Fr Meithodius2 What has the law of sin done within me? First: It has distorted my understanding. The Apostle therefore says: ‘For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice: but what I hate, that I do’, (15). What does the Apostle intend by these words? a. Has sin destroyed the inner vision, leading it to perceive sin inaccurately, and therefore he says ‘what I am doing, I do not understand’? This does not mean that man does not know sin; otherwise he would not have been condemned. Rather, man was unable to recognize sin precisely before the delivery of the Law. St Paul mentions this in his words: “I would not have known coveteousness unless the Law had said ‘you shall not covet’,” (7: 7). St John Chrysostom also states that man did not know sin truly and specifically before the delivery of the Law. Consequently, the penalty was less harsh than the penalty pronounced on those who have received the Law and are informed about sin. b. By saying here ‘I do not understand’, the Apostle probably refers to the perception of a person capable of refusing and resisting sin in order to do good rather than evil. He is not speaking about mere theoretical knowledge of sin. Indeed, man knows sin through the law of nature. That explains his words: ‘For what I will to do, that I do not practice: but what I hate, that I do’,…It is as though he is saying ‘I have become as someone who has no understanding for I do what I hate…this is similar to someone who drinks while knowing that it is harmful to his health. He is so enslaved and this makes him equal to a person who is ignorant of its effect on him. Second: Sin has made me lose the will to be actively good. The distortion of one’s understanding does not end there. Indeed, besides the corruption of the inner vision or the incapacity of enjoying divine knowledge through experience, sin also subjugates my will. Consequently, sin corrupts the potential of doing good deeds in my life; and I become like a mechanical object that has no will since I have personally delivered myself to be its slave. St John Chrysostom advises us not to understand the expressions used in this passage in a purely literal sense. The danger is that we could be led to think that man is driven and has no other alternative but to behave wickedly. If this were true, then his condemnation would be unfair. When the Apostle says: “I do what I will not to do” (15), he is not denying the freedom of human will as though he is a person forced and driven to sin. Otherwise, he would have gone on to conclude in the following manner: ‘I 1Cassian: Conf 23:13 2 On Resurr 164 do what I am forced and obliged to do’. However, he states: ‘What I hate, that I do’. He does not deny that the authority of sin has weakened his will power, yet at the same time he is not forced to act involuntarily. Sin is deceiving, attractive, and cunningly leads him to indulge himself; even though he despises it due to the inborn nature active within him, as well as the teaching of the written Law. Therefore St Paul goes on to say: “If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the Law that it is good” (16). This could be reworded as follows: If I hate the sin I do due to the natural law, then the written or Mosaic Law is in harmony with my inherent nature (natural law) which hates sin. Consequently, the Law is good. Some may wonder: Before enjoying the gift of grace, man was subject to the written or Mosaic Law, and he could say that sin had distorted his knowledge and stripped him of the positive will to be good to the extent that he did not do what he wanted but did what he hated, (15). Does this apostolic saying apply to us though we live in the age of grace? Or to put it in a different way: does this saying apply to sinners who have not yet enjoyed the work of God in them or do all suffer on this account? Fr Theonas responds in a long discourse found in the writings of St John Cassian1. He clarifies the following points: 1. St Theonas considers that the Apostle speaks these words about himself. What he says applies to himself even after having been converted and accepting the faith. This does not mean that things have not changed, but that his vision of eternal life has changed. He considers that all the many virtues he enjoys in this life- which are like precious stones and divine blessings- are trivial and minimal when compared to what he will earn in eternal life. Although he now leads a holy life with the Lord, yet he yearns to progress until he can see God face to face. Nothing else preoccupies him even though it could be something good and necessary for the needs of life. 2. When St Paul compares his goodness with the sublime goodness of God, he finds that ‘No one is good but One, that is, God’, (Lk 18:19). Therefore he considers himself subject to weakness. 3. The more a person enjoys spiritual progress, the more he increases in inner purity. At the same time, he becomes more sensitive to the most trivial sin- if such an expression can be used…the more a person progresses spiritually, the more his fear of falling increases. This is not the result of despair or fear, but due to his precaution against the bitterness of the fall. This opinion does not constitute just the personal opinion of Fr Theonas. It represents the opinion of the universal Church. The Church considers the contents of this passage (Romans 7: 14-25) to apply not only to a person subject to the Law, but also-in one way or another- to every member of the Church who is still alive in the flesh. Nevertheless, the difference between the two is great: Being subject to the Law has acquainted man to goodness yet left him powerless of practicing it. But in the age of grace, man has received greater understanding, sublime potential and ability to act through divine grace and the work of the Holy Spirit within him. However, man is not immune from sin, yet he persists in rising upwards as with the wings of the Spirit, and progresses from glory to glory in the hope of attaining the full stature of the Lord Jesus Christ. Although he feels the great work of God within him, man feels that he has not yet 1 Cassian: Conf 23 165 fulfilled his yearning for God. Therefore he groans inwardly, offers constant repentance, and shares the feelings of the Apostle of being the foremost sinner…yet without despair. We are partially free and partially enslaved. Freedom is still incomplete and is not wholly pure as we have not entered eternity yet. We are still partially weak though we have received some freedom. The sins we have committed have been washed in baptism in the past, but have all mankind been redeemed and are no longer weak?! St Augustine1 There exists within us wicked passions, but by rejecting them we do not live as wicked persons. There exists within us the desire to sin, by not complying to it we do not perpetuate evil. However, the presence of evil indicates that we have not fully achieved goodness. The Apostle reveals both conditions: a. As long as we lust for evil, we have not fully achieved goodness. b. We have also not fully achieved wickedness as long as we have not succumbed to such lust. He reveals the first condition in these words: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelled no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not” (18). He reveals the second state in these words: “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (Gal 5:16). In the first instance he does not deny the existence of goodness, but that we have not achieved it (…how to perform it…I find not). In the second instance he does not deny the lust of the flesh, but he says ‘…ye shall not fulfill’. Evil passions find a place in us where illegal pleasures exist. However, we do not satisfy these passions when we resist them mentally and obey the Law of God. Similarly, goodness finds a place in us when illegal pleasures do not find a place in us, and this occurs when good pleasures overcome the evil ones. Nevertheless, goodness is not fully achieved as long as this flesh- servile to the law of sin- attracts the wicked passions. Although we resist these, yet they stir. Indeed, our resistance indicates its stirrings within us. For this reason, the perfection of goodness is fulfilled by the complete destruction of evil. Then the one will ascend and the other exterminated. If we imagine that this would be achieved in this life, we are deceivers. This will be fulfilled when there is no more death but there is eternal life. In the heavenly kingdom there will be goodness in its highest degree. There will be no evil whatsoever…at that time, in that place, there will be no struggle for chastity and self control any longer. Therefore the flesh is not evil as long as it evades evil. In other words, the sin that has made man a sinner has been provided by man. Both his aspects- of flesh and soulhave been created as good by the good God; but man has acted wickedly and has consequently become wicked. St Augustine2 1 In Ioan. Tr 41:10 2 On Continence 20 166 “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I” (15). This statement should not be taken to refer to evil acts but to refer to thinking of evil. It is not in our power to think or not to think of inappropriate matters; yet it is in our power to carry out or prevent their execution. We cannot prevent thoughts from being introduced from the outside, but we are able to reject obeying and /or practicing them. We have the power to want stop thinking about matters, but we cannot expel them in a manner that would prevent them from returning another time. That is the reason, as we have already said, why it is not in our power to think or to stop thinking, and this is the meaning of the words: “that which I do I allow not”. I do not want to think of what harms me…yet “what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I”. Although I do not want to think (of evil), I think of maters I do not want to think about. Contemplate: are not these matters exactly the same ones that drove David to mourn and supplicate God when his thought dwelled on things he did not want? He prayed to God saying: “Cleanse thou me from secret faults. 13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression” (Ps 19: 12,13). The Apostle also says in another passage: “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor 10: 5). Fr Meithodius1 Third: Sin has corrupted my body The task of the law of sin has not ended at the distortion of spiritual understanding and destruction of the power of the will to do good. By its indwelling within me, the law of sin has become effective in the members of my body so that they have become a tool working for the account of sin. This is what drives the Apostle to shout out and pray. He desires to be liberated so that corruption would not destroy his members which had served sin, but that they might be sanctified to serve God…This is something which neither the law of nature nor the Mosaic Law can grant. Only the grace of God can sanctify the flesh together with the soul. The Apostle complains of his condition as he says: “Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not” (17,18). St John Chrysostom writes that the Apostle does not say that his body is the cause of his condition, but that it is ‘sin that dwells in me’. Indeed, God has created the flesh as something good and not as something inherently evil. However when sin entered, nothing good dwells there any longer. The same holy saint confirms that the flesh, although not as great as the soul, does not conflict with the soul and is not inherently evil, but it supports the soul. The flesh is like a violin in the hands of the player, and like a vessel controlled by a captain. These do not oppose those who use them. Similarly, the flesh and the soul carry equal responsibility. The Apostle wishes to underline once more the concept that neither the flesh nor the soul are inherently evil, but it is man in his totality as he has accepted evil into his 1 On Resurr 167 life. He has willingly corrupted his life and has destroyed the goodness of his will power. Consequently sin works within him and leads him according to its whims. This leads him to say: “For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me” (19, 20). Besides, the problem is not the flesh, but it is sin that dwells in me and has corrupted both my soul and flesh. That is why the Lord Jesus Christ has come, and carried me with Him to crucify sin which dwelled in me; and to dwell Himself within me. So instead of moaning and screaming: ‘Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me’; I say: ‘I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me’, (Gal 2: 20). If we have delivered our inner selves to sin in the past, let us die with the Conqueror of sin so that he would reign within us and we would hide in Him. This is what the Apostle intends when he says: ‘For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory’ (Col 3: 3, 4). The church fathers confirm that as long as man lives in the age of struggle, he will not be immunized against sin. However he continues, by the grace of God, to struggle and to soar from victory to victory. He also continues to plead aloud asking God to support him in his weakness so that he would complete peacefully his days of estrangement. St Benofious tells us how the grace of God supports struggling believers: such support enables them to get rid of their past sins, which they should appropriately forget. However, the believer remains prey to weakness in some matters-such as those which the prophet calls secret faults and presumptuous sins (Ps 19: 12). Therefore the wise Solomon says: ‘For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again’, (Pr 24: 16); and repentance does not end. [For whether it is due to ignorance, or forgetfulness, or thought, or words, or just yearning, or due to necessity, or weakness of the flesh, or impure dream…these are matters which we most probably commit daily, voluntarily or involuntarily1]. Finally, having dismissed all accusations leveled against the Law and against the nature of his flesh (inborn nature), the Apostle accuses sin of having dominated, overpowered, and dwelled in him; making him rebel against the Law. He concludes by rejoicing in the Law, in spite of his being defeated by the law of sin, and offering thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ Who grants him the victory over the law of sin. He says: “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 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. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin” (22- 25). What does he mean by these words: “…with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin”? He intends the following: ‘With the help of divine grace, with which the Lord Jesus Christ has granted and blessed my life, and even though sin does not cease to fight me as long as I exist in the flesh…’. This is the meaning of victory through divine grace: the victory that is associated with constant 1 Cassian: Conf. 20:12 168 struggle as long as we exist in the flesh (body) …for it is the struggle of the Lord dwelling in us. If the (Apostle) fears the temptations of the flesh, are we safe?! Do you wish to know if we have the same exact flesh as that of the saints…we are all committed to struggle so that each will receive his reward according to his own endeavor. St Jerome1 The Apostle had to rein and control his body so that he would not find himself rejected after having preached to others (1 Cor 9: 27). He realizes the violence of sensational whims and speaks on behalf of the human race as he says: “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?!” The Apostle is considered a chosen vessel, separated to preach the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ (Gal 1: 15). Due to the prodding of the body and its evil temptations, he still has to subjugate and control his body so that he would not find himself rejected after having preached to others. In spite of that, we find him recognizing another law working in his members and against the law of his mind and captivating him into the law of sin (23). Even when he suffers nakedness, fasting, hunger, imprisonment, flogging, and much suffering, he blames himself and shouts out: ‘O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?!’ So do you think it is appropriate for you to dispose of caution?! St Jerome2 We all feel that way, but we do not all get saved. O, what a miserable man I would be if I do not ask for the medicine!... We have a Physician, so let ask for the medicine. Our medicine is the grace of God. The body of death is our body if we remain strangers to the Lord Jesus Christ. May we not follow physical inclinations even though we live in the flesh…let us pray for the gifts of grace: ‘For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you’, (Phil 1: 23, 24). St Ambrose3 The Apostle says: ‘I myself…’ (25), for in him there cannot be two different entities with two different natures( one that is good natured and the other evil), for they do not arise from two different sources. He states: “So then, with the mind, I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh, the law of sin” (v25). As long as I am careless, the law of sin will battle my redemption. St Augustine4 When saints feel disturbed by the burden of earthly thoughts, they stray away and are led involuntarily or unconsciously to the law of sin and death as they revert and move away from their sublime thoughts. Earthly concerns that seem useful and good, 1 On Ps. Hom 41, 51 2 Ep. 130:9; 22:5 3 On Belief in Ressur.41 4 In Ioan. Tr 41:11 169 impedes them from perceiving God. They constantly groan to God, and repent humbly- not through words but by sincerely admitting that they are sinners. They pray to be granted forgiveness through the mercy of God - for what they commit day after day due to the weakness of the flesh. They constantly shed tears as they offer true repentance… Besides, through experience, they comprehend that due to the burden of the flesh, they are unable to achieve the required goal by depending on their human power. They realize they will not be able to unite with the sublime and only good One – their heart’s desire. While they are led away from seeing Him, and being captivated by worldly concerns, they seek the mercy of God who ‘justifies the ungodly’, (Rom 4: 5). They shout with the Apostle saying: “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?! I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom 7: 24,25). They feel that they are constantly unable to achieve the goodness which they desire, and that they commit the evil which they reject and hate, such as vain thoughts and the preoccupation with physical matters. Saints earnestly rejoice in the Law of God in response to their inner selves which transcend all tangible matters. They constantly seek to unite with God alone, yet they ‘see another law in their members’- that is, they see a law embedded in their human nature which is ‘warring against the law of (their) mind’, (Rom 7: 22, 23); and which captivates their thoughts into the violent grip of sin. This is what obligates them to abandon that ultimate Goodness and succumb to earthly thoughts. Although these earthly thoughts could seem to be important and useful, and could assist us in our worship…yet they stand as an obstacle to our meditations on the One wholly good who enchants the eyes of the saints. With such a vision, they recognize that such thoughts are evil and they seek to avoid them… We say that this law, which is embedded in the members of all human beings, fights and impedes the law of our minds from seeing God… Fr Theonas1 The saintly Apostle clearly states that his words apply to perfectly holy people and those who follow his way of service. He points to himself and eventually centers on his condition by saying: ‘I myself’ (25). In other words, by saying this, he openly reveals his personal secrets, and not those of someone else. This is a style that the Apostle commonly uses without embarrassment on every occasion, and specifically whenever he refers to himself, (2 Cor 10:1; 12:13, 16; Gal 5: 2; Rom 9: 2). Therefore, the words ‘I myself’ convey affirmation: I, the one you know to be an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, the one you honor with the greatest respect, and the one you consider as one of the best and most competent persons through whom Christ speaks – although I serve the Law of God with my mind, yet I confess that I serve the law of sin by my body. That is to say that my human condition sometimes attracts me from divine to earthly matters; and that sublimity of my mind descends to the concerns of trivial matters. At every moment, I find myself taken captive by this law of sin in spite of my patient and steadfast striving to conform to the Law of God. Nevertheless, I am unable to save myself in any way from the power of this captivity unless I keep escaping constantly to the mercy of the Savior. 1 Cassian: Conf. 23:10,11 170 All saints grieve and sigh daily due to this weakness of their human nature. They attempt to isolate their roaming thoughts, the components of their conscience, and to seek the deep retreats as they intercede fervently and pray: ‘Enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified’, (Ps 143: 2)… This leads you to realize how all the saints admit that all mankind, including them, are sinners. However, they never despair of being saved; but rather seek to become wholly purified through the grace and mercy of God. There is no one –however holy- who is without sin in this life. The teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ conveys this also. This is clear when He granted His disciples the standard of the perfect prayer…as He teaches us to say: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us…” (Matt 6: 12). The Lord has presented this prayer as a sincere one which saints dutifully offer, and which we therefore ought to wholly believe and embrace. Who can remain so obstinate, impudent, and filled with satanic pride as to imagine himself to be without sin… Fr Theonas1 The Meaning of the Flesh as used in this Context We need to understand that the word ‘flesh’ does not refer to man or to the tangible entity, but it refers to the will to lust or to lustful passion. Fr Daniel2 Let us listen to the Apostle as he says: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing” (18). He refers here definitely to ‘the blemish/sin of the flesh’ which is found in the good nature of the flesh. If that sin is removed, then the flesh will not be corrupt or blemished. The Apostle himself reveals that he intends by that (that is the flesh) to refer to our nature (that is our whole being). He begins teaching by saying: ‘For I know that in me’; and then he clarifies the words ‘in me’ by saying: (‘that is, in my flesh’). In this manner, he indicates that his ‘flesh’ is ‘himself’ and that it is impossible for man to be his own enemy. When sin is reined and controlled, our flesh becomes beloved. Therefore the Apostle says: ‘For no man ever yet hated his own flesh…’, (Eph 5: 29); and we must be committed to look after it. In another verse, the Apostle says: “So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin” (25). May those who have ears listen, for he says: ‘So then …I myself’- while I am in the flesh…but how does he serve the law of sin with his flesh?! Does this happen by his acceptance and fulfillment of the passion of the flesh? God forbid! But it is because the stirring of passion which he rejects exists within him. As he rejects this passion, he serves the law of God with his mind, and he does not surrender his members to passion which would make them evil tools of sin. St Augustine3 Rejoicing in the Law of God 1 Ibid 23: 16-18 2 Ibid 4:11 3 On Continence 19 171 Through grace, we constantly struggle to fulfill our liberation from the law of sin. Therefore this law cannot destroy the joy of our salvation and our pleasure in the Law of God actively working within us. In this context, the apostle says: “For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man” (22). In this manner, man does not lose his joy and peace as he struggles against the law of sin. We possess a degree of peace as long as we find pleasure in the Law of God according to the inner man. However, it is not a perfect peace as we find another law in our members that is fighting the law in our minds. St Augustine1 By being liberated, we find pleasure in the Law of God, for freedom is joy………May your joy be in God, and may you be free….Do not fear punishment, but love righteousness……Are you unable to love righteousness? Then fear punishment and then you would progress to love righteousness. St Augustine2 Therefore we say, with good reason, that the sweetness of God is hidden within you. A law (of sin) exists and has found a place in your members. That law resists the law of your mind and enslaves you. This is why you are captivated and unable to taste the sweetness that is hidden for you, whereas the angelic saints drink of it…. St Augustine3 1 In Ioan . tr 77:4 2 Ibid 41:10 3 Ser. on N.T. lessons 95:3
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