Westminster Press, 1994,p. 116.]
Man's Inability to Know Christ Materially
Paul's revelation contained in this chapter of Roman's is one of intense discovery and the lack of man's abilities to truly understand the omniscient and ever-present spirit and power that is Jesus Christ. Paul is speaking out of both sides of his mouth and realizes that this confusion and inner trapping with the ideas of law and sin are meant to be as such. In lines 10 and 11 this hypocrisy is detailed: " I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death."
The miraculous physical events that manifested within Jesus' short and powerful life perhaps mad Paul and the other apostles look for more of this type. As a result every living thing or idea was to be holy and revered. This may be true, but not in the way that Jesus may have intended. The trickster God that Jesus was, felt that humor, laughter and surprise were effective teaching measures to help make lessons become real. Cause and effect were strong tenets of his teaching and it is important to understand what Christ meant when he relayed in Luke 17: 21 the idea that the Kingdome of God Is Within You.[footnoteRef:6] [6: Luke 17:21.]
Not only is the Kingdom of God inside each and every one of us, it is also with the law and the obedience and disobedience of law. It appears that Paul is starting to understand how Christ is inside everyone of us and it is up to us to obey, ignore or erase laws that do not apply to our situation. Jesus had no trouble in both breaking laws and adhering to them. His own crucifixion was a manipulation of man's law and he took full advantage of using the hate, envy and obedience to garner support for a larger and more worthwhile cause. In Matthew 10: 25, Jesus proclaimed he was not here to solve the world's problems but rather instigate revolt and change.
-for I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.[footnoteRef:7] [7: Matthew 10:35.]
This idea is also supported by Luke 12: 35:
-They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.[footnoteRef:8] [8: Luke 12:53.]
Fallibility of Man's Laws
Some of the more maddening qualities within the Jewish laws as designated within the Old Testament or Torah may have also contributed to the tone of Paul's writing to the Romans. The mean and violent God as depicted in the verses of the Old Testament do not align themselves or resonate strongly with the Son of God, Jesus Christ. There appears a big disconnect between the philosophies of "an eye for an eye," and the more gentile "forgive them, they know not what they do." There is no Golden Rule in the Torah, as slavery, rape, pederasty, genital mutilation, murder, torture and many other abominations of human interaction are proclaimed as divine law.
To confuse matters worse, the exchange on Mt. Sinai between Moses and God in Exodus does not align with these ideas as, honor truth and respect are hallmarks of the Ten Commandments. It appears there is an intent to deceive and create wonder within the minds of the readers of these scriptures as not everything is clearly understood nor congruent with logical and rational thought.
The Use of Parable
Paul's letter to the Romans as highlighted by Chapter 7 has a feeling of intellectual frustration being expressed into an almost resigned attitude about accepting Christ. A total change of thought is documented from the helpless lines in the beginning of the verse to the brief and affirming idea of the closing passage:
-Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
The teachings of Christ are self-evident but require mediation and thought. Paul's stance against the rationality of law is in accordance with Jesus' form of teaching through parable and story. Matthew 13:24 is explicit about this fact:
-All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable.[footnoteRef:9] [9: Matthew 13:34]
Also Mark's testament includes this idea when it was written:
-All these things Jesus said to the crowds in...
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