The Commandment in Romans 7:7,8

I wrote the following in answer to an inquiry regarding the "commandment" of Romans 7:7,8.

On Romans 7:7,8

On these verses and Paul's use of "commandment" as a reference to the "written code" in v. 6, the Greek grammar is illuminating.

The "commandment" of Romans 7:8 is a reference to the "commandment" cited in 7:7 "Thou shall not covet". This 10th "commandment" is the commandment to which Paul refers through v. 10. The Greek leaves no other inference open. The way Paul quotes the 10th commandment in v. 7 gives an understanding why that particular commandment "killed" him.

Most other commandments are negative injunctions not to perform a certain act, Thou shall not kill, commit adultery, steal. When Paul in service to the law looked upon the law, the law did not condemn him because he was not committing these acts.

But then Paul quotes the 10th commandment. The 10th commandment does not enjoin him not to perform a certain act. The literal translation of the Greek tense is "Thou shalt not be covetous". Do you see the difference here? The 10th commandment asks him NOT TO BE, whereas the other commandments ask him NOT TO DO. When the 10th commandment placed him under the obligation NOT TO BE COVETOUS, OR LUSTFUL, all he could see was that he not only practiced covetousness, but that indeed by nature HE WAS covetous and lustful. He could not get away from condemnation from this commandment. This commandment ordered him to be counter to his human nature. When he realized that there was no way he could perform a deed to get away from lustfulness and covetousness but that the law in the last commandment had gotten to his root problem, that he was sinful, he felt that the commandment "killed" him. To put it more bluntly, the commandment "done did him in", to use bad but clear English.

The commandment promised him life "Do this and live" (v. 7:10), but when he saw that the very commandment that promised him life brought him death ("the wages of sin is death"; "the wages of BEING covetous or lustful is death"). He could not get away from the condemnation of the 10th commandment by doing a certain act, or abstaining from it. Even while abstaining from practicing lust, he was still lustful in his heart. Even though he did not give in to his covetous impulses, HE WAS STILL COVETOUS even though he controlled himself. This truth killed him. We talk little about the power of the 10th commandment, but it was the 10th commandment that led Paul to exclaim, "I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate" (7.15), and "Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death?"

So this "commandment" is indeed a reference to the 10th commandment and not to some other type of written code. The written code is a synonym for the written covenant used in ancient times as a treaty between two parties, in this case the Torah agreement between the people of Israel and God: "Whatever you have said, this we will do".

I hope this is helpful in your study of this entire issue.

I have a further comment on the Adventists of Tomorrow forum as a whole.

The forum does a whole lot of dissecting, examining, analyzing of truth, but little confessing of Christ as Saviour.

We have the privilege of confessing Christ as Savior, and thus as the Lord of the love of our lives. He has conquered our service through the saving act of His life.

If someone has indeed saved my life I will not stop from talking about that person.

Jesus Christ has indeed saved my life from eternal death and condemnation, and I confess His name as my Savior. I literally owe Him my life, my eternal life and my life now. Without His sacrifice I would have no reason to live this life now. That is my truth, my reality, and the truth and reality for every sinner.

I could not do that in my many years as an Adventist seminarian, pastor, overseas missionary, evangelist, theology professor, and even less as one of the top conference officers in the largest conference in the US.

Adventism rather than encouraging, discourages confessing with conviction that one indeed has been saved from sin and death, and has passed into eternal life through Jesus Christ. This is seen as some kind of Protestant evangelical delusion. Thus the power of confessing in Jesus as the Gospel of God is taken away. Jesus is indeed my Savior. I have confessed him with my mouth, I have believed in him in my heart, and He has given me eternal salvation. This is a wonderful truth that rather than giving me some license to sin as is predicated by Adventists, is indeed the Spirit of life which transforms me from within. It is indeed a Blessed Assurance, a foretaste of glory divine.

In His marvelous grace,

Haroldo Camacho