ACC ~ Romans 7 v5

LIVING IN THE FLESH. AMBROSIASTER: Although he is in the flesh Paul denies that he is “living in the flesh,” even though he is in the body. In this passage “living in the flesh” means following something which is forbidden by the law. Therefore “living in the flesh” can be understood in many different ways. For every unbeliever is in the flesh, i.e., is carnal. A Christian living under the law is in the flesh. Anyone who puts his trust in men is in the flesh. Anyone who does not properly understand Christ is in the flesh. If a Christian leads an extravagant life he is in the flesh. Nevertheless, in this passage we should understand “being in the flesh” as meaning that before we believed we were under the power of the flesh. For then we lived under the flesh, i.e., following our carnal desires we were subject to wickedness and sin. For the mind of the flesh is not to understand spiritual things, e.g., that a virgin might conceive without intercourse with a man, that a man may be born again of water and the Spirit,and that a soul delivered from the bondage of the flesh may rise again in it. Anyone who doubts these things is in the flesh.

It is clear that whoever does not believe acts under sin and is led by his captivity to indulge in wickedness and to bear fruit worthy of the second death. When such a person sins, death makes a profit.

This discussion concerns the Jews and all those who say they are Christians yet still want to live under the law. Its purpose is to teach them that they are carnal so that they will abandon the law. Nevertheless, Paul says that the sins which rule over those who commit them in the flesh are revealed by the law; they are not caused by the law. For the law is the yardstick of sin, not its cause, and it makes sinners guilty. COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES.

THE ANALOGY OF THE PERFORMER (SOUL) AND THE SOUR NOTE (SIN). CHRYSOSTOM: You see what we had to gain from our former husband! Paul does not say: “when we were in the law,” because that would merely lend a hand to heretics [who wanted to deny the oracles of the Old Testament] but “when we were in the flesh,” that is, when we were living a sinful and carnal life. … In order to not accuse the flesh Paul does not say that our members were at work but that sinful passions were at work in our members. This was to show that the origin of the trouble was not in our members but in the thoughts which made use of them. … The soul ranks as a performer and the flesh as a harp which produces sound according to the performer’s direction. If the tune is discordant, the fault is with the performer, not with the instrument. HOMILIES ON ROMANS 12.

NO LONGER OBEDIENT TO THE FLESH. [PSEUDO-]CONSTANTIUS: A person living in the flesh is one who obeys the will of the flesh and is prevented from obeying the law of God, because he cannot serve two masters.But now, having been taught by the grace of the Holy Spirit how to overcome our passions, we are no longer in the flesh, since we are dead to the law, which does not contain the doctrine of grace. THE HOLY LETTER OF ST. PAUL TOTHE ROMANS.

PASSIONS AT WORK IN OUR MEMBERS. PELAGIUS: When we were still living carnally the passion of lust worked in our eyes, and the other passions worked in the rest of our bodies. It was the law which showed us that these passions were sinful, and the severity of the law killed us. PELAGIUS’S COMMENTARY ON ROMANS.

FLESH DOES NOT INHERIT. THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA: Holy Scripture sometimes calls our human nature “flesh,” and sometimes it goes beyond this and includes the concept of mortality as well. … In any case, the flesh is never said to inherit or to be capable of inheriting eternal life in the age to come. PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH.

THE LAW DOES NOT HELP US DO WHAT IT REQUIRES. THEODORET OF CYR: “In the flesh” means “under the law.” Paul calls those laws regarding food, drink, leprosy and so on “flesh.” … Paul teaches us that before grace came, while we were still under the law, we suffered ever more serious attacks of sin because, although the law showed us what it was we should be doing, it did not give us any help in doing it. INTERPRETATION OF THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS.

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