Philip Schaff's Popular Commentary (4 vols)

Romans 7:8

Romans 7:8. But sin. This approaches a personification of sin, as in chap. Romans 5:12-21. The excitement resulting from the pressure of the law is now described.

Taking occasion. This should be separated by a comma from what follows: ‘It indicates the furnishing the material and ground of attack, the wherewith and whence to attack' (Alford).

Through the commandment, namely, that mentioned in Romans 7:7, wrought in me all manner of evil desire; the same word as in Romans 7:7. ‘To man everything forbidden appears as a desirable blessing; but yet, as it is forbidden, he feels that his freedom is limited, and now his lust rages more violently, like the waves against the dyke' (Tholock). Philippi calls this, ‘an immovably certain psychological fact, which man can more easily reason away and dispute away, than do away.' The classic authors support the same principle: see the quotations given in the footnote, Lange, Romans, pp. 220, 210.

For apart from the law, or, independently of law, sin is dead. Not ‘was,' the proposition is a general one. ‘Dead' is here used in a relative, not an absolute, sense. Sin is relatively inoperative until excited into opposition by the law. A reference to its being unobserved, undetected, is less probable. The context shows that the Mosaic law is meant. ‘That this may be and is misused by the principle of sin, in the way indicated, arises from the fact, that it comes forward merely with the outward command (thou shalt, thou shalt not), without giving the power of fulfilment' (Meyer). This is also applicable to the law written in men's hearts, but because sin is essentially opposition to God, the revealed law of God with its sanctions arouses the greatest opposition.

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Philip Schaff's Popular Commentary (4 vols)

Romans 7:8

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