The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 211

\'er. 10 ('\~ntinues the thought of ver. 9; ~ the for him, having alrel\dy given him "tbo body•· (.,-cl <To,µa) meaning the Mme I\S "th0 earnest of the Spirit." And this seems to fiffih" (tr~), and "dead" ("rtp?w) meaning be what ie meant here by "shall also quioken rn-E1<f'O'µEPOP, i..e. mortified., or lifeless with your mortal hodios by hie Spirit that dwelleth resprot to the power of sin that was in it (of. in you.'' As to partioular expressions in the ob. vi, 6, l,,a ltGTGfl'Yfl&fi TI, <T&>µG 'lij r aµap• verses before us, l'Ertpl>v,applied to "the body," .-ias). Thus the meaning of the first clause may be taken .to mean injeot,ed with deat~, of ver. 10 would be, "If Christ be in you, and doomed to tt ( of. l Oor. xv. 81; 2 Oor.1. the body of eiu in you is dead; but you are 9; iv. 10-A,a 6,1ta1orrov1111, in opposition to alive in the Spirit." Decisive objections to o,' uµ"f'Tlav, given as the reason for the this new e.re, (I) that the word tr&>µa by Spirit being life, may be explained with itself is not elsewhere used as an equivalent ref,.renoe to the essential oonoeption of to <Fupf, but u denoting our mere bodily rigllieOUffieBB throughout the Epistle, as organization.. This statement is consist.ent God's righteousness, revealed in Christ, and wit.h the met&phorioal applieation of the made over to man Ill! the remedy of human word sometimes in a different verse, e.s in sin. Before oe.rrying out the thought peou- eh. vi. 6, above quoted, e.nd in oh. vii 24'. liarly suggested by the last two verses (as Observe also n 8vrrro. <T,J,µaTG vµ.i»v in ver. 11, is done at ver. 18), the apostle now draws a which ca.n hardly be taken but as express- oonclusion(expreesed by Ii.pa oov) from what ing what is intended here; (2) that 6,a with he.s been so far said, so as to press the more the accusative (6u?i rl,v Q/14PTlav) cannot be the obligation of a spiritual life in Christie.us. foroed out of its proper meaning of " becau11e Vere. 12, 13.-So then, brethren, we are of," which, acoording t.o the view we are debtors, not to the 11.esh, to live after the considering, wonld be unintelligible; (3) fiesh ; for if ye live after the 11.esh, ye must that ver. 11, which is obviously oonnected in (µbv,ETE, expressing here a resnlt that must thought with ver.10, cannot well be brought follow. The Authorized Version has "shall," into tnne with it according to the view pro- not distinguishing the force of the phrase posed. All is made clear, in view both of from that of the simple future (-fi<Te<T8e language and of context, by taking these two which follows), die ; but if by the Spirit ye verses as introducing e. new thought, which do mortify (rather, do to death, or make to is carried out afterwards in ver. 18, viz. that die, so as to correspond to the die preceding) of the drawback to the full enjoyment and the deeds of the body, ye shall live. Here development of our spiritua.l life owing to " the body" (-rov <T,J,µa.Tos) must be taken in the mortal bodies which clothe us now; ihe same sense as in vers. 10, 11. True, the and the purpose is to bid us believe in the " deeds" spoken of are, in fact, those of the reality of our redemption., and persevere fleah ; but the body is regarded as the organ in oomBpOndent life, uotwitbste.nding BU.Ch of the lusts of the fiesh, and it is fitly named present drawback. Thus the idea is tha.t, here in connection with the thought of the though in our present earthly state the preceding verse& The word translated mortal body is death-stricken in consequence "deeds" is ,rp4.,,, denoting, not single acts, ofsin ('6l ci.p.aprw)-411bject to the doom of but rather doi71!1B-the general outcome in Adam, that enen.ded to all his race ( cf. oh. action of fleshly lusts using the body as their v. 12, etc.)-yet, Christ being in us now, the organ, Ml>,11.,n l,.,roBf,<TrtHv and (-fitre<T8e, same Divine Spirit that ra.i.Bed him from the viewed in connection with (u,o,ro,.fi<Te1 in ver. dE:ad will in us too at l8Bt overcome mor- 11, seem to point nltimately to the result ta.lity. Of. l Cor. xv. 22, "As in Adam all hereafter of the two courses of life denoted : die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" but not, it would seem, exclusively; for our ((u,qro,1191/tro'"a.i, the same word HB in ver. future state is constantly regarded by the 11 here); e.nd compare also all that follows apostle es the continua.nee and sequence of in that chapter. T.his view of the meaning what is begun in us already-whether of of the paonage before us is strongly con- life in Christ now unto life eternal, or firrned by our finding, in 2 Cor. iv. 7-v. 6, of dce.th in sin now unto death beyond the exactly the same idea oa.rried out at length, grave. The general idea may be stated with 11, corr81!pondeuoe also of the language thus : If ye live after the flesh, the power Utied. The frail, mortal, ever-dying earthen inJou t.o which you give your allegiance Vflllll8ls, in which we have now the treasure an adhesion will involve you in its own of our lift: in Christ, a.re there rega.rded 11.1 doom, death ; but if ye live after the Spirit, crippling the expansion of our spiritual life, you identify yourselves with the Spirit of bitd causing us to " groan, being burdened " life that is in you, whereby you will be (cC. in the chapter before us, ver. 23, ,,, emancipated at last even from these your '-rois t1-ruo{o,u11); but th1: very comcious- mortal bodies, whose dolng, you al.ready llflllii of this higher life within lwn. yearning slay. a> for an adequate and dflll.tb.Jaa or~uism, Vere. 14-17.-ll'or u many u are led b7 -.irta Uie e.i-tJe that God hu one m store th.e Spirlt ot God, these are IODI of God.  ou. vm.1-30.J 'l'HE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE ROMANS.