Paul and the Image of God by Chris Kugler

Author:Chris Kugler
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lexington Books/Fortress Academic

Chapter 8

Romans 7–8

Extended Introduction

We now come to what is widely regarded as the most integrated and carefully crafted Pauline writing we possess.1 This, however, creates a particular problem for the exegete who is attempting only to expound one smaller section of the letter, not least because this section is likely to be inextricably integrated into the rest of the letter in a way which is not as characteristic of Paul’s other writings. In this vein, while there is of course no question of engaging all of the historical, exegetical, and theological features of Romans, it will prove necessary to provide an extended introduction and summary of certain features of the argument of 1–8 as a whole in order historically and argumentatively to locate my treatment of chapters 7–8 and of the imago Dei theology therein.

These are the larger factors which must be borne in mind. Paul has already written 2 Corinthians and writes this letter from that locale (Rom. 16.23).2 Moreover, throughout the letter he seems particularly concerned to argue that God has been faithful to his covenant with Israel. Even on a cautious mirror reading, the “Jew first” construction (1.16; 2.9–10), the sequence running from 3.1 to 3.8, the whole of Romans 9–11, and the tell-tale inclusio of 15.8a (“For I tell you that the Messiah became a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God’s truthfulness . . .”) suggest that Paul at least thought that the Roman Christians were in danger of thinking that God had—and/or perhaps that Paul had—“written off” his faithfulness to the covenant with Israel.3

In view of my treatment of chapters 7–8, I now work through certain feature of chapters 1–6. Many scholars rightly note that 1.17 appears to be the “thesis statement”: “For the covenant faithfulness of God (δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ) is unveiled in it [the gospel] by faithfulness for those who are [also] faithful” (1.17).4 In this connection, I follow several others in taking δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ broadly to denote “God’s faithfulness to his covenant with Israel,” a meaning which resonates strongly with the overall argument of the letter.5 Therefore, Paul sets out to demonstrate, inter alia, that God has indeed been faithful to his covenant with (and, as I will argue, through) Israel.

I now briefly consider the force of two “framing” texts for the argument of the whole letter. In 1.28, Paul offers a summary statement of the dehumanization described in 1.21–27: “And just as they did not determine (οὐκ ἐδοκίμασαν) to acknowledge God, God delivered them up to a debased mind (ἀδόκιμον νοῦν), so that they did what should not be done (ποιεῖν τὰ μὴ καθήκοντα).” We should note the logic of the Greek: a failure to δοκιμάζειν results in ἀδόκιμον νοῦν, which itself predisposes humans ποιεῖν τὰ μὴ καθήκοντα.6 This is the scenario which God will ultimately remedy: “but be transformed by the renewal of your mind in order that you might be able to determine (εἰς τὸ δοκιμάζειν ὑμᾶς) the will of God” (12.2).7

As several scholars have noted, in 1.28 Paul employs technical Stoic terminology: τὰ μὴ καθήκοντα.

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