Romans 6-8 Words and Phrases

Tod Kennedy December 28, 2014

1. “Do you not know?”  Romans 6.3 αγνοεω agnoeo. Not to know, to be ignorant, not to understand. Second plural present active indicative, probably progressive or descriptive present for that which is happening at the time. Paul asks them rhetorical questions to get them to realize the truth that their union with Christ through Spirit baptism also identified them with Christ’s death. This death of their old unbeliever self broke the legal and practical hold it had on them.
2. “Baptized into Christ” in verse 3 and “baptized into his death” in verse 4 refer to baptism by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ”—into Christ. First Corinthians 12:13 is the central passage. The word baptism is a transliteration of the Greek verb baptizo. The primary meaning of the verb baptizo and the noun baptismos is identification with something or someone. Water baptism is only one kind of baptism and this is not the meaning in this passage. Other references to Spirit baptism include Romans 6:4, Galatians 3:27, Ephesians 4:5, and Colossians 2:12. Second Corinthians 5:17 give the results of being in Christ through the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
3. “Knowing this” Romans 6.6, γινωσκω ginosko. To know, come to know, learn of, find out, understand, comprehend, perceive, notice, acknowledge, recognize.  Present active participle, nominative plural masculine, circumstantial, cause. Since we know that the old man was crucified with Christ, we should realize that we no longer need serve sin—sin does not have to influence us. This states a fact. The knowledge of the truth that our old man died is the basis for the faith application of this truth in our lives. The sinful nature that works through the old man now has no one to command, except a willing or carnal believer.
4. “Done away with” Romans 6:6, καταργέω, katargeo. To leave unemployed or idle, make of no effect. The verb is aorist passive subjunctive stating the purpose. The subject is “body”, the human body. “Of sin” characterizes the body. Sin lives in the human body. This began at the fall of mankind with Adam and Eve. The body of every person is characterized by Sin. For each believer, because of union with Christ, this body characterized by Sin has been unemployed so that no believer need serve Sin. Sin’s legal hold has been broken
5. “Knowing that Christ” Romans 6.9, οιδα oida. To have seen or perceived and therefore to know something, to know how to do something. Perfect active participle used with present force, masculine plural nominative. We know that Christ arose and that death has no hold on him and his death conquered sin—imputed sin, old sinful nature, and personal sin. We apply Paul’s teaching about knowing by learning about our position and new life in Christ. We learn the Bible doctrine
6. Consider, Romans 6.11 λογιζομαι logizomai. Second plural, present middle imperative. 1. To reckon, calculate, to take into account; as a result of calculation evaluate, estimate, look on, consider. 2.  think about, ponder, 3. to think, to believe, to be of the opinion. Paul commands the readers to think about and then to be of the opinion that we as unbelievers died with Christ and we are new in Christ and we are now alive with him. We fulfill this command by understanding our position in Christ and we accept this by faith and live based upon that fact; that is, by considering in the face of temptation that I can say “no” to it and successfully resist temptation and then continue to walk in the Spirit serving the Lord
7. Present (verb) Romans 6.13 παριστημι paristemi. Transitive, to place beside, to put at someone’s disposal, to present, to represent, to render, to offer, to bring. Intransitive, approach, help, come, stand by. Second plural, present active imperative. Believers are not to allow the sin nature to rule us, nor are we to put ourselves at sin’s disposal. Instead of the way of the old man, we are to put ourselves at God’s disposal. We are to live in the new kind of life that we have in Christ. We fulfill this command by making the right choices in life—choices for God’s will and new kind of life based upon and “guided by” the Word of God
8. Old man or old self, `ο παλαιος ημων ανφρωπος  ho palaios hemon anthropos. Romans 6.6.  Also Ephesians 4.22 and Colossians 3.9. The unbeliever man, the in Adam man, (1 Corinthians 15.22).  There seems to be a difference between “old man” and “old sin nature,” though the two notions overlap.  “Old man” seems to be everything the unregenerate person is, while the sin nature is what programs and influences the old man. The “old man” is our unregenerate person as “programmed” by the old sin nature with its sinful habits, tendencies, weakness, strengths and the like. However, the believer now has the ability—by God’s grace—to say “no” to temptation and make it stick. Remember that our old man was crucified with Christ and the body of sin now has no one to control
9. New Man or new self, τὸν καινὸν ἄνθρωπον  ton kainon anthropon. This is not found in Romans 6-8, but the concept is there. It refers to our new self in Christ. The new creation man (2 Corinthians 5.17), seed (1 John 3.9), new nature (2 Peter 1.4). The divine nature or new creation in Christ person (Ephesians 4.24; Colossians 3.10). This develops into the “Christ formed in you” of Galatians 4.19 and the “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” man of Romans 13.14
10. Sin, `αμαρτια hamartia. Most of the uses in Romans 6-8 refer to sin like a person—the old sin nature or sinful nature or sinful disposition or the innate tendency to sin. It is that part of the human nature that comes from Adam through our parents and is in our bodies. Ephesians 2:3 says we were by nature children of wrath. See Romans 6:2, 6, 7, 11, 12, 14, 16, 17, 18, 20, 22; 7:7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 17, 20, 23, 25; 8:2, 3). Sin in a few passages refers to personal sin. Indwelling sin produces personal sin
11. Flesh, σαρξ sarx. Flesh in most usages refer to the human body or person, but in these and similar contexts flesh refers to any person living apart from Bible doctrine and apart from the Holy Spirit’s direction and therefore under the sinful nature’s direction. Sin works through the flesh (Romans 7.18, 25).  Flesh is probably the same as the “body of sin” in Romans 6.6—the body characterized by sin or the body through which sin works. Flesh can be used for a believer or an unbeliever
12. Spirit, The Holy Spirit, πνευμα pneuma. The Holy Spirit provides the ability to live so that we please and enjoy God (Romans 7.6; 8.1-11). The Holy Spirit indwells every believer (1 Corinthians 3.16; 6.19; 12.13) as a basis or means for living the new life, but the supernatural newness of life must be lived through walking by the Holy Spirit or the filling of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5.16; Ephesians 5.18)
13. Law, Rules, both religious and human νομος nomos. The Mosaic law, and religious taboos that have no meaning to God. Romans 7.4-14 talks about how they disrupt the Christian life by emphasizing human action instead of the ability of the Holy Spirit.  Romans 7:5 says that “rules” arouse or enflame the passions of the sin nature, thus Paul says they are of zero value “against the indulgence of the flesh” (Colossians. 2:23)
14. Condemnation, κατακριμα katakrima (Romans 8.1) often refers to legal condemnation. The doctrine of justification says that believers in Christ will never be judicially judged and condemned for sin (no condemnation) because Christ died for all the sins of the world in our place (Romans 3.24; 5.1; Galatians 3.24-26). Romans 8.1 does not refer to this kind of no condemnation. Romans 8.1 teaches us that believers are not condemned to live under the influencing power of sin; the law of the Spirit of life has set us free from condemnation to that kind of life. The context of Roman 6-8 guides us to this interpretation.  The Majority Text of Romans 8:1 requires this interpretation
15. Law of the Spirit of Life, νόμος τοῦ πνεύματος τῆς ζωῆς, nomos tou pneumatos tes zoes, Romans 8.2. The law or divine principle that says that the Holy Spirit produces God’s life in us. We are to live under this law or divine principle in order to live the supernatural Christian life; if we do not, then we fall under the sin nature’s influence:  “walk in newness of life” (Romans 6.4), “alive to God” (Romans 6.11), “but under grace” (Romans 6.14),  “resulting in sanctification” (Romans 6.23), “we serve in newness of Spirit: (Romans 7.6), “serving the law of God” (Romans 6.25), “the law of the Spirit of life”, (Romans 8.2), “who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8.4), “but those who according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit” (Romans 8.5), “the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace” (Romans 8.6), “the Spirit of God dwells in you” (Romans 8.9),  “give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you” (Romans 8.11), “if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you shall will live” (Romans 8.13). Galatians 5.16 and 25 and Ephesians 5.18 refer to the law of the Holy Spirit
16. Law of Sin and Death, τοῦ νόμου τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ τοῦ θανάτου,  tou nomou tes hamartias kai tou thanatou, Romans 8.2. The law or divine principle that says that sin indwells each person and causes death—spiritual, physical, temporal death. Romans 8.1-13 emphasize the day to day temporal death which results when the sinful nature takes illegal authority over the believer. The believer now lives in the flesh—that is, he lives apart from God’s power and God’s word, “with my flesh the law of sin.” (Romans 7.25).