Theodore of Mopsuestia — Commentary on Scripture

Romans 5:16

There is one great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gift in Christ. Adam’s sin brought punishment on all those who came after him, and so they died. But the free gift is different. For not only did it take effect in the case of those who came afterward; it also took away the sins of those who had gone before. It is therefore much greater, because where sin harmed those who came after, grace rescued not only those who came after but those who had transgressed before as well.

PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH

Romans 5:17

Paul shows just how superior grace is to sin, because while death, which came into the world by the sin of Adam, held full sway, the enjoyment of the gift of grace through Christ has been given to us, through which we shall be raised from the dead and in righteousness cease to sin. But we have not yet received it fully; it does not yet hold full sway. We are still waiting for the life to come, even though we now enjoy it in part.

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Romans 5:21

Paul says that just as sin once ruled us even against our will, because we were so used to it, so now our zeal for God reigns and will reign in us forever. Since we have been made worthy of eternal life through the resurrection and live in true and certain righteousness, we shall no longer be receptive to sin.

PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH

Romans 6:14

Having shown that they should avoid sinning for the sake of future benefits, Paul goes on to add that they should live as though they were incapable of sinning at all. For if the time was coming when they would be transformed and act as sinless people, then here and now they ought to cleanse their minds of any thought of sin and earnestly try to do what is good.

PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH

Romans 6:15

I think that Paul is saying this to the Jews because it is the nature of the law to tell us what we should and should not do. If we find ourselves outside the law, there is nothing to stop us from doing what we like, but if there is some way of determining what should and should not be done, then we are back under the law again, and what is said here will easily apply to us. Paul has expressed himself in this seemingly contradictory way because he is saying that since we are free of sin we are no longer under the law. He does not mean that the outpouring of grace has given us license to sin.

PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH

Romans 7:4

The phrase “in order that we” should be read as: “and so we shall”.… For Paul wants to say that once we have been established in this life we shall bear the fruits of righteousness for God, since we have been changed from our behavior under the law.It is most remarkable that Paul says that we have died not through baptism but through the body of Christ. For Adam was the beginning of this life, and Christ is the beginning of the life to come. So, just as in this life we have everything in common with Adam, so also in the next life we shall have everything in common with Christ, beginning with his resurrection. We are said to be a part of the Lord’s body because we share this with him. So just as we have been metaphorically born again by baptism, Paul says that we have become a part of Christ’s body by sharing in the resurrection which is typified by baptism.

PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH

Romans 7:5

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

Romans 7:6

Now everything has changed, Paul says. We have died to this life and are no longer under any obligation to keep the law. Our life no longer has anything in common with that, because we have been renewed by the power of the Spirit and have become different people. We have crossed over from this present life to life eternal and cannot tolerate any captivity of the flesh.… What is more, we who follow Christ are much better off than those who are governed by the law.

PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH

Romans 7:7

We often covet the things of this life, not merely food and drink and sex but fame and fortune as well. We have these desires inside us and would never know there was anything wrong with them unless the law told us so.

PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH

Romans 7:8

Paul says that without the law to define it sin would not be effective. Why? Because it is not the deed by itself which is sin but rather doing something when you know that it is wrong.

PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH

Romans 7:12

Paul calls the law “holy” because it gives us the principles on which to tell the difference between good and evil, … “just” because after showing us what is good it necessarily points out the punishment for the transgressor, but also “good” because it is the source of good things, showing us what they are and persuading us that they are desirable.

PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH

Romans 7:23

Paul was right to refer to his members here, because sin takes many forms according to the nature of our members. There are sins of the eyes, sins of the tongue, sins of other parts of the body as well.

PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH

Romans 8:2

The apostle says that the resurrection takes place by the working of the Spirit. … Paul calls the Spirit the “Spirit of life” because the Spirit is the firstfruits of the eternal life which we shall then enjoy. The Spirit has been given to us in the hope of immortality, and faith in Christ has permitted us to enjoy him, because he has set us free from death and sin. Clearly Paul is using the things which are to come as evidence for what has been promised to us in Christ.

PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH

Romans 8:14

It is clear that these people will live the blessed life with their Father.

PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH

Romans 8:15

The text should be read like this: “You have not received the Spirit; instead you are again in fear of slavery.” … The slavery in question is slavery to the law.

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Romans 8:19

Paul is referring here to the resurrection on the last day.

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Romans 8:22

How did the whole creation suffer this? The invisible creatures did it by thinking and feeling; the visible creatures did it by sharing in the thing itself.

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Romans 8:28

We must not worry if we find that things which we expect to turn out for our good are unexpectedly evil in the present life, because we know that in the end everything works together for good for those who love God.

PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH

Romans 9:20

How can the thing which is made blame its Maker for the construction of its own nature? Everything must be content with its own nature, whatever that may be.

PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH

Romans 9:21

Whoever heard of a clay pot made for menial use blaming the potter for the way it was made and demanding to be remolded for some better purpose?

PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH