Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 1 · Chapter 8 · Section 3 · Subsection 7 – Subsection 8
Quest. 7. How Christ condemned sinne in the flesh.
1. Tolet vnderstandeth it of the dominion of sinne, which it had before in our members, but now in Christ sinne is depriued of his dominion.
2. Beza referreth it to the sanctification of our nature in Christ, which he tooke without sinne, and by flesh he vnderstandeth the humane nature sanctified in Christ,
3. Chrysostome ioyneth these two together, that Christ both non peccavit, sinned not at all, and so sinne ouercame not him, and in that he died, vicit & condemnavit peccatum, he ouercame and condemned sinne: likewise Haymo saith, Christ two wayes condemned sinne, because he sinned not in his flesh, & mortificando in cruce, and he condemned it by mortifying the same vponupon the crosse.
4. Erasmus giueth this sense, convicit & coarguit peccatores, he convinced and reprooued sinners: that is, he shewed them to be hypocrites and deceiuers, which hitherto had deluded the world, with a false shewe of iustice: and yet they put Christ to death as a transgressor of the law: but the Apostles intendment is to shewe what Christ hath wrought for vsus, not what he did against his aduersaries.
5. Socinus will hauehave the meaning to be no more but this, that Christ did not satisfie by his death for sinne, but exauthoravit, abolevit, he did abolish sinne, and take away the power and authoritie thereof, for he came to doe that which the lawe could not doe, which was not to punish and condemne sinne, for that the lawe could doe, but to deliuer vsus from the seruitude of sinne, Socinus part. 2. c. 23. p. 195.
Contra. 1. True it is, that Christ by his death hath also abolished the kingdome of sinne, that it shall no longer raigne in his members: but first it was abolished by the sacrifice of Christs death, who bare the punishment of our sinne in himselfe: and this is the proper sense of the word, to condemne, that is, inflict the punishment of sinne: as in this chapter, v. 34. who shall condemne vsus? so before c. 2. 1. c. 5.16. 2. S. Paul doth not so much shew what Christ came to doe, namely that the law could not doe, but the reason, why he came to doe it, because the law could not, by reason of the weaknes of our flesh. 3. the law indeede did condemne and punish sinne: but by the law eueryevery one was to beare his owne sinne, the law could not appoint one to beare the punishment for all, as Christ did, whose sufferings are made ours by faith.
6. Some of our owne writers doe vnderstand this condemning of sinne, of the abolishing of the kingdome thereof, and of our sanctification and regeneration: Bucer, Musculu…: these differ both from the Papists, whose opinion is set downe before, that is, who make regeneration a part of iustification; the other, a consequent onelyonly, and effect thereof: and the Papists differ from Socinus opinion, who presupposeth no satisfaction at all to be made for our sinnes by the death of Christ: But yet these words can not properly be referred to the condemning of sinne in vsus by the worke of regeneration: for, this Christ did in his flesh, or by his flesh, not, in carne, i. homine, in the flesh, that is man, as Lyranus.
7. Wherefore the meaning indeede is, that Christ in his flesh, beeing made a sacrifice for vsus vponupon the crosse, did beare the punishment due vntounto our sinne, & God condēned sinne in the flesh of his Sonne, that is, poenas peccato debitas exegit, he did exact the punishment due vntounto our sinne: Pareus: and by condemning it in the death of his Sonne hath freed vsus from condemnation. This to be the meaning, 1. the vse of the word, to condemne, sheweth touched before. 2. the scope of the Apostle, which is to shew, that there is no condemnation to those which are in Christ, because Christ hath himselfe freed them therefrom, by bearing the punishment of sinne. 3. the consent of other places of Scripture prooue the same, as Gal. 3.13. Christ hath redeemed vsus from the curse of the law, beeing made a curse for vsus and, 1. Pet. 2.24. Himselfe bare our sinnes in his bodie on the tree. And thus diuers of the fathers expound this of Christs death: as Chrysostome, eo quod mortuus est, peccatum vicit & condemnavit, in that he died, he ouercame and condemned death: and Origen, per hostiam cornis, &c. by the sacrifice of his flesh he condemned sinne in the flesh.
8. The other sense which the Greeke scholiast followeth, that sinne was condemned in Christs flesh, quia illam peccato inanem servavit, because he kept it free from sinne, and so internecio peccati est punitio, the killing of sinne is the punishment thereof: though it be also found and very comfortable, yet it is not here so fit: because it is said, that God sending his Sonne condemned sinne in the flesh: so that it is better referred to the suffering of Christ, then to his actiue obedience.
Quest. 8. Who are after the flesh, and sauour the things of the flesh, v. 5.
1. Origens sense is here reiected, who vnderstandeth the Iewes which carnally vnderstand the lawe, them he will to be after the spirit, which did follow the spirituall sense of the law: for in all this discourse S. Paul treateth specially of the morall lawe of Moses, as he gaue instance in the tenth precept, thou shalt not lust, c. 7.8.
2. Nor yet, as Tolet annot. 15. with other Romanists, must we vnderstand, spiritum nationalem, seu mentem, the reason or mind: for euen the mind in carnall men, is carnall: qua carnea sunt mente volutant, they doe in their minde thinke of carnall things: they hauehave mentem carneam, a fleshly minde, Theophyl. and Chrysostome saith, that a carnall life, totem hominem carnem facit, maketh the whole man flesh: and if we giuegive our minde to the spirit, ipsam spiritualem efficiemus, we shall also make it spirituall: to walke after the spirit is then to be guided by the grace of Gods spirit. Theodor.
3. Sometime, to be in the flesh, signifieth to remaine in the bodie: as, 2. Cor. 10.3. though we walke in the flesh, we doe not warre after the flesh: sometime, euen the regenerate are saide to be carnall in respect of that part which is in them carnall, and vnregenerate: but here it is taken in an other sense, for them, which are altogether lead by their carnall affections: affectus carnis malitians dixit, affectus spiritus gratiam, the affectious of the flesh he calleth the malice thereof, the affections of the spirit, grace: Chrysost.
4. Now carnall things or the things of the flesh are of three sorts: Some are good, as the knowledge of artes: some indifferent, as riches, honour, some euill, as the workes of the flesh, adulterie, drunkennesse: so that two wayes men here may erre, either in the matter: when they followe things in their nature euill, as the sinnefull workes of the flesh: or in the manner, when they folowe things of this world in themselues indifferent, but with an euill minde: they doe not referre them to the glorie of God: But they preferre things temporall Before eternall: like as lingua febricitantis infecta cholera, &c. the tongue of a sicke man infected with choser, taketh sweete things for bitter: Lyran. neither yet is it vnlawfull for them which are spiritual to be occupied in the things of this life: but they must referre all to Gods glorie, and preferre things spirituall before externall: like as lingua bene disposita, a tongue which is not distempered, doth iudge rightly of eueryevery tast.