"I speak after the manner of men, because of the infirmity of your
flesh: for as ye presented your members as members to uncleanness,"
etc.
6. Heretofore he had been speaking, under the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit, in language unusual and unintelligible to the world. To the
gentiles it was a strange and incomprehensible thing he said about
dying with Christ unto sin, being buried and planted into his death,
and so on. But now, since his former words are obscure to the natural
understanding, he will, he says, speak according to human
reason--"after the manner of men."
7. Even reason and the laws of all the gentiles, he goes on to say,
teach we are not to do evil; rather to avoid it and do good. All
sovereigns establish laws to restrain evil and preserve order.
How could we introduce through the Gospel a doctrine countenancing
evil? Though the wisdom of the Gospel is a higher gift than human
reason, it does not alter or nullify the God-implanted intelligence
of the latter. Hence it is a perversion of our doctrine to say it
does not teach us to love good works and practice them. "Now, if you
cannot understand this truth from my explanation," Paul would
say--"that through faith you have, by baptism, died to the sinful
life, even been buried--then learn it through your accustomed
exercise of reason. You know for yourselves that pardon for former
transgression and release from lawful punishment gives no one license
to do evil--to commit theft or murder."
8. It is a commonly recognized fact among men that pardon does not
mean license. God's Word confirms the same. Yet the disadvantage is
that although reason teaches, through the Law, good works and forbids
evil, it is unable to comprehend why its teachings are not fulfilled.
It perceives from the results which follow dishonoring of the Law,
that to honor is best, that it is right and praiseworthy not to steal
and commit crime. But it fails to understand why, given the teachings
at first, they are not naturally fulfilled. Nor, again, does it know
how existing conditions may be removed or bettered. It resorts to
this expedient and that to restrain evil, but it cannot attain the
art of uprooting and destroying it. With the sword, rack and gallows
the judge may restrain public crime, but he cannot punish more than
what is known and witnessed to before the court. Whatever is done
secretly and never comes before him, he cannot punish or restrain.
The Word of God, however, takes hold of the difficulty in a different
manner. It teaches how to crush the head of the serpent and to slay
the evil. Then the judge and the executioner are no longer necessary.
But where we may not control the cause of the wrong, we should,
nevertheless, restrain so far as possible its manifest workings.
Now, the utmost reason can teach is that we are not to do evil even
in thought or desire, and the extent of its punishment relates only
to outward works; it cannot punish the thought and inclination to do
evil.
9. "But we preach another doctrine," Paul means to say, "a doctrine
having power to control the heart and restrain the will. We say you
believers in Christ, who are baptized into his death and buried with
him, are not only to be reckoned dead, but are truly dead unto sin."
A Christian has certain knowledge that through the grace of Christ
his sins are forgiven--blotted out and deprived of condemning power.
Because he has obtained and believes in such grace, he receives a
heart abhorrent of sin. Although feeling within himself, perhaps, the
presence of evil thoughts and lusts, yet his faith and the Holy
Spirit are with him to remind him of his baptism. "Notwithstanding
time and opportunity permit me to do evil," he says to himself, "and
though I run no risk of being detected and punished, yet I will not
do it. I will obey God and honor Christ my Lord, for I am baptized
into Christ and as a Christian am dead unto sin, nor will I come
again under its power."
So acted godly Joseph, who, when tempted by his master's wife, "left
his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out" (Gen 39, 12);
whereas another might have been glad of the invitation. He was but
flesh and blood and naturally not insensible to her inducement, to
the time and opportunity, the friendship of the woman and the offered
enjoyment; but he restrained himself, not yielding even in thought to
the temptation. Such obedience to God destroys indeed the source of
evil--sin. Reason and human wisdom know nothing of it. It is not to
be effected by laws, by punishment, by prison and sword. It can be
attained only by faith and a knowledge of Christ's grace, through
which we die to sin and the world, and restrain the will from evil
even when detection and punishment are impossible.
10. Now, such doctrine is not to be learned from human reason; it is
spiritual and taught of the Scriptures. It reveals the source of evil
and how to restrain it. Since, then, we teach restraint of evil and
show withal a way higher and more effectual than reason can find, the
accusation that we prohibit good works and license sin is
sufficiently answered and disproved. But Paul would say to the
Romans, "If you cannot comprehend our superior doctrine as to the
questions raised, then answer them according to the teachings of your
own reason, for even that will tell you--and no man will dispute
it--we are to do no wrong. The Word of God confirms this doctrine."
11. The apostle says he will speak of the point they raise, after the
manner of men. That does not mean according to corrupt flesh and
blood, which are not capable of speaking anything good, but according
to natural reason as God created it, where some good still remains,
for there are to be found many upright individuals who make just
laws. I speak thus "because of the infirmity of your flesh," Paul
declares. As if he would say, I have not yet said as much as reason,
the teachers of the Law and the jurists would demand, but I will go
no further because you are yet too weak spiritually, and too
unaccustomed to my manner of speech, for all of you to understand it.
I must come down to your apprehension and speak according to your
capacity. Now, I want to say, ask your own statutes, your own laws,
whether they authorize the prohibition of good works; if they license
evil, though they may not be able to prevent it. Thus I convince you
that such a pretense regarding our doctrine is not to be tolerated.