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Episode 160: Romans 7 - the Apostle Paul's understanding or the 'Tradition' of Augustine?
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One of the greatest theological questions that has ever faced the church (or should I say "the church since the 5th century"?) is, "What did the Apostle Paul mean when he penned Romans 7?"
Was Paul talking about his present struggle with sin in the passage or was he referring to either his life before Christ (or the life of someone else outside of Christ)?
For many years of my Christian life, I sided with St. Augustine (who actually changed his position) and the Protestant Reformers that Paul was talking about his current life struggle with sin.
And due to that "tradition", many Christian leaders today continue to teach that the Apostle Paul was simply being honest in his ongoing battle with sin. It seems so humble of him and teachers will argue provides a great example for us.
HOWEVER, was that the way Paul intended his chapter to be interpreted? The ENTIRE EARLY CHURCH for over 300 years with a single, uniform voice (whenever they addressed this passage) did NOT BELIEVE PAUL WAS WRITING ABOUT HIS CURRENT STRUGGLE WITH SIN.
In this podcast, we look closely at Romans 7 (and also Romans 6 & 8) to arrive at the Apostolic Understanding (yes, and by 'Apostolic', we mean what the Apostle Paul himself meant when he wrote Romans). Get ready to have your 'tradition' challenged as it may not be Paul's!
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