Under sin

Under sin Romans 3:9, Gal 3:22

9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, - Gal 3:22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

Proof of Sin 9 For we have already charged 22 But the Scripture

Gk proaitiaomai-. already charge- to bring a charge against previously. It is a combined word: pro – meaning: before and aitia meaning: cause for which one is worthy of punishment, an accusation, a charge. It means make a prior accusation It is only used here in the NT, apparently invented by Paul and the Holy Spirit. There are no known instances of this term ever being found in Classical Greek. (Price). It is a law term: We have charged them with it, and have made good our charge; we have proved the indictment, we have convicted them by the notorious evidence of the fact. (Henry). But here specifically the accusation namely, that the whole race of mankind, both Jew and Gentile, were under sin, and void of all true righteousness and goodness, and consequently standing in need equally of justification by Christ, was presented in the two previously chapters (Gentiles 1:1-32 and Jews 2:1-29). The reference is not to logical proof, but to forensic accusation. (Vincent) Now the Apostle had summoned all mankind universally before the tribunal of God, that he might include all under the same condemnation: and it is to no purpose for anyone to object, and say that the Apostle here not only brings a charge, but more especially proves it; (Calvin) All the writings of the prophets have uniformly declared that men are all sinners, and the law declares the same by the continual sacrifices which it prescribes. All, therefore have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Clark) One great purpose of the Law of Moses was to convict Israel of sin and make the nation conscious of their need of salvation from it (Coffman), but because of their sin (Mark 7:13), what was meant to emancipate them instead enslaved them, what was meant to bring them under the savior, brought them under sin. Scripture has driven men into this captivity. That, of course, cannot mean that revelation makes us sinners, but it does mean that it makes us more guilty, and that it declares the fact of human sinfulness as no other voice has ever done (MacLaren). Scripture, and God in it; and who by and in it has shown, declared, and proved, that all the individuals of human nature, Jews and Gentiles, and all that is in them, and done by them, are under the power and dominion of sin, defiled by it, and involved in the guilt of it; (Gill) One great purpose of Scripture is to convince us that we are sinful in God’s sight (MacLaren)

Pervasiveness of Sin all, both Jews and Greeks, 22 imprisoned everything

In this verse “Greeks” is synonymous with the whole Gentile or heathen world; while “Jews” is identical with the nominal members of the visible church in all ages.

(Godbey) Gk Sugkleio compound word sun –with and kleio to shut, or shut up -- - shut together. First aorist active indicative to shut together, on all sides, completely as a shoal of fish in a net (Luke 5:6), to enclose or imprison –to be confined as within an enclosure, of the net enclosing the fish (Vincent). To “shut up” all under the condemnation of sin; that is, has declared all people, no matter what their rank and external character, to be sinners. (Barnes) It is to be taken in its literal sense of confining, under condemnation, as in a prison and the enclosure of man in this dreadful prison-house is universal. (MacLaren) “As prisoners gathered in the pit and shut up in the prison.” It beautifully contrasted with “the liberty wherewith Christ makes free,” (Gal 3:7,9, 25-26; 5:1; Is 61:1).Gk panta everything, all things, all -Greek neuter, “the universe of things”: the whole world, man, and all that appertains to him. (Jamieson, Fausset). The neuter used emphasizes the totality (1 Cor 1:27) it refers not merely to men, but also to everything which they are, have, or do. (Meyers). Not only all men, but also all the things, which they are and have in their possession. (Bengel) It is not just people but everything is under sin all things belonging to all persons; all the members of their bodies, and faculties of their souls; all their thoughts, inclinations, and intentions; all their works and services, even their best righteousness, which is as filthy rags; all are declared to be sinful and polluted, and men on account of them to be guilty before God, and liable to punishment; from whence there can be no escape by the law of works; for they are like men concluded, or shut up in a prison, from which there is no apparent likelihood of deliverance (Gill) Is 24:22 Sin imprisons. Every part of our bring is influenced and affected by it’s power and pull (Eph 2:8-9, Rom 6:12 Col 1:13, Ps 119:133). Many would disagree; they say to themselves, ‘Why should I be fettered and confined by these antiquated restrictions of a conventional morality? Why should I not break the bonds, and do as I like?’ And they laugh at Christian people who recognize the limitations under which scripture has put them; and tell us that we are ‘cold-blooded folks who live by rule,’ and contrast their own broad ‘emancipation from narrow prejudice.’ But the reality is the other way. The man who does wrong is a slave in the measure in which he does it. If you want to find out . . . who may be deceived by the false contrasts between the restraints of duty and the freedom of living a dissolute life--if you want to find out how utterly ‘he that commits sin is the slave of sin,’ (John 8:34-36, Titus 3:3-7 try to break it off, and you will find it out fast enough. We all know, alas! the impotence of the will when it comes to hand grips with some evil to which we have become habituated; and how we determine and determine, and try, and fail, and determine again, with no better result. We are the slaves of our own passions; and no man is free who is hindered by his lower self from doing that which his better self tells him he ought to do. (2 Pet 2:19), The tempter comes to you, and says, ‘Come and do this thing, just for once. You can leave off when you like, you know. There is no need to do it a second time.’ And when you have done it, he changes his note, and says, ‘Ah! you are in, and you cannot get out. You have done it once; and in my vocabulary once means twice, and once and twice mean “always”.’ Mentally Insane people are sometimes tempted into a house of detention by being made to believe that it is a grand mansion, where they are just going to pay a flying visit, and can come away when they like. But once inside the walls, they never get past the lodge gates any more. The foolish birds do not know that there is lime on the twigs, and their little feet get fastened to the branch, and their wings flutter in vain. ‘He that commits sin is the slave of sin--shut up,’ in a dungeon, ‘under sin. (MacLeran)

Prison of sin 9 are under sin 22 under sin Gk hupo – to place under -As if the lid closed in on us over a massive chest that we could not open or as prisoners in a dungeon (Vincent) (Rom 11:32) all under sin,” and therefore, instead of giving, it takes away righteousness from all. The reasoning is most powerful. “You seek righteousness in the law: but the law itself, with the whole of Scripture, leaves nothing to men but condemnation; for all men, with their works, are pronounced to be unrighteous: who then shall live by the law?” (Lev 18:5) (Calvin) all under sin, means, "hath ranked them all together, as one guilty race of sinners." (Coke) They are all under sin. Under the guilt of sin: under it as under a sentence;—under it as under a bond, by which they are bound over to eternal ruin and damnation;—under it as under a burden (Ps. 38:4 ) that will sink them to the lowest hell: we are guilty before God, v. 19. Under the government and dominion of sin: under it as under a tyrant and cruel task-master, enslaved to it;—under it as under a yoke;—under the power of it, sold to work wickedness. (Henry). God, according to the divine testimony of the Scripture—has brought all under sin, that is, has put the whole of mankind without exception into the relation of bondage, in which sin has them, as it were, under lock and key, so that they cannot escape from this control and attain to moral freedom (Meyer). Paul uses a metaphor when he says ‘under sin.’ What a moment before had presented itself to his vivid imagination as a great dungeon is now represented as a heavy weight, pressing down upon those beneath; if, indeed, we are not, perhaps, rather to think of the low roof of the dark dungeon as weighing on the captives. (MacLaren) under the power and guilt of sin, and a sentence of condemnation for it; which is equally true of the Jews, who were no better than the Gentiles, for being Abraham's seed, for being circumcised, for having the ceremonial law, and other outward privileges; for they were equally born in sin, and by practice sinners, as the Gentiles (Gill) There are two aspects to being “under sin”: Adamic sin and Actual sin. Being born a sinner (Ps 51:5) and behaving like a sinner (Rom 3:23). Although made in the image of God, that image was marred when Adam sinned. All mankind receives this Adamic fallen nature- inherited sin (Rom 5:12-14). It produces a sin nature which places all humankind, Jew and Greek, under sin and its effects: death. We are justly under God’s condemnation and wrath (Rom 1:18-20, 3:8, John 3:18). Actual sin, that which one volitionally commits, is divided into two categories: pre-conversion and post conversion. Sins committed prior to redemption are the natural outflow of one’s sinful nature, we sin because we are sinners, not the other way around (Eph 2:1-3, Col 3:5-9, 1Thess 4:5, Gal 4:8). These are a result of the unfettered reign, rule, and dominion of sin over every area of one’s life. At conversion the believer changed kingdoms and domains (, they are no longer under sins domain and enslaving influence, but indwelled by the Spirit. Thus, sins committed after conversion are the result of the uprisings of the residual “flesh” (James 1:4-15) which battles with the new nature (2 Cor 5:17, Gal 5:16-18, Rom 7). This new self is controlled and guided by the Holy Spirit which empowers and enables the believer to be victorious over sin (1 Cor 10:13, Eph 4:17-32). Man by nature is no better than a filthy dunghill of all abominable vices. His heart is the devil’s storehouse, throne, nest. His eyes great thoroughfares of lust, pride, vanity, &c. His life a long chain of sinful actions, a web of wickedness spun out and made up by the hands of the devil and the flesh, an evil spinner, and a worse weaver. (Whately New Birth.) The whole race of mankind, both Jew and Gentile, were under sin, and void of all true righteousness and goodness, and consequently standing in need equally of justification by Christ (Burkitt) God hath shut or locked them all up under unbelief. This refers to the guilty state of both Jews and Gentiles. They had all broken God's law - the Jews, the written law; the Gentiles, the law written in their hearts; (Clarke)

Promise over sin 22 so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. the promise referred to in the transaction with Abraham, the promise of justification and life by faith in the Messiah. (Barnes) so that ( ἵνα ) In order that. That which is represented through a personification as the act of Scripture, is the act of God, according to a definite purpose that the promise should be inherited by believers only, through faith in Jesus Christ. (Vincent) the Spirit of God, When men are in this hopeless and helpless wretched and desperate condition, under the law and sin, the Holy Spirit through the word reveals Christ and his righteousness to them, and enables and encourages them to believe in him, by whom alone they can be justified from all things . . . (Gill). If you and I, and all our fellows, are shut up in this prison-house of sin, then it is quite clear that none of us can do anything to get ourselves out. And so the way is prepared for that great message of Jesus proclaiming liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound. The prisoners have not been bound in chains for despair or death, but in order that, gathered together in a common doleful destiny, they may become recipients of a common blessed salvation, and emerge into liberty and light through faith in Jesus Christ. (MacLaren).