The Worm At The Core Of The Apple Analysis

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The Worm at the Core of the Apple In Paul W Meyer’s essay “The Worm at the Core of the Apple: Exegetical Reflections on Romans 7,” he illustrates his views on Paul’s works on Romans 7 by explaining the question of “the present design and argument of the apostle.” His sole aim is to discover the well-formed and historical meaning of Romans 7 in accordance with the genuine principles of sin and law. Law is used by sin to produce death. The article is split into four sections. The first section gives an overall summary and role of exegesis. According to Meyer, an exegesis is to “check arbitrary exploitation of passages from the scriptures, to inhibit use for purposes alienated to their original form and function, and to prevent being made subservient…show more content…
Meyer states that Paul splits chapter 5-8 from a series of powers: freedom from “wrath (chapter 5), from sin (chapter6), from the law (chapter 7), and from death (chapter 8)” (Meyer 71). He also explains that the effect of “sin on a genuinely religious person who looks to God’s Torah for life has been to produce exactly its opposite: death” (Meyer 74). This means that once you turn to sin, you are not with God and it makes death. In the end, he states that a more detailed analysis of Paul’s view of human religion may lead to a more profound understanding of the…show more content…
Meyer states that the problem with human religion is not just those that are ungodly, but are those who separate themselves a “godly” rather than the “ungodly.” He also states that the problem is not just a failure to keep and obey the law, but those who thinks that they have the right to condemn others as “ungodly” in order to escape their own accountability to God (Meyer 70). That causes God to be angry and stores up the wrath when God’s judgment is revealed according to Paul. Meyer uncovers a deeper problem in Christianity: it’s triumphal self-view and its failure to take seriously of its humanity with all its weaknesses and failures. He says the only remedy is the fresh disclosure of God’s righteousness and the undeserved vindication of the unrighteous. There are a lot of ways that people interpreted Paul’s use of “I” in Romans 7. The “I” might be Paul or a Christian since he is talking about the struggle of faith and sin. It might also be a Jew, which is a third option. For Paul, being under sin’s power is not life in Christ. Paul doesn’t’ conceive with people ruled by sin and ruled by Christ. So that means that the “I” might be a non-Christian

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