Emotions of Sin

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Romans 7:5   For when we were in the flesh, the motions (pathos – emotions, passions) of sins, which were by (dia – by means of) the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

I’m going to give you a list of emotions, and you tell me which belong to sins.

Love …… fear …… depression ….. joy ….. peace …… contentedness ……. anger …….. jealousy …… envy…….. resentment …… self-righteousness ……. patience …….. kindness ……. tenderness …….. defensiveness ……. obstinantness …… pride …….. maliciousness …… spite ……. hate ……. meekness (willingness to learn) ……. humility (willingness to subject oneself) ….. guilt …… shame.

There, why don’t you mentally circle the ones you think are under the ownership of, or which were generated by, sin.

When you’re finished reading and really understanding the truth of this study, you will begin to stop allowing certain emotions to rule your life, your actions and your relationships.  Instead of simply accepting these emotions as being true, and as having a right in your life and mind, you’ll begin to start dealing with them as unwelcome visitors.  Jesus Christ has given you the power over sin and its emotions!

In the above verse, the word “sin” is in the genitive, meaning it shows possession and/or origin.  Sin generates certain emotions, and “owns” them.   These emotions belong to sin, because they came from sin.  That’s what God says here in this verse.  Of course sin itself cannot have emotions, so this must be a figure of speech, personification, meaning a giving of human qualities or traits to that which is inanimate or non-human.  What this figure of speech is really saying, with particular emphasis, is that sins which dwell in our flesh cause us to have sinful emotions.

God also explains in this verse what causes these emotions  of sin.  The causer of sin’s emotions is the law, speaking of the Mosaic law, of which there are 100’s and not just 10.

Speaking of this very law, God says in Romans 8 that this law was weak, because it dealt with our flesh which is weak, being unable to bring about Godly results.

Romans 8:3  For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, …….

Now the verb “did work” back in Romans 7:5 is in the middle voice, meaning it is neither active (doing the action) nor passive (having the action done to it).  Rather, this could be translated “was at work“.  These emotions of sin were at work in us.  I’ll let you guess what authority or force was the active agent causing these sinful emotions to be at work in us. (Hint:  it begins with “d” and ends with “evil”).

“Members” is a euphemism for the various aspects of our mind and psyche.  Parts of our minds plan, reason, organize, rationalize, emphasize, prioritize, decide, believe.  And sins’ emotions are able to work in every single one of these “members,” or parts, of our minds and beings.

“To bring forth fruit“ is eis karpophoresai, literally “the immediate result being the bringing forth of fruit.”  Notice the separate preposition eis.

“To death” is interesting, because there is not a separate Greek preposition here, like you might think there would be, as in the previous phrase.  These emotions don’t work in our minds to bring forth fruit with the immediate result being death.  Rather, this noun, “death” is in the dative case, which indicates the person, place or thing toward which or for which the action is directed.  This means that the fruit which is produced by the emotions of sins which are at work in our minds is produced for the benefit of, or is directed toward, death.

Sin generates its emotions by means of, or because of, walking in our flesh under the law (thou shalt, thou shalt not), which produces fruit, or results, directed toward death.

Sinful emotions produce fruit…..and who benefits from this fruit so produced?  Death!

So here’s an expanded version of Romans 7:5, based on the research covered so far.

Romans 7:5  For when we were living by what we could perceive and understand with our mind which deals with the flesh, sin’s strong emotions and passions, caused by means of the law which deals with our flesh, were at work in every aspect of our mind and conscious being, unto the end of producing results which benefit only death.

What a great picture of the vanity, darkness, and profitlessness of sin’s emotions!  Only death benefits from shame, guilt, anger, depression, fear, pride, etc.

But God does not leave us in this ugly, ugly state of affairs, The verse before says,

Romans 7:4  Wherefore, my brethren, you also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that you should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

And the verse after:

Romans 7:6  But now we are delivered (rendered useless, void) from the law, that being dead (having died) wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

When, in Christ, we died to the law, the law could no longer deal with the new us.  Our new man is rendered useless to the law.  I love this picture.  The law still exists, but has nothing to do with the new, spiritual man, which is not fleshly.  It would be like trying to apply the 18th century laws of England which dealt with horses and carriages as a means of transportation to the driving of cars today……..though both are means of transportation, the one has nothing to do with the other.

The law which deals with control or modification of our fleshly behavior has nothing to do with the new, spiritual beings we become once we believe unto Jesus Christ.   But ask 10 Christians if they obey the 10 Commandments and 9.8 will immediately respond, “Of course I do,” usually adding, “at least I try to.”

The old man is not the new creation, and the laws which deal with the old man do not deal with the new man, Christ in us.

In that new man, which is Christ in us, there are no emotions of sin at work in our minds, busily producing fruit which benefits only death.  Rather, in Christ, there is only life and peace, love and fullness of joy.

Romans 8:6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Let the spirit of Christ be the “judge” of all our emotions.  If the emotions we have are benefitting our lives, our peacefulness, strengthening us with the ability to love, then by all means we should allow them to work within, and they will produce life-giving fruit, or results.  But if the emotions which are working within us are benefitting only death……then reject them as no longer valid in our lives,  having been dealt with by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We have been rendered ineffective to the law, so that sin’s emotions no longer have a valid place in our minds.  Rather, we give place to the Lord Jesus Christ and the spirit he gave us when we first believed unto him, and our lives and every aspect of our minds and beings will abound with all manner of peaceful, enjoyable results.
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Other studies on sin related to this study:
The Law vs. Faith
Dead to the Law
Freedom from Sin’s Domination
Vanity of the Mind
Dying to Self