Come in (slip in) (3922) pareiserchomai

Came in (3922) (pareiserchomai from pará = alongside + eisérchomai = to enter) means to come in to beside and in some context means to slip in or to sneak in (see use in Gal 2:4 below). To come in with something so as to be present beside it. Thayer says the idea here in Romans is "to enter in addition" (in addition to or "beside" sin and death which had previously entered into the Garden of Eden through Adam). Paul also has the only other use of pareiserchomai in Scripture... Galatians 2:4 But it was because of the false brethren (Judaizers - claimed allegiance to Christ but demanded circumcision + obedience to the Law for salvation) who had sneaked in (pareiserchomai) to spy out (means primarily to view closely and in this context to spy out, learn about by secret observation) our liberty (eleutheria - see study of related verb eleutheroo = the idea is of freedom and in this context of freedom from the law as a means of salvation and sanctification but not a license to sin!) which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage (Reduce to slavery, imposing control over another for one's own ends = Total enslavement to a system of works righteousness by which salvation and/or sanctification is impossible). (Comment: In this context the meaning is clearly to come in or slip in secretly, by stealth) BDAG adds that pareiserchomai means... to come in beside, slip in, come in as a side issue, of the law, as having no primary place in the divine plan. (Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature) Friberg says that the idea of this verb is that.. the (Mosaic) law (was) brought in to play a subordinate role (Friberg, T., Friberg, B., & Miller, N. F. Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament. Baker Academic) Cranfield adds that the prefix para in this verb means... 'alongside of’, ‘beside’, and the most natural way of understanding pareiserchomai here is surely to take it as a simple reference to the undisputed fact that the law was given at a later date than that of Adam’s fall, namely, in the time of Moses. To refer to this fact is not, in itself, to say anything about the worth of the law depreciatory or otherwise. (Cranfield, C. E. B Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans. Vol 1: Ro 1-8.; Volume 2: Romans 9-16) Paul used the root verb eiserchomai earlier in Romans 5:12 when he explained that through one man sin entered (eiserchomai) into the world (see note Romans 5:12) So just as sin entered the world through Adam in Romans 5:12, here in Romans 5:20 Paul says the Law of Moses "entered in beside" or alongside sin. Men were sinners long before the Law was given and God had begun implementation of His plan of salvation before the Law was given (eg, see Ge 3:15 - multiple translations; Ephesians 1:4 - note). The purpose of the Law’s entrance into the world was not to redeem men for only Christ could accomplish this great objective. Don't misunderstand the purpose of the Law for it was not given in order to make men sinful. As Paul explained in Romans 5:12-19 man did not need to be made sinful for he is born sinful and that is why he commits sins. Instead, Paul explains that the Law was given so that sin might be made more evident. Compare this role of the Law with Paul's earlier point in Romans 3:20 [note] where he explained that... by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified (declared righteous) in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. (See discussion) In Galatians 3 Paul explained that the promise of God is superior to the Law which raised the obvious question of... Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels (see Acts 7:53, Hebrews 2:2) by the agency of a mediator, until the Seed (the Messiah) should come to Whom the promise had been made. (See note Galatians 3:19) (Comment: The Law was intended to reveal sin in its true character as transgression and prepare the way for the coming of Christ by demonstrating the dire need for His saving work. As Paul has taught in Romans 5, sin existed before the Law [see note Romans 5:14], but men did not recognize it as transgression until the Law came [remembering that transgression is the violation of a known law). Paul made similar statements regarding the purpose of the Law in Romans 7... 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, "YOU SHALL NOT COVET."... 7:13 Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful. (See notes Romans 7:7; 7:13) Harrison makes an interesting comment regarding this revelatory purpose of the Law... This function of the law-viz., to increase transgression-was not recognized in rabbinic Judaism (H.J. Schoeps, Paul [Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1961], p. 174). From the Sermon on the Mount, however, it appears that Jesus sought to apply the law in just this way, to awaken a sense of sin in those who fancied they were keeping the law tolerably well but had underestimated its searching demands and the sinfulness of their own hearts. (Gaebelein, F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary 6-Volume New Testament. Zondervan Publishing) So that (2443) (hina) introduces a purpose clause, and (as just alluded to) in this case introduces the explanation of God's purpose for the Law. The transgression might increase - He is not saying that God introduced the Law because He wanted to make us sin more, but that He wanted us to be more aware of our sins and the fact that we had a totally sinful nature. (See more detailed discussion of this function of the law below) Notice that Paul does not say transgressions (plural) but transgression (singular), which is a reference to the sin of Adam. How do we arrive at that conclusion? Notice that six times in Romans 5 Paul uses transgression and in each use it is in the singular and in each context, transgression refers to the sin of Adam. Observe the uses and see if you do not agree... Romans 5:15 But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. Romans 5:16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. Romans 5:17 For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:18 So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. John Piper explains the transgression as follows... I take it to mean that one crucial function of the law is to turn our original sin into actual transgressions of specific commandments. First, we are guilty in Adam and sinful by nature, and then the Law confronts us with the specific will of God: "Don't steal. Don't lie. Don't covet." And the effect is that it turns sinful nature into specific sinful acts of transgression. One writer said it well: the Law makes little Adams out of us all. ("The law has the function of turning those it addresses into 'their own Adam.'" Douglas Moo, The Epistle to the Romans) So what was once one transgression in which we all shared by virtue of the union with Adam that God ordained for all humanity, has now, because of the Law, become millions upon millions of specific transgressions, as verse 16b said, The free gift arose from many transgressions. So the Law of Moses was given to increase the transgression of Adam into millions of specific acts of transgression in all of us who resist submitting to the Law of God because of our rebellious nature." (Read the full message The Triumph of Grace through Righteousness) To review, every human being has inherited a sin nature from Adam, and the effect of the Law is to stimulate our sin nature so that we commit sins. The commission of personal sins shows that we all have a sin nature. Recall that there are 3 aspects of sin - Inherited Sin (Sin Nature, Sinful Nature, original sin), Imputed Sin and Personal Sins (See discussion and chart on these three aspects of sin) One might think of the Law as like a mirror one uses to see dirt on one's face. The mirror is not designed to remove the dirt but only to reveal it. Or think of the Law as like a carpenter's plumbline. Plumblines are not meant to straighten the building but to tell one how crooked it is and where the change needs to be made. The Law fulfills its purpose when it makes men realize the full sense of how sinful they are as they see the sins they commit. Martin Luther wasn't far off when he said that the function of Law was not to justify but to terrify!

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Come in (slip in) (3922) pareiserchomai

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