CONQUERORS NOT CAPTIVES

Reframing Romans 7 for the Christian Life

Joseph R. Dodson

with Mattie Mae Motl

Conquerors Not Captives: Reframing Romans 7 for the Christian Life

Copyright 2024 Joseph R. Dodson and Mattie Mae Motl

Lexham Press, 1313 Commercial St., Bellingham, WA 98225 LexhamPress.com

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Print ISBN 9781683597704

Digital ISBN 9781683597711

Library of Congress Control Number 2023948050

Lexham Editorial: Derek R. Brown, Katrina Smith, James Spinti, Mandi Newell

Cover Design: Lydia Dahl

To Iain Roman Richard Dodson,

our gentle giant,

beloved son and brother,

Midge’s manny and Caspian’s tutor

Contents

Foreword by Preston Sprinkle

Acknowledgments

Preface

Abbreviations

Introduction

It Is No Longer I

1 ~ Not Paul at All

The Wretch Is Someone Else

2 ~ Totally Paul

The Wretch Is Paul as a Christian

3 ~ The I of the Storm

A Walk-Through of Romans 5–8

4 ~ The Eye behind the I

A Brief Exposition of 7:14–25

5 ~ Here Ego Again

A Brief Exposition of Other Relevant Passages

6 ~ “But What About?”

Objections to the Not Paul View (Part 1)

7 ~ “But What About?”

Objections to the Not Paul View (Part 2)

8 ~ The I’s Have It

Alternative Identities for the Ego

Conclusion

The Purpose of the Ego

Afterword ~ Conquerors Not Captives

Romans 7 in the Life of the Believer

Bibliography

Subject and Author Index

Scripture and Other Ancient Witnesses Index

Foreword

I’ll never forget meeting Joseph (I’ll call him Joey) in the office of Dr. Simon Gathercole at Aberdeen University, Scotland, in the summer of 2004. We were both doing doctoral studies under Simon, and both of us were researching Paul’s letter to the Romans. We chitchatted a bit, but it wasn’t more than a few minutes ...