Word Studies¶

Question¶

What does Paul teach about the law in Romans? Key Greek terms and their usage patterns.

G3551 — nomos (νόμος) — "law"¶

Original: νόμος Transliteration: nomos Definition: From nemo (to parcel out); law, custom, principle. Masculine noun. Total NT occurrences: 169 (BLB count: 197)

Translations¶

Translation	Count	Percentage
law	95	56.2%
the law	49	29.0%
of the law	14	8.3%
other	11	6.5%

Usage in Romans (~74 occurrences)¶

Paul uses nomos more in Romans than in any other book. He uses it in multiple senses:

The Mosaic law / Torah as a whole — Rom 2:12-13, 17-23, 25-27; 3:19-21, 28; 4:13-16; 5:13, 20; 7:1-7
The moral law (Decalogue specifically) — Rom 7:7 (quotes 10th commandment), 7:12, 7:14, 7:22, 7:25; 8:7; 13:8-10 (quotes commandments 6-10)
A principle or pattern — Rom 3:27 ("law of works" vs "law of faith"); 7:21, 23 ("law in my members," "law of my mind," "law of sin"); 8:2 ("law of the Spirit of life," "law of sin and death")
The law as witness — Rom 3:21 ("witnessed by the law and the prophets")

Key Verses¶

Rom 3:31 — "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law."
Rom 7:12 — "the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good"
Rom 7:14 — "the law is spiritual"
Rom 7:22 — "I delight in the law of God after the inward man"
Rom 8:4 — "the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us"
Rom 8:7 — "the carnal mind...is not subject to the law of God"
Rom 13:10 — "love is the fulfilling of the law"

G1785 — entole (ἐντολή) — "commandment"¶

Original: ἐντολή Transliteration: entole Definition: From G1781; injunction, authoritative prescription. Feminine noun. Total NT occurrences: 43 (BLB: 71)

Usage in Romans¶

Rom 7:8-13 — "commandment" (entole) used 6 times: the commandment came (v.9), was ordained to life (v.10), sin took occasion by the commandment (v.8, 11), the commandment is holy, just, and good (v.12), sin by the commandment became exceeding sinful (v.13)
Rom 13:9 — "if there be any other commandment (entole), it is briefly comprehended in this saying..."

Significance¶

In Rom 7, entole refers to a specific commandment Paul identifies as "thou shalt not covet" (7:7) — the 10th commandment (Exo 20:17). Paul calls this commandment "holy, just, and good" (v.12) — the same attributes as God Himself.

In Rom 13:9, Paul lists specific Decalogue commandments and refers to "any other commandment" — acknowledging more exist.

Also important: Rev 12:17 and 14:12 combine "commandments of God" (entole) with "faith of Jesus" — same pairing Paul makes in Romans.

G1345 — dikaioma (δικαίωμα) — "ordinance / righteousness / righteous requirement"¶

Original: δικαίωμα Transliteration: dikaioma Definition: From dikaioo; an equitable deed; a statute or decision. Neuter noun. Total NT occurrences: 10 (BLB: 10)

Translations¶

Translation	Count
ordinances	3
righteousness	3
judgment	1
justification	1

Key Verses in Romans¶

Rom 1:32 — "the judgment (dikaioma) of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death"
Rom 2:26 — "the uncircumcision keep the righteousness (dikaioma) of the law"
Rom 5:16 — "the free gift is of many offences unto justification (dikaioma)"
Rom 5:18 — "by the righteousness (dikaioma) of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life"
Rom 8:4 — "That the righteousness (dikaioma) of the law might be fulfilled in us"

Significance¶

Rom 8:4 is the pivotal verse: dikaioma (singular — "the righteous requirement") of the law is fulfilled in Spirit-walkers. This is not a past event (Christ fulfilled it FOR us) but an ongoing reality (fulfilled IN us). The dikaioma of the law = what the law rightly demands = righteous living.

G1343 — dikaiosyne (δικαιοσύνη) — "righteousness"¶

Original: δικαιοσύνη Transliteration: dikaiosyne Definition: From dikaios; equity of character or act; Christian justification. Feminine noun. Total NT occurrences: 80 (BLB: 92)

Usage in Romans¶

Appears ~36 times in Romans — the most of any NT book. Key passages: - Rom 1:17 — "the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith" - Rom 3:21-22 — "the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law" - Rom 4:3-13 — Abraham's faith counted as righteousness (6 occurrences) - Rom 5:17, 21 — "gift of righteousness" reigns through "righteousness unto eternal life" - Rom 6:13, 16 — "instruments of righteousness"; "obedience unto righteousness" - Rom 9:30-10:6 — Israel sought law-righteousness but missed faith-righteousness - Rom 10:4 — "Christ is the telos of the law for righteousness"

Significance¶

Paul distinguishes two approaches to righteousness: (1) by works of law (self-earned), which fails (3:20), and (2) by faith, which God credits (4:3-5). But righteousness by faith does not void the law (3:31) — rather, the law WITNESSES to this righteousness (3:21) and is ESTABLISHED by faith.

G1347 — dikaiosis (δικαίωσις) — "justification"¶

Original: δικαίωσις Transliteration: dikaiosis Definition: From dikaioo; acquittal (for Christ's sake). Feminine noun. Total NT occurrences: 2 (both in Romans)

Key Verses¶

Rom 4:25 — "raised again for our justification (dikaiosis)"
Rom 5:18 — "by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification (dikaiosis) of life"

Significance¶

This term appears ONLY in Romans (2x). It refers specifically to the legal act of acquittal — God declaring the believer righteous. This is distinct from dikaiosyne (the quality of righteousness) and dikaioma (the righteous requirement/act).

G4102 — pistis (πίστις) — "faith"¶

Original: πίστις Transliteration: pistis Definition: From peitho; persuasion, credence; moral conviction of religious truth. Feminine noun. Total NT occurrences: 222 (BLB: 244)

Usage in Romans¶

~40 occurrences in Romans. Key passages: - Rom 1:17 — "the just shall live by faith" (quoting Hab 2:4) - Rom 3:22-31 — faith as the instrument of justification; faith establishes law (v.31) - Rom 4:5-20 — Abraham's faith counted as righteousness; faith before circumcision - Rom 5:1-2 — "justified by faith, we have peace with God" - Rom 10:6, 8, 17 — "the righteousness of faith"; "the word of faith"; "faith cometh by hearing"

Significance¶

Paul pairs faith and law as complementary, not contradictory: "Do we make void the law through faith? God forbid: we establish the law" (3:31). Faith is the instrument of justification; law is the standard of righteousness. Both are needed; neither replaces the other.

G5056 — telos (τέλος) — "end / goal / purpose"¶

Original: τέλος Transliteration: telos Definition: From tello (to set out for a definite point or goal); end, conclusion, goal, purpose. Neuter noun. Total NT occurrences: 39 (BLB: 42)

Translations¶

Translation	Count	Percentage
end	14	35.9%
the end	13	33.3%
custom	3	7.7%
other	9	23.1%

Key Verse¶

Rom 10:4 — "Christ is the telos of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth"

The 1 Timothy 1:5 Parallel¶

1 Tim 1:5 — "the telos of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart" This is the decisive parallel: identical construction (telos + law/commandment), and in 1 Tim 1:5, telos clearly means "goal/purpose" (the goal of the commandment is love), not "termination" (the commandment has not ended). Per the existing romans-10-4-telos study, this confirms: Christ is the GOAL of the law, the one to whom the law pointed.

Etymological Note¶

The root tello means "to set out for a definite point or goal." The word inherently carries the sense of a destination or objective, not merely cessation.

G5485 — charis (χάρις) — "grace"¶

Original: χάρις Transliteration: charis Definition: Graciousness as gratifying, of manner or act; unmerited favor. Feminine noun. Total NT occurrences: 146 (BLB: 156)

Usage in Romans¶

Rom 3:24 — "justified freely by his grace"
Rom 4:4, 16 — grace vs. debt; "of faith, that it might be by grace"
Rom 5:2, 15, 17, 20 — "this grace wherein we stand"; grace abounds more than sin
Rom 6:1, 14 — "shall we sin that grace may abound?"; "not under law but under grace"
Rom 11:5-6 — remnant "according to the election of grace"

Significance for Law Study¶

Grace and law are not opposed; grace and works-righteousness are opposed. Being "under grace" (6:14) does not mean the law is abolished — Paul immediately asks "shall we sin?" and answers "God forbid" (6:15). Grace provides what the law demands but could not produce through the flesh (8:3-4).

G266 — hamartia (ἁμαρτία) — "sin"¶

Original: ἁμαρτία Transliteration: hamartia Definition: From hamartano; sin (properly abstract): offence, sinful. Feminine noun. Total NT occurrences: 134 (BLB: 174)

Usage in Romans¶

~45 occurrences in Romans — concentrated in chapters 5-8. Paul personifies sin as a ruling power: - Rom 5:12-21 — sin entered through Adam; reigned unto death - Rom 6:1-14 — dead to sin; sin shall not have dominion - Rom 7:7-25 — sin takes occasion by the commandment; dwells in the flesh - Rom 8:2-3 — "law of sin and death"; God condemned sin in the flesh

Connection to Law¶

1 John 3:4 defines hamartia as anomia (lawlessness): "sin is the transgression of the law." Paul's argument: sin is known through the law (Rom 7:7), exposed by the law (7:13), but not caused BY the law (7:12-13). The law is good; sin is the problem.

G4561 — sarx (σάρξ) — "flesh"¶

Original: σάρξ Transliteration: sarx Definition: Flesh, the body; by extension human nature (with sinful tendencies). Feminine noun. Total NT occurrences: 128 (BLB: 151)

Usage in Romans¶

~26 occurrences. Key passages: - Rom 7:5, 18, 25 — "when we were in the flesh"; "in my flesh dwelleth no good thing"; "with the flesh the law of sin" - Rom 8:1, 3-6, 8, 12-13 — "walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit"; the law was "weak through the flesh"; "they that are in the flesh cannot please God" - Rom 13:14 — "make not provision for the flesh"

Significance for Law Study¶

Rom 8:3 — "what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh" — the limitation is in the FLESH, not in the law. The law's inability to justify is not a defect in the law but in sinful human nature (the flesh). The Spirit overcomes this limitation (8:4).

G4151 — pneuma (πνεῦμα) — "spirit / Spirit"¶

Original: πνεῦμα Transliteration: pneuma Definition: From pneo; current of air, breath; by analogy spirit (rational soul, vital principle, divine influence). Neuter noun. Total NT occurrences: 342 (BLB: 385)

Usage in Romans¶

~21 occurrences in Romans 8 alone. The Spirit is the agent who enables what the law demanded: - Rom 7:6 — "serve in newness of spirit, not in the oldness of the letter" - Rom 8:1-2 — "walk...after the Spirit"; "the law of the Spirit of life" - Rom 8:4-6 — Spirit-walkers fulfill the righteousness of the law; spiritually minded = life and peace - Rom 8:9-14 — Spirit dwells in believers; mortify deeds of body through Spirit; led by Spirit = sons of God

Significance for Law Study¶

The Spirit does not replace the law but enables its fulfillment. The contrast is not law vs. Spirit, but flesh vs. Spirit. The Spirit writes the law on hearts (2 Cor 3:3; cf. Jer 31:33), enabling the obedience the flesh could not produce.

G1378 — dogma (δόγμα) — "decree / ordinance"¶

Original: δόγμα Transliteration: dogma Definition: From dokeo; a law (civil, ceremonial, or ecclesiastical). Neuter noun. Total NT occurrences: 5 only

Key Observation¶

Dogma appears only 5 times in the NT: Luke 2:1 (Caesar's decree); Acts 16:4 (apostolic decrees); Acts 17:7 (Caesar's decrees); Eph 2:15 ("law of commandments contained in ordinances"); Col 2:14 ("handwriting of ordinances").

Dogma is NEVER used in Romans. Per law-08 study, dogma is never associated with the Decalogue. It refers to civil decrees or ceremonial regulations, not the moral law. This is significant because the abolition passages (Eph 2:15; Col 2:14) use dogma, not nomos, confirming they address ceremonial/civil ordinances, not the moral law.

All data retrieved using search_strongs.py --lookup and --lexicon