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Romans Commentary Chapters 1-8  /  Romans 6:8-15 We Must Not Let Sin Rule Over US  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 7
Ambrosiaster is quoted: “If the human race had loved from the beginning, there never would have been any wickedness on earth”; what does that claim imply about the root of sin and the nature of holiness, and where do you find yourself resisting such a sweeping statement?
Another way to ask: Ambrosiaster says if people had loved from the start, there would be no evil. What does that suggest about where sin really comes from, and what part of that claim do you struggle to accept?

Direct Answer The transcript suggests Ambrosiaster is saying wickedness flows from a failure to love, and holiness is fundamentally love lived out; resisting the statement usually means we suspect sin is mainly about breaking rules rather than harming others through lovelessness.

Support from Transcript:

  • Ambrosiaster is quoted: “If the human race had loved from the beginning, there never would have been any wickedness on earth,” tying the existence of wickedness to the absence of love.
  • Paul’s logic supports this: the commandments are “briefly summed up” in “love your neighbor as yourself.”
  • The moral outcome is practical: “Love works no harm to its neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.”
  • Origen’s examples show how love prevents major sins: if we love, we won’t “murder,” “commit adultery,” “bear false witness,” or “desire…things that belong to” another.
  • Polycarp is quoted in a similar direction: “The person who has love is far from every sin.”
Discussion Follow-ups Which sins do you find hardest to connect to “harm to neighbor,” and why? Does thinking of sin as lovelessness expose areas we excuse because they feel private or justified?

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