Good morning. In Romans chapter 7 the apostle Paul speaks of a situation that is well known to each of us. We struggle to know and to live by that which is righteous, and to avoid that which is not. Paul speaks of the work of the Old Testament Law, that it served good, spiritual purposes. Those purposes include the revelation of God’s will; the commands to righteous thoughts, words, and behaviors; and that no one, no matter how committed we might be, can accomplish adequate righteousness on our own. We need help. We need a Savior.
Paul wrote that he continued to fight an inner battle of good versus evil: For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. Romans 7:15-20
Paul personifies sin, recognizing the work of our true enemy within him. He is frustrated and disappointed in himself. He knows what he should do but too often isn’t doing it, and he knows what he should never do and too often finds himself engaged in those thoughts and behaviors. What is a person to do?
Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. Romans 7:24-25
Thanks be to God for our Savior Jesus! He is greater than our sin, greater than our weakness, greater than the pain our failures cause. He is greater, and He is our Savior!
Vern