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Paul Shares His Struggles with Sin
From Romans 7: 15-25a: 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 that the law is good. But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
We are all persons of good intentions. We make resolutions at New Year's, we "give up" things at Lent, we start diets, we buy expensive exercise equipment; all to find ourselves right back where we started. Paul is being honest with God and himself that he is the same way when it comes to saying no to sin. His first statement in this passage could have been penned by you and me. We often do the very thing we hate. We say the things we swore we would never say, we think the things we don't want to think; and we find we sometimes cannot explain our actions to those whom we love but hurt. Paul knew that sin left unattended in our spirits can cause us to sin more and more, leading us to become people of flesh, and not people of faith. We can become people of evil instead of eternity. Paul found himself sounding like David of the Psalms: "Who will reduce me from this body of death?" Paul knows the only answer is found in Jesus Christ so the says, "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
Thanks, indeed, for Him who bore our sins and paid the price for our liberty from sin. Daily we should commit ourselves to God's loving hands by confessing our sins and asking their removal and daily inviting Jesus into our hearts and lives so that we might indeed have a loving relationship with Him. For it is in Christ Jesus that we have the freedom for joyful and fruitful obedience. Praise be to God!
PRAYER: Loving God, help us as we walk to walk towards obedience and faithfulness. Free us from sin today and all days. Let our lives be an example of that which is possible in You. We pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
