Romans 7:15-17

Passage

For I perform things I do not understand.  For it is not the things I desire that I do, but the things I hate that I do.  And if I do the things that I do not desire, I assent to the Law that it is good.  And now I no longer perform this but the sin that dwells in me.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

This begins one of the more confusing passages in the New Testament.  So we’ll pull it apart thought by thought and come to the fundamental truth that Paul is speaking not only about human nature, but also in a confessional manner about himself.  He begins with a simple statement: I perform behavior I do not understand.  This is the fundamental expression of sin.  We do things that in the moment feel good, make us happy, or otherwise bring us short-term satisfaction.  Yet after the event when we look back upon us we can’t help but scratch our head and wonder what on earth was going on in our head!  This is the life of a follower of God.  We do things that in the light of God’s truth do not make sense.  Yet we do them in the moment anyway.

Where in your life are you most susceptible living in the moment and not living in God’s greater truth?  How do you respond when other people are living in the moment around you and not in God’s truth?

Second Thought:

Paul then says that if he does what he proclaims to hate, then the Law is good.  The Law convicts us by reminding us that such a behavior is wrong.  The Law also points us to a realization of how much we need Christ!  Both of these things are very good.  In our moments of weakness, we need both of these realities to be true and good.

How do you feel when you are convicted?  Is it easy to think of the Law – that which convicts us and demonstrates how much we need Christ – is good?  Why and why not?

Third Thought:

Then Paul says that it is no longer he who does this behavior but the sin that is within him.  Be careful here.  Paul isn’t trying to say, “I’m not guilty, the Devil made me do it.”  What Paul is saying is that there are two sides to him.  There is the spiritual man within as well as the fleshly, sinful man within.  When he sins, it is not the true man – the man God created – who is acting.  Rather, when Paul sins it comes from the fleshly, sinful, rebellious person within.

How does this passage help us see the war waged inside of us each and every day?  Do you think of your body as a battlefield between righteous and sin?

Passage for Tomorrow: Romans 7:18-20