Romans 7 I Do Not Do What I Desire

Baptized into the Body of Christ
Huron River, MI

Romans 7 NIV
Saints, yet sinners; justified by the blood of Christ, daily we continue to struggle with sin. You and I are not alone in this. Even Paul, who was marvelously converted when he met the ascended Jesus on his way to persecute more Christians, continued to struggle with his sinful self. He wrote:

     "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
     So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (vs 15-25)

The fight with sin is an ongoing battle within us. We confess and ask forgiveness for those things that we have done as well as for those things that we have left undone. We confess and ask forgiveness daily even as we remember our baptisms into the Body of Christ; giving thanks to God who has delivered us from even ourselves.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Psalm 86 - Paradox

It strikes me that the psalmist sometimes might think more of himself than he is. He claims to be faithful to the LORD and trust in Him.  Yet, his prayer is for the LORD to teach him His way and to give him an undivided heart.

It is a paradox.  On the one hand we love the LORD.  We know there are no other gods greater than He. We put our trust in Him.  On the other hand, we also know that we are sinners.  We know that our hearts are divided and the world pulls our hearts toward other things, people, places, etc. all of the time.  We know that there is no god like our God.  Yet, we do not always put the LORD above all things.  We do not worship and serve Him as we know we ought to do. It is as St. Paul wrote: 

Who shall save us from this miserable condition?  Who shall bring joy to our hearts?  It is as St. Paul wrote:  "So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.  For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:21-25 NIV)

Thanks be God!
God's Peace - Pr. J