Romans 7 -- Exactly How I Feel

“I don’t do what I WANT to do, and I DO what I DON’T want to do!  I’m miserable!”

 

Paul feels like the rest of us here.  He keeps finding himself doing things he doesn’t want to do, and not doing what he knows he should be doing, and he discovers that it’s our old nature that’s the problem.  “Since we have a sinful nature, the law is bound to arouse that nature the way a magnet draws steel.  Something in human nature wants to rebel whenever a law is given … Legalism makes us more sinful.  Why?  Because the law arouses sin in our nature,” my commentary said.  It’s crazy, but simply telling us not to touch something causes us to crave doing it!  Had the law not mentioned it, we might never have thought to do it, but since it did, now like a magnet we are drawn to it!

 

“See how sinful sin is when it can use something good like the Law to produce such tragic results!” my commentary added.

 

We have to realize that because of this “attraction”, the law can’t change us, it can’t enable us to do good, and it can’t set us free.  “The flesh is at war with God.  But the Spirit can only obey the law of God!  Therefore, the secret of doing good is to yield to the Holy Spirit… It is our union with Christ that enables us to serve God acceptably.”

 

Father, it’s a miserable existence when we try to go it on our own, saying, “I’ll never do that again!”  We end up only failing and becoming more miserable.  Thank You for giving me Your Holy Spirit to enable me to say no to my old nature, trusting You to guide me and keep me attracted to You and not to sin.  How wretched I’d be without You!

 

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford