THE STORY OF JESUS: Romans 7:13-20
“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.” (Romans 7:20)
In “The Family Circus” by Bil Keane, there is the character “Not Me!”
This is the kids excuse when accused of doing something wrong.
Is Paul using the same excuse: “it is no longer I who do it…”?
Paul is not making excuses, he wants to understand what is going on inside of himself.
Why do we do stupid things, even though a part of us wants to stop?
There is something IN us, in our nature, that moves us towards folly.
We have a condition, a natural disposition, a virus, a disease.
“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.” (Romans 7:18)
What this means is that change is not just a matter of trying harder, or willpower.
Our whole being, including our willpower, is affected, and so we are trapped.
This is not an excuse, it is a reality that we must face and deal with.
We are helpless by ourselves, but we are NOT helpless or hopeless.
Our help, our hope, lies outside of ourselves, with the One that made us.
It is not enough to cry out ‘not me’ to get off the hook.
We need to cry out, ‘something in me is ruining me, help me!’
Stronger laws and tougher punishments won’t help us, we need soul-surgery, heart transformation.
We need to be changed from the inside out, and only God can do that.
As we will see, this is exactly what God is doing for us… if we will receive it.
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, I am helpless by myself, but I am not helpless with You. Help me to surrender to Your grace, that I may truly be free!