Romans 7: What's Wrong With You*

Probably the closest thing we have in the Bible to a tongue-twister is Romans 7:15-21!

You can tell that Paul is wrapped up in knots as he expresses the agony of being in captivity to sin:

"I do not understand what I do.  For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate I do...For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing..."

The problem seems to be a split personality, described in vs. 25: "I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin."

I believe this succinctly describes why so many otherwise brilliant people commit self-destructive acts.  Whenever you discover someone leading a "double life," whether that be a fallen pastor, President, neighbor or co-worker, you can be sure that they didn't set out to shipwreck their lives, careers, families, etc.  "What's wrong with us" is our capacity to be tempted and led astray by sin.  As Paul previously established in Romans, no one is immune.  He even includes himself in this diagnosis.

So what's the solution?

The answer is also found in verse 24-25: "What a wretched man I am!  Who will rescue me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

The Law is not our salvation - it only reveals the problem we have.  The solution is God's grace, made available to us through faith in His Son Jesus.  What's wrong with us is fixed by what's right with God!

*With appreciation to Pastor Josh Smith for the title!