If you thought this was a post on travel in the middle of a pandemic lockdown, y’all don’t know me very well. Sorry to disappoint! Truth is, the moment those borders open up, I’m heading straight to Detroit to give Target all my money in exchange for all the things.
Until that blessed day, this is actually about what I consider to be the most relatable words the Apostle Paul ever wrote, found in his letter to the church in Rome.
Since this post will compare parts of Romans 7 and 8, you can read those excerpts here, or check them out below:
So here’s what’s up:
It’s occurred to me that I sometimes give the impression of “having it all together”. Something about being an Enneagram 3?
Well the truth is… it isn’t true. And this passage from Romans gives me the perfect opportunity to prove it.
What I find incredibly refreshing about Paul’s writing in this part of Romans 7, is how deeply personal it is. Read on to see what I mean.
English teacher nerd alert:
In most of Romans, as in his other letters, Paul describes struggles with sin using the First-Person plural, employing us and we pronouns. And just as frequently, uses the Second-Person narrative, you, to unpack his teachings. It’s the latter especially that removes him from the issues he’s addressing in his letters.
But in Romans 7, he blurts out what sounds to me like the first Catholic-vibe confessional. It’s like he’s rambling on about his struggles. He’s a little repetitive, a little redundant, and seemingly more than just a little exasperated.
Honestly, it’s like Paul was telling my story. Literally sentiments I utter to myself on the regular. Here’s one of my favourite lines:
I don’t understand what I do. I don’t do what I want to do. Instead, I do what I hate to do. I do what I don’t want to do!
– Romans 7: 15-16
So this is where the transparency comes in… if you haven’t at least skimmed Romans 7:13-24 up there, please do.
It’s my heart in a nutshell, because this is the truth: I love Jesus with all my heart. I am humbled by His sacrifice, I am moved by His grace, and I am deeply passionate about living my life to honour Him.
However, I’m stuck. So very deeply stuck in this battle within myself. Paul puts it SO well by saying,
…if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help!
– Romans 7:21
So here it is. What I struggle with most is: P A R E N T I N G.
When discussing my parenting woes, I jokingly say: I was very patient until I had kids. Or, I didn’t have anger issues until I became a mom.
Nothing humbles me more than my day in/day out, revolving door, uphill battle with sin in parenting.
I have three great amazing kids. They’re not perfect. Obviously. But being their mother sure does show me how imperfect I am.
Everyday I tell myself, this is the day I won’t shout at them. This is the day I’ll be exceedingly patient. And although some days are certainly better than others…
What I don’t understand about myself, is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise.
– Romans 7:15 (also, literally me)
On hard days, I feel like I’m living in a Romans 7 Groundhog Day. Where I get yet another chance to get it right, only to find that nothing’s changed and I’m repeating all the old habits of old nature Tina.
We’re watching church online while my kids hold their Bibles. I mean, come on!
But folks, this was an ugly parenting day.
Knowing what God’s standards are only makes it harder. And this is the exact point Paul’s making in chapter 7. The law cannot transform the old nature; it can only reveal how sinful that old nature is. When I try to live under the law by following God’s standards, I’m only activating the old nature; I could never eradicate it. Because bottom line, the law cannot enable me to do good (W. W. Wiersbe).
What the law (God’s standards) is supposed to do, is show us that we keep missing it. Paul’s chapter 7 ramblings show us exactly that as he ends with:
I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me?
– Romans 7:24
I’m so glad Paul was this candid about his struggle against sin. It’s a relief because, hello, he’s the Apostle Paul!
But he turns a corner in Romans 8 where the ah ha! moment hits, and we can understand the fundamental difference between living for God and allowing His Spirit to live through us.
You see, there comes a moment in every Christian’s journey where, in the New Nature, we must stop saying, “I will now live for God!”, because we’ll always fail in that. True victory over sin is possible, but it cannot be won by us. No, it’s already been won by Christ! We must learn, as Paul did, that it is a matter of yielding, submitting, and letting the Spirit of God to live the Christian life through us.
As Paul said in another letter:
It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
– Galatians 2:20
(I’ve got a cool story about that verse which you can check out in this post!)
And that’s where we can finally begin to understand the beauty of Romans 8. You see, without chapter 7, there’s no way we could fully appreciate the profound truths of chapter 8.
Early in chapter 8, Paul establishes that,
The law always ended up being used as a Band-Aid on sin instead of a deep healing of it.
– Romans 8:4
He then goes to extreme lengths to show how deeply loved we are by God. That if we surrender to Christ, and allow His Spirit to live through us, there is NOTHING that can separate us from His love for us.
The following passage makes a great case for how my sin struggle doesn’t get to win. No matter how dark or discouraging it might feel.
Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times…. not even the worst sins listed in Scripture… None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus has embraced us.
– Romans 8:35-39
So listen y’all, secret’s out. I shared the truth about the ugly in my parenting. And though it pains me to be seen in that light, it’s liberating to know that because I’ve surrendered it to the Lord, I truly am free of it! And…
…in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
– Romans 8:37
So I don’t want to live in the defeat of a Romans 7 lawbreaker, but in the victory of a Romans 8 conqueror!
What’s in the Ears
Last blog post I introduced this segment where I’ll be sharing songs that have moved or inspired me! This song was heavy on my heart as I prepared this post. Enjoy!
From The Overflow 