What We Do Is Not What We Want To Do

Readings:
Nehemiah 1
Romans 7:7-15

Focus:
Romans 7:15: "I do not even acknowledge my own actions as mine, for what I do is not what I want to do, but what I detest."

As Paul continues to write about the difference between being saved by perfect obedience to law (which is impossible), and being saved by God's free gift of grace, he discusses the paradox that knowing the law also makes us know what sin is, and sin uses the law to seduce us to sin more. What a typical thing for evil to do--use something good to entice us away from the true good.

And Paul then shows how enslaved to sin we are when we are without God. We are helpless. We know what is right to do, but we cannot do it. We continue to do what is wrong. Even if we don't do terrible things, we still do little wrong things. What we do is not what we want to do, but what we detest.

We need someone more powerful than us to save us from this. And that's why God provided Jesus.