Take a moment to read Romans 7:14-25 before reading the devotional below.
This is perhaps the most relateable chapter in all of the Bible. Paul captures the inner struggle that we all face — we know what we want to do, we have good intentions, yet we continually sin and fail. Paul is continuing to build his argument about why the Jewish law was not enough for salvation. The law is good, it reveals God’s heart, it shows us a good way to live. But following the law perfectly is impossible. Even when you study it and set your heart on doing exactly what God wants, you will fail.
Paul is using himself as an illustration, showing that there is no spiritual peak we all can climb to where we will no longer struggle. If Paul, called by God to be an apostle, isn’t a spiritual giant who can rise above sin, then none of us have a shot either. Paul does a great job of capturing the war between our flesh and our spirit. We are divided creatures.
Here’s your freedom for today: God is not surprised by your struggle. God did not hand down his laws and find himself shocked that no one could follow them. He gave the law knowing that humans living in a cursed world could never work their way out of it. Over and over again, Paul reminds us that God gave us the law in order to reveal our total inability to get right with God on our own. We need a Savior. You need a Savior. I need a Savior. Jesus came to fulfill the law, release us from our obligation to sin, and bring us back into a right relationship with God. Even when you don’t get it right, and you try and fail (again), God just wants to love you.