Pecado

"What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet." But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought dath. For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, decieved me and through the commandment put me to death. So then, the law is holy and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good. Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful. We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave 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. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is not longer I myself who di it, but it is sin living in me.I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 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. 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. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin."
Romans 7:7-25

I have read this passage many many times. However, every time that I have read it I always become so confused because Paul words this section semi-trickily (and yes...I know thats not a word=p ). But this morning was different. I was reading it on the train on the way to work today and all of a sudden it made so much sense. Its like a lightbulb went on in my brain. First of all, I admire Paul. I really do. I find him to be so humble in this passage. I mean he just states how he acts as a result of his sinful nature, hence the whole 'I do what I do not want to do' thing. He doesn't argue, he doesn't deny that that is how his sinful nature works. He just accepts it and states it as fact, and then declares that God is supreme and able to forgive him of the sins he commits as a result of having a sinful nature. This is also the same guy that said "therefore I will boast all the more in my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest upon me". He really does. In his weaknesses, Christ's glory and power may abound and be shown. That was one thing that blew me away by this passage. The second is that I relate to this so much. I have the desire to do good, however I have such a difficult time carrying that desire out. I thought that that was just me. Apparently not. I mean Paul, one of the greatest evangelists of all time, dealt with this too. We all sin huh? Heck yes. And he ends this passage by saying that he is a wretched man...and then goes on to say that Christ isn't and thanks be to God for saving him from his life of sin. It goes to show that Christ can redeem all. He really can. He can take our worst mistakes and use them to honor and glorify God. There is nothing that we can do that can seperate us from the love of God. And we aren't expected to be perfect. We will make mistakes. We will. It's how we learn. And God knows this. He knows that we have a sin nature. He allowed it. Not because that was a part of His perfect will, but because as a result of the birth of sin, we were in need of a savior. And without that sin, there would have been no need for Jesus to die on the cross. See? God didn't plan for sin. That was not a part of His perfect plan. He allowed it to happen. And He used it to glorify Himself all the more. Praise be to God! Now can we just go on sinning with the intention of glorifying God with our sin? haha no! We are called to follow Christ's example, which isn't sin. To honor Him with our lives. To live the best that we can for Him. So I just really wanted to share this passage with you. I hope maybe it speaks to you like it spoke to me this morning. And that the truth is this- que todo de la gente tienen problemas con pecado, pero nuestros Dios enviaba su hijo para salvanos de pecado; y todo la alabanza y honor y gloria a El para esa, por siempre amen.