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Paul’s Epistle to the Romans
December 12, 2021
Opening Prayer
All-powerful God, your eternal Word took flesh on our earth
when the Virgin Mary placed her life at the service of your plan. Lift our
minds in watchful hope to hear the voice which announces his glory and open our
minds to receive the Spirit who prepares us for his coming. We ask this through
Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prolegomena
This is a confession of a reality we cannot see with our
eyes.
Romans 7:21-25
21 So I find it to be a law that when
I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I
delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but
I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and
making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched
man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks
be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God
with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
v.21
I find a law – a universal principle, repeatable,
dependable.
In my willing to do good – there is a sense of action here, not as if this desire just comes upon us, but as a new person in Christ there is a real desire to do the good he calls us to do. (The Third Function of the Law: Guide)
That to do evil is present.
The juxtaposition of good and evil is somewhat buried in the
ESV which uses right vs. evil.
- Holiness and Sinfulness are polar opposites.
- Light and Darkness.
- We decry the idea that things can be “black and white” – we prefer “grey.”
- These are among the difficult aspects of life in this world
o
The little compromises, living in the grey
o
Exchanging good for evil and evil for good (Isaiah
5:20)
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Usually rooted in our own ideas of good or evil.
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Sometimes it is a defense from living in a
fallen world – we think that there is always a “good” choice. Sometimes there
is only less bad and we must sin boldly.
- Acknowledge each … the resolution is coming. (v. 25!)
v. 22
In my inner being – literally “inner man.”
- The part of us people can’t see.
- The inner life is expressed in the outer life.
o
That time I really lit Chuck up on choir tour. And
Von Kampen’s wisdom.
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