Whatever being a saint, holy, and light in the darkness means the greatest embodiment of these wonderful attributes, the Apostle Paul said, “Yes. I am these things. But I am filled with sin.” In his own words: “It is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me…nothing good dwells in me, that is in my flesh (or “in my sinful nature”)…Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Rom 7.17, 18, 24)…
Paul calls us to enter the arena of real life where the law reveals reality to us – that we are not good people. Why would we ever want to do that? Paul’s answer is the story of his own personal breakdown before the law (v.9), and how breakdown is ultimately healing…
In other words, the cosmic acceptance and affection we crave and strive for is not found in people or in our performance but rather is found in Jesus and His performance.
