{"id":225496,"date":"2024-06-18T09:48:16","date_gmt":"2024-06-18T16:48:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vayhub.us\/rdpt22\/?p=225496"},"modified":"2024-06-18T09:48:18","modified_gmt":"2024-06-18T16:48:18","slug":"ra12e","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vayhub.us\/rdpt22\/ra12e","title":{"rendered":"RA12e"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Is the story over?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n

24<\/sup>Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25<\/sup>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.<\/p>\nRomans 7:24–25 (NIV)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The Christian heart is a paradox, a beautiful contradiction that echoes the words of Paul in Romans 7:24-25. It is a heart that cries out in desperate anguish, overwhelmed by its own wretchedness and failure: “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24). When we truly understand the depth and breadth of God’s holy law, when we honestly examine the recesses of our own hearts, we are confronted with an inescapable reality: we are utterly wretched, hopelessly lost in our sin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This realization is painful, but it is necessary. Without it, we will never fully grasp the glory of the gospel, the beauty of received righteousness. We will never truly appreciate the wonder of what God has done for us in Christ. It is only when our hearts are broken by the weight of our sin that we can truly experience the hope and liberation of looking away from ourselves and to the One who saves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And who is this Rescuer? Who can deliver us from this body of death? Paul’s answer rings out with triumphant joy: “Thanks be to God\u2014through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:25). In Christ, we find the answer to our deepest cry, the solution to our most desperate need. He is the one who rescues us from ourselves, who sets us free from the bondage of sin and death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Paul knows that even as believers, our struggle with sin is not over. In our own strength, we will fail. Our mind may be a slave to God’s law, but our flesh is still accustomed as a slave to sin (Romans 7:25). This is the reality of the Christian life: a constant battle, a daily fight to put to death the deeds of the body and to walk in the newness of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And yet, even in this struggle, there is hope. Because the story doesn’t end with chapter 7. In fact, Romans 7:24-25 serve as a beautiful bridge, a transition point that looks back to all that Paul has written before and forward to all that is to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In chapters 1-4, Paul showed us the depths of our sin and the heights of God’s grace in Christ. In chapters 5-6, he spoke of the hope we have in Christ’s righteousness, the new life we have in Him. And now, in chapter 7, he has shown us the ongoing reality of the battle with sin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the story isn’t over. Because in chapter 8 and beyond, Paul will unveil the glorious work of God’s Spirit in the life of the believer. He will show us how the same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead is at work in us, empowering us to live a new life, transforming our hearts and minds to be more like Jesus. [But we won’t get to that until next year]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is our hope. Not in our own efforts, which will always fall short. Not in our own righteousness, which is nothing more than filthy rags. But in the finished work of Christ on the cross. In the power of His Spirit at work within us. In the promise that He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are wretched, but God is rich in mercy. We are weak, but He is strong. We are sinners, but He is the Savior. And in Him, we have everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Thanks be to God\u2014through Jesus Christ our Lord!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are your thoughts on this final reflection on the first 7 chapters of Romans? How are the daily devotionals helpful to you in life? You can text your response back so we can praise God too.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[This material for Romans 7:7-25 was drawn from Tim Keller’s book “Romans 1-7 for You<\/a>“]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is the story over? 24Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25Thanks 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. Romans 7:24–25 (NIV) The Christian heart […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-225496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devo","category-romans"],"yoast_head":"\nRA12e - Redemption Point<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"RA12e - Redemption Point\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Is the story over? 24Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! 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