Justin Appel

Dear Friends in Christ,

Today, we read a particularly tricky passage in St. Paul’s letter to the Church in Rome.

Romans 7:13-25

St. Paul sets out for us a struggle which we all experience as Christians: that between our ‘fleshly’ desire to transgress God’s commandments, and the spiritual desire to live according to God’s will. For Paul, this sinful tendency is symbolized by the term ‘flesh’ — but this word refers not to the body itself (which is good), but to the unredeemed individual who is under the power of sin.

Rather than seeing this discussion as a battle between the spirit and the body, St. Paul seems to be setting up a dichotomy between our nature and ‘sin and death’, which are alien powers. This is following an Easter Christian interpretation, but it does make profound sense. According to such a framework, sin is not a part of our created nature — it rather comes from outside of us. We may immerse ourselves in sins, true, but those sins never become who we are, fundamentally; rather, they remain an alien (read demonic) force that may reside in us.

Why does this reading of St. Paul’s letter matter? Well, if it’s true, it means that when we sin, we are acting like somebody else. It also means we can mistakenly define ourselves in terms of our sins, rather than by the grace and beauty of God’s design. God made us, not to be rebellious creatures, but to reflect the divine image, to be transparent, living icons, revealing Christ to others.

I don’t know how this idea strikes you, but for me it is life-giving. This passage describes the reality that our lives will be a real spiritual battleground, a place where we daily and ultimately attempt to live according to God’s purpose and loving design, or according to the demonic powers of sin and death. It's going to be a daily struggle, with daily wins and losses!

In spite of his exasperation at this epic tension — which we all feel! — St. Paul goes on to say that ‘there is no condemnation’ for the repentant sinner who remains in Christ Jesus (we ‘remain’ in him through faith and baptism) and who walks ‘according to the Spirit’ (Rom. 8:1). These are words to engrave in our thoughts!

Yours in Christ,
Justin

Today's Lessons: Psalm 119:145-176, Numbers 22:41-23:12, Romans 7:13-25, Matthew 21:33-46