A Journey Through Romans

Romans 7:21-24 “I do not understand my own actions. I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Romans

This is Paul at his most frank, but veering on the depressed. He is surely writing about libido, the law in his members which is at war with the law of his mind. Though Paul did not face a world of advertisers and media stirring up the law in his members, he was still upset by the tug of the flesh.

It reminds me of this story. A man entered a bar, bought a glass of beer and then immediately threw it into the bartender’s face. Quickly grabbing a napkin, he helped the bartender dry his face while he apologised with great remorse. “I’m so sorry,” he said. “I have this compulsion to do this. I fight it, but I don’t know what to do about it.” “You had better do something about your problem,” the bartender replied. “You can be sure I’ll remember you and will never serve you another drink until you get help.”

It was months before the man faced the bartender again. When he asked for a beer, the bartender refused. Then the man explained that he had been seeing a psychiatrist and that his problem was solved. Convinced it was now okay to serve him, the bartender poured him a drink. The man took the glass and splashed the beer into the barkeeper’s astonished face. “I thought you were cured,” the shocked bartender screamed. “I am,” said the man. “I still do it, but I don’t feel guilty about it anymore.” Well, maybe he missed the point of God’s healing grace.

Have you ever heard of the interrobang? The interrobang, is an unconventional punctuation mark used in various written languages and intended to combine the functions of the question mark, or interrogative point, and the exclamation mark, or exclamation point, known in the jargon of printers and programmers as a "bang". For many of us, this is a symbol of faith’s seesaw and may well illustrate Paul’s dilemma 

Lord, I know that feeling of conflict, but please do not rescue me just yet from this body of death. It is what I am; it keeps me humble. Amen