Ignorance is bliss and if not for the law we would be
blissfully ignorant of sin. As it is the law makes us painfully aware of sin’s
death grip on our lives as we with Paul lament “I do not do what I want,
but I do the very thing I hate.” But this confession is not the conclusion of
the matter as if we were given a spiritual loophole for bad behavior. That is
because Paul is not concerned primarily with the actions of the body but rather
the inclination of the heart. “These people honor me with their lips but their
hearts are far from me” (Isaiah 29:13) is how God describes those who hide evil
intent behind the mask of outward piety. Since the locus of the rebellious
nature of the human being is a refusal to be fully human (and by that I mean to
be satisfied being a creature without lusting after Creator status) then Paul’s
cry, “wretched man that I am” is far more serious than simple behavior
modification can resolve. So where does
that leave us? Some would say it leaves us in the lurch and we’ll live our
whole lives struggling with temptations beyond our ability to resist which in
the end leads one to despise God or ourselves or despair altogether. No. The conclusion of
the matter comes in the verses that follow, “Therefore, there is now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus
the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and
death.” (Romans 8:1-2) We do not have to pay our way by penance or accept the
way we are is the way we always will be or reject the system as a set up. The
resolution of “wretched man that I am” is “there is no condemnation”.
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