Romans 7:7-25
The Struggles with Sin
7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead.9 Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.
13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.
14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
Mark 10:18
Only God is Good
18 "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone."
Matthew 5:44-48
Be Perfect as God is Perfect and Love Your Enemies
44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 7:13-14
The Narrow and Wide Gate
13 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Even the Great Saints struggled with sin...Sin lives in us and sin dwells in us and the Great Saints...Sin gives us our sinful nature...And so we struggle being what we can and carrying out all the goodness that can be, because of our sins...St. Paul says "I do not understand what I do...For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do...And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good...As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me...For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature...For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out...For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing...Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it...
Sin is messy...And St. Paul saw this messiness of sin...He saw this sin in himself and others as he preaches the good news of the gospel...Following Jesus and His teachings are hard and difficult...Following Jesus and when we follow Him closely it makes us look at ourselves and our sins...We see through His goodness and His perfection and we find it easier to spot sin...
I sometimes think, I am not so bad...But Jesus exposes each speck of dust in each of our rooms...Maybe I have a tidy room, one room that is pretty good...Jesus exposes us and we must look at each and every room, in our house...C. S. Lewis said, “Imagine yourself as a living house...God comes in to rebuild that house...At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised...But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense...What on earth is He up to?...The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards...You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace...He intends to come and live in it Himself.”...
Imagine wanting things to be comfortable in my neat little cottage...Doing what you want each and everyday, could be easy...If life were that easy, if one could believe and do whatever they want...That would be nice...But Truth, Goodness, and Perfection all the time (and for eternity) has a cost to it...And small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to eternal life...
For me, Christianity is not the easiest of religions...For me, it is not a comforting religion in the sense that Jesus wants us to look at the sins we have, in each and every room...The road is narrow...It is hard because of the constant goodness and eternal perfection of a Man, who came and said what He said and did what He did...He answers the tough questions of life, and somehow does it all through LOVING and dying for us...But when one thinks about this, Truth is expensive...And Truth is not necessarily comforting, in the short term...Being perfectly honest all the time is hard...Each and everyday being perfect and good and loving to each neighbor and to each enemy...Completely forgiving all who have harmed or trespassed on you...Truth has this cost...The One who was Perfectly Good paid the price for us...He paid for it with His death...He paid it out of His LOVE for us...