Theology for Everybody: RomansSample

Paul is an honest Christian. He says, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.” The old you is all bad; there’s nothing good. There’s nothing salvageable about who you were before Jesus; there’s nothing redeemable there. Jesus died and came forward in newness of life, so the old you needs to die, and the new you needs to walk away.

If you are a Christian, your deepest desires are to do what is right, but you don’t have the ability to carry it out. This is the honest Christian’s struggle. “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me” (vv. 19–20). This is one of the most debated texts in the entire New Testament. The following is a summary of the three possible perspectives for who Paul addresses in Romans 7:

1. The Carnal Christian.

Some say Paul refers to the carnal Christian—the one who claims Jesus as their Savior, not their Lord. God forgives their sin but doesn’t rule their lives. He has forgiven them, but He hasn’t really changed them.

There was an organization called Campus Crusade for Christ, which recently changed its name to Cru and would show three kinds of people. The first is the non-Christian who is on the throne of their life with Jesus looking on from the outside. The second was the carnal Christian who is still on the throne of their life, with Jesus standing next to them. The third was the spiritual Christian who stands next to Jesus as He is seated on the throne as Lord. Cru would ask people, “Which one do you want to be?” I’ll be honest with you—I don’t like the choices because Jesus is Lord whether you accept or acknowledge that reality or not. We sometimes say, “I made Jesus Lord.” No, you didn’t. Jesus was Lord, no matter what you think or say. The problem with this view is it leads to a hyphenated Christianity. You’re a liberal Christian, a progressive Christian, a gay Christian, or a red-letter Christian (a person who believes only the parts of the Bible that are in red). You want Jesus to forgive you, love you, serve you, save you, and reserve a seat in heaven for you, but you don’t want Him to tell you what to do. Basically, you’re saying, “I don’t want a relationship with you. I like Your gifts but not the Giver.” That’s not loving Jesus—that’s using Jesus.

Jesus is very generous, and He loves us so much He’ll take us as we are, but He also loves us too much to keep us as we are. Paul told us in Romans 2 it’s the kindness of God that leads us to repentance (see verse 4). Jesus loves us, and His love changes us. You can’t meet Jesus and receive His love without starting to experience some change in your life. When I met Jesus, some things changed, and they’re still changing. The closer I get to Jesus, the more change happens. Jesus doesn’t only want to forgive you—He also wants to love you. He wants a relationship with you, and He wants that loving relationship with Him to change you. (Continued on Day 145 ...)

Today’s Reflection

Have you allowed Jesus to change you?