Something Beautiful
“I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.” Romans 7:21
I love painting. I’m not talking about beautiful landscapes or stunning still life (although I do have a bit of an artistic bent). I’m talking about transforming walls, rooms, and homes from what can seem like a hopeless situation into a beautiful new space. Nothing like a fresh coat of paint to bring a sense of satisfaction and achievement. I recently discovered, however, that I don’t enjoy scraping the old paint. It’s quite laborious and not exactly the instant gratification I am looking for in a paint job. But, as the old saying goes, “If life gives you lemons, turn them into devotions.” (Well, maybe that’s not exactly how it goes.)
When you scrape the old paint off an old house you begin to see that the house has a story, a history, a past. This reminds me how we as Christians have a story, a history, a past. Paul is writing in his letter to the Romans about his relationship with the law and how his “past” pointed him to Christ. But even as a believer in Christ and one who gave us thirteen New Testament books, Paul was never able to completely free himself of his old sinful nature. Even though Paul says, “When I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong,” I find this encouraging.
Paul is reminding us that even with a “fresh coat of paint,” the old layers or sinful nature still lie beneath the surface. Later in Romans 7, Paul begs the question, “Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” (V.24) “Thank God!” He says, “The answer is Jesus Christ or Lord.” In Romans 8 Paul goes on to say, "So now there is no condemnation to those who belong to Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)
The underlying sinful nature is constantly warring against the new life we have in Christ. Sometimes, like Paul, even though we want to do what is right, we find ourselves doing exactly what we didn’t want to do. The good news is that the sin-nature no longer has a right to condemn us. We belong to Christ. In him, there is no condemnation. When we turn away from our sins, we will find only mercy, forgiveness, and restoration. The old layers of paint may still lie beneath the surface, but by his grace, Jesus is continually transforming us into something beautiful.