15 For what I am working out, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. 16 But if I do the very thing I do not want, I agree with the Law, that it is good. 17 So now, no longer am I the one working it out, but sin which dwells in me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the working out of the good is not. Romans 7:15-25 (LSB) Read verses 19-25 on the site.
There is a great deal of false teaching going on in the visible Church in our time. One of those teachings has to do with the nature of salvation. I grew up as a Southern Baptist and remained one until 2006. Of course, I was not a Christian until January 1986 and there are even times as I look at how I have matured and become dedicated more and more to my devotion to walk before my Lord according to His will at all times, I wonder if my true salvation took place back in 2004 instead….
In any case, the reason for this is that as I take inventory of my Christian walk I see inconsistencies. I see periods of very high devotion intermixed with periods of self-focus. The periods of repentance afterwards are both incredibly sweet and heart-rending, much like the Apostle’s statement from Romans 7:24. The sweetness comes from the knowledge that I am forgiven according to God’s Grace and will not be judged for my sin, since I am in Christ, according to God’s Mercy.