When we find ourselves moaning away about life, judging other people for how they dress or how they talk, or we’re worrying ourselves to death about family, health, finances and the future of the Free World – who, in actual fact, is thinking those thoughts?
Paul has a shocking surprise for us. It’s not us thinking those thoughts, it’s this other creature, sitting in the passenger seat, this “other law at work, waging war against the law of my mind (Romans 7:23).” But we can’t just push the door open and shove the wretched creature out into the street because, unfortunately, it’s part of us. Wherever we go, it’s always there in the passenger seat, babbling its insanity into our heads.
Paul had such a creature in his life, too. And it never let up. It was like being in a car with a passenger you can’t wait to let out. But the journey never ends, it keeps on going, day after day, and the passenger never stops talking. You know you’re going to explode if it goes on much longer – and that’s exactly what happened to Paul. Eventually he could contain himself no longer and he burst out in verse 24 with, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?”
And that’s the question, isn’t it, when we discover, to our horror, that we’ve never actually been in control of our lives at all, and human beings are really nothing more than robots in the hands of this other creature, who can manoeuvre us in whatever direction it wishes. We can totally hate the thoughts this other creature makes us think, but its thoughts just keep popping into our heads – and there’s never a day we can stop them. And if we try to think right thoughts instead, it only stirs up the wretched creature even more.
It is horrible realizing, as Paul eventually realized as well, that we live in a “body of death.” What a horrible situation to be in, living inside a body that isn’t the least bit interested in preserving us, or in any way making life turn out for the best for us, or even in wishing us well. Instead, it’s mad. It’s completely crazy, nuts from top to bottom, because all it wants to do is make life miserable for us, make us critical, dour and ready for a fight at the slightest provocation. And it doesn’t care one bit if we get injured, or we destroy a relationship by saying something stupid. It hates us! No wonder Paul cried out, “Help, please, anyone”…..
Filed under: The new way of the Spirit
