- Psalm 145 (VU p.866)
- Romans 7:14-25
The Sermon Title is The Devil Made Me Do It???
Early Thoughts: Sometimes Paul gets it right, hits the target squarely in the gold. ANd this seems to be one of those times.
HOw many of us have ever said" oh I know I shouldn't but...."? True often we say it openly for stuff that is relatively meaningless. But we say it inside for more important things. Or else we look back with regret and ask "why did I do something so stupid?!" Paul understands, in fact Paul does the same thing.
This passage brings us to the heart of our understanding of human nature. Why, when we have been taught a better way to live, do we continue to stray from The Way? Do we really have the ability to choose not to "sin"?
Volumes of theological text have been written about this question. Blood has been spilled over it. People have debated, people have removed others from the community because of differing views on this question. And yet it keeps coming up in our lives. And so it seems we have to discuss it every generation as we seek to understnad who we are as individuals and as creations of God.
So how do you understand yourself? How much choice do you have in your actions? Can you choose the right? More accurately -- do you?
ANd in the end do we try to escape accountability when we claim we can't help ourselves? Is it just an excuse to say "The Devil Made Me Do It" or is it a statement about how the world works?
--Gord
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