This morning I was reading from Romans 7:7-25. It's one of those passages that speaks in such depth and intimacy that it is difficult to understand due to my own lack of depth and contemplation. Paul is speaking about the struggle that Christians have with sin. If you are perfectionist, this passage kills your ego.

Most Christians I know are consumed with living a better life and being a better person. Although it is noble and biblical to try to improve, we reach a point of no improvement. We think we can do better, but we can't. We are faced the utter reality that we are still sinners and still very much in need of a Savior. We can try to do better, but we can't be perfect because we are full of sin...We are messed up.

A song that comes to mind when I read this verse is "From the Moment I Feel Faint" by Relient K.

Am I at the point of no improvement?
What of the death I still dwell in?
I try to excel, but I feel no movement.
Can I be free of this unreleasable sin?

Never underestimate my Jesus.
You're telling me that there's no hope.
I'm telling you your wrong.
Never underestimate my Jesus
When the world around you crumbles
He will be strong, He will be strong.

I throw up my hands
"Oh, the impossibilities"
Frustrated and tired
Where do I go from here?
Now I'm searching for the confidence I've lost so willingly
Overcoming these obstacles is overcoming my fear

Never underestimate my Jesus.
You're telling me that there's no hope.
I'm telling you your wrong.
Never underestimate my Jesus
When the world around you crumbles
He will be strong, He will be strong.

I think I can't, I think I can't
But I think you can, I think you can
I think I can't, I think I can't
But I think you can, I think you can
Gather my insufficiencies and
place them in your hands, place them in your hands, place them in your hands.

Never underestimate my Jesus.
You're telling me that there's no hope.
I'm telling you your wrong.
Never underestimate my Jesus
When the world around you crumbles
He will be strong, He will be strong.

This song speaks of the struggle with sin that all Christians have. We know Jesus died for our sins and that we are saved, but our lives don't seem to be all that different or better than before. And this is the part of Christianity that's so hard to understand. If we love Jesus and we want to do what the Scriptures teaches us, why do we still sin and do the things we don't want to do anymore?

This is the humbling part for every Christian. Paul reminds us that we are no better or more worthy than any other person. We aren't better than non-Christians. We are all the same. We are all sinners. We are all in need of a Savior. Jesus didn't died so that we could live a better life than our neighbor. He died because he knew that on our own we are hopeless. We are all in need of a savior. Everyone. None of us have it all together. That's why the message of Jesus is so powerful and billions of people proclaim his name. We can't do it on our own. We need Jesus to save us...He's our only hope.