Rochester, MN UCC - "The Need for Grace" - Romans 7:15-25a

When many of us become teenagers, we are struck with the hypocrisy of those around us. Our teachers, our parents, even our clergy, are suddenly revealed to be consistently unable to practice what they preach. If we continue to mature after our teenage years, we often come to realize that it is not only those people out there who are hypocrites; it’s us too. All of us fall short of our own ideals, we all know what it is to behave in ways we truly wish that we hadn’t.  

 The Apostle Paul gives an analysis of his own hypocrisy in the 7th chapter of Romans that is stunningly self-aware. He says that he can’t understand his own actions, “For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing that I hate.” He agrees with God’s law, he wants to follow it, to do what he knows to be good, and yet, he says, “I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.”  Can you relate to what Paul is saying? Have you ever struggled to change, actually struggled to do the very thing you wanted to do? Have you ever done something you knew was wrong, something you didn’t want to do? If so, let me reassure you that you are not alone- at the very least Paul and I can relate. I would even suggest that everyone can relate, for I agree with Paul that moral weakness, a struggle against the power of sin within us, is simply a part of human nature as we know it.

 For many of us Paul’s conception of human nature as sinful is a bit distasteful, but I want to suggest that his low view of human morality can actually help us to better love God and our neighbor. Giving up on the idea of our own moral perfectibility allows us to view others with a sense of compassion and empathy. We know what it is like to need a second chance, to have made serious mistakes, to be in need of grace and a savior. Because we know and appreciate all that God has done for us when we least deserved it, we become willing to extend grace and love to others who are struggling. If you’re struggling to change, struggling to do the next right thing, remember that Jesus came precisely to save the lost, to redeem the sinners, he came for people like you and me. The grace of God is for all of us. When we accept grace for ourselves, we may find it becomes much easier to extend it to another. 

 Rev. Andrew Greenhaw