Misery

Passage: Romans 7:7-25

In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul addresses the terrible dilemma imposed by the Law of God. The Law, he says, provides a window into the very will of God. The Law makes clear what God expects of his people. Instead of this bringing relief and assurance, however, it only brings despair. Why? Because Paul simply can’t meet the demands of God’s Law sin. Because of this, says Paul, the only thing the Law does is reveal my misery – my sheer and utter separation from God. “What a wretched person I am,” laments the Apostle. “What I long to do I do not; the thing I don’t want to do I find myself doing. What can possibly save me?”

In setting the stage for the Gospel, the Heidelberg Catechism introduces an unavoidable proviso. According to its second question and answer, no person can qualify for the grace of God through Jesus Christ without first acknowledging his or her “misery” – his or her innate separation from God. How do we find out about this unenviable condition? According to Lord's Day 2, we are made aware of our misery by none other than the Law of God. This is the standard according to which we were meant to live. This is the measuring stick determining whether we are worthy to be called God’s friends. And this is the metric that reveals us, again and again, to be sorely lacking. If we care about it all – this business of being right with God – then we at some point cast our lot with Paul. We too ask the question: “Who will deliver me from this ‘body of death’; who can save me from my misery?” We just don’t have what it takes.

Just when it seems Paul has presented us with an insoluble problem, he sheds a glimmer of hope. “Thanks be to God,” he says, “through Jesus Christ our Lord!” What does he mean? Simply this: God has made another way. A loophole. A way to be made right with God even when you can’t live up to God’s standards. You can’t understand what good news this is until you’ve come to terms with the bad news – the bad news of your own misery.