Jesus Famous With Nate Holdridge

  Gospel Scope: The Ongoing Battle (Romans 7:7-25) Not counting little fender benders here and there, I have been in two major car accidents. Every day, I feel fortunate to be alive. In both collisions, however, I saw it coming. In one, I lost control of my car on a wet road, spun out, and crashed into a large tree. In the other, an oncoming truck crossed the center line and plowed into my driver’s side door, knocking me into a small ravine on my side of the road. They were both horrible experiences. I cannot imagine, however, being blindsided. To never see it coming, to never brace yourself, would feel so shocking. In Romans 7, Paul is protecting us from getting blindsided by a battle within us. You see, if we read of the new way of the Spirit at the beginning of Romans 7, we might begin to think we are already there, or at least that we should be. Spiritual talk can be destructive if it ignores the reality of the battle within. We should not act as if we are wholly sanctified when we are not. We should not