Why Can’t I Get Better?
Why Can’t I Get Better?
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. (Rom. 7:18)
Paul’s Struggles
The apostle Paul may be the most well-known Christian in history. The Holy Spirit inspired him to author much of the New Testament, and the churches he planted became the seedbed of God’s work in the early decades after Christ. So we often think of Paul as one of the holiest, best Christians who has ever lived. But Paul didn’t think of himself that way, at least according to Romans 7.
God’s Gift to Us
Paul had been a Christian for more than twenty years and had accomplished much for the kingdom of God. He was a paragon of Christian holiness and maturity. Yet here, as in 1 Timothy 1:15, he confesses himself to be riddled with sin. Because of this, some people suggest that Romans 7 speaks of Paul’s preconversion days.
But his use of the present tense, among other things, leads most interpreters to believe he was speaking of his ongoing experience. So why, after all this time, could Paul not find within himself anything good? Romans 7:25–8:1 suggests a reason: that Christ might get all the glory, not Paul. Paul may not have sensed that he himself was getting better, but his sense of appreciation for Christ’s work on his behalf continued to get better throughout his life. And there is little doubt that his looking away to Christ actually made Paul better.
Bottom Line
If you sense that you are not getting better, let this be what causes you to grow in your appreciation of Christ.