A Lesson from Romans

It's not rare that I ask a student (or five) in my class why he or she does something that he or she know goes against classroom policies on a daily basis.

Three of the most common reponses from said pupils go something a little like this...

1. Shoulder shrug.
2. "I don't know."
Or the ever popular...
3. Blank stare acting like you just asked them how to solve a physics problem while standing on their head. (It's impossible, believe me...the physics problem part that is.)

Number two though would have to be what I hear spill out of most mouths.

When I was little and was asked why I did something I knew was wrong, I often answered with said response as a way to get out of trouble. Whether it was being mean to my sister, letting grades slip, or bad behavior in general...as a child "I don't know" seemed like a logical answer.

But take a moment to think, were there actually times that you in fact didn't know why you were doing something less than friendly?

In the book of Romans, chapter 7 makes it very clear that, because of sin nature, we often tend to make poor life choices eventhough we know better.

Take a gander at the following passage...

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

As my frustrations rose today with students as they partook in that they knew very well not to do, God popped those words into my head. Perhaps some of them actually don't mean to do what they are doing, but do it because of their sin nature...that and the fact that the majority of them are 7 and are still learning to control themselves.

Keep in mind though, we need to fight our sin nature. Simply because we as humans are prone to fall to what is wrong, doesn't mean we can't do all we can to make a decision of what is right.