But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. - Romans 7:8 –10 (ESV)

We are confused about what part God's law is to play in our personal and public lives. One example that has caused controversy especially in Alabama is the posting of the 10 Commandments. These clear unshifting delineations of God's standards stand in contrast to our moral fluidity of our culture. No matter how you feel about their public display, there is a great question to us to ask. 'Do these laws make anybody better?' If we just follow these laws we will be good with God and God will be good with us, right?

We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. - Romans 6:9 –11 (ESV)

We doubt if anybody can really change. This doubt is driven not by what we know about others but what we know about ourselves. It seems as much as we try, resolve, plan, and seek help, change is an elusive character.

What Christianity offers however is not resolve or self-control leading to change, but a change that is occasioned outside of us and without us. In fact, in one way you could say it's change that is imposed on us.

Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. - Romans 7:4 (ESV)

Christians think of themselves as 'law & order' folks. Not the show as much as the attitude. Generally, politically we are for an active civil government that legislates and enforces order. We are positive about the police and we see the system set up as generally just. Anarchy is something to be feared and stopped.

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. - Romans 6:3 –4 (ESV)

How do you grow in your Christian walk? To answer that question many of us will run to habit, methods, studies, lists, and actions. We see our Christian life as something that comes out of us. When we falter, fail, don't achieve, or just sin we feel like a failure and sense the displeasure of God. We go to the Christian book store and look through the aisles and aisles of books of how to be a better mom or dad, husband or wife, or student or teacher, or employee or boss, or scientist or astronaut (Yes, the how to be a Christian astronaut book exists). All the while, I wonder if we truly understand what sanctification is, where it comes from, and who achieves it.

Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. - Romans 6:16 –18 (ESV)

One of Martin Luther's most notable quotes is 'Love God and sin boldly.' This has been used from several corners to accuse him of blatant disregard for God's commands. After all he was a nun-marrying, nail-driving monk with a mallet.

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me." - John 17:20 –21 (ESV)

I sometimes wonder what would happen if the Apostle Paul stepped out of a time machine. What would he think of the church culture? Would he be encouraged or discouraged? What New Testament letter would he demand we go read? Would he wonder how we went from THE church at Corinth or Thessalonica to 6 Baptist, the Roman Catholic church, a couple Methodist, some Church of Christ, a few non-denominational gatherings and more?