Romans 7: 18
For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.
My flesh is polluted by Original Sin.
When the original man, Adam, willfully sinned in disobeying the only rule he had to obey and ate that piece of fruit, it damaged his DNA. And he passed that brokenness to his progeny, and every generation has broken it a little more ever since.
That's why nothing I can do in my flesh is acceptable to God, being polluted by that sin-nature; even my most noble and altruistic endeavors are stained by it.
8: 1
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Now that Jesus has given Himself to be the Lamb of God, He is my personal Sacrifice, who takes my death and pays my debt. And His Blood, splattered on the sides of His altar, the Cross, washes away my sins. So now God forgives me and sees me as "in Christ" as I died and rose with Christ Jesus. And He suffered all the wrath of my condemnation for me.
8: 9
... But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
When I knew that Jesus took my death upon Himself for me, and I died and rose with Him, is when God put His Holy Spirit in me, which is the Spirit of Christ. He lives in my spirit, making it alive, giving me real Life, in addition to my human life.
Now I have the ability to choose to do what is right. And these choices are acceptable to God, being done in the power of His Holy Spirit.
O my Father, You have thought of everything. You are our source of everything. You have planned out and designed everything You made, and Your creation obeys Your "natural laws."
But You have given Mankind a will that is free to choose, so that we can choose to follow Your ways. But we can also choose to disobey Your commands, to our own hurt.
So You sent Your own Son to be our Lord God Almighty, to give us Your rules to live by, and the laws to obey. And to show us what He would do when He came to be our Savior and Redeemer.
Until He saves us from sin, there is nothing we can do. Then, when He puts His Life in us, then we have the power to do what You will accept, and follow Your ways to accomplish the work You planned out for us to do, before You created anything.
And we are Your hands and feet to do all the things You want done. And what You want is for Your family to be complete, and learn to be Your kings and queens to rule with You in Your mighty Kingdom.
So we are here on this Earth, living in the World we made on it, as our school to be educated in all the ways of God to rule and govern righteously.
And when we "graduate," we will be welcomed to Your great banquet table, and take our places as Your children in Your "family business," Your Kingdom.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
