A reflective autobiography written in the late fourth century A.D., The Confessions is acknowledged as one of the classics of Christian literature, popular for its candor and sophisticated yet accessible arguments for the Christian faith.
My favourite quote so far is a prayer by Augustine, prayed in the heat of his adolescent years, "Grant me chastity and self-control, but please not yet." It expresses the age-old experience of man who wills to do good, yet lives with the tension of opposing affections. One part of me desires self-restraint; the other part of me desires no restraint. One part of me desires purity, the other impurity. One part desires selflessness, the other selfishness. One part desires an upward call, the other a downward pull.
In Romans 7:21, Apostle Paul describes his experience in these words, "...when I want to do good, evil is right there with me." However the beauty of the gospel is that it does not simply relate to our condition, it releases us from our condition! Paul does not leave us stranded at the problem, but in verse 25 leads us to the solution - Jesus Christ, in whom we have freedom from the law of sin and the gracious gift of no condemnation (8:1).
Thank God for Jesus...and for the candid confessions of godly men!
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