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. (Rom. 7:20)
Expanded Passage: Romans 7:20
“You must sign the guestbook!” We were about to depart from a delightful Friday morning visit when our host put the record-keeping book before us. It was filled with names—guests she had entertained over the years, recipients of her gifts of hospitality. “Thanks for the visit. I’ve actually been here since Tuesday,” I wrote. While I knew my claim to being a hidden housemate for four days would make my host laugh, I didn’t realize this was an actual phenomenon. Have you heard of it? When a person lives in another’s home without their knowledge, it’s called “phrogging.”
Can you imagine discovering someone secretly living in your home? While at first this would be a terrible shock, it might actually explain some things. A dish or two left out, your favorite mug on a different shelf, the thermostat adjusted—while you might normally overlook such trivialities, they might begin to cause suspicion. Discovering you have a hidden housemate would certainly answer a lot of questions!
That sin lives within is no secret to Paul, but it is only made known by God’s convicting and sanctifying grace. Without God’s grace, we wouldn’t even know about this controlling, hidden housemate! Yet now that we do, what will we do? Will we make sin comfortable, or will we invite in the One who can evict sin from the home that is our heart?
Welcome in Christ to evict sin from your heart!
Aaron Perry serves as director of Wesleyan academic initiatives for Education and Clergy Development of The Wesleyan Church.
© 2024 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
