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NASB | Romans 7:24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 7:24 Wretched and miserable man that I am! Who will [rescue me and] set me free from this body of death [this corrupt, mortal existence]? |
Subject: Who is the Wretched Man? |
Bible Note: Greetings All I enjoy doing exegetical studies, so I thought I would post one on the 'wretched man' of Romans 7:24. The identity of this 'wretched man' is crucial to a proper understanding of the relationship between sin and a believer. Even though chapters 6 and 8 clearly state that believers are no longer slaves to sin and are called to (and capable of) living holy lives, many persist in believing that Romans 7:14-25 not only describe the Christian experience, but is the best that one can hope for in this life. Let's look at the text to see if this interpretation holds water! 1) Who is the 'I' of this passage? The simplest approach is that the 'I' refers to Paul himself. There is some support, both in Scripture and in ancient texts for a universal 'I', but it seems that Paul is clearly referring to himself in this passage. As we shall see though, what can be said of him, can also be said of us all. However, which 'I' is Paul describing? Is he describing himself as a Christian or is he describing himself prior to his salvation? There are several reasons why Paul cannot be describing himself as a Christian. a) The description of himself in Romans 7:14-25 directly contradicts his description of the Christian life in relation to sin in both chapter 6 and 8. How can a Christian be described as a 'slave to sin' (Rom. 7:14) when Paul himself just said in Rom. 6:16 that we 'used to be slaves to sin' and that we have been 'set free from sin' (6:18)? How can it be said of a Christians in Rom. 7:25 that we are 'a slave to the law of sin' when in Rom. 8:1 Paul says that we have been 'set me free from the law of sin and death' and in 8:9 that we are not 'controlled not by the sinful nature'? These are issues that cannot be ignored! If Paul is describing the normative Christian experience in relation to sin in Rom. 7:14-25, he directly contradicts everything he also says in Romans 6 and 8. b) Secondly, Paul cannot be describing himself as a Christian, because Rom. 7:14-25 describes someone who is 'incapable of not sinning'. This is a point that is usually ignored when the identity of the wretched man is discussed. Many have argued that Paul is describing himself from the perspective of years of maturity, having realized over time how far short he falls from God's holiness. I would certainly concede that as we grow in Christ, we have a greater understanding and apprehension of God's holiness and our sinfulness. However, Paul does not say in this passage that he sometimes fails God. He says that he always does what he does not want to do and never does what he wants to do (v. 18-20). Can it really be said of a Christian's life that we never do what we want to do? Can it be said that we always do what we don't want to do? 3) Conclusion: I will have to post other parts to this study, but allow me to close with this point. Paul is not describing himself as a Christian, but as a Pharisee. Before he came to Christ, he wanted to obey God's Law but COULD NOT! Before he came to Christ, he was a 'slave to sin'. Before he came to Christ, he as a wretched man, but now... We cannot stop at Romans 7:25! We must continue on to Romans 8:1 where Paul describes the present reality for him as a believer. I will post on this topic again and address the 'but now...' of Romans 8 in the near future. For now though, I offer this challenge. If Paul is describing the Christian experience in Rom. 7:14-25, please demonstrate from the text how one can be a 'slave to sin' (ch. 7) and 'not a slave to sin' (ch. 6) at the same time? Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |