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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: Part III In my opinion, one of the reasons for the difficulty that so many have with correctly identifying the 'wretched man' of Rom. 7:24 is that chapter divisions force us to artificially break the flow of Paul's argument. In Rom. 7:14-24, Paul describes someone who is a slave to sin (v. 14), unspiritual (v. 14), is indwelt by sin (v. 17), has nothing good living in him (v. 18), desires to do good, but cannot (v. 18), continually does evil (v. 19), and is a prisoner to the law of sin at work in his body (v. 23). Fortunately, Paul's argument does not stop there. He writes in Rom. 8:1, “But, now...”! These two particles are words of contrast. Paul is about to describe an entirely different situation than the one he had just described in Rom. 7:14-24. (See also Rom. 7:6) Interestingly, Paul touches back to chapters 1-5 and deals again with the inability of the Law to save us. He says that God has done what the law could not do “...by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.” (v. 3). As a result of Christ's death, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ (v. 1). However, that is not the only change that has taken place in the life of a believer. Let's compare and contrast the statements of Rom. 7:14-24 with the statements in Rom. 8 about believers who are in Christ. The 'wretched man' is described in Rom. 7:23 and 7:25 as being a slave to the law of sin. However, the believer of Rom. 8:2 is said to be 'set me free from the law of sin and death'. It is said three times of the 'wretched man' in Rom. 7 that he is 'indwelt' by sin. However, in Rom. 8, it is said three times of the believer that he is 'indwelt' by the Holy Spirit. The result is amazing. Paul uses the word 'flesh' or 'sarx' to identify the sin nature that controls us apart from Christ. He uses this word in 13 verses in Rom. 6-8. I don't have time to go through each verse, but here is a list for your personal study (6:19, 7:5, 7:18, 7:25, 8:3-9, and 8:12-13. While I cannot go into each verse, allow me to point out a couple of important ones. Rom. 8:5 tells us that those who life according the 'sarx' have their minds set on what that nature desires. 8:7 tells us that the 'sarx' is hostile to God and cannot obey His law. 8:8 tells us that those who live according to the 'sarx' cannot please God. Remember, it was said of the 'wretched man' in Rom. 7:18 and 25 that he was a slave to sin in his 'sarx'. Note, however, what is said of those who are in Christ in Rom. 8. It is said that we do not live according to the 'sarx', but according to the Spirit (v. 4). Look at Rom. 8:9, “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” The same thing is said in a different way in Rom. 7:5-6, “ For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. 6 But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.” The Scriptures are quite clear on this topic. Apart from Christ, we are controlled by the 'sarx' (Rom. 7:18, 25), cannot please God (Rom. 8:8), do what is contrary to the Spirit (Gal. 5:17), are slaves to sin (Rom. 7:25), and will ultimately die (Rom. 8:13). In Christ, we are no long controlled by the 'sarx', but by the Holy Spirit. Praise the Lord for saving us from this body of death! Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |