Wretched Man!

Rom. 7:24

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

 

Paul has fully developed the problem that all born again humanity has--that is when I want to do right evil lies close at hand.  For I delight in the law of God in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind, and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Here is the constant struggle!! If Paul had this struggle, I can only imagine the intensity of my struggle. What can be done? How am I to live for Christ in light of this?

 

First, I would think that I must live with an intensely acute awareness of sin. As soon as sin grips me, I must confess and repent. Often though, sin has hold of me and I just go on. My mind develops elaborate scenarios to convince me that I am justified in this sin. Or on the other hand, I am not even aware of my sin and just go on living often excusing any ill behavior as a habit or a personality quirk. This is not the life for me! I must confess and repent! I must keep my communication with God vital at all times.

 

Secondly, I would need to truly reckon myself dead to sin and alive to God. Reckoning means to consider or to believe that it is true, believe it so much that my life it radically changed. It would be similar to a nut allergy, an allergy so strong that it causes anaphylaxis. There is no way in the world that a person with this allergy would eats nuts. Certainly, they wouldn't even cheat at all. Sin should be my nut allergy. It should be something that I constantly stay clear of because of its devastating effects on my spiritual life.

 

If this is true, why did Paul write this? Perhaps so that when my flesh takes the upper hand, I don't beat myself up. I don't live in the dumps of depression. I don't consider myself a failure and unsatisfactory to God. This is where grace comes in cutting out performance. Praise God for grace, the remedy for my sin,

 

Father,

Thank You for the gift of Your son, His sacrifice, redemption, forgiveness, and grace. Thank You for changing my life.

In Jesus name,

Amen