O wretched man that I am!

(Romans 7:24-25)  “O wretched man that I am I who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord”

In yesterday’s post I encouraged us to move off our negativity as we considered our standing in Christ; I encouraged us to put off the mindset of “O wretched man that I am!” But the truth be told, it is no long before we find ourselves echoing these words once again, “O wretched man that I am!”

The aftermath of sin has left a wake of destruction and although it has been defeated once and for all by our great King, the Lord Jesus Christ, it still looks to devour all and sundry? The unbeliever is blind to their sin and therefore is taken at will by it. Whilst the believer has this on-going battle that seems to never end. It will eventually end but for as long as we breathe here on earth it will be our daily cup of contention. We are not simple creatures and have many facets to our character. The one I least admire is volatility, how awestruck it leaves me at times, not with a feeling of admiration but rather hopelessness. How often have I resolved, made a calculated decision about a certain commitment, i.e. I will never do that again as I know it is sin, or we change the way we word it slightly hoping to get a different result and say “Lord willing I will never do that again”! Obviously the second mindset is a lot better for the Christian, but how often have I use that phrase, but it was just a play on words for conscience sake, once the layers are peeled back, it is all about my ability, as I believe in myself to overcome or attain a certain objective? Far too often I must confess! The old man will never free itself from this dilemma.  

This is a very complex subject and I would like to spend time over the next week or so exploring the word of God and drawing truths from it on the subject. The Word of God is the final authority and we will kick-off with that mindset. It is important to understand the truth behind anything in life to be free of its power… “O wretched man that I am I who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:24, 25)

It is therefore obvious that the only hope we have is in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. No one or nothing else will be able to deliver me from this body of death. No other religion, neither philosophy, physic nor any other created thing seen or unseen will be of help anyone looking to escape this body of death and all they are, are traps to lure us into walking in disobedience/unbelief. It is Christ alone who has the power and all because of His finished work on Calvary.

But now that we have been saved why is it that we still struggle with this body of death? In other words why do we still at times fall into the traps of sin? This is what I wish to explore! And because this is such an intense subject, I will not only rely on what I am shown from scripture as I look to it, searching out answers, but I will also rely on other trusted men to help us arrive at a conclusion.

There has been much debate around Romans chapter 7. We find ourselves in one of two camps; we either believe that it is the old man Paul now addresses prior to salvation or we believe he speaks to the new man and his on-going struggle. Some suggest that he speaks to the Jews, those who knew the law, because he starts the chapter like this; “Or do you not know, brothers--for I am speaking to those who know the law--that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives?” (Romans 7:1) – I believe that all the views can teach us certain truths from this text if we pay careful attention to it. 

Let us take a step backwards and ask ourselves the question; what is the purpose of scripture? Is it not there to prepare us for battle, amen it is! This was Paul’s instruction to his prodigy Timothy; “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” (2Timothy 3:16-17) – Therefore we must conclude that scripture comes from God and it will be helpful for the believe and at times it must have these effects on our lives, it is there to convict us, it must alter and remove error from our lives, and if we have veered off course it will trim our sails as it ultimately equips us for the work God has intended us to get on with, His will and not our own worldly objectives. Having said that, we must understand that the Word of God is for us and not against us, consequently let us learn to use it as a help and not a hard task master.

But for this to happen we must first understand, “O wretched man that I am I who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord”. As a double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Let us therefore think on this subject and Lord willing we will be more equipped to put off this body of death and serve our God and faithful King with more due benevolence. Our prayer Father is that you teach us the truths behind Paul’s instruction to the Roman church. We ask for wisdom and we know that if we ask we shall receive.

So then until tomorrow,

Signing off

Tyrone