Wretched Man I Am
Delivered from the Body of Death
SCRIPTURE:
Romans 7:24-25 CSB - What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself am serving the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin.
OBSERVATION:
Romans 7:24-25 CSB - What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself am serving the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin.
OBSERVATION:
The ancient Greek word wretched is more literally, “wretched through the exhaustion of hard labor.” Paul is completely worn out and wretched because of his unsuccessful effort to please God under the principle of Law. – David Guzik.
Paul speaks from personal experience. He spent many years trying to transform his wretched state into something holy and acceptable, only to conclude: “What a wretched man I am!”
It is worth bearing in mind that the great saints through the ages do not commonly say, ‘How good I am!’ Rather, they are apt to bewail their sinfulness. – Leon Morris.
Paul’s tone reveals his desperation for deliverance. This alone should capture our attention—the great Apostle Paul needed deliverance from the body of sin! How much more do you and I need it? Or perhaps… just me.
The words “Who will deliver me” show that Paul has given up on himself, and asks “Who will deliver me?” instead of “How will I deliver myself?” – David Guzik.
“It is not the voice of one desponding or doubting, but of one breathing and panting after deliverance. – Matthew Poole.
“It is not the voice of one desponding or doubting, but of one breathing and panting after deliverance. – Matthew Poole.
Spurgeon gives a vivid illustration:
It was the custom of ancient tyrants, when they wished to put men to the most fearful punishments, to tie a dead body to them, placing the two back to back; and there was the living man, with a dead body closely strapped to him, rotting, putrid, corrupting, and this he must drag with him wherever he went. Now, this is just what the Christian has to do. He has within him the new life; he has a living and undying principle, which the Holy Spirit has put within him, but he feels that every day he has to drag about with him this dead body, this body of death, a thing as loathsome, as hideous, as abominable to his new life, as a dead stinking carcass would be to a living man. – Charles Spurgeon.
Paul, once the Pharisee of Pharisees—an expert in the law and zealous in enforcing it, even to the point of persecuting Christians—had a radical encounter. One day, he saw Jesus, and everything changed.
The answer he discovered remains the answer for us all:
“Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
APPLICATION:
The answer he discovered remains the answer for us all:
“Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
APPLICATION:
The glorious truth remains: there is victory in Jesus! Jesus didn’t come and die just to give us more or better rules, but to live out His victory through those who believe. The message of the gospel is that there is victory over sin, hate, death, and all evil as we surrender our lives to Jesus and let Him live out victory through us.
1. You thought the problem was that you didn’t know what to do to save yourself — but the law came as a teacher, taught you what to do and you still couldn’t do it. You don’t need a teacher —you need a Savior.
2. You thought the problem was that you weren’t motivated enough, but the law came in like a coach to encourage you on to do what you need to do, and you still didn’t do it. You don’t need a coach or a motivational speaker —you need a Savior.
3. You thought the problem was that you didn’t know yourself well enough. But the law came in like a doctor and perfectly diagnosed your sin problem, but the law couldn’t heal you. You don’t need a doctor —you need a Savior. – David Guzik.
1. You thought the problem was that you didn’t know what to do to save yourself — but the law came as a teacher, taught you what to do and you still couldn’t do it. You don’t need a teacher —you need a Savior.
2. You thought the problem was that you weren’t motivated enough, but the law came in like a coach to encourage you on to do what you need to do, and you still didn’t do it. You don’t need a coach or a motivational speaker —you need a Savior.
3. You thought the problem was that you didn’t know yourself well enough. But the law came in like a doctor and perfectly diagnosed your sin problem, but the law couldn’t heal you. You don’t need a doctor —you need a Savior. – David Guzik.
What a wretched man I am – thanks be to God for Jesus Christ, who rescued me!
PRAYER:
Thank You, Jesus, for rescuing me—a wretched man. For so many years, I struggled to please You by my own righteousness, only to fail again and again. In those failures, I finally realized how wretched I truly am—and how much I needed grace. It was then that I understood: grace changes everything. Thank You for saving me, even though I didn’t—and still don’t—deserve it.
PRAYER:
Thank You, Jesus, for rescuing me—a wretched man. For so many years, I struggled to please You by my own righteousness, only to fail again and again. In those failures, I finally realized how wretched I truly am—and how much I needed grace. It was then that I understood: grace changes everything. Thank You for saving me, even though I didn’t—and still don’t—deserve it.
No effort, law, or knowledge can save us—only Jesus rescues the wretched, enabling victory over sin through His grace.
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