Romans 7:24-25 "Christian, You Are a Wretch…And a Saint"
Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
Video Notes:
Wretched – in turmoil, in distress.
There are a few interpretations of this text (as with the rest of 14-23).
The “I” is Adam.
The “I” is a non-believer coming to faith
The “I” is a believer confessing the day-to-day struggle with sin.
Who will deliver me? – This is a rhetorical tactic to point to the answer of the question.
From this body of death? – Paul is not seeking to be rid of a physical body, rather He looks to the redemption of his mortal body in a new, uncorrupted body.
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! – The answer to Paul’s rhetorical question. Where does our hope lie? Jesus Christ.
Also, notice how the text shifts to “our” Lord, bringing all of us into the narrative.
So then, I myself (emphatic) serve the Law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the Law of sin. – This is the reality of the Christian’s life until Christ returns. However, it continues in the sure knowledge and hope of Jesus, that God is saving him.
