Devotion #5: Wretched Man
“Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 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.” Romans 7:24-25
Why does Paul call himself a “wretched man”? I know I personally hesitate to admit to a mistake; that is the pride inside of me that I am trying to work on. I am sure many of us can relate to that. Yet, I think the reason Paul becomes vulnerable in this moment is to draw attention to the fact that we need to humble ourselves, repent, and seek forgiveness for our faults. By calling himself a “wretched man,” he is not claiming to be some perfect Christ-follower; he is being real in the fact that he is far from it. After all, God knows our every thought, desire, and action, so why try to hide it?
Next, he asks, “Who will deliver me?” He obviously knew he could not bring salvation to himself, he needed the Lord for that. Without Christ, we are nothing. Without Christ, we fall into the ways of the world which lead to an eternal death. We must turn to the only One that can save us. Trying to handle things on your own will only lead you down a path of destruction.
Paul shows this in his next statement, thanking God through Christ, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ.” Why did he say it like that? It is because when Jesus died on the cross for our sins, He bridged the gap between God and man, so we have the freedom to talk to Him at any moment of any day! We no longer have to go through a priest to talk to God. I love this! It means that any time I am feeling anxious or overwhelmed, I can simply talk to my Heavenly Father wherever I am, and He will bring me rest, comfort, and peace in any situation.
The last part of this verse he encourages us that though our flesh wants to sin and be of the world, we find deliverance through Christ when we fully turn our eyes to Him and we stop trying to handle everything on our own.
Remember that through Him, we have salvation. Do not assume that life will be perfect once we give it all to Him. Our flesh will always tempt us and try to make us sin, but we must strive to seek God with every conscious moment.