Wretched Man That I Am

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

There is not a Christian in the world who has not said these words to himself or herself. The opening word “wretched” speaks volumes. The word conveys the idea of being pathetic or miserable. There is a depth to it. There is a pain to it. I might say that the weather is wretched. That would convey that idea that the weather is not suitable in any way, and that it is not pleasing or accommodating to what I wish to do. But here the Apostle applies the word to himself. He views himself as wretched. Now why does he do this? The short answer is because of his sin and sinfulness. In verse 20, Paul makes the conclusion that, even though he does what he does not want to, the real problem is sin. In fact, he clarifies this in verse 18 by saying that there is nothing good in his flesh.

There is war going on in him. He delights in the law of God (vs. 22), but he has to contend with the law of sin in his members (vs. 23). This ongoing war is what causes him to break out in verse 24 with his statement about being wretched.

Wretched conveys the idea of being in bondage because Paul speaks of deliverance in verse 24. The prisoner is in chains and cannot deliver himself. He needs someone with the key to come and unlock the chains. Only then will he be free. Paul needs someone with the key to set him free, and we need the same. Bondage is a terrible thing. It is all-encompassing. It saps your energy. You seek to escape or be free but find that you are powerless. All addictions are bondage. It is not easy to be free of them. Even when free, the need for ongoing vigilance is required because at any moment you might slip back into your bondage. This is especially true of sin.

We must realize that the onslaught of sin against the soul is relentless. Sin never gives up. Sin never loses hope of capturing some soul. It constantly pours forth its enmity against the soul. It changes colors like the chameleon. It appears beautiful. It appears seductive. It is always alluring.

Sin never really appears as it is. It is camouflaged. Satan painted sin like this to Eve. Sin is the highest form of prostitution, isn’t it? It earns its wages always. The Apostle Paul was aware of the dangers of sin. He was prepared to wage war against it. We must realize that we can never wage this war against sin in the power of the flesh. Your flesh will easily yield. Therefore, something other than the flesh is needed.

The only antidote to sin’s poison is the Spirit. Thus, we can see that this conflict is spiritual conflict. Paul tells us how sin comes to us. It is through “this body of death” (vs. 24). He tells us who will deliver us. In verse 25, it is the Lord Jesus Christ. It is important for Paul to tell us that Jesus is Lord in this case. Sin is a master. Sin is a tyrant. We have need of a greater master, a greater Lord. This is Jesus because he has conquered sin. He has defeated sin’s power and penalty and he has ensured its complete future demise by rising from the dead and by being seated at the Father’s right hand as Lord (Acts 2:23, 24, 32-34; 4:10; 5:31; 13:30, 33, 34, 37; 17:30, 31; Rom. 8:11, 34; Eph. 1:20; Phil. 2:9; Col. 3:1; Heb. 1:3; 7:26; 8:1; 12:2; 1 Pet. 3:22).

We are to give thanks to God for his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. All the praise belongs to God. It is the Father who gave his Son. It is the Father who has exalted his Son and given him a name that is above every other name (Acts 4:12; Phil. 2:9).

Now let us make some applications to ourselves. First, the Apostle Paul does not mean that all is lost when he refers to himself as wretched. He may call himself the chief of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). Wretched does not mean that there is no hope. Wretched is simply the proper attitude we must have. Without Christ we are wretched. Without salvation we have nothing except our sins, the future judgment, and the eternal prospect of the lake of fire. So salvation is crucial. Paul is simply recognizing and expressing the truth about himself. We are to be hopeful.

Second, the Apostle tells us that there is deliverance and help from only one source. It is Jesus Christ as Lord. He is our hope for deliverance. You may go to all kinds of people for help. You may enter all kinds of programs for help. The worst is that you might go to yourself for help. In this you would be greatly deceived. There is no help to be found in ourselves for one reason. We are wretched. Unless we regard ourselves as wretched, we will not see the need for Christ; yet without Christ, there is no deliverance.

Third, it is never a matter of comparing yourself to someone else and saying he is not as bad as I am, therefore he does not have the problems I have. Are you worse than Paul who calls himself wretched? By placing himself at the bottom of the pile, we all join him there.

Fourth, Paul tells us in verse 25 that he serves the law of God with the mind (in his inner man, the new man), but he serves sin in the flesh. In the New Covenant, God promises to write his law on our hearts (Jer. 31:33). How does God do that? It is done through regeneration. When you became a believer in Christ, God wrote his law on your heart. He gives us a new heart that loves him and desires him. So our service is not in the strength of the flesh or by the flesh. It is always by the Spirit (Rom. 8:11). This is all possible because of the salvation we have in Jesus. It is life-transforming. It is life-changing. It is new life.

Fifth, we are under new Lordship. This Lord does not dictate like a tyrant. He does not demand only. His demands are not burdensome (1 John 5:3). They spring from his love for us. He intercedes for us because of our weakness (Rom. 8:26, 27; Heb. 7:25). The tyranny of sin is broken by Jesus. You do not have to yield to sin. We must make use of all the means that God has given us to fight sin. Read the Word of God. Listen to the Word preached. Pray carefully and regularly. Come to the Lord’s Table. Yield consciously to the Holy Spirit. Remember how Paul put it in 1 Corinthians 15:57, “but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Finally, in order to enjoy what our Lord Jesus has done for us, we must learn the dangers of sin and the beauties of salvation. What was it the Christ did for us? He became sin for us. He had no sin in himself to weaken his strength or take away his strength. The burden of our sin was infinitely greater to Christ than it is to us. He was made a curse for us (Gal. 3:13). If God the Father was willing to abandon his Beloved Son, then consider how great your sin is? It is through this act of God that salvation is provided for. This is grace. Salvation is a gracious work of God. He does it because he is full of love and mercy for us, but he does it most of all for the sake of his Son. This is why Paul begins Romans 8:1 with those encouraging words, “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” You must labor to make sure that you are in Christ. Are you daily hating sin and repenting of sin? Are you daily confessing your sins? Are you daily seeking the face of God through Christ? Can you say that you love Christ above all others, that you are willing to let all others go in order to have Christ? Who will deliver you? Thank God it is through our Lord Jesus Christ. Wretched, yet rejoicing in Christ!