“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
Bob, a character played by Tom Hardy in the film called The Drop, is a man who finds himself entangled in a lot of illegal things like murder, deceit, and helping a gang collect money. However, much as he tries to be a good person he keeps on failing. He feels so deep in his sins that he doesn’t even accept to take Holy Communion whenever he goes to church. In the film, Bob reflects on his fear and sadness that his sins have doomed him to eternal loneliness and says: “There are some sins that you commit that you can’t come back from, you know, no matter how hard you try. You just can’t. It’s like the devil is waiting for your body to quit. Because he knows, he knows that he already owns your soul. And then I think maybe there’s no devil. You die… and God, he says, Nah, Nah you can’t come in, you have to leave now, you have to leave and go away and you have to be alone. You have to be alone forever.”
It’s safe to say that Bob, like Paul, could be saying, ‘O wretched man I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death?’ The difference between Bob and Paul is that Paul is hopeful of His salvation through Jesus Christ (I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord) while Bob is not sure about this. But how can we say that Paul could feel the same as Bob yet he was an apostle of God?
Some people have claimed that in this text Paul was referring to his earlier days before his conversion but I beg to differ. Paul was a man of like passion as we and was bound to be tempted and in this case, he was speaking of his own current experience. The closer one walks with Christ the more intensely they would mourn over their own evil heart, and the more God honors them in their service, the more also will the evil of their flesh vex and tease them day by day. The Holy Spirit convicts them of their sins and draws them closer to their Saviour. (John 16:8) Even Jesus ‘was in all points tempted as we are.’ (Hebrews 4:15) hence we can’t expect Paul to be any different from his Master.
In this letter to the Romans, Paul helps us understand the nature of man and we’ll see the two-contrasting side of us. We’ll also see the heat of the battle of the two sides that would make us sound hopeless and say ‘O wretched man that I am I who shall deliver me from the body of this death,’ and also see the victory that comes through Jesus Christ.
The Bible introduces one nature of man as carnal and the other nature as spiritual (Romans 8:6-10). The carnal nature is a sinful nature and it is a result of the sin of Adam. We inherited his sinful nature hence we become inherently inclined to sin. Therefore, we are sinners not because we sin but we sin because we are sinners. Adam’s sins were also imputed on us meaning that even before the Law was formally given at Mt. Sinai the guilt of sin already rested upon man-kind back from Adam. All people who come from Adam have been credited with the guilt of sin. This carnal nature is at enmity to God, does not know the things of God, and can never know them. This is the natural state of man without God.
When one becomes a Christian, they receive the Holy Spirit who introduces a new nature. This is the Spiritual nature. Christ through the Holy Spirit now lives in them. They now have a spiritual life, escaping spiritual death because of sin (Romans 8:10). The Holy Spirit convicts them of their sin and guides them through sanctification. However, the carnal nature is still present in this very person since they are still a descendant of Adam. The Christian becomes two persons in one. The old nature is still evil and sinful while the new nature is holy and intends to do good. This brings about conflict within them.
Let’s notice the book of Romans 6:6 where the carnal nature of a Christian is referred to as ‘old man.’ This is so because this has been the Christian’s nature or humanity in general since the fall of Adam. 1 This nature is so deep-rooted in humankind that when the ‘new man,’ as I would call the Spiritual Nature, tries to uproot it, it seems like a losing battle. This battle I can compare with that of an infant fighting a full-grown man. But however much the struggle, the ‘new man’ can never relent until he receives a perfect victory. Victory has been promised. Victory through Jesus Christ hence Paul, with much hope, says ‘I thank God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!’
Practically speaking this is what the battle looks like. You get a good business deal but it requires you to pay a bribe. The ‘new man’ will reason with you. The Holy Spirit will convict you that paying a bribe is a sin and you won’t pay it. But you’ll get a side of you saying with regret, ‘now see I could have been richer. And as you rejoice in the victory the ‘old man’ brings about pride. You find yourself falling and just before you go far from this you find yourself hit with lust and probably you find victory over that but the circle continues.
These two sides of you cannot relent. They will always be at war as long as you are alive. Your evil nature will always haunt you and tempt you by all means. Whether you’re a child or a minister of the gospel, it will always be there. The new nature through the grace of God, prayer and supplication, faith, love, trust, and obedience to the master Jesus Christ will wrestle with the old nature to cast it out.
Friend, do you recognize this battle in your own life? Being a Christian is problematic unless we accept by faith the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We have the whole Trinity on our side as we fight the evil one. Our God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble (Psalms 46:1). Jesus, who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes we were healed (1 Peter 2:24), is also with us. The Holy Spirit is our comforter and is there to teach us and direct us into all truth. (John 16:13).
Friend, ‘No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.’ (1 Corinthians 10:13). Help has been promised ‘for we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.’ (Hebrews 4:15). And when we fall, ‘if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’ (1 John 1:9)
Don’t be like Bob who’s not aware of the victory he has in Jesus, rather like Paul rejoices in the LORD and says I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Your victory over sin is promised.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)
