Let us read a verse from Romans 7:24,25 “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Apostle Paul; the great man of God, cries out in these verses that he is a wretched man. Paul didn’t cry out because he committed adultery or killed someone. Let us try to understand how Paul reached this state.
In verses 14-24 we read of Paul’s struggle. Paul was in a defeated state, because he was trying to save himself by his own strength. Paul didn’t want to sin, but he was a prisoner of his flesh. At the end, he gave up and is crying out to God. Paul acknowledged that he is a wretched man. And in v25 Paul says that he got victory only through Jesus Christ. Thank God for this gospel! Thank God for this salvation. In chapter 8 we read how we have been set free from the law of sin and death. This is the wonderful gospel God has set before us. Paul isn’t talking about forgiveness of sin. Rather he is talking about deliverance from sin. There is a constant war between our flesh and the spirit of God. But through Jesus Christ, we can win the war against the flesh. We don’t have to continue under bondage or in depression anymore. Jesus has won this victory for us and we can live the life in the Spirit through this. We are no longer under law but under grace. Jesus came to save His people from sin. We are His people! Jesus will save us from sin!
We all want to please God and do His will. None of us want to do sin. But like Paul, we too struggle with this war against flesh. Evil dwells in our flesh and many times we can’t overcome this evil. We need to realize that we can’t win this battle on our own. We shouldn’t be ignorant of our spiritual condition. Initially Paul was convicted of his sin, but he didn’t have victory over it. We too hear a lot from God’s word and are convicted of the sin in our lives; but are we free from those sins? We shouldn’t be stop at being convicted and repenting of our sin. If we realize that we keep falling in sin, we need to cry out like Paul did. We need to see the spiritual wretchedness that we are in. We need to realize how wretched our mind is, how wretched our deeds are, how wretched our thoughts are! Our desire should be for power over sin not just forgiveness.
In Hebrews 5:7 we read that Jesus offered prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the Father who could save Him from death (spiritual death). Let us have that cry from our heart when we see the true spiritual condition. Let us be poor in Spirit (Mathew 5:3). God is faithful to forgive us but we shouldn’t be satisfied with just forgiveness. In Revelations 4 we read the warning given to the church in Laodicea. They were ignorant of their true spiritual condition. God tells them that they are not aware of their wretchedness. He gives them advice as to how to get away from their wretchedness In Psalms 51:17 David says God doesn’t despise a broken and contrite heart. Let us acknowledge our true condition and come to God with a broken heart. He will not despise us. In Isaiah 6:5 we read, “Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”” Isaiah understood his wretchedness when he came before God.
Since we are in the flesh, there is a battle between the flesh and spirit. But God has won the victory for us. When we live in the flesh, sin is crouching at the door. But we need to overcome it. How can we overcome? – Through Jesus Christ. In Zachariah 4:6,7 we read, “Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubabel saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.” Whatever be the problems in front of us, will become plain by the Spirit. God will give us victory. He will bring it to pass. In Colossians 2:14, 15 we read how Jesus has won the victory for us. Jesus has triumphed over Satan. Jesus victory is our victory. 1 Corinthians 15:56,57 “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Through Jesus we can have the victorious Christian life!
Although Paul was defeated at first, we read later how he experienced victory through Jesus. In 2 Corinthians 2:14 Paul says, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.” This is the victorious Christian life. We can be encouraged by Paul’s life! Let us acknowledge our actual spiritual state and come and cry out to God. Let us ask God for deliverance and victory over sin. Let us commit our life so that God can show us areas where we are not like Christ. Let us submit our lives so that the Holy Spirit can help us to be victorious over sin. Let us always have the ambition to please God.
