Romans 7.24-Paul's Despair Over His Impotence To Defeat His Sin Nature
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday October 2, 2008
Romans: Romans 7:24-Paul’s Despair Over His Impotence To Defeat His Sin Nature
Lesson # 236
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 7:24.
This evening we will study Romans 7:24 and in this passage Paul expresses his despair over his impotence to defeat his sin nature.
Romans 7:24, “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?”
“Wretched” is the adjective talaiporos (talaivpwro$) (tal-ah-ee-po-ros), is used by Paul to describe himself because he was impotent to overcome his sin nature.
The word describes his “miserable, unhappy” condition of being enslaved by his sin nature in an experiential sense.
Romans chapter six teaches that in a “positional” sense all Christians have been delivered from the dominion of the sin nature through their identification with Christ in His physical death and resurrection, which was accomplished through the baptism of the Spirit.
However, in Romans 7:24, Paul is speaking of himself in an “experiential” sense rather than a “positional” sense meaning that he is describing himself as not “experiencing” the deliverance, which is his through his union and identification with Christ.
By “positional,” I mean that God views the believer as crucified, died, buried, raised and seated with Christ since at the moment of salvation, the Holy Spirit placed the believer in union with Christ.
When I say “positionally” I am referring to what God has done for the church age believer and His viewpoint of the church age believer meaning He views the believer as He views His Son and does “not” view the believer according to his sins and transgressions and former manner of life prior to salvation.
The Spirit identified him with Christ’s crucifixion (Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20), His death (Romans 6:2, 7-8; Colossians 2:20; 3:3), His burial (Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12), His resurrection (Romans 6:5; Ephesians 2:6; Philippians 3:10-11; Colossians 2:12; 3:1) and His session (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 3:1).
When I say that the Spirit “identifies” us with Christ, I mean that at the moment of salvation, the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit causes the believer to become identical and united with Christ and also ascribes to the believer the qualities and characteristics of Christ.
The believer can experience this victory and deliverance by appropriating by faith the teaching of the Word of God that he has been crucified, died, buried, raised and seated with Christ (Romans 6:11-23; 8:1-17; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:5-17).
In Romans chapter six, Paul spoke extensively of the Christian’s position in Christ, which sets up the potential for him to experience deliverance from his sin nature.
However, in Romans 7:14-24, Paul is expressing his despair at not being able to experience that which is true of himself positionally.
This passage expresses not only his desire to experience deliverance from his sin nature but it also expresses his despair at not having the power to experience his deliverance in Christ.
Now, in Romans 7:24, Paul concludes his description of his experience as a Christian desiring to obey the Law of God and to experience deliverance from his sin nature by obedience to the Law apart from the enabling power of the Holy Spirit.
The word that Paul uses to describe his condition is the adjective talaiporos, which again means, “miserable, wretched, in a distressed condition.”
It was used to describe a person exhausted because of engaging in a great struggle.
With this word, Paul is describing himself as someone who is totally and completely exhausted because of his great inward struggle to obey the Law in order to experience deliverance from his sin nature.
However, “the power of sin is the Law” as he writes in 1 Corinthians 15:56.
The Law only served to stimulate his sin nature as we saw in Romans 7:7-13.
This word talaiporos expresses Paul’s despair at not having the power to experience deliverance from his sin nature and the condemnation of the Law, which he violated even though he possessed the desire to obey the Law.
David laments like Paul in Psalm 38:4.
Psalm 38:4, “For my iniquities are gone over my head; As a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.”
Therefore, Paul’s use of the adjective talaiporos describes his frustration and despair of failing to experience deliverance from the sin nature and the Law through his own power.
Because of this indwelling sin nature and its intense power over the soul of the Christian, the Christian must depend upon the power of the Spirit to overcome this sin nature.
Romans 7:24, “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?”
“Will set free” is the verb rhuomai (r(uvomai) (hroo-om-i), which means, “to rescue from danger, with the implication that the danger is severe and acute.”
In Romans 7:24, the verb rhuomai is used of Paul’s desire to experience “deliverance” from his sin nature.
The believer’s “deliverance” from the sin nature is accomplished in three stages.
(1) Positional: At the moment the believer exercised faith alone in Christ alone, he was delivered “positionally” from the sin nature through the crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session of the Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 19:9; John 4:22; Acts 4:12; 13:26, 47; 16:17; Rom. 1:16; 10:1, 10; 11:11; 2 Cor. 6:2; Eph. 1:13; Phlp. 1:28; 2 Thess. 2:13; Heb. 2:10; 5:9; 6:9; 1 Pet. 1:9-10; 2 Pet. 3:15; Jude 3; Rev. 7:10).
By “positionally,” I mean that God views the believer as crucified, died, buried, raised and seated with Christ, which was accomplished at the moment of salvation through the Baptism of the Spirit when the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit placed the believer in an eternal union with Christ.
In other words, the “positional” aspect of the believer’s salvation refers to the past action of God saving us from the sin nature when we trusted in Jesus Christ as our Savior.
Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
The believer’s deliverance positionally sets up the “potential” for him to experience this deliverance in time since this deliverance can only be experienced after salvation through obedience to the teaching of the Word of God by the power of the Spirit.
It also guarantees the believer’s ultimate deliverance at the rapture, which is based upon the sovereign decision of God rather than the volition of the believer.
(2) Experiential: After salvation, the believer can “experience” deliverance from the sin nature by appropriating by faith the teaching of the Word of God that he has been crucified, died, buried, raised and seated with Christ.
This constitutes the believer’s spiritual life after being delivered from real spiritual death (2 Cor. 1:6; 7:10; Romans 6:11-23; 8:1-17; Phlp. 2:12; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:5-17; 2 Tim. 2:10; 3:15; Heb. 2:3, 10; 1 Pet. 2:2).
In other words, the “experiential” aspect of salvation is used of the believer’s deliverance from the sin nature in the present moment.
1 Corinthians 1:18, “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
(3) Ultimate: At the resurrection the believer will be delivered “ultimately” and permanently from the sin nature when he receives his resurrection body at the rapture of the church, which is imminent (Rom. 13:11; 1 Thess. 5:8-9; Heb. 1:14; 9:28; 1 Pet. 1:5).
In other words, the “ultimate” aspect of salvation is used of the believer’s future deliverance from the sin nature.
2 Timothy 4:18, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
Romans 7:24, “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?”
“From the body of this death” refers to the fact that the sin nature resides in the human body and produces spiritual death and ultimately physical death.
Since the noun thanatos is used with respect to Paul as a Christian, the word refers to “temporal spiritual death.”
The believer is not involved with “real spiritual death” since that is related exclusively to the unregenerate.
Therefore, since “real spiritual death” is used exclusively for the unbeliever and “temporal spiritual death” is used exclusively of the Christian, the latter is being referred to here by Paul in Romans 7:24 since Paul is speaking from the perspective of his regenerate condition.
“Temporal spiritual death” or “loss of fellowship” with God takes place when the believer commits mental, verbal or overt acts of sin as a result of obeying the desires of the sin nature.