"O wretched man that I am!"
Text: Romans 7:24
THE WRETCHED STATE OF MAN
Paul decried the wretched state of sinful man in the following text!
“O wretched man that I am!
Who will deliver me from this body of death?”
Romans 7:24
The wretched state of man may be described in two ways:
1. Pre-conversion stage
a) Here man is in danger of the judgment of God.
b) He is under absolute control of the sin-nature.
2. Post-conversion state
a) In his “legal position” before God.
i) He is just reconciled to God.
ii) The sin-nature has been crucified with Christ.
b) In his daily life, he faces very real problems
i) He has to struggle with the problem of sin.
ii) He has to struggle with the problem of evil.
iii) These war against him fiercely each and every day!
3. The struggles with sin
a) Sin and evil are fierce opponents.
b) They are determined to defeat and enslave the believer.
c) The believer often loses in these battles.
d) The net result is a feeling of utter wretchedness!