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Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Romans 7:14–25. His four-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
Here is a description of the conflict between grace and corruption in the heart, between the law of God and the law of sin. And it is applicable two ways: - 1. To the struggles that are in a convinced soul, but yet unregenerate, in the person of whom it is supposed, by some, that Paul speaks. 2. To the struggles that are in a renewed sanctified soul, but yet in a state of imperfection; as other apprehend. And a great controversy there is of which of these we are to understand the apostle here. So far does the evil prevail here, when he speaks of one sold under sin, doing it, not performing that which is good, that it seems difficult to apply it to the regenerate, who are described to walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit; and yet so far does the good prevail in hating sin, consenting to the law, delighting in it, serving the law of God with the mind, that it is more difficult to apply it to the unregenerate that are dead in trespasses and sins.
I.Apply it to the struggles that are felt in a convinced soul, that is yet in a state of sin, knows his Lord's will, but does it not, approves the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law, and yet lives in the constant breach of it, Rom 2:17-23. Though he has that within him that witnesses against the sin he commits, and it is not without a great deal of reluctancy that he does commit it, the superior faculties striving against it, natural conscience warning against it before it is committed and smiting for it afterwards, yet the man continues a slave to his reigning lusts. It is not thus with every unregenerate man, but with those only that are convinced by the law, but not changed by the gospel. The apostle had said (Rom 6:14), Sin shall not have dominion, because you are not under the law, but under grace, for the proof of which he here shows that a man under the law, and not under grace, may be, and is, under the dominion of sin. The law may discover sin, and convince of sin, but it cannot conquer and subdue sin, witness the predominancy of sin in many that are under very strong legal convictions. It discovers the defilement, but will not wash it off. It makes a man weary and heavy laden (Mat 11:28), burdens him with his sin; and yet, if rested in, it yields no help towards the shaking off of that burden; this is to be had only in Christ. The law may make a man cry out, O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me? and yet leave him thus fettered and captivated, as being too weak to deliver him (Rom 8:3), give him a spirit of bondage to fear, Rom 8:15. Now a soul advanced thus far by the law is in a fair way towards a state of liberty by Christ, though many rest here and go no further. Felix trembled, but never came to Christ. It is possible for a man to go to hell with his eyes open (Num 24:3, Num 24:4), illuminated with common convictions, and to carry about with him a self-accusing conscience, even in the service of the devil. He may consent to the law that it is good, delight to know God's ways (as they, Isa 58:2), may have that within him that witnesses against sin and for holiness; and yet all this overpowered by the reigning love of sin. Drunkards and unclean persons have some faint desires to leave off their sins, and yet persist in them notwithstanding, such is the impotency and such the insufficiency of their convictions. Of such as these there are many that will needs have all this understood, and contend earnestly for it: though it is very hard to imagine why, if the apostle intended this, he should speak all along in his own person; and not only so, but in the present tense. Of his own state under conviction he had spoken at large, as of a thing past (Rom 7:7, etc.): I died; the commandment I found to be unto death; and if here he speaks of the same state as his present state, and the condition he was now in, surely he did not intend to be so understood: and therefore,
II.It seems rather to be understood of the struggles that are maintained between grace and corruption in sanctified souls.
That there are remainders of indwelling corruption, even where there is a living principle of grace, is past dispute; that this corruption is daily breaking forth in sins of infirmity (such as are consistent with a state of grace) is no less certain. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, Jo1 1:8, Jo1 1:10. That true grace strives against these sins and corruptions, does not allow of them, hates them, mourns over them, groans under them as a burden, is likewise certain (Gal 5:17): The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other, so that you cannot do the things that you would. These are the truths which, I think, are contained in this discourse of the apostle. And his design is further to open the nature of sanctification, that it does not attain to a sinless perfection in this life; and therefore to quicken us to, and encourage us in, our conflicts with remaining corruptions. Our case is not singular, that which we do sincerely strive against, shall not be laid to our charge, and through grace the victory is sure at last. The struggle here is like that between Jacob and Esau in the womb, between the Canaanites and Israelites in the land, between the house of Saul and the house of David; but great is the truth and will prevail. Understanding it thus, we may observe here,
1.What he complains of - the remainder of indwelling corruptions, which he here speaks of, to show that the law is insufficient to justify even a regenerate man, that the best man in the world hath enough in him to condemn him, if God should deal with him according to the law, which is not the fault of the law, but of our own corrupt nature, which cannot fulfil the law. The repetition of the same things over and over again in this discourse shows how much Paul's heart was affected with what he wrote, and how deep his sentiments were. Observe the particulars of this complaint.
(1.)I am carnal, sold under sin, Rom 7:14. He speaks of the Corinthians as carnal, Co1 3:1. Even where there is spiritual life there are remainders of carnal affections, and so far a man may be sold under sin; he does not sell himself to work wickedness, as Ahab did (Kg1 21:25), but he was sold by Adam when he sinned and fell - sold, as a poor slave that does his master's will against his own will - sold under sin, because conceived in iniquity and born in sin.
(2.)What I would, that I do not; but what I hate, that do I, Rom 7:15. And to the same purport, Rom 7:19, Rom 7:21, When I would do good, evil is present with me. Such was the strength of corruptions, that he could not attain that perfection in holiness which he desired and breathed after. Thus, while he was pressing forward towards perfection, yet he acknowledges that he had not already attained, neither was already perfect, Phi 3:12. Fain he would be free from all sin, and perfectly do the will of God, such was his settled judgment; but his corrupt nature drew him another way: it was like a clog, that checked and kept him down when he would have soared upward, like the bias in a bowl, which, when it is thrown straight, yet draws it aside.
(3.)In me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good, Rom 7:18. Here he explains himself concerning the corrupt nature, which he calls flesh; and as far as that goes there is no good to be expected, any more than one would expect good corn growing upon a rock, or on the sand which is by the sea-side. As the new nature, as far as that goes, cannot commit sin (Jo1 3:9), so the flesh, the old nature, as far as that goes, cannot perform a good duty. How should it? For the flesh serveth the law of sin (Rom 7:25), it is under the conduct and government of that law; and, while it is so, it is not likely to do any good. The corrupt nature is elsewhere called flesh (Gen 6:3, Joh 3:6); and, though there may be good things dwelling in those that have this flesh, yet, as far as the flesh goes, there is no good, the flesh is not a subject capable of any good.
(4.)I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind, Rom 7:23. The corrupt and sinful inclination is here compared to a law, because it controlled and checked him in his good motions. It is said to be seated in his members, because, Christ having set up his throne in his heart, it was only the rebellious members of the body that were the instruments of sin - in the sensitive appetite; or we may take it more generally for all that corrupt nature which is the seat not only of sensual but of more refined lusts. This wars against the law of the mind, the new nature; it draws the contrary way, drives on a contrary interest, which corrupt disposition and inclination are as great a burden and grief to the soul as the worst drudgery and captivity could be. It brings me into captivity. To the same purport (Rom 7:25), With the flesh I serve the law of sin; that is, the corrupt nature, the unregenerate part, is continually working towards sin.
(5.)His general complaint we have in Rom 7:24, O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? The thing he complains of is a body of death; either the body of flesh, which is a mortal dying body (while we carry this body about with us, we shall be troubled with corruption; when we are dead, we shall be freed from sin, and not before), or the body of sin, the old man, the corrupt nature, which tends to death, that is, to the ruin of the soul. Or, comparing it to a dead body, the touch of which was by the ceremonial law defiling, if actual transgressions be dead works (Heb 9:14), original corruption is a dead body. It was as troublesome to Paul as if he had had a dead body tied to him, which he must have carried about with him. This made him cry out, O wretched man that I am! A man that had learned in every state to be content yet complains thus of his corrupt nature. Had I been required to speak of Paul, I should have said, "O blessed man that thou art, an ambassador of Christ, a favourite of heaven, a spiritual father of thousands!" But in his own account he was a wretched man, because of the corruption of nature, because he was not so good as he fain would be, had not yet attained, neither was already perfect. Thus miserably does he complain. Who shall deliver me? He speaks like one that was sick of it, that would give any thing to be rid of it, looks to the right hand and to the left for some friend that would part between him and his corruptions. The remainders of indwelling sin are a very grievous burden to a gracious soul.
2.What he comforts himself with. The case was sad, but there were some allays. Three things comforted him: -
(1.)That his conscience witnessed for him that he had a good principle ruling and prevailing in him, notwithstanding. It is well when all does not go one way in the soul. The rule of this good principle which he had was the law of God, to which he here speaks of having a threefold regard, which is certainly to be found in all that are sanctified, and no others.
[1.]I consent unto the law that it is good, Rom 7:16, sumphēmi - I give my vote to the law; here is the approbation of the judgment. Wherever there is grace there is not only a dread of the severity of the law, but a consent to the goodness of the law. "It is a good in itself, it is good for me." This is a sign that the law is written in the heart, that the soul is delivered into the mould of it. To consent to the law is so far to approve of it as not to wish it otherwise constituted than it is. The sanctified judgment not only concurs to the equity of the law, but to the excellency of it, as convinced that a conformity to the law is the highest perfection of human nature, and the greatest honour and happiness we are capable of.
[2.]I delight in the law of God after the inward man, Rom 7:22. His conscience bore witness to a complacency in the law. He delighted not only in the promises of the word, but in the precepts and prohibitions of the word; sunēdomai expresses a becoming delight. He did herein concur in affection with all the saints. All that are savingly regenerate or born again do truly delight in the law of God, delight to know it, to do it - cheerfully submit to the authority of it, and take a complacency in that submission, never better pleased than when heart and life are in the strictest conformity to the law and will of God. After the inward man; that is, First, The mind or rational faculties, in opposition to the sensitive appetites and wills of the flesh. The soul is the inward man, and that is the seat of gracious delights, which are therefore sincere and serious, but secret; it is the renewing of the inward man, Co2 4:16. Secondly, The new nature. The new man is called the inner man (Eph 3:16), the hidden man of the heart, Pe1 3:4. Paul, as far as he was sanctified, had a delight in the law of God.
[3.]With the mind I myself serve the law of God, Rom 7:25. It is not enough to consent to the law, and to delight in the law, but we must serve the law; our souls must be entirely delivered up into the obedience of it. Thus it was with Paul's mind; thus it is with every sanctified renewed mind; this is the ordinary course and way; thitherward goes the bent of the soul. I myself - autos egō, plainly intimating that he speaks in his own person, and not in the person of another.
(2.)That the fault lay in that corruption of his nature which he did really bewail and strive against: It is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. This he mentions twice (Rom 7:17, Rom 7:20), not as an excuse for the guilt of his sin (it is enough to condemn us, if we were under the law, that the sin which does the evil dwelleth in us), but as a salvo for his evidences, that he might not sink in despair, but take comfort from the covenant of grace, which accepts the willingness of the spirit, and has provided pardon for the weakness of the flesh. He likewise herein enters a protestation against all that which this indwelling sin produced. Having professed his consent to the law of God, he here professes his dissent from the law of sin. "It is not I; I disown the fact; it is against my mind that it is done." As when in the senate the major part are bad, and carry every thing the wrong way, it is indeed the act of the senate, but the honest party strive against it, bewail what is done, and enter their protestation against it; so that it is no more they that do it. - Dwelleth in me, as the Canaanites among the Israelites, though they were put under tribute: dwelleth in me, and is likely to dwell there, while I live.
(3.)His great comfort lay in Jesus Christ (Rom 7:25): I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. In the midst of his complaints he breaks out into praises. It is a special remedy against fears and sorrows to be much in praise: many a poor drooping soul hath found it so. And, in all our praises, this should be the burden of the son, "Blessed be God for Jesus Christ." Who shall deliver me? says he (Rom 7:24), as one at a loss for help. At length he finds an all-sufficient friend, even Jesus Christ. When we are under the sense of the remaining power of sin and corruption, we shall see reason to bless God through Christ (for, as he is the mediator of all our prayers, so he is of all our praises) - to bless God for Christ; it is he that stands between us and the wrath due to us for this sin. If it were not for Christ, this iniquity that dwells in us would certainly be our ruin. He is our advocate with the Father, and through him God pities, and spares, and pardons, and lays not our iniquities to our charge. It is Christ that has purchased deliverance for us in due time. Through Christ death will put an end to all these complaints, and waft us to an eternity which we shall spend without sin or sigh. Blessed be God that giveth us this victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
Historical interpretation
Three Centuries of Reception
11 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
On this account, therefore, the Lord Himself, who is Emmanuel from the Virgin, is the sign of our salvation, since it was the Lord Himself who saved them, because they could not be saved by their own instrumentality; and, therefore, when Paul sets forth human infirmity, he says: "For I know that there dwelleth in my flesh no good thing," showing that the "good thing" of our salvation is not from us, but from God. And again: "Wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Then he introduces the Deliverer, saying, "The grace of Jesus Christ our Lord."
In what follows he continues, "But if I do that which I do not wish to do, it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells in me," which being at war with the law of God and "of my mind," he says, "makes me captive by the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death."
Paul says that a man born in sin is wretched. For indeed how could man not be wretched when he has succeeded to this inheritance of sin, having this enemy sin with him, through which Satan has access to him? For Adam invented steps by which the despoiler came up to his descendants. Yet the most merciful God, moved by pity, gave us his grace through Christ so that it might be revealed that the human race, once it accepted the forgiveness of sins, might repent and put sin to death. For a man who is pardoned for his sins and cleansed can resist the power of the enemy which is aimed against him, provided that God continues to help him.
We have a physician—let us follow his remedy! Our remedy is the grace of Christ, and the body of death is our body. Let us therefore be exiled from the body lest we be exiled from Christ. Even if we are in the body let us not follow what is of the body. Let us not neglect the rights of nature, but let us prefer the gifts of grace.
Do you notice what a great thraldom that of vice is, in that it overcomes even a mind that delighted in the Law? For no one can rejoin, he means, that I hate the Law and abhor it, and so sin overcomes me. For "I delight in it, and consent to it," and flee for refuge to it, yet still it had not the power of saving one who had fled to it. But Christ saved even one that fled from Him. See what a vast advantage grace has! Yet the Apostle has not stated it thus; but with a sigh only, and a great lamentation, as if devoid of any to help him, he points out by his perplexity the might of Christ, and says, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" The Law has not been able: conscience has proved unequal to it, though it praised what was good, and did not praise it only, but even fought against the contrary of it. For by the very words "warreth against" he shows that he was marshalled against it for his part. From what quarter then is one to hope for salvation?
Who will set me free, says Paul, prisoner that I am, from this fatal habit of the body?
Paul uses the term “the body of death” because the body is subject to vices and sickness, disorders and death until it rises in glory with Christ, and what was once fragile clay is purified in the fire of the Holy Spirit into a very solid rock, changing its glory, not its nature.
Having considered the struggle which was taking place in the body against the soul and how man was imprisoned by this, Paul now seeks a way to escape and tries to rescue man, so that the body of death may be transformed into a body of life.… For Paul wants his body to be a body of life and not a body of death or of sin.
Here Paul begins to describe the man renewed under grace, the third of the four states we distinguished above.
Paul calls the body a “body of death” because it has been made subject to death and is therefore mortal. The soul, on the other hand, is immortal.
Paul did not say “bad” or “evil man” but rather “wretched man” … for having shown that this person contemplated the good with his mind but was drawn toward evil by the passion of the flesh, he presents him as more deserving of mercy than of punishment.
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Summary
Romans 7:24 is a profound and agonizing cry from the Apostle Paul, encapsulating the intense inner conflict experienced by a believer who, despite a renewed mind, still grapples with the persistent power of indwelling sin. This verse articulates the deep frustration and despair arising from the inability to perfectly obey God's law due to the lingering influence of a sinful nature, setting the stage for the glorious resolution found in Christ Jesus.
Context
Literary Context
Romans 7:24 stands as the climactic lament in Paul's extended theological argument concerning the Law, sin, and the believer's struggle. Preceding this verse, Paul meticulously explains how the Law, though holy and good, paradoxically serves to reveal and even intensify sin, rather than providing the power to overcome it. In Romans 7:7-13, he clarifies that the Law is not sin but exposes sin's true nature. Then, in Romans 7:14-23, Paul describes a person (widely interpreted as a regenerate believer) who "delights in the law of God after the inward man" but finds "another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members" (Romans 7:22-23). This desperate cry in verse 24 is the logical culmination of this internal battle, a recognition of utter helplessness that immediately precedes the triumphant declaration of deliverance in Romans 8:1-4.
Historical & Cultural Context
Paul's letter to the Romans was written to a diverse church in the heart of the Roman Empire, composed of both Jewish and Gentile believers. The Jewish believers would have been deeply familiar with the Mosaic Law and its centrality to their identity and covenant relationship with God. The concept of struggling with sin despite knowing God's commands was a universal human experience, but for those under the Law, the inability to perfectly fulfill its righteous demands could lead to profound spiritual frustration. While there's no direct historical event tied to this specific verse, Paul's description of the "body of this death" may allude to a gruesome ancient Roman punishment where a corpse was tied to a living person, forcing the living to carry the decaying body until death ensued. This imagery, whether a direct reference or a powerful metaphor, would have resonated with a Roman audience, vividly conveying the inescapable and corrupting nature of being bound to something that brings death.
Key Themes
Romans 7:24 contributes significantly to several overarching themes within Romans and Pauline theology. It powerfully underscores the Reality of Indwelling Sin, demonstrating that even for those committed to God, the battle against sin is a real, persistent, and often agonizing struggle. This verse highlights Human Inability to Self-Deliverance, asserting that willpower, adherence to law, or human effort alone cannot overcome sin's dominion; the desperate question "who shall deliver me?" emphasizes this profound need for an external, divine rescuer. Furthermore, it exemplifies the theme of Despair Leading to Hope, where the recognition of one's utter wretchedness and inability becomes the very catalyst that points to the only source of true deliverance: Jesus Christ. Finally, this verse reinforces the Law's Role not as a means of salvation or sanctification, but as a revealer of sin and a guide that, by exposing our inability to keep it, drives us to acknowledge our desperate need for a Savior, as Paul previously articulated in Romans 7:7.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This word signifies enduring trial, being miserable, distressed, or afflicted. It conveys a deep sense of agony, hardship, and despair over one's condition, not merely a fleeting sadness but a profound and persistent state of suffering due to an inescapable burden. Paul uses it to express the crushing weight of his internal struggle with sin.
This verb means to rush or draw (for oneself), implying rescue, to save, or to pluck out from danger. It denotes a powerful act of intervention that frees someone from a perilous situation or from the grasp of an oppressive force. The active voice of the question "who shall deliver me?" emphasizes the urgent need for an external agent to provide this liberation.
G4983 and G2288. Sōma (body) refers to the physical body, but in a broader sense, it can represent the whole person or the instrument through which one acts. Thánatos (death) refers to physical death, but also to spiritual death, separation from God, and the power of sin that leads to such separation. The phrase "body of this death" is a powerful idiom or metaphor, likely referring to the mortal body as the instrument or locus through which sin operates, leading to spiritual and physical decay. It signifies being enslaved to a condition that is inherently corrupting and leads to ultimate demise, much like being shackled to a decaying corpse.
Verse Breakdown
"O wretched man that I am!"
This exclamation is a deeply personal and emotional cry, revealing Paul's profound distress and anguish over his spiritual condition. The term "wretched" (talaípōros) conveys a sense of being miserable, burdened, and afflicted by an internal conflict that he cannot resolve on his own. It is a genuine lament stemming from the awareness of his inability to consistently live up to the righteous standards of God's law, despite his desire to do so.
"who shall deliver me"
This is a rhetorical question that highlights Paul's utter helplessness and the human inability to self-deliver from the power of sin. It is not a question seeking information, but rather an expression of desperation that anticipates the only possible answer: a divine deliverer. It underscores the recognition that no human effort, willpower, or adherence to the Law can provide the necessary liberation.
"from the body of this death?"
This phrase powerfully describes the source of Paul's wretchedness. "The body of this death" is a vivid and potent metaphor for the corrupting, death-producing power of indwelling sin that operates through the physical body and its desires. It signifies being bound to a state of spiritual corruption and decay, a constant pull towards sin that leads to spiritual death and separates one from God's perfect will. It encapsulates the pervasive and inescapable nature of the sinful inclination that plagues the believer.
Literary Devices
Romans 7:24 employs several powerful literary devices to convey Paul's profound spiritual anguish and the desperate need for deliverance. The most prominent is the Rhetorical Question, "who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Paul is not genuinely seeking an answer; rather, he uses the question to emphasize the utter impossibility of self-deliverance and to create a dramatic tension that immediately points to the only solution found in the subsequent verse. This question serves to highlight the depth of his predicament and the universal human need for a savior. Secondly, the phrase "body of this death" functions as a potent Metaphor or Symbolism. It is not a literal dead body, but a vivid and gruesome image representing the corrupting, death-bringing power of indwelling sin that clings to and permeates the human existence, leading to spiritual decay and separation from God. This metaphor evokes a sense of being inescapably bound to something utterly defiling and destructive. Finally, the opening exclamation, "O wretched man that I am!," serves as an Exclamation or Lament, expressing intense personal anguish, despair, and a deep sense of misery over his internal struggle. This raw emotional outburst draws the reader into Paul's experience, making the theological struggle deeply relatable.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Romans 7:24 serves as a crucial theological bridge, connecting the Law's inability to sanctify with the Spirit's power to liberate. It underscores the profound truth that while the Law reveals sin and our inherent inability to perfectly obey, it cannot provide the power to overcome the "body of this death." This lament is not a sign of defeat for the believer but a necessary recognition of human powerlessness, which then drives us to the only source of true deliverance: God's grace through Jesus Christ. The theological weight of this verse lies in its honest portrayal of the ongoing struggle even within the regenerate, validating the experience of many believers and emphasizing that our sanctification is not achieved by self-effort but by divine intervention. It sets the stage for the glorious declaration in Romans 8:1-4, where the "law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" sets us free from the "law of sin and death."
Reflection and Application
Romans 7:24 offers profound comfort and practical insight for every believer who has experienced the frustrating reality of an ongoing battle with sin. Paul's raw lament validates our own struggles, assuring us that the internal conflict between our renewed spirit and the lingering pull of the flesh is a normal, albeit painful, part of the Christian journey, even for an apostle. This verse teaches us that feeling "wretched" over our spiritual shortcomings is not a sign of a lack of faith, but often a sign of a heightened spiritual awareness and a deep desire for holiness that is at war with indwelling sin. It powerfully reminds us that we are utterly incapable of delivering ourselves from this "body of death" through willpower, self-discipline, or adherence to rules. Our deliverance must come from an external, divine source. This recognition of our helplessness is not meant to foster despair, but to drive us to a deeper, more complete reliance on Christ and the empowering work of the Holy Spirit. It compels us to cease striving in our own strength and to embrace the freedom and victory already secured for us in Jesus.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Is Romans 7:24 describing a non-Christian or a Christian?
This is a widely debated question among scholars, but the most common and compelling interpretation, especially within the context of the entire chapter and Paul's theology, is that Romans 7:14-25 describes the ongoing struggle of a regenerate believer. Paul uses first-person pronouns ("I," "me") and expresses a delight in God's law "after the inward man" (Romans 7:22), which is characteristic of one who has been born again. A non-Christian, by contrast, is typically described as being "dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1) and not having a desire for God's law. The "wretched man" is one who truly desires to do good but finds himself unable to perfectly execute that desire due to the persistent pull of indwelling sin, a battle that continues even after conversion. This interpretation highlights the reality of sanctification as a process, not a one-time event, and underscores the continuous need for Christ's deliverance.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Romans 7:24, with its desperate cry, finds its glorious and complete fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The "wretched man" who recognizes his utter inability to deliver himself from the "body of this death" is immediately met with the triumphant answer in Romans 7:25 and the entirety of Romans 8. Christ is the ultimate Deliverer, the one who broke the power of sin and death through His sacrificial death and resurrection. Where the Law was weak to save us from our sinful nature, God sent His own Son "in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh" (Romans 8:3). Through our union with Christ, we are no longer under the dominion of sin but under grace (Romans 6:14). The Holy Spirit, given to those in Christ, empowers us to walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit, enabling us to put to death the deeds of the body (Romans 8:4 and Romans 8:13). Thus, the lament of Romans 7:24 is not the final word for the believer, but a profound expression of need that perfectly magnifies the all-sufficient, liberating work of Jesus Christ, our Lord.