Jesus delivers those who desire righteousness and despair over their sin

14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold as a slave under sin.

15 For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate.

16 Now if I do what I do not want to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 So now I am no longer the one doing it, but it is sin dwelling in me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. 19 For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do.

20 Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one that does it, but it is the sin that dwells in me. 21 So I discover this law: When I want to do what is good, evil is present with me. 22 For in my inner self I delight in God’s law, 23 but I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin which is in the parts of my body.

24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?

25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself am serving the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin.

Romans 7:14-25

Two headlines from my life this week:

Man Determines to Be More Patient With His Family.

Same Man Yells at Slow Driver on Way Home From Church.

This is the Christian dilemma Paul describes in Romans 7. The gap between what we want to do and what we actually do. If even an apostle cried, What a wretched man I am! where does that leave the rest of us?

This morning, we’ll uncover why this tension exists. And where real hope is found when our best intentions fail.

Jesus delivers those who desire righteousness and despair over their sin.

1. The Struggle is Real (Romans 7:14).
2. The War inside You (Romans 7:15-24).
3. The Victory is in Him (Romans 7:25).

The Struggle is Real

14 For we know that the law is spiritual,

How is the law spiritual? Psalm 19:7-9,

7 The instruction of the Lord is perfect, renewing one’s life;
the testimony of the Lord is trustworthy, making the inexperienced wise.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right, making the heart glad;
the command of the Lord is radiant, making the eyes light up.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever;
the ordinances of the Lord are reliable and altogether righteous.
The law is spiritual because it originates from God’s perfect, holy character.

John Calvin, The law is a mirror of God’s righteousness.

The law is spiritual because it reveals sin’s deceitfulness (Romans 7:1-13).

The law is spiritual, it cuts to the heart, reveals our ruin, and drives us to the Redeemer.

but I am of the flesh, sold as a slave under sin.

Note the shift at this point. but I am of the flesh. I. In this passage Paul is speaking about his own lived experience. In the Greek, Paul is using present-tense words. This is Paul’s own experience living the Christian life.

Paul says, I am of the flesh. The law is spiritual but I am not. I am flesh. And blood. And sin. Paul might be an apostle, but he is as much a sinful man as you or I are.

1 Timothy 1:15, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them.

We know that the law is spiritual but Paul knows he is fleshly and a slave under sin.

So here’s the sobering truth. The law is spiritual, but we are flesh. The standard is holy, but we are shackled. And if Paul, an apostle! felt this tension, how much more do we? But this isn’t the end of the story. Because in the very next breath, Paul pulls back the curtain on the battlefield within us all. Let’s step into the war zone together.

The War inside You

15 For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate.

I don’t know what Paul’s sins were, but I do know he had the same problem dealing with them as each and every one of us has. I do not practice what I want to do. He wanted to live righteously, zealously for God. But he found that even though he desired holiness, the flesh in him kept producing sinfulness. I do what I hate. And it’s frustrating him. He does not understand why he is doing what he is doing.

Imagine you’ve committed to eating healthy. No more late-night junk food. It’s 11:00pm, you find yourself standing at the freezer, craving ice cream. You hate this habit, but your hand grabs the ice cream tub anyway. 10 minutes later, as you throw an empty tub of ice cream into the bin, you groan, “Why did I do it? I knew it was wrong!”

Maybe for you, it’s not ice cream. It’s snapping at your kids. It’s binge-watching. It’s doom scrolling. Maybe it’s pornography. Maybe it’s drunkenness. You hate this habit. You know it’s wrong.

Paul just did not get why he could not do the good he desired but did evil instead.

16 Now if I do what I do not want to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 So now I am no longer the one doing it, but it is sin dwelling in me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. 19 For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do.

The Greek word for wretched (ταλαίπωρος) paints a picture of someone crushed by futility—a farmer plowing rocky soil, a soldier fighting a battle he cannot win. Paul isn’t just discouraged; he’s defeated. Every attempt at self-righteousness has ended in failure. And now, shackled to this body of death, he gasps for rescue.

How is it possible that sin remains in me after I’ve been saved?

Imagine a valiant knight coming to the mouth of a cave in which a notoriously evil dragon lived. The knight enters the cave and a horrible battle follows. At last the brave knight thrusts his sword into the belly of foul beast and it shrieks, and flees to the dark back recesses of the cave. Is it dead? No. But it has been mortally wounded. It will die. That is certain. But it has not yet bled to death, and it may yet revive with violent convulsions and do much harm (loosely taken from 1983 John Piper sermon).

That is a picture of our sin. Jesus defeated Satan on the cross. That wicked serpent from old has received a mortal wound, and he is defeated, but not yet dead. And Jesus defeated sin on the cross. The penalty of sin is paid. Yet, in the cave of your heart, in your flesh, sin has found a place to hide. And wait. In the dark back recesses. It dwells. It remains. Defeated. Yes. But still devious, deceptive, and deadly.

The sin still remaining in Paul robbed him of the ability to do good.

20 Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one that does it, but it is the sin that dwells in me. 21 So I discover this law: When I want to do what is good, evil is present with me. 22 For in my inner self I delight in God’s law, 23 but I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin which is in the parts of my body.

There is a battle waging inside every believer. In your inner self. Good verses evil. God’s law verses the law of sin. An inner turmoil. An inner conflict. Here’s the rub. Sin wins every time if there is no power in Paul other than Paul, to stop Paul sinning. Paul is powerlessness to battle sin himself.

How you doing? C.S. Lewis wrote, No man knows how bad he is until he has tried to be good. Believer, have you tried to be good and failed?

It was as if Paul’s spirit was at war with his flesh inside of him.

24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?

The Greek word wretched is more literally, wretched through the exhaustion of hard labor. Paul is worn out. Paul is unsuccessful. Paul cannot please God by self righteousness. He has tried, and tried, and tried, and failed every time. And Paul is desperate for deliverance.

In despair he cries out with question, Who will rescue me from this body of death?

What a wretched man I am! Can you hear the crack in Paul’s voice? The exhaustion of a soul that’s fought and lost a thousand battles? He’s not sad, he’s ruined. The Greek word isn’t polite regret; it’s the gasp of a drowning man, the shudder of a soldier who’s thrown down his broken sword.

He clutches at his chest, this body of death, like it’s a corpse strapped to his back. That’s the imagery here. Ancient Rome punished murderers by tying rotting bodies to their victims, flesh to flesh, until the stench and decay killed them. Paul’s saying, “I’m shackled to my sin, and it’s killing me!”

WHO will rescue me? Not what. Who. This isn’t a philosophy seminar. It’s a deathbed plea. This is Peter sinking in the waves, screaming, “Lord, save me!” This is the tax collector beating his chest, “God, have mercy!” This is you, when your guilt feels heavier than gravity.

Can you feel Paul’s exhaustion? The weight of his cry. Who will rescue me? This is the cry of every soul crushed by sin’s futility. But listen closely. Despair is not the final note. In fact, it’s the prelude to deliverance.

The Victory is in Him

25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Lightning splits the darkness. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! Paul doesn’t whisper this. His soul shouts it! His spirit sings it. The same mouth that groaned wretched now roars rescued! Why? Because the battle isn’t won by willpower—it’s won by the Man who walked out of a grave.

Jesus. Let me tell you about Him. He is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, yet alive forevermore. He is the God who wept at Lazarus’ tomb, then roared, “Lazarus, come forth!”—and death obeyed. He is the King who wore a crown of thorns so you could wear a crown of life. On the cross, He absorbed God’s wrath against your sin—every lustful glance, every cruel word, every hidden shame—until His body was broken and His blood spilled. But hear this. The grave could not hold Him! On the third day, the earth shook, the stone rolled away, and He emerged—victorious, glorious, radiant—with the keys of death and hell in His nail-scarred hands. Now He stands at the Father’s right hand, interceding for you, whispering your name. This is your Rescuer. This is your Champion. This is why Paul shouts, ‘Thanks be to God!’—because the war isn’t won by your willpower, but by His wounds. He is a beauty Saviour, glorious Lord, and He stands at the ready, powerful to save.

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

So then, with my mind I myself am serving the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin.

Paul’s conclusion is both sobering and glorious. Even with a regenerate mind that wants to serve God’s law, the remnants of sin still lurk within. But remember, the dragon is defeated, not dead. Its teeth are pulled; its reign is over. And the One who wounded it stands ready to finish the work He began. We’re going to discover in coming weeks as we unpack Romans 8, that it is the Spirit of life that has set you free from the law of sin and death. Our victory comes not by self-effort but by the Spirit’s power.

And so Paul is so grateful to God because he owes it all to Him for deliverance.

Thanks be to God! the war is won! But friends, this isn’t just Paul’s story. It’s yours. So how do we live in light of this victory?

Connect to the gospel

When Paul cries, Who will rescue me from this body of death? he echoes every believer’s despair over sin’s tyranny. A slavery so profound that even our best efforts fail. But, just as it was at the point of salvation, in sanctification this cry is met in Jesus’ death and resurrection. Hebrews 2:14-15 reveals that through His death, Jesus destroyed the devil’s power to enslave us to sin and fear, and through His resurrection, He freed us to live in victory. Paul’s anguished confession turns to gospel doxology, not because the battle has ended, but because the outcome is secured. The gospel will not remove our struggle with sin in this life, but it does assure us that the One who rescued us from sin’s penalty will deliver us from sin’s power.

Application for believers

1. When you fail, and you will fail, go back to the gospel, and thank Jesus for His sufficient, finished work. Remember, your standing before God rests on Christ’s righteousness, not your performance. His grace covers your failures and His Spirit renews you daily. Because this process of sanctification is progressive, it’s like a journey. Journey’s are best travelled with a friend. Find an accountability partner who can disciple you as you face your sin.

2. This battleground is on the inside, so fill your mind with God’s truth, and fill your heart with God’s Spirit. Here’s a passage to to fill your mind with. This week, go and memorise Romans 7:24-25, 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! And Romans 8:1, 1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.

3. Take courage that even your ongoing struggle confirms your faith, so get ready to agonize over sin that remains till your journey’s end. We fight sin by faith, not by gritting our teeth but by clinging to Christ. Our effort flows from His strength.

Application for unbelievers

1. You cannot save yourself by morality or religion, you need heart surgery, a transformation from the inside out.

2. Jesus alone can deliver you from darkness and bring you into His glorious light.

3. So cry out to Him with your lips, and believe in Him with your heart. In a moment there’ll be an opportunity for you to respond. To come and pray with an elder or member. It you need to do business with Jesus, don’t delay.

Conclusion

Let’s rewrite those two headlines from my life this week:

Man Yells at Slow Driver.

Same Man Clings to Christ and Finds Deliverance.

The gap between those headlines? That’s where Jesus meets us. Paul’s cry of despair turned to praise because he knew our rescue isn’t found in trying harder, but in the One who triumphed over sin and death.

Believer, when you fail, and you will, run to the cross. Unbeliever, if you’re tired of the cycle of sin, cry out to the Rescuer today.

Amen.