Romans 7:24-25a What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God–through Jesus Christ our Lord! (NIV)

he Bible tells us that we are enemies of God. Original sin is a sickness that is terminal. Recognizing this can lead to fear, guilt and frustration. Paul was speaking about that frustration in his own life when he wrote these words: What I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do–this I keep on doing. He lays bare his heart and soul. Sin had brought Paul frustration and failure. Remember how he had persecuted the early Christians. He stood by and watched as Stephen was stoned to death for preaching Jesus Christ as the way to forgiveness and eternal life. Paul had plenty of sin in his life, and that continued even after he came to faith and was a missionary.

In ancient Rome, torture was seen as a legitimate way to put teeth into their laws. You have heard about crucifixion, but they had other treacherous punishments as well. One particularly hideous one was binding a dead body to the back of a sentenced person. Under penalty of death, no one was allowed to release the condemned criminal from that dead body he was forced to carry around. Perhaps that image is what Paul had in mind when he wrote, What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?

Have you ever felt like that? Do you share that dark and dismal feeling of the apostle? Does your conscience nag and gnaw at you, condemning you with a long list of your sins and shortcomings? Is your conscience burdened with the wrong that you have done?

No doubt, you do feel frustration because of your sins. You have inherited sin, and this original sin shows itself daily in the form of all kinds of actual sins. Perhaps you tell shady stories. Your life may be tainted with foul language or moral compromises. There is greed, gossip, pride, pettiness, snide remarks, lust and laziness in the lives of Christians. Sin leads to doom, destruction and death. Does this make you feel fearful, perhaps frustrated? If so, then that really is good news.

The reason I say that is good news is that only a Christian will feel this conflict between the Spirit and the Flesh, the struggle between the new life to which you have been called and your old sinful self. A person who does not believe in the existence of God has no fear of offending him. But if you truly feel the frustration that comes from the sin in your life, then you are ready to hear the best news of all.

Paul took heart in the promises of the Gospel. It changed him from a persecutor of believers into a mighty witness for the Savior. Thanks be to God–through our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul heard the message that Christ paid the penalty of sin in our place. Jesus Christ was put to death for our sins and raised again for our righteousness. He has overcome all sin … ALL SIN … everyone of them … even those that make you feel frustration and failure.