Romans 7:24-25 “Miserable man that I am! Who will rescue me from the body undergoing this death? Thanks to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So, then, with [my] mind I myself am a slave to God’s law, but with [my] flesh to sin’s law.” (NWT)

As we all know, The Apostle Paul wrote those words Just quoted. What is Paul saying here? Is he admitting to some fleshly sin? Or is he talking about the fight he is waging against sin, and not that he has stumbled? I have often wondered this. Lets consider more of Romans 7: 14-25

“14 For we know that the Law is spiritual; but I am fleshly, sold under sin. 15 For what I am working out I do not know. For what I wish, this I do not practice; but what I hate is what I do. 16 However, if what I do not wish is what I do, I agree that the Law is fine. 17 But now the one working it out is no longer I, but sin that resides in me. 18 For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, there dwells nothing good; for ability to wish is present with me, but ability to work out what is fine is not [present]. 19 For the good that I wish I do not do, but the bad that I do not wish is what I practice. 20 If, now, what I do not wish is what I do, the one working it out is no longer I, but the sin dwelling in me. 21 I find, then, this law in my case: that when I wish to do what is right, what is bad is present with me. 22 I really delight in the law of God according to the man I am within, 23 but I behold in my members another law warring against the law of my mind and leading me captive to sin’s law that is in my members. 24 Miserable man that I am! Who will rescue me from the body undergoing this death? 25 Thanks to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So, then, with [my] mind I myself am a slave to God’s law, but with [my] flesh to sin’s law.

We see in verse 19 Paul says “the bad that I do not wish is what I practice.” Twice Paul says, it “is no longer I, but sin that resides in me.” (Verse 17 & 20) What is Paul saying here? What does he practice? I don’t think he is talking about flatulence do you? I do not mean to sound disrespectful but really, I think Paul is talking about serious sin of the “flesh”. What else could he be talking about? It couldn’t be the fight against sin because he says, it “is what I practice”.

The reason I ask these questions is because I was disfellowshipped from the Jehovah Witness’s for what was considered a serious sin. I repeated getting drunk after one year of sobriety. They said I “practice” sin. Did not the man who wrote, “Expel the wicked man from among you.” (1 Corinthians 5:13) The Apostle Paul, also admit that he practices sin with his flesh?

What did Paul mean by, “it is no longer I, but sin that resides in me.”?? I wonder what would have happened if I would have said that to the Elders?
But Brothers, “It is no longer I, but sin that residith in me.” I don’t think that would have gotten me anywhere. “It wasn’t me! It wasn’t me! the one working it out is no longer I, but the sin that dwellith within me members!!!” “Make em walk the plank mates and if he blames his members one more time chop em off with a spoon! Let this be a warning to the rest of yee mates, no blaming yee members!”

Maybe I am wrong but I really think Paul is admitting to something very sinful here. I do not agree with JW’s practice of Disfellowshipping. I think Paul was right when he said, “it is no longer I, but sin that resides in me.” That is how I feel, I am a slave to Gods law with my mind but sins law with my flesh. Me members, please don’t tell anyone. “Miserable man that I am! Who will rescue me from the body undergoing this death? Thanks to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So, then, with [my] mind I myself am a slave to God’s law, but with [my] flesh to sin’s law.”

Your sinful brother,
Greybeard

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10 Comments on Miserable Man That I Am!

  1. andrew says:

    It could be that Paul here speaks for mankind in general and relates the struggle we all face with what we want to do and what we practice.

    It is sad how Paul’s counsel in 1 Cor 5 has been taken to an extreme by the organization. It is what happens when legalism runs amok. It is also what happens when secret judicial meetings take place. Seemingly the elders have no one to answer to. In ancient Israel the elders of a city judged at the city gates, a very public place. This would strongly motivate those judges to be fair and merciful since others were observing the proceedings.

    The policy of shunning and disfellowshipping as it exists today among JWs is unbiblical and extremist.

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  2. greybeard says:

    Thanks Andrew for your reply. You said, “It could be that Paul here speaks for mankind in general and relates the struggle we all face with what we want to do and what we practice.” I guess anything is possible. I would think that if what you say is true, it would be more clear. Paul uses the word “I” several times. How can that possibly refer to anyone except himself? I don’t see how it could. He also said at 1 Timothy 1:15 , “…Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.” Now either this is TRUE or it is FALSE.

    Your brother,
    Greybeard

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  3. greybeard says:

    Whoever it is, mankind in general or Paul himself, Paul separates the sin from the person by saying this, “It is no longer I, but sin that residith in me” Correct?

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  4. Difficult Places Common to Scripture says:

    There are different types of sins.

    There’s the sin that is PURPOSELY planned and executed; among them are adultery, theft, lying against a brother, etc.

    There’s also the sin we are unable to refrain from such as sinful thoughts or bad thoughts or silently judging another etc.

    There’s also sins that are the result of physical or emotional weaknesses; addictions fall into this category as does, for some very few, adultery resulting from extreme harshness in the marriage, emotionally triggered theft, and others.

    In my opinion, Paul was likely speaking of the second two categories and not the first. Either way, if Jesus admonition in Matthew 18 was practiced in the JW congregation all secret committees with their resulting secret “killings” would end. When did Jesus disfellowship or shun? The dark chambers should be opened to the fresh air of the Christ and of love for brother. Christ did not die so we could go on practicing legalized stoning in the congregation, he did not die so we could go on practicing the Law of Moses.

    On the other hand, the friends in the hall must grow up a bit and be responsible to the Christ and his Father for their own lives and not expect the elders to fix every little problem that comes up for them. Even Jesus rejected playing the judge between two who wanted him to decide on their inheritance. There is much elder burn out due to some of the friends who cannot be, or refuse to be, more than children in the congregation.

    Enough said.

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    • Jolly Roger says:

      DPCS, I applaud your reply. Very succinct and spot-on. In fact, your reply highlights very well why my all-time favorite “Religious” movie is “Monty Python’s Life Of Bryan”.

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  5. greybeard says:

    I agree Difficult Places,

    There are different types of sin. I’m not trying to pin a heavy sin on Paul, I’m just saying in my opinion, it doesn’t sound like something small. I don’t see how it could be his thoughts because he talks about his flesh. Who knows, this passage has always somewhat puzzled me because it is hard to imagine Paul doing something seriously sinful. As a JW I, as well as most all, looked at other so called “christians” and pointed the finger, “see they can’t be christians, they are smoking” or something like that, they are living together or whatever it was. I still believe Christians need to live a clean life but I am not as judgmental as I was before. Just because a person in sinning doesn’t mean he can’t hope in Christ Jesus. It is wrong for me to judge them in my heart or openly.

    Your brother,
    Greybeard

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    • Difficult Places Common to Scripture says:

      “Just because a person in sinning doesn’t mean he can’t hope in Christ Jesus.”

      Absolutely! Jesus did not call the self-righteous, those who believe rule keeping is the way to righteousness and forget about compassion and love. No, Jesus called the sinners, the humble and the hurting and those who were seeking. So called “righteous” people do not seek they think they already have.

      I replied as I did about Paul because if we take all that he wrote into consideration he would be a hypocrite indeed if he, after instructing others to leave what he considered gross sins, was himself not leaving them.

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  6. Jolly Roger says:

    se·ri·ous   /ˈsɪəriəs/ Show Spelled
    [seer-ee-uhs] Show IPA

    –adjective
    1. of, showing, or characterized by deep thought.
    2. of grave or somber disposition, character, or manner: a serious occasion; a serious man.
    3. being in earnest; sincere; not trifling: His interest was serious.
    4. requiring thought, concentration, or application: serious reading; a serious task.
    5. weighty or important: a serious book; Marriage is a serious matter.
    6. giving cause for apprehension; critical: The plan has one serious flaw.
    7. Medicine/Medical . (of a patient’s condition) having unstable or otherwise abnormal vital signs and other unfavorable indicators, as loss of appetite and poor mobility: patient is acutely ill.
    –noun
    8. that which is of importance, grave, critical, or somber: You have to learn to separate the serious from the frivolous.

    GB, you are correct, Paul was speaking about “serious” sin, #8 I believe. Oh, and BTW, you have struck a nerve. One thing I noticed about the facets of the definition of “serious” mentioned above, is that they are all subjective in nature. Tell me, when someone cuts you off in traffic, is that serious or just somebody to dodge? As George Carlin once asked, “Why is it that everybody driving slower than we are is a moron, and everybody driving faster is a maniac?”

    Is “serious” sin just a matter of degree? Is it because we are enjoying ourselves too much? Too little? Why is it that the most vicious and ardent prohibitionist always turns out to be an ex-alcoholic? Why is the most rabid anti-smoker someone who was up to 5 packs a day before they lost a lung and THEN they decided to quit?

    The use of 1Cor5:13 as an excuse to boot somebody off the planet because they have been judged “wicked” due to a “substance abuse problem” is the very essence of sin itself.

    “Everybody’s got something to hide, except me and my monkey.” – John Lennon

    “Yaba Daba Do!” – Fred Flintstone

    What was the “serious” sin that Paul is talking about? It doesn’t matter. Obviously this sin sometimes had mastery over Paul and drove him about like a slave, and other times it didn’t, that’s the way wars go. The most important aspect, however, is Paul’s realization, admission, and attempt to fight it. Remember the parable about the pompous, superfine-religious guy who sincerely prays to God, “Oh thank you for not making me like that dirtbag guy over there! Yeah, the one next to that big bossomed blonde.”, while the dirtbag-guy-over-there goes home and sincerely asks to be forgiven for losing a few battles? Which one do you suppose was more pleasing to Jehovah? Which one would be more likely to be forgiven? Why? Jesus indicated that is was not because of the comparative severity of their sins, but because one guy can’t even recognize that he is sinning?

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  7. greybeard says:

    Great points Jolly Roger,

    Brings to mind this account at John 7:36-44:

    “36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
    39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

    40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

    “Tell me, teacher,” he said.

    41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,[c] and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

    43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

    “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

    44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet.”

    It is accounts like this one here that builds my faith in Christ. I have had a few times, not many, but a few, when I wondered if maybe Christ was a invention of religion. When you read something like this you realize that Jesus was more than a ordinary man. His love and wisdom surpassed everyones. He had to be sent from God.

    Your brother,
    Greybeard

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