Romans 7:24

Wretched. Gr. talaiporos may also be translated “distressed,” “miserable.” The only other occurrence in the NT is in Rev. 3:17, where talaiporos describes the condition of the Laodicean church. The distress resulting from the inner conflict, and sometimes agonizing struggle, between good and evil causes Paul to utter this apparently despairing cry and call for help. But he knows the source of deliverance from his troubles and hastens to declare it (Rom. 7:25).

Who shall deliver me? Or, “Who will rescue me?” The question provides Paul with an opportunity to express the good news that is the theme of his whole epistle. Does deliverance come through law? Can a man win release and freedom by the strength of his own will and intellect? In vain have these methods been tried, and the disastrous results have been clearly seen. There is only one way, “through Jesus Christ our Lord” (v. 25).

The body of this death. Or, “this body of death.” The Greek construction is inconclusive as to whether “this” is to be connected with “body” or with “death,” though the latter connection seems more natural. The meaning of this passage has been much disputed. It at least seems to be generally agreed that there is no evidence that Paul is alluding to an ancient custom of chaining a living prisoner to a corpse, though this horrible practice affords a striking illustration of the spiritual predicament Paul is describing.

Paul regards the body, the flesh, as the seat of sin, the dwelling place of the law of sin that works in the members to bring forth death (vs. 5, 13, 23, 25). He does not mean by this that the physical body is evil (see on v. 5). His cry for deliverance is for release from bondage to the law of sin, so that his body shall no longer serve as the seat of sin and death, but rather may be offered to God as a “living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God” (ch. 12:1).