THURSDAY July 30, 2020

O Wretched Man!

O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
Romans 7:24-25

Paul powerfully declared: “O wretched man that I am!” He knew he could find nothing good within himself. Socrates, a Greek philosopher, said, “Know yourself.” Many philosophers believed this, yet Socrates committed suicide––he could never find himself! It is not until people read the Scriptures that they really find themselves. They learn they are sinners! They come to the same statement of Paul. It is only when a person comes to the point of despairing over their wretchedness that they surrender to Jesus Christ––period.

Think about it. As a little baby is formed inside the womb of their mother, they already have a sin nature. Every human being is born in sin. It is only when a person comes to the age of accountability, where they know right from wrong, that they can repent of their sins and ask Christ into their lives. They become born again (John 3), and experience the regenerative power of the Holy Spirit.

They become a new man, and the old man is dead (Colossians 3:8-11). They have a relationship with God, not through the Law––rules and regulations–– but a love relationship. Now they desire to be obedient to God, and He can bless their lives.

Understand, a Christian cannot live apart from Christ, from fellowship and from communion with Him. They will have to fight against these enemies––the devil, the world and the flesh––until the day they die (1 John 2:16).

The spirit is stronger than the flesh. A Christian must willingly submit their life to Christ. That is laying down their will. God will do a tremendous work in their life, and they will be blessed.

The Christian does not have to live in defeat, but he does have to live all his life with the sin nature … and … because God has not made flesh any better in the believer, because it has not been refined, it is a powerful enemy with which we have to live.
~Charles Caldwell Ryrie~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!