Rescue for the Wretched
Bible Passage: Romans 7:15-25
Pastor: Joel Jenswold
Sermon Date: July 5, 2026
In the name of, and to the eternal glory of, Jesus,
“How could he do that? He’s supposed to be a Christian!” Have you ever felt that way about someone? Someone you know, someone you respect as a brother or sister in Christ does something sinful, shockingly sinful. We are left wondering, “How can this be?”
Maybe this issue hits closer to home. Maybe your question isn’t about “him.” Maybe it’s about you. “How could I do that? Why did I fall for that AGAIN?” It is exactly at this point some Christians make a dreadful error. They conclude, “I must not be a Chirstian! A real Christian would NEVER do that!”
Our text today is a “must” for every Christian! Our text will help you if you have ever wondered how a Christian could commit a certain sin. It will help you if you have ever been frustrated with yourself, even to the point of questioning your sincerity and your faith. It will help you if you have ever felt like Paul in our text. It will help you if you have ever looked at your life and felt “wretched.” It will help because this text will offer Rescue for the Wretched.
We should probably deal first of all with the “elephant” in the text. In verse 24 Paul exclaims, What a miserable wretch I am! This is Paul, the apostle of the Lord Jesus. This is Paul who many times in his letters would encourage Christians to rejoice and be joyful. Yet Paul would confess of himself that he was a “miserable wretch.” What made Paul so wretched?
In a word, himself! Paul was conflicted. There was conflict inside of the apostle. He describes the conflict in great detail in our text. He explains his situation. He wants to do good. He feels the impulse to love God and love his neighbor. And yet he says he doesn’t do it! He admits, Instead, I do what I hate. (v. 15) And this struggle is not a “one-off.” This happens constantly in Paul’s life! He says, So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is present with me. (v. 21) Day-in and day-out Paul has this war going on within him! And it is war! He says, I see a different law at work in my members [we might say “limbs”] waging war against the law of my mind and taking me captive to the law of sin, which is present in my members. (v. 23) Paul is saying it’s like his brain knows what to do but his hands and feet fight to do something else! Can you relate to Paul?
Paul tells us why this is the case. He has a split personality. Not psychologically speaking. But theologically and spiritually speaking. Paul describes himself this way. I certainly delight in God’s law according to my inner self. (v. 22) Paul, and every Christian – yourself included – has a new nature inside. When Paul wrote to the Ephesians he spoke of their new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:24) Within the Christian is a renewed nature. It is the beginning of the renewed image of God which was lost when Adam and Eve first sinned. It is the work of God the Holy Spirit. It is like God in true righteousness and holiness. That explains why you Paul, and you, have the desire to do what is good. You want to love God! You want to love and serve your neighbor! You are being renewed in the image of God! That’s a wonderful thing!
Enter the villain! Here is the other part of you: I know that nothing good lives in me, [Wait! I thought you just said we have the renewal of the image of God! That’s something good in you! Let’s let Paul finish…] that is, in my sinful nature. (v. 18) We still have a sinful nature! Paul also calls it in our text sin living in me (v. 20). Like an unwanted and unwelcome stowaway on board, a sinful nature still indwells you. Writing to the Galatians, Paul put it this way: …the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. (Galatians 5:17)
This conflict explains why David could be a man after God’s own heart, and also an adulterer and murderer. This new nature/sinful nature battle explains why Peter could be an apostle and also deny he knew the Lord Jesus on Maundy Thursday. This old nature/new nature reality within us explains why YOU are the way you are. It explains why you stand here on Sunday and confess the Creed and Monday you use words that would make an angel blush. It explains why you can leave here with such resolve to stop this or that sin and by Tuesday you have done it again. This inner conflict explains why you at times could rip out handfuls of hair and cry with Paul, “What am I doing? Why do I do this?? I’m dying here! This is miserable!”
Enter the Hero. Enter the Savior! Who will rescue me from this body of death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! (v. 25) Rescue comes through Jesus Christ. God looks at you “through Jesus Christ.” Like looking at something through a filter that changes how things look – like those filters on Snapchat that change the way you look, God looks at you through Jesus Christ. And looking at you through Jesus, God sees the righteousness of Jesus on you! And looking at you through the “Jesus filter,” God sees the cross of Jesus over you! All those things that make you wretched, God no longer sees! You have been rescued! From sin, from death, from YOURSELF! It is rescue that comes alone “through Jesus Christ.”
This text allows us to mention a very important part of our heritage as Lutheran Christians. Martin Luther famously described the Christian as simul justus et peccator. That’s Latin for “at the same time saint and sinner.” That is what you are. You’ve got to come to grips with that. You are both of these things. You are a sinner. But through Jesus Christ, God sees you as a holy saint. When you are miserable because all you can see and feel is the “sinner” part, say again with Paul: Who will rescue me from the body of death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Amen.
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