Romans 7:24–25

Context

Romans is a letter that Paul sent to the church in Rome. In chapter 7, Paul addresses the relationship between the law and sin. Beginning in 7:14, he speaks in the first person to describe an inner conflict in which he desires the good yet does evil. The lament of verse 24, "O wretched man that I am!" ("wretched" here meaning miserable and afflicted), and the thanksgiving of verse 25 bring this section to a close. The text then moves directly into 8:1: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus."

Interpretation

• Reading as the struggle of a Christian: Augustine initially regarded this "I" as a person before conversion. After the Pelagian controversy, he is known to have read it as Paul himself, that is, as a regenerate believer. Martin Luther and John Calvin followed this reading. Luther described the believer as "at once righteous and a sinner." The Reformed tradition often understands the passage as describing the struggle against sin that remains even in the believer who has been declared righteous (justification).
• Reading as a person under the law: Many of the early Greek Fathers, as well as John Wesley, read this "I" as a person who has come to recognize sin through the law but has not yet been set free by grace. Wesleyan theology contrasts the frustration of chapter 7 with the liberation of chapter 8 and cites this contrast as a basis for emphasizing a life of victory over sin in the Spirit and the possibility of holiness.
• Reading as a rhetorical "I": Since the twentieth century, many biblical scholars have held that this "I" is not an account of Paul's personal experience but a rhetorical device representing humanity or Israel under the law.

Debates and Issues

The interpretation of this passage is closely connected with how one understands sanctification, the process by which the believer grows in holiness. Reformed churches, such as the Presbyterians, tend to emphasize a lifelong struggle. The Wesleyan tradition, including Methodists and Holiness churches, tends to emphasize the victory enjoyed in the Spirit.

There are also textual issues. The wording of the first part of verse 25 varies slightly among manuscripts, and one form reportedly answers the question with "the grace of God." Some have also noted that the order seems awkward, since the latter part of verse 25 summarizes the conflict again after the thanksgiving. However, no known manuscript omits or relocates this portion.

In the Korean Church

The phrase "O wretched man that I am," as rendered in the Korean Revised Version and the New Korean Revised Version, is frequently quoted in sermons on the struggle against sin, law and gospel, and sanctification. Such sermons commonly add the recommendation that the passage be read together with chapter 8.

Related Passages

• Romans 8:1–2
• Romans 6:6
• Galatians 5:17
• Romans 8:23