“Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:21-25).

Dear Paul,
Thank you for giving voice to my struggle. You’ve translated the groans of my soul into words. I want to do what is good . . . at least I think I do. I tell myself, I’m turning over a new leaf. I’m never going to _____ again! But then I do it anyway. I feel so alone in my struggle. Is there any faith left in my cold heart? I fear it’s been smothered by all my pretending.
Sincerely,
Feeling Defeated

Could this letter have come from you?

Focusing on I

When I teach about the conflict between the sinful flesh and the new self, the class reads Romans 7:14-25 out loud. So many nod in agreement: “I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing” (Romans 7:19). Paul doesn’t make excuses. He throws open the shutters of his heart and lets the light shine on the embarrassing disconnect between the will of his new self and the actions of his sinful flesh. His exasperation with himself crescendos into “What a wretched man I am!”

There it is: I. In my Bible, it’s listed 27 times in 12 verses. As the apostle takes us on a tour of his lonely struggle against sin, I and sin and law are center stage. We nod our heads. It’s like he’s reading our minds, including the exasperated conclusion: “Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?”

Seeing our rescuer

Except exasperation isn’t the conclusion. Paul’s struggle doesn’t end in despair. Do you feel like yours does? If you translated your groans into words, would your story be riddled with I?

In the depths of our struggles against sin, we tend to turn inward and assume we’re alone. But Paul doesn’t conclude with I. He lifts up our gaze from our navels to our rescuer: “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:25).

Oh, yeah . . . Jesus! I almost forgot! I can’t save myself. God saves me. Through Jesus.

God renews your heart and gives you strength for the fight.

Jesus hasn’t left you to struggle alone. He surrounds you with other Christians—including pastors. They’ll listen and lift up your eyes from I to your rescuer. They’ll tell you that Jesus paid for your sins on the cross. They’ll declare that God has forgiven what you just confessed. They’ll not only remind you that the battle will continue but also that it will end. In heaven, God’s rescue mission will be fully realized in you.

Through those truths from his people, God renews your heart and gives you strength for the fight. “What a wretched man I am!” will give way to “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, give me the courage to confide in fellow Christians. Then let your promises from their lips lift my eyes to the peace of your forgiveness, your strength for my struggle, and the certain hope of rest in heaven. Amen.

Author: Michael Seifert
Volume 113, Number 02
Issue: February 2026