O wretched man that I am!

Rom. 7:24) “ O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” This was the Apostle Paul’s question in chapter 7 after realizing that sin was still controlling him after salvation, but thank God he also concluded, ‘”so then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”After salvation, it becomes quite apparent to us that we can still sin. Why? Because even though we have been freed from the condemnation of sin in salvation, our flesh or sin nature is still very much alive within us. Therefore, we must learn to control the old nature of sin. That’s why God at the moment of salvation places within us his new nature, and his Holy Spirit to help us control the old flesh. So, the problem that we face is not that we still have the old nature, but rather that the old nature has tricked us into believing he's still in control. Baptism is our first step of obedience to Christ, but we also must choose to yield our mind and body to Jesus as well. You see the old nature within us wants us to believe that we can't stop sinning. In Christ we are now free from his power, just as death frees a wife from the power of her first husband (Rom. 7:1-6). “So then (Paul asks) who (then) shall deliver us?” Well, the answer is clear, our new husband, Jesus Christ (Ro.7:4). Once we learn to yield ourselves now unto his word and walk in and after his Holy Spirit, we will have power over the old nature! You see the problem is not that we can't, but rather that we just won't. (Phil 4:13) "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."