Romans 7:24

“O wretched man that I am, etc..] Not as considered in Christ, for as such he was a most happy man, being blessed with all spiritual blessings, and secure from all condemnation and wrath; nor with respect to his inward man, which was renewing day by day, and in which he enjoyed true spiritual peace and pleasure; nor with regard to his future state, of the happiness of which he had no doubt: he knew in whom he had believed; he was fully persuaded nothing could separate him from the love of God; and that when he had finished his course, he should have the crown of righteousness laid up for him: but this exclamation he made on account of the troubles he met with in his Christian race; and not so…”

“O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?--The apostle speaks of the "body" here with reference to "the law of sin" which he had said was "in his members," but merely as the instrument by which the sin of the heart finds vent in action, and as itself the seat of the lower appetites (see on Rom 6:6, and Rom 7:5); and he calls it "the body of this death," as feeling, at the moment when he wrote, the horrors of that death (Rom 6:21, and Rom 7:5) into which it dragged him down. But the language is not that of a sinner newly awakened to the sight of his lost state; it is the cry of a living but agonized believer, weighed down under a burden which is not himself,…”

“O wretched man that I am! - The feeling implied by this lamentation is the result of this painful conflict; and this frequent subjection to sinful propensities. The effect of this conflict is, (1) To produce pain and distress. It is often an agonizing struggle between good and evil; a struggle which annoys the peace, and renders life wretched. (2) It tends to produce humility. It is humbling to man to be thus under the influence of evil passions. It is degrading to his nature; a stain on his glory; and it tends to bring him into the dust, that he is under the control of such propensities, and so often gives indulgence to them. In such circumstances, the mind is overwhelmed with wretchedness,…”

“Wretched man that I am - The struggle is now come to the height; and the man, finding there is no help in himself, begins almost unawares to pray, Who shall deliver me? He then seeks and looks for deliverance, till God in Christ appears to answer his question. The word which we translate deliver, implies force. And indeed without this there can be no deliverance. The body of this death - That is, this body of death; this mass of sin, leading to death eternal, and cleaving as close to me as my body to my soul. We may observe, the deliverance is not wrought yet. Romans 7:25”

“7:24 this life that is dominated by sin and death (literally this body of death): Sin is so invasive that it affects the whole person, particularly our interactions in the physical world.”

“wretched: Rom 8:26; Kg1 8:38; Psa 6:6, Psa 32:3, Psa 32:4, Psa 38:2, Psa 38:8-10, Psa 77:3-9, Psa 119:20, Psa 119:81-83, Psa 119:131; Psa 119:143, Psa 119:176, Psa 130:1-3; Eze 9:4; Mat 5:4, Mat 5:6; Co2 12:7-9; Rev 21:4 who: Deu 22:26, Deu 22:27; Psa 71:11, Psa 72:12, Psa 91:14, Psa 91:15, Psa 102:20; Mic 7:19; Zac 9:11, Zac 9:12; Luk 4:18; Co2 1:8-10; Ti2 4:18; Tit 2:14; Heb 2:15 the body of this: or, this body of, Rom 6:6, Rom 8:13; Psa 88:5; Col 2:11 Romans 7:25”