A Romans Body Of Death

What a wretched man I am!  Who will rescue me from this body of death?  Romans 7:24  
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:1-2


Around the time of Christ the Romans were the worlds military super power.  They had advanced weaponry, an army that was well trained and skilled in the in the work of war.  Each soldier was equipped from head to toe with the finest battle armament.  The Roman military machine had perfected things such as catapults and chariots.  No one dare to threaten Rome without first counting the cost of going to battle with such an ominous foe.

In fact in areas that were conquered by the Roman military, they would unapologetically leave reminders behind of people who would not submit to Roman rule by nailing them to a cross and leaving them hang for days dying a slow torturous death.  Then letting the scavenging birds to gorge on the corpses until there was nothing left.  This was done as a clear reminder of what happens if you dare to break any law.

That is the one we are all familiar with because of the way Jesus Christ died for our sins.  There was another way the Roman military also dealt with criminals.  They would attach a recently dead person (skin on skin) to the back of someone guilty of theft, murder, lying or any other transgression by thick leather straps and chains.  Then they would put a Roman seal on the chains and bands so that no one would dare lose the convict of their "body of death" sentence.  So wherever the criminal would go it was like carrying around another person on their backs (dead). 

The idea was that as the corps would become cold and rigor mortis would set in, the decay process would be passed on to the one bound to the dead body through disease. There was no hope of survival.

That is what Paul is talking about spiritually in Romans 7:24.  In our sinful state we are bound to a body of death and unless loosed, we would ultimately perish also.

Thank God that Jesus Christ loved us so much that He took upon himself the penalty of our sin, He set us free from the penalty of the "body of death."  So if by faith we are in Christ we can have the hope of being set free from death through His resurrection.

Romans 6:5 "If we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection."