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The Man of Romans 7
William Diehl
The Roman Catholic religion has ALWAYS taken the position that the man of Romans 7 is the unconverted man and NOT the converted man. It was the Protestant Reformation which made the true identification of the man of Romans 7 as the converted man in Christ who is under continual conviction of the Holy Spirit of his sinful nature and his unlikeness to Christ. It was the Council of Trent which condemned the Protestant position and anathematized it.
This is why the Laodicean church is blind because it does not see that it is wretched as the man of Romans 7 describes it.
Revelation 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
Laodicea sees wretchedness as only the condition of the unconverted who are outside of Christ. But it is the true Christian who must also identify with the wretchedness of heart and our continual need of the blood of Christ to cover us moment by moment. If we as Christians cannot say with Paul, "O wretched man that I AM", then we are NOT Christians and have fallen from grace. The Catholic position is, "O wretched man that I WAS". This is why the Roman Catholic position is the ANTICHRIST position. She says that she sits as a Queen and does not see that she is wretched!!
The statement of xxxx is the perfect illustration of the spiritually blind condition of Laodicea who claims to be "victorious" and to have moved on beyond the wretchedness of the man of Romans 7. Those who refuse to see their true condition will be spewed out of the mouth of Christ. Only one who CONTINUALLY confesses his wretchedness is continually grateful for the covering of the robe of Christ's righteousness that is imputed to the repentant believer. The Christian will always have the attitude of repentant gratitude and not the pride that goes with a claim to be holy and victorious in our personal experience of sanctification. Laodicea claims that she is not wretched and not in need of the imputed righteousness of Christ, because she boasts of her victory through imparted righteousness by the Holy Spirit just as the Antichrist position does.
Those who do not repent of this spiritual blindness will receive the mark of Cain who thought he could come to the altar without the blood of the spotless lamb. Cain was a believer in God who did not see his wretched condition and thought he could come to the altar bringing his good character and the fruit of his labors and good works (with God's help of course). The mark of Cain will be placed upon all who think that they can come before God with the "thank offering" of the Pharisee rather than a "sin offering" of the sinless blood of the Lamb.
God help us to see our wretchedness and our continual need of the imputed righteousness of Christ even unto the coming of the Lord in the clouds of heaven. The closer the Christian comes to maturity, the more sinful he feels himself to be. This is because his eyes are daily being anointed with the eye salve of the Holy Spirit who brings to light the spotless purity of the Lord Jesus Christ and how far he and all the human family has fallen into the sinful selfish pit of sin. By the unmerited grace of God we are saved through faith alone in the sinless life and atoning death of our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us on the cross of Calvary. We are complete and perfect only in the merciful reckoning of God through faith in the blood of the Lamb. No matter how sanctified and mature we become as we grow in grace and a knowledge of God's will, we will always confess our shortcomings and need of forgiveness.
It is interesting that xxxx calls this "confusion". But it is Romanism that is in confusion and called Babylon because of her spiritual blindness to the wretchedness of her heart. He seeks to disparage the Protestant position on grace and salvation by imputed righteousness alone by calling it the "new theology" and the theology of Babylon. But Christ Himself will have the final word on the matter when He shakes heaven and earth before He comes and only those who come before Him confessing their wretchedness and unworthiness will stand upon the Rock of Christ's sinless righteousness which is imputed unto all who continually confess their wretchedness before His throne of grace.
Amen.
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