Yesterday as I was looking at various published sermons online about Romans 7, I came across an interesting illustration used by several pastors in relation to 7:24 - "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?"
There was a hideous practice in ancient Rome wherein a convicted murderer was punished by having the corpse of his victim chained to him. The murderer was forced to live with this dead body strapped to his back and as the body rotted, death would slowly creep across his skin as well.
And that - these preachers explained - is what Paul has in mind in 7:24 - "Who will rescue me from this body of death?"
Sin is like this stinking, rotting corpse that we can't get away from.
What a powerful illustration!
Until your critical thinking muscles engage. And if yours are anything like mine, they've gotten a lot of exercise over the past couple of years.
These days, I don't believe everything I read. None of us should. And I call baloney on this illustration.
Yes, the Romans could be brutal - the best example was crucifixion, a horrific punishment. But there is no way a murderer was punished in the fashion these preachers describe. And no evidence this is what Paul had in mind.
Think about it. The body of a murder victim is going to be given a respectful burial, not be used as part of the punishment of the murderer. What grieving family is going to allow their loved one's corpse to be chained to somebody else, especially the cad who caused the death?
Ridiculous.
When I Googled it, there were 330,000 results - and, as far as I could tell, they were all from contemporary Christian preacher-types. I could not find a source outside of the sermons. No one with any historical expertise described this supposed practice.
There's plenty of misinformation out there these days. Pastors should be careful not to add to it.
Check your sources.
Speak only truth.
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