Who will free me from this corpse?

I heard this illustration on the radio today, but I haven't found anyway to verify the historic validity of it.

Supposedly, one of the many ways that Romans would execute the condemned was by securing a corpse to the body of the condemned. The corpse was so tightly secured that there was no escape from the rotting body.

As the corpse decayed, maggots, worms and vermin would be attracted. The body fluids would soon be covering the condemned. If he didn't die from the bugs and rodents, there would be a possibility of some type of disease being transmitted.

Eventually the condemned would die.

The Romans were experts in tortuous capital punishment, so this would not surprise me as being a possibility.

Perhaps Paul was referring to this practice in Romans 7:24 where he wrote:

"Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?' (Romans 7:24).

In chapters 6 and 7, Paul has been writing about the believer's struggles with sin, ending with a personal testimony of his own. He knew the right thing to do, but didn't always do it. He wanted to do right and flee from sin, but he didn't always squash temptation.

Couple that with the corpse being tied to the body of the condemned and you get a picture that's easy to understand.

Sin has died. It has no power of its own. It's a burden. It's rotting and stinks.

Yet it is controlling me. I can't get away from it. It's effecting me. It's making life worse and will eventually bring death.

So what's the answer? Who is able to cut the ropes and free me from this rotting corpse on my back?

Just keep reading.

"Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

Only God can take away the corpse. Only the work of Christ on the cross can take away that burden.

There is hope. Not in my own strength, but in the power of Christ.