The Rational Man

Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Romans 7:24 NASB

Set me free – Just for the moment put aside Augustine’s exegesis claiming that this verse is the expression of Paul before he became a Christian. Historical analysis demonstrates that Augustine’s conclusion is wrong. At the same time, put aside your idea that Paul was writing about the intrinsic evil of the physical world (the “body”). Plato’s dualism is also wrong. Ask yourself how Paul cries out about this terrible struggle. “Wretched man that I am” is not a theological statement. It is emotional agony. What Paul clearly recognizes is that the “rational” man, the man who recognizes that he is constantly beset with desires and behaviors that operate in opposition to his own rational morality, is in dire straits. He is simply unable to incorporate the Greek model of human superiority. In other words, as Mircea Eliade noted, “The purely rational man is an abstraction; he is never found in real life.”[1] You and I are not purely rational creatures. As much as the Greek idea of Man would like to proclaim that reason conquers all, it just simply isn’t true. We are emotionally motivated reasoning beings, and much of the time it is the emotional side of us that makes the difference. Any theology that claims the problems of life can be solved by the application of rational categories of thought is fundamentally in error. Neither God nor men are purely rational. If we don’t deal with the emotions of God and of men, we will not understand Him or ourselves.

Oh, and by the way, this does not mean that we dissect, oppress or subjugate emotions with rational analysis. This does not mean we dismiss emotions as inappropriate, non-rational flaws. That would be just as Platonic as suggesting that the real issues of sin are found in the material world.

One other correction is required. Paul’s emotional outcry following his observation of the struggle between good and evil does not force us to embrace the idea of sinful nature. Augustine and Luther formulated this doctrine to explain the ubiquity of sin among men, but their solution was merely a reiteration of Plato’s dualism. You and I struggle with doing what is right, but that does not mean we are at war with an inherent nature that makes us sin. Adam might have opened the door, but he didn’t infect us. The decisions we make are our own, influenced of course, by all that comes before, but nevertheless, ours.

So what is Paul saying? He is saying that spiritual growth is painful, that emotions are real, that men often recognize their ethical inadequacies and that it takes more than personal desire to stay on the straight path. In other words, he is recognizing that you and I are powerless to perfectly straighten what is bent. We can’t overcome our addictive medicating behavior on our own. We have trained the yetzer ha’ra too long and given it too much control to simply immediately reverse the process. We will need divine assistance. Our emotional state serves as the clarion call that things must change. Our rational state demonstrates that the change cannot be accomplished by sheer willpower. God will have to intervene.

“Who will set me free?” Certainly not me! That’s the point of Paul’s outcry. Not me! I am the one whose emotional health has been undermined by my own hand. How could I then expect that I can heal myself? My thought convinces me that I cannot rely on myself for rescue. My heart desperately wants to be rescued.

God knows. He sent His son, the Messiah, because He knows. He knows that I am unable and He knows that I am desperate.

Topical Index: Romans 7:24, wretched, set free, emotion, rational

[1] Mircea Eliade, The Sacred and the Profane, p. 209.