Delight for a Wretched Man, Romans 7 and Doctrine of Sanctification by A Benjamin R Clark and published by Evangelical Press.
Romans 7 is one of the most memorable passages in the writings of Paul. It expresses vividly man's moral struggle with imperfection and contains the heart-rending cry: 'Who shall deliver me out of the body of this death?' But who is this 'wretched man' who expresses himself so plaintively, and what is he yearning for? Is it Paul himself? If so, is he speaking of himself as a Christian, or is he referring back to the time before his conversion? If it is the language of a true child of God, is such an expression of defeat and frustration compatible with the tone of victory of chapter 8?
The answers we give to these questions will have a strong bearing on our whole understanding of the doctrine of sanctification. In this book the author examines the various interpretations of this passage adopted by Christian leaders from Augustine to Lloyd-Jones. He assesses the rival points of view in the light of the scriptural context and concludes that a correct understanding of the passage has important practical implications in the whole area of sanctification, in the lives both of individual believers and of the church as a family of God's people, growing in Christ.
