Romans 7:16-20

Man is incapable in himself to live a life without sin. Only by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the grace of God given in Christ Jesus can we hope to be transformed. So the good that we do all glory to God and the bad that we do is the fallen human nature that we fight against knowing by the law that we should not practice it. We cannot change ourselves but God can!



Being fleshly, sold over to sin, involves a conflict that mystifies Paul and other believers. Paul feels he does not understand himself. He finds himself defeated, not doing what he wants to do, and doing what he hates to do. The conflict indicates that there is battle between two identities in the believer. First there is something that acknowledges that the law … is good. Second there is something within, called sin, which produces evil. The problem is the flesh, the part of the believer in which there is nothing good. The will is the desire to do good.Yet the ability to perform is lacking.

Romans 7:16-20

16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.