For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
For that.
Romans 14:22 Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
Luke 11:48 Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres.
allow.
Psalm 1:6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Nahum 1:7 The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
what.
Romans 7:16,19,20 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good…
1 Kings 8:46 If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near;
Psalm 19:12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
what I hate.
Romans 12:9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
Psalm 36:4 He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil.
Psalm 97:10 Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.
For what I want to do, I do not do.
Here, Paul expresses the frustration of knowing the right thing but failing to act on it. This reflects the tension between the law and human nature. The law, as given in the Old Testament, sets a standard of righteousness that humans are unable to meet on their own. This phrase can be linked to the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), where He raises the standard of the law to a heart level, showing the impossibility of achieving righteousness without Him. It also points to the need for the Holy Spirit's empowerment, as later discussed in Romans 8, where Paul describes the Spirit's role in enabling believers to live according to God's will.
But what I hate, I do.
This part of the verse underscores the power of sin and the human tendency to act against one's own moral convictions. It highlights the concept of the "flesh" in Pauline theology, which represents the sinful nature that opposes the Spirit. This struggle is not unique to Paul but is a universal human experience, as seen in the lives of biblical figures like Peter, who denied Christ despite his strong intentions (Matthew 26:69-75). The phrase also points to the hope of redemption and transformation through Christ, who offers victory over sin and death, as elaborated in Romans 7:24-25 and further in Romans 8:1-2, where Paul declares freedom from condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.
- Paul is admitting the bewilderment that comes when a redeemed mind confronts lingering sin.
- Though indwelt by the Spirit (Romans 8:9), he still feels the pull of the flesh, which clouds clear thinking (Jeremiah 17:9; Proverbs 14:12).
- This inner confusion highlights the depth of humanity’s fallenness and the need for ongoing dependence on God (1 Corinthians 2:14).
- “Want” points to the new heart that delights in God’s law (Psalm 119:97; Romans 7:22).
- Yet the flesh resists, creating a tug-of-war between Spirit and self (Galatians 5:17; Matthew 26:41).
- The failure is not due to lack of desire but lack of power in the flesh, underscoring that “it is God who works in you to will and to act” (Philippians 2:13).
- Sin remains present, even when hated, until final glorification (Romans 8:23; 1 John 3:2).
- This honest confession guards against self-righteousness and drives the believer to Christ’s sufficiency (Romans 7:24–25; Hebrews 12:1–2).
- The struggle itself is evidence of new life; the unregenerate do not hate their sin (Ephesians 2:1–3).
Romans 7:15 reveals the believer’s real, ongoing battle between a Spirit-renewed will and the residual power of the flesh. Paul’s candid words validate every Christian who loves God yet still stumbles, reminding us that victory rests not in ourselves but in the finished work of Christ and the enabling strength of the Holy Spirit.
(15) That which I do I allow not.--Rather, that which I perform I know not. I act blindly, and without any conscious direction of the will; that higher part of me which should preside over and direct my actions, is kept down by the lower physical nature.Which I do.--St. Paul uses three words for "to do" in this passage, the distinction between which is hard to represent in English. That which is employed here and in Romans 7:17; Romans 7:20, is the strongest, "perform"--deliberate action, thoroughly carried out. The other two words differ, as "do" and "practise," the one referring to single, the other to habitual and repeated actions.
What I would.--If my will had free course I should act very differently.
Verses 15-25. - For that which I do (rather, work, or perform, or accomplish, κατεργάζομαι) I know not (rather than I allow not, as in the English Version, this being the proper meaning of the verb γινώσκω. The idea may be that, when under the delusion of sin I do wrong, I do not know what I am accomplishing): for not what I would, that I do (rather, practise; the verb here is πράσσω); but what I hate, that I do (ποιῶ). But if what I would not that I do, I consent unto the Law that it is good (καλός). Now then (νυνὶ δὲ, not in temporal sense, but meaning, as the case is) it is no more I that work (κατεργάζομαι, as before) it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth not good (ἀγαθόν): for to will is present with me; but to perform (κατεργάζεσθθαι) that which is good (τὸ καλὸν) is not (οὐ, rather than οὐχ αὐρίσκω ασ ιν the Textus Receptus, is the best-supported reading). For the good (ἀγαθόν) that I would I do not (οἰ ποιῶ): but the evil which I would not, that I practise (πράσσω). But if what I (ἐγὼ, emphatic) would not, that I do (ποιῶ), it is no longer I (ἐγὼ, again emphatic) that work (κατεργάζομαι) it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then the law, that to me who would do good, evil is present. For I delight in the Law of God after the inward man. But I see a different law in my members (on what is meant by "members" (μέλεσι) see note under Romans 6:13) warring against the law of my mind, and brining me into captivity to (or, according to some readings, by) the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (probably in the same sense as "the body of sin" in Romans 6:6; see note thereon. Translate certainly as in the English Version; not this body of death, as if it meant this mortal body) Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the Law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. In the note introducing this whole section (vers. 7-25)its general drift has been intimated. The following additional comments may further explain the part of it which begins at ver. 15.(1) The initial γὰρ introduces proof of the ἐγὼ being in the condition spoken of in the preceding clause, viz. "sold under sin." For (the meaning is) am I not a bond-slave, when, as I feel is the case with me, I am not my own master? But, observe, the state that goes on to be described is that of an unwilling bond-slave; not of one who likes his bondage, and has no desire to be free. The conscience is supposed already, through the operation of law, to protest against sin; to hate its thraldom; not willingly to acquiesce in it.
(2) The distinction between the verbs ποιῶ, πράσσω κατεργάζομαι, not observed in the English Version, but to which attention has been drawn in the above translation, has its meaning. Attention to the places where they occur will show their appropriateness in each case, denoting severally single acts, habitual practice, and general working, performance, or accomplishment.
(3) The English Version is wrong in rendering, in ver. 15, "What I would, that I do not," so as to make the idea the same as that in ver. 19. There are really two different statements in the two verses - the first, of our doing what we wish not to do; the second, of our not doing what we wish to do; and after each the same conclusion is drawn in the same words, viz. that sin is the real worker (κατεργάζομαι being here the word appropriately used). . . .
Parallel Commentaries ...