For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwells no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
that in me.
Genesis 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Genesis 8:21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
Job 14:4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.
in my.
Romans 7:5,25 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death…
Romans 8:3-13 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: …
Romans 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
for to will.
Romans 7:15,19,25 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I…
Psalm 119:5,32,40,115-117,173,176 O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! …
Galatians 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
that is, in my flesh;
Here, "flesh" refers to the sinful nature or the human condition apart from God's influence. In biblical terms, "flesh" often symbolizes human weakness and propensity to sin, as seen in Galatians 5:19-21, where the works of the flesh are contrasted with the fruit of the Spirit. This distinction is important in understanding the internal conflict believers face between their sinful nature and their new life in Christ.
for I have the desire to do what is good,
Paul expresses the internal struggle between his spiritual desires and his fleshly inclinations. This reflects the universal human experience of knowing what is right but struggling to do it, as seen in the broader context of Romans 7. This desire to do good is a result of the Holy Spirit's work in a believer's life, as described in Philippians 2:13, where God works in believers to will and to act according to His good purpose.
but I cannot carry it out.
This admission highlights the limitations of human effort in achieving righteousness. It underscores the necessity of relying on God's grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, as human strength alone is insufficient. This struggle is further elaborated in Romans 8, where Paul discusses living according to the Spirit. The inability to carry out good intentions without divine help points to the need for salvation through Jesus Christ, who empowers believers to overcome sin.
Paul speaks from personal, Spirit-taught conviction. No one had to convince him of his inner condition; experience and the mirror of God’s law made it plain. Just as David confessed, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me” (Psalm 51:3), so Paul owns the truth about himself. First John 1:8 echoes the same self-awareness: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.”
Key takeaways:
• Genuine spiritual life begins with honest self-assessment.
• The closer we draw to the Lord (Isaiah 6:5), the more clearly we see our need of grace.
Here “flesh” refers to the fallen, sin-warped human nature, untouched by the Spirit. Scripture repeatedly affirms its corruption:
• Jeremiah 17:9—“The heart is deceitful above all things.”
• John 6:63—“The flesh profits nothing.”
• Romans 8:7—“The mind of the flesh is hostile to God.”
Even our best independent efforts are tainted: “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). Paul is not denying the image of God in humanity; he is confessing that, apart from divine life, nothing spiritually good issues from him.
Conversion planted a new longing in Paul’s heart. The Spirit births holy desires (Philippians 2:13), so the apostle can sincerely say, “I delight in the law of God in my inner being” (Romans 7:22). Jesus acknowledged a similar tension in His disciples: “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41). Galatians 5:17 describes the conflict plainly—“the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit.”
Encouragement:
• A desire for righteousness is evidence of new birth (1 John 3:9).
• The struggle itself shows we belong to God; dead hearts feel no battle.
Left to himself, Paul finds no power in the flesh to translate holy intentions into consistent obedience. He echoes Jesus’ words: “Apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Romans 8:3 explains why: “What the law was powerless to do… God did by sending His own Son.” Our inability magnifies Christ’s sufficiency.
Practical implications:
• Self-effort always ends in frustration (Romans 3:23).
• Victory comes only through the Spirit (Romans 8:13; Galatians 5:16).
• Dependence, not determination, is the pathway to freedom (2 Corinthians 3:5).
Romans 7:18 exposes the heart of every believer: an awakened conscience, a new godly desire, yet a stubborn incapacity in the old nature. Paul’s honest confession drives us to the Savior who alone indwells, empowers, and completes what we cannot. By recognizing the bankruptcy of the flesh and leaning wholly on the Spirit, we find that the good we long to do becomes the good He accomplishes through us.
(18-20) Enthralled it is, and the will is powerless. What I do and what I will are opposite things. It is therefore sin that acts, and not I.