What is the meaning of Romans 7:15?

I do not understand what I do

- 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).

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For what I want to do, I do not do

- “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).

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But what I hate, I do

- 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).

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summary

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.