Why does Paul struggle with doing good in Romans 7:21? Biblical Text “So this is the principle I have discovered: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.” — Romans 7:21 Immediate Context (Romans 7:14–25) Paul alternates between first-person singular verbs (“I do,” “I hate,” “I agree”) to dramatize the regenerate believer’s conflict. Verse 14 sets the stage: “I am fleshly, sold under sin,” while verse 25 looks forward: “Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Verse 21 is the fulcrum: discovery of a νόμος (“law/principle”) warring against the renewed mind. Historical-Theological Background Paul writes to believers in AD 56–57 from Corinth. He has walked with Christ roughly 25 years. The struggle is not that of an unconverted Pharisee (contra Pelagian readings) but of a mature apostle who elsewhere testifies, “I have been crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20). This tension reflects the overlap of the present evil age and the in-breaking kingdom. Paul’s Anthropology: Spirit-Renewed Mind vs. Flesh 1. Mind (νοῦς) delights in God’s law (v. 22). 2. Flesh (σάρξ) remains unglorified, harboring “sin living in me” (v. 17). 3. The believer is simultaneously justified (status) and being sanctified (process). Hence conflict is normal, not anomalous. Doctrine of Indwelling Sin Genesis 8:21—“every inclination of the human heart is evil from youth”—foreshadows Paul’s observation. Regeneration changes orientation but not eradication of the sin nature (cf. 1 John 1:8). The principle resembles gravitational pull: overcome by a stronger force (Spirit), yet persistently present. The Law: Holy but Powerless to Sanctify Romans 7:12 calls the law “holy, righteous, and good,” yet Romans 8:3 states it was “powerless…because it was weakened by the flesh.” The struggle surfaces whenever a regenerate conscience meets a still-fallen physiology and psychology. Only the Spirit can internalize what the law externalizes. Already–Not–Yet Tension in Sanctification Believers are “seated with Christ” (Ephesians 2:6) yet tell their bodies “no” (1 Corinthians 9:27). Behavioral science labels such inner dissonance approach–avoidance conflict; Scripture labels it “the desires of the flesh against the Spirit” (Galatians 5:17). Full deliverance awaits glorification (Romans 8:23). Parallels in Other Pauline Passages • Galatians 5:17—the Spirit and flesh are “in conflict.” • 1 Corinthians 9:24-27—Paul “disciplines” his body lest he be disqualified. • Philippians 3:12—Paul has “not already attained” perfection. Old Testament Roots Psalm 51:5 and Jeremiah 17:9 establish congenital corruption. The sacrificial system prefigures an external solution to an internal problem, climaxing in the atoning death and resurrection Paul expounds in Romans 3 and 4. Illustrations from Church History Augustine’s Confessions echo Romans 7: “Give me chastity…but not yet.” Luther’s simul iustus et peccator mirrors the dual reality. Modern testimonies of addicts delivered through Christ illustrate verse 25’s triumph following verse 21’s tension. Practical Implications 1. Expect conflict; do not equate struggle with hypocrisy. 2. Rely on the Spirit through prayer and Scripture (Psalm 119:11). 3. Employ means of grace—fellowship, communion, accountability. 4. Fix hope on eschatological redemption: “When He appears, we shall be like Him” (1 John 3:2). Eschatological Resolution (Romans 8) The next chapter answers the cry of Romans 7:24. The Spirit indwells (8:9), empowers mortification (8:13), and guarantees glorification (8:30). The present groan (7:21) is temporary; resurrection life will consummate the victory already secured in Christ’s own resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20-28). Concise Answer Paul struggles in Romans 7:21 because, although regenerated, he lives in an unglorified body where an operative principle of indwelling sin co-exists with a Spirit-renewed will. The Mosaic law can diagnose but not cure this condition; only the indwelling Holy Spirit, secured through Christ’s resurrection, progressively overcomes it until final glorification. |
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