Romans 7.18-Paul Recognizes That Nothing Good Dwells In His Flesh Because He Has No Power To Obey God's Will
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday September 23, 2008
Romans: Romans 7:18-Paul Recognizes That Nothing Good Dwells In His Flesh Because He Has No Power To Obey God’s Will
Lesson # 230
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 7:14.
This evening we will study Romans 7:18 and in this passage, Paul states to the Christians in Rome that he recognizes that nothing good dwells in his physical body because the desire to do God’s will is present in him but the power to do so is not.
Romans 7:14-18, “For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.”
“For” is the “explanatory” use of the post-positive conjunction gar (gavr), which introduces a statement that “explains” Paul’s statement in Romans 7:17.
Thus, Paul is “explaining why” he is not the source of personal sin in his life but rather his sin nature is.
“I know” is the verb oida (oi‚da) which indicates that Paul is acknowledging to his readers in Rome that he “knows as a fact through his own personal experience” as a Christian through the convicting ministry of the Spirit that nothing good dwells in him.
“Nothing dwells” is composed of the emphatic negative adverb ou (ou)) (oo), “nothing” and the verb oikeo (oi)kevw) (oy-keh-o), “dwells.”
The verb is used intransitively and in a metaphorical sense and is used with reference to that which is of intrinsic good.
The word’s meaning is emphatically negated by the adverb ou, which emphatically negates the idea that there is good in him in the sense of being “intrinsically valuable, intrinsically good, inherently good in quality but with the idea of good which is also profitable, useful, benefiting others, benevolent.”
Romans 7:18, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.”
“Good” is the adjective agathos (a)gaqov$) (ag-ath-os), which is used with ou to describe Paul’s physical body as not being “intrinsically valuable, intrinsically good, inherently good in quality but with the idea of good which is also profitable, useful, benefiting others, benevolent” since the sin nature indwells it.
“In me” refers of course to the apostle Paul as a Christian and in particular it is emphasizes the physical body of the apostle Paul since this as we have established is where the sin nature is located.
“In my flesh” indicates that absolutely nothing of intrinsic good is “located in Paul’s physical body.”
The second “for” in verse 18 is the “causal” use of the post-positive conjunction gar (gavr), which introduces a statement that gives the “reason” for the previous explanatory statement “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.”
Therefore, in Romans 7:18, this statement explains that he knew as a fact through experience that absolutely nothing of intrinsic good dwelled in his physical body “because” the desire to do God’s will was present in him but the capacity to do so was not.
This causal clause demonstrates that Paul is speaking from the perspective of his regenerate rather than unregenerate state since only a regenerate person possesses the desire to obey God’s will as revealed by the Spirit in the Word of God.
The regenerate person desires to obey God because he possesses the nature of Christ and the Spirit, both of which give the regenerate person the desire to obey God whereas the unbeliever does not have either.
Romans 7:18, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.”
“The willing” is the definite article ho (o() (ho), “the,” and the verb thelo (qevlw) (thel-o), “willing.”
In verse 18, the verb thelo is used of Paul’s volition and refers to his desire to do God’s will or in other words, obey the Law, thus it means, “to desire to do.”
“Is present” is the verb parakeimai (paravkeimai) (par-ak-ay-my), which means, “to be present at a particular place” and in context, it used of Paul’s human body.
“In me” indicates that this desire to do God’s will resides “in” Paul.
The question arises where did Paul’s desire to do God’s will originate in him?
The answer is the new Christ nature.
Paul calls the new Christ nature, the “inner man” in Romans 7:22.
Romans 7:22, “For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man.”
At the moment a sinner is declared justified by God through faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior, the Holy Spirit creates a human spirit for the imputation of eternal life by God the Father, which makes the believer a new spiritual species meaning he now possesses the divine nature.
This is called in theology “regeneration” (John 3:16-18; Titus 3:5).
This human spirit with eternal life imputed to it composes the believer’s new nature, i.e. the new self and this new nature is the nature of Christ.
This act of regeneration makes the believer a new spiritual species, which is the nature of Christ that can never sin and that is described in Scripture by many phrases such as the “new self, new man, newness of life, new creation.”
2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new spiritual species; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
1 John 3:9, “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”
The new Christ nature gives the believer the capacity to experience and enjoy fellowship with God and to love all men as Christ loved all men.
We are commanded to put on the new Christ nature in order to practice the righteousness of God, which manifests itself in loving one another as Christ loved.
Ephesians 4:24, “and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”
The inner man, the new Christ nature is strengthened with power through the Spirit when the believer obeys the voice of the Spirit, which is heard through the communication of the Word of God.
Ephesians 3:16, “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man.”
The Word of God is alive and powerful and is the believer’s spiritual food that strengthens the new nature’s control over the soul.
Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Matthew 4:4, “But He answered and said, "It is written, "MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.”
The new nature gives the believer the capacity to execute the command to be holy as God is holy and thus experience fellowship with Him.
1 Peter 1:14-16, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior because it is written, ‘YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.’”
In Ephesians 4:17-24 and Colossians 3:1-11, the apostle Paul uses the expression “old man” in contrast with the “new man” challenging the Ephesian and Colossian believers to put off living in the old nature and put on the new nature so that they might live in a manner consistent with their new position in Christ.
Romans 7:18, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.”
“The doing” is the definite article ho (o() (ho), “the,” which is modifying the verb katergazomai (katergavzomai) (kat-er-gad-zo-my), “doing.”
The verb katergazomai means, “the capacity to produce” that which is perfect.
“The good” is the adjective kalos (kalov$) (kal-os), which refers to obedience to the Law.
It denotes that from God’s perspective obedience to the Law is: (1) Excellent, complete, beyond practical or theoretical improvement. (2) Exactly fitting the needs and purpose God in relation to His moral rational creatures. (3) Without any flaws or shortcomings. (4) Correct in every detail.
“Not” is the emphatic negative adverb ou (ou)) (oo), which emphatically negates the idea that Paul possesses the capacity in his human body to produce that which is perfect, i.e. obedience to the Law.