Bible Strands
Romans 7:19
For I do not do the good I want to do. Instead, I keep on doing the evil I do not want to do.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Paul addresses Roman believers regarding the internal conflict between spiritual desire and fleshly action. He uses the first person to describe a moment of moral struggle under the law.
The words — οὐ (ou) means "not" and γὰρ (gar) means "for," framing the clause as a logical explanation of prior inability. θέλω (thelō) denotes "I desire" and ποιῶ (poiō) denotes "I do," marking the precise gap between volition and execution.
The thread — This exact tension appears in Romans 7:15, where the speaker notes doing what he hates instead of what he wants. The surrounding context in Romans 7:18 and Romans 7:20 expands the observation to a total inability to carry out good and the attribution of evil acts to indwelling sin.
Why it lands — The text states that moral desire and physical action are fundamentally disconnected in the unregenerate state. It requires the reader to acknowledge that personal willpower cannot produce consistent righteousness.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Cross-references
- Romans 7:15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do. But what I hate, I do.