Romans 7:15 · Bible study
Romans 7:15 Commentary: Study: The Struggle Within
Greek · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Detailed study of Romans 7:15 on the inner conflict between desire and action.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Paul confesses the inner conflict of a person enslaved to sin, able neither to perform the good he desires nor to avoid the evil he hates.
- Key words: κατεργάζομαι (continuous accomplishment), γινώσκω (know with approval), θέλω (desire), πράσσω (daily practice), ποιῶ (achieve/do), μισῶ (hate).
- Main debate: Is the “I” regenerate (Luther, Calvin, Barnes) or unregenerate (Clarke, Cambridge Bible)?
- Theological theme: The law's inability to empower righteousness; sin's ongoing power; the believer's internal war.
- Best use: Comfort for struggling believers and a call to rely not on self but on Christ's deliverance (Romans 7:24, 25).
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do. But what I hate, I do.
WEB World English Bible 2000
For I don’t understand what I am doing. For I don’t practice what I desire to do; but what I hate, that I do.
KJV King James Version 1769
For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
For that which I do I know not: for not what I would, that do I practise; but what I hate, that I do.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
for that which I work, I do not acknowledge; for not what I will, this I practise, but what I hate, this I do.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
For that which I do, I do not own: for not what I will, this I do; but what I hate, this I practise.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
For that which I work, I understand not. For I do not that good which I will: but the evil which I hate, that I do.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Porque lo que hago, no lo entiendo; ni lo que quiero, hago; antes lo que aborrezco, aquello hago.
Porque não entendo o que faço, pois o que quero, isso não faço; mas o que eu odeio, isso faço.
Car je ne sais pas ce que je fais: je ne fais point ce que je veux, et je fais ce que je hais.
Denn ich weiß nicht, was ich tue. Denn ich tue nicht, was ich will; sondern, was ich hasse, das tue ich.
Want hetgeen ik doe, dat ken ik niet; want hetgeen ik wil, dat doe ik niet, maar hetgeen ik haat, dat doe ik.
Perché io non approvo quello che faccio; poiché non faccio quel che voglio, ma faccio quello che odio.
Albowiem tego, co czynię, nie pochwalam; bo nie, co chcę, to czynię, ale czego nienawidzę, to czynię.
Ибо не понимаю, что делаю: потому что не то делаю, что хочу, а что ненавижу, то делаю.
因為 我所做的，我自己不 明白； 我所願意 的， 我並不 做； 我所恨惡 的， 我倒去做。
And I have no clear knowledge of what I am doing, for that which I have a mind to do, I do not, but what I have hate for, that I do.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Romans 7:15
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Romans 7:15 captures a profound inner division between moral intention and actual behavior. The speaker confesses that he does not “know” (γινώσκω) his own actions, Vincent notes this means he does not recognize their true nature, as a slave who carries out orders he does not approve. The verbs are precise: katergazomai (κατεργάζομαι) describes continuous accomplishment, while thelō (θέλω) signals desire rather than settled will, and prassō (πράσσω) indicates daily practice that fails to match the wish. Instead, the speaker does (poiō, a verb akin to realizing a result) what he actually hates. There is broad agreement that the law is holy (v.12) and that sin, not the law, is the problem. The hatred of evil, even when committing it, points to a moral awakening, whether in a regenerate or unregenerate state. The core debate remains the identity of the “I” (regenerate vs. unregenerate), but the description of bondage and the gap between willing and doing is widely acknowledged as authentic human experience.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: High
Main views:
- Regenerate believer: The context flows into Romans 8 (Spirit life), and the speaker delights in God's law (v.22). Supported by Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Barnes, Gill.
- Unregenerate man under law: The language “sold under sin” (v.14) and “no good thing in my flesh” (v.18) seems too strong for a Christian. Supported by Pelagius, Cambridge Bible, Clarke.
- Paul's pre-Christian Jewish experience: Some read the passage as autobiographical, describing Paul's struggle before his Damascus road conversion, with the law stirring sin.
What is clear: The verse vividly portrays a person trapped between wanting to do good and consistently failing—a condition that highlights the power of sin and the need for deliverance outside oneself.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Identity of the speaker | Paul uses first-person “I” to describe an intense inner conflict between moral desire and actual behaviour. | Traditional Protestant interpretation (Augustine, Luther, Calvin) sees the regenerate believer; others (Pelagius, some moderns, Clarke) see the unregenerate person still under the law. Both sides appeal to the surrounding context. |
| Nature of sin's power | Sin is depicted as a powerful indwelling force that can enslave and override good intentions. | Some argue this level of bondage is typical for the Christian life (the flesh remains), while others insist it describes the state of someone not yet liberated by the Spirit. |
| Role of the law | The law is good, holy, righteous, and spiritual (vv. 12, 14); it is not the cause of sin. | Christians differ on whether the law remains a direct guide for believers or is chiefly a means of exposing sin and driving them to Christ. |
| Assurance of salvation | The passage shows that sincere believers experience ongoing struggle with sin. | Some see the struggle itself as evidence of regeneration (the hatred of sin proves new life); others caution that similar struggles can occur in the awakened but unconverted. |
Historical & Cultural Context
This verse sits within Paul's larger argument in Romans 6, 8. He has just shown that believers are dead to sin and alive to God through union with Christ (Romans 6). Now he explores the relationship of the law to sin. The “I” is likely a rhetorical persona, as many commentators suggest, representing either the Jew under law, the unregenerate human, or the Christian still wrestling with indwelling sin. Culturally, Paul draws on the language of slavery, common in the Roman world where a large portion of the population was enslaved. The phrase “sold under sin” in verse 14 echoes the slave market. In Jewish tradition, the law was a gracious guide, but Paul argues that sin uses the law to stir up transgression. The Greek verb γινώσκω carries a Hebrew sense of “approving knowledge” (as in Psalm 1:6: “For Yahweh knows the way of the righteous”), so the speaker disowns his own actions. Historically, the identity of the “I” has been a major interpretive crux since Augustine. The surrounding verses (13, 14) show the law as spiritual and the person as fleshly and sold under sin, language that some consider too strong for a regenerate believer, yet Paul immediately adds that he delights in God's law inwardly (v.22). This tension has driven centuries of debate.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Romans 7:15. The Greek text is stable across the major manuscript traditions, and no alternative readings bear on the main interpretive questions.
Reception History
Augustine read Romans 7:15 as the cry of the regenerate Christian, using it to argue that concupiscence remains after baptism. Pelagius, by contrast, took the passage as describing the unregenerate, holding that Christians could live without such inner conflict. In the medieval period, Thomas Aquinas followed Augustine's regenerate reading. Luther and Calvin saw themselves in the verse: the justified war with indwelling sin. The Wesleyan tradition later interpreted the “I” as the awakened but unregenerate person struggling under the law. Modern scholarship remains divided, with many evangelical commentators (following Barnes) seeing the experience as normative for the Christian life, while others (following a line from the Cambridge Bible) insist it points to the pre-conversion state.
Preaching This Verse
Three-Point Outline
- The Perplexity: “I don't understand” (γινώσκω). The speaker is bewildered by his own behaviour, revealing sin's deception and irrational power.
- The Paradox: “I don't practice what I desire.” A chasm between intention and action exposes the bondage of the will, a theme taken up later in Romans 7:18, 19.
- The Hatred: “What I hate, I do.” Even in failure, the hatred of evil signals that the speaker's deepest allegiance is with God's law, a mark of new life.
Five-Point Outline
- Ignorance: “I know not”, the speaker is estranged from his own acts.
- Desire: “What I would” (θέλω), the heart's true wish.
- Failure to Practice: “That do I not” (πράσσω), daily conduct falls short.
- Hatred: “What I hate” (μισῶ), a strong rejection of the evil done.
- Outcome: “That I do” (ποιῶ), the realized action condemns itself.
Illustration Hooks
- A recovering addict who genuinely hates his addiction but feels dragged back into old habits, crying out “I don't understand why I keep doing this.”
- A person on a diet who fully intends to eat healthy but finds himself grabbing junk food without thinking, then loathes himself afterward.
- A Christian stuck in a cycle of anger: he loves his family, resolves to be patient, and yet in a moment flares up, doing what he hates.
Questions Your Congregation Is Asking
- Is it normal for a Christian to struggle this much? Does this verse describe a saved person?
- If I hate my sin, does that prove I'm a believer, or can an unbeliever hate sin too?
- How can I actually break free from doing what I hate? Where does victory come in?
Leading a Discussion
This verse confronts us with a universal experience: doing what we hate. Whether you see this as Paul's pre-conversion testimony or his Christian experience, it raises critical questions about sin, will, and grace. The group discussions invite you to examine the text together and apply it to real life.
Discussion Questions
- Why does Paul say he does not “understand” (γινώσκω) his actions? What kind of understanding is he lacking?
- How does the contrast between “what I desire” and “what I practice” shape your understanding of the human will?
- What does it mean that the speaker “hates” the evil he does? Does this hatred indicate something about his spiritual condition?
- Read Psalm 1:6: “For Yahweh knows the way of the righteous.” How does this verse connect to Paul's use of “know” in Romans 7:15?
- If this describes a Christian, what hope does it offer? If it describes an unregenerate person, what need does it highlight?
- How does Paul's teaching in Romans 8:1, 4 (no condemnation in Christ) speak to the condition described in verse 15?
- In what areas of your life do you find yourself doing what you hate? How can you bring those struggles honestly to God?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| I Kings 8:46 | If they sin against you (for there is no man who doesn’t sin), and you are angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captive to the land of the enemy, far off or near; |
| Psalms 1:6 | For Yahweh knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked shall perish. |
| Psalms 19:12 | Who can discern his errors? Forgive me from hidden errors. |
| Psalms 36:4 | He plots iniquity on his bed. He sets himself in a way that is not good. He doesn’t abhor evil. |
| Psalms 65:3 | Sins overwhelmed me, but you atoned for our transgressions. |
| Psalms 97:10 | You who love Yahweh, hate evil! He preserves the souls of his saints. He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked. |
| Psalms 101:3 | I will set no vile thing before my eyes. I hate the deeds of faithless men. They will not cling to me. |
| Psalms 119:1 | ALEPH Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to Yahweh’s law. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke insists the person speaking in this verse is not a Spirit-filled believer but a slave to sin who hates his own actions yet cannot stop them. He reads the passage as two opposing principles within one person: the mind approves what is right, but a separate, captive will does what it hates.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes emphasizes that the Christian who struggles with sin does not do so from a divided will; the heart's fixed desire is to obey God, but lingering habits from the past still produce sinful acts. He notes that this very struggle over doing what is hated while wanting the good was also observed by pagan writers, confirming it as a universal human experience.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin insists Paul is describing the actual experience of every regenerate Christian, not some fictional or transitional state. The struggle between wanting to do good and failing to do it belongs to the believer, and attempts to explain it away as a past condition or a dramatic device miss the apostle's plain meaning.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible School commentary interprets this cry as coming from a regenerate believer, not an unregenerate person. Paul describes the ongoing conflict sin still wages through the mortal body, even as the mind delights in God's law. The apostle groans for the redemption of his body, which remains the stronghold of sin until glorification.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
For I alow not that which I do: for what I would, that do I not: but what I hate, that do I.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill insists that Paul here speaks as a regenerate Christian, not an unconverted man. The struggle is internal: Paul's renewed will desires good and hates sin, yet his fallen human nature still produces evil. An unregenerate person would not hate sin the way Paul describes, nor would he genuinely will to keep God's law perfectly.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB describes Paul’s statement as the cry of a renewed man whose actions contradict his own will. Sin operates like a foreign will, dragging him to do what he hates, so he cannot claim full ownership of what he does. The conflict is internal, between his desire for good and the involuntary pull of evil.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that this passage does not describe a settled state of either the regenerate or the unregenerate, but
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent draws attention to Paul's precise Greek word choices to show the apostle sees himself as a slave ignorantly carrying out his master's commands without recognizing what he is actually producing. He distinguishes between what Paul desires, what he practices as daily habit, and the accomplished result he ends up hating.