https://youtu.be/M5NgEp2M-l0
In our verse-by-verse study of Romans we are in Rom 7:18; where we are discussing the believer who has good intentions and is determined to obey God but is not.
We have noted that this verse consists primarily of two prepositional phrases after the introduction. So far we have "For I know not (good resides in me (that is in my flesh) for the desire is present in me..." This brings us to the next word.
Rom 7:18; "alla" (but) "kagargazomai" (to do, achieve, to accomplish, to work out, to perform or execute). In this case we will translate it "execution." This is an iterative present tense that describes events that repeatedly recur at successive intervals in staccato.
The middle voice of the deponent verb functions in the active voice. Paul uses himself to represent the activity of the human race under the control of the sin nature. The indicative mood is declarative representing the verb form from the viewpoint of reality.
"ho" (the) "kalos" (good) is the word for good but in this case it is not "agathos" (divine good) that refers to something that is intrinsically good "kalos" is good in the sense of describing a quality that corresponds with a specific purpose.
"Kalos" (good) has several translations including honorable, noble, praiseworthy, or advantageous. In this case because of the definite article it is describing a specific course of action that is honorable. Next is "ou" (not) so the last phrase in the verse is "but the honorable not."
Expanded Translation Rom 7:18;"In fact I know that there does not (reside in me (that is, in my human body) intrinsic good) for the resolve is present in me but the honorable not."
This verse explains that sincerity is not a Christian virtue and that is the reason why sincere Christians often fail. Sincerity is related to volition but it has no inherent doctrine and volition without doctrine is helpless in both the execution of God's directive will and the attainment of the objective of maturity adjustment to God's justice from doctrinal application.
Sincerity is related to human emotion. Emotion is the connecting link between sincerity and the decisions that are made from sincerity. Sincerity is filled with good intentions but sincerity is human emotions trying to attain the objective from the strong side of the OSN but only the filling of God the Holy Spirit and the thinking of Christ contained in God's Word of absolute Truth results in spiritual maturity.
There is no glorification of Christ apart from maturity adjustment to God's justice through God's GASP system.
There is no direct blessing from God's justice without maturity adjustment to God's justice and there is no maturity adjustment to God's justice without Bible doctrine resident and circulating in the soul under the filling ministry of God the Holy Spirit.
So while human volition can be sincere in wanting to glorify God without doctrine sincerity cannot accomplish that objective. The best intentions of the sincere believer are destroyed by ignorance of God's Word.
Believers cannot fulfill God's purpose and fulfill their resolve to glorify Jesus Christ if they do not know God's policy and how it works. Ignorance of doctrine interdicts between good intentions and motivations and the fulfillment of God's will.
Sincere decisions made with good intentions are not necessarily God's will.
Sincerity plus ignorance of doctrine is a guarantee of failure. Sincere ignorance is not a virtue; it is irrational arrogance. Sincerity without doctrine is a road to reversionism and when persisted in reversionism always gets under the influence of evil and becomes the road to apostasy.
The second attack of the ex-husband, the old sin nature, places emphasis on sincerity and emotional motivation. This is a quick road to reversionism and the sin unto death. Phil 3:18-19;
Before any believer can appreciate the God's solution and His grace policy he must come to the end of himself. That means the end of all human gimmicks. He must realize that the verse we are studying states that there does not reside in any of us any inherent ability or talent, or sacrificial function that can be used to glorify God.
Sincere believers must run out of their own human solutions before they will accept God's solutions. The sincere believer is arrogant so he has to try every human solution before he tries the divine solution that is Bible doctrine resident in the soul through the daily function of GASP.
Honorable accomplishment from the execution of God's will is negative until the believer uses cognizance of doctrine to advance to the maturity adjustment to God's justice plus resultant glorification of Christ and maximum blessing conveyed from God's justice.
Grace blessing from God's justice cannot come to the believer by any means of human activity including asceticism, emotion, ritual or legalism because grace blessing from God only comes through doctrine that is resident in the believer's soul.
Honorable execution of the God's plan and the attainment of His objectives is not happening until the believer accepts His logistical grace provision of a right pastor communicating doctrine systematically from God's Word on a consistent basis. Until you accept the teaching and the authority of whoever your right pastor happens to be your honorable achievement will be negative because without accurate doctrine the "doing of the good is NOT"
Rom 7:19; In the NASB it reads "For the good that I want I do not do" This is a dilemma that occurs when a believer has a little or no doctrine. A little doctrine confuses you because to produce intrinsic good you must have clarity of thought from your thinking being transformed by God's Word of Truth and that requires a lot of doctrine not a little doctrine.
In the Greek the word order is reversed so in the Greek the verse begins with "ou" (not) then conjunctive particle "gar" (for) with the nominative neuter singular relative pronoun "hos" (what) and the present active indicative of the verb "thelo" (want or purpose or to resolve) followed by verb "poieo" (to do, achieve, accomplish) with the adjective "agathos" (intrinsic good).
It is translated literally, " Not for what I want I do the intrinsic good." The word "thelo" (want) means to purpose or to resolve from the sincerity or from the emotions without having the necessary doctrinal facts.
In the Greek language another word for purpose, want or resolve is "boulomai" (want) (1Tim 2:8;) that means to purpose or resolve from facts, knowledge or information.
The word "thelo" that is used in Rom 7:19; means to resolve from sincerity or emotion because you do sincerely want it but you don't have all of the facts and a detailed plan for how you are going to accomplish your desire.
The present tense is an iterative present for a desire, a purpose, or a resolve that occurs at successive intervals. The active voice: Paul, the human author, uses himself as an example. The indicative mood describes the action as a reality.
Paul represents himself as the reversionistic believer who produces the action of the verb not when he is writing scripture but at some previous time in his life.
The indicative mood is declarative for absolute reality. The intrinsic good or "agathos" is the fulfillment of the objective that God has specifically designed for every believer to execute in eternity past.
Next is the adversative conjunction "alla" (but) that sets up a contrast "but what not I want" the nominative neuter singular from the relative pronoun "hos" (what) with the negative "ou" (not) followed by 'thelo" (I want) "kakos" (bad or evil) "this I practice" with nominative neuter singular demonstrative pronoun "houtos" (this) "this evil."
The demonstrative pronoun is like the define article making the word evil monadic so it is specifically describing the evil of the sin and the lust patterns sponsored by satan the devil through his cosmos and the OSN,
Then we have the present active indicative of the verb "prasso" (practice or accomplish). The present tense is a perfective present tense that describes a continuation of a life of reversionism from OSN control of the soul that is becomes a practice of evil.
The active voice: Paul represents himself as the reversionist who is under the influence of the evil of OSN control of the soul who produces the action. The indicative mood is the potential indicative of impulse that goes with sincerity without facts and an accurate specific plan of action.
Expanded Translation Rom 7:19; "For not (what I want I do intrinsic good) but what I not want this evil I keep on practicing."
As the policies and objectives of the Christian way of life are developed in the mind of the believer (through perception of doctrine) it is not axiomatic that understanding God's will means actually doing God's will.
The first part of the answer is knowing what God's will is from the perception of doctrine, but once you know God's will the next step is to learn exactly how to actually implement it and that comes from the perception of more doctrine. That means it takes a lot of doctrine.
The problem described in our passage is that the believer does know what to do but does not know how to do it.
The inner conflict that is created between the old sin nature as the ex-husband, and the Lord Jesus Christ the second husband is described in many biblical passages.
Without the filling of the Spirit and the constant perception of God's Word of Truth through God's GASP system under the ministry of one's right pastor the believer keeps on doing the evil that he does not want to do because that is what he always did before he was saved.
Therefore, part of the problem is to know the objective, and the other part is learning how to attain the objective of maturity adjustment to God's justice. A verse that succinctly explains the predicate for this is Gal 5:16;
The intrinsic good described in this verse refers to the believer reaching spiritual maturity from maximum doctrine resident in the soul. Only in spiritual maturity do we have the capacity and the security for blessing from God's justice.