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how might modern psychological concepts of self and impulse relate to paul's categories?

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Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Romans 7:15-20

“For I don’t know what I do. For I don’t practice what I desire to do; but what I hate, that I do. But if I do that which I don’t desire to do, I consent to the law that it is good. So now it is no more I who do it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing; for desire is present with me, but I don’t find it to do that which is good. For the good which I desire, I don’t do; but the evil which I don’t desire, that I practice. But if I do that which I don’t desire, it is no more I who do it, but sin which dwells in me.”

The apostle Paul, writing to the church in Rome around the mid-1st century CE, is exploring the complex relationship between God's law, sin, and the human struggle for righteousness. In this section, he describes a deeply personal and often frustrating inner conflict experienced by individuals attempting to live righteously.

How does acknowledging the internal struggle described by Paul shape our understanding of personal responsibility and the potential for change?

Then — the setting

Paul wrote this letter to the Christian communities in Rome in the mid-1st century CE, likely from Corinth. The audience included both Jewish and Gentile believers, and Paul was addressing fundamental questions about righteousness, the Law of Moses, and salvation through Christ. This passage, specifically, is a deeply introspective exploration of the human condition under the Law and the struggle with sin, often interpreted as Paul describing the experience of a person (perhaps himself) before a full understanding or experience of God's grace in Christ, or as the ongoing struggle of a believer. Scholars debate whether Paul is describing his pre-conversion self, the typical human experience, or the ongoing battle of a Christian.

Across the Testaments

This passage is in the New Testament, offering a profound psychological insight into the human condition from Paul's perspective. In the Old Testament, the concept of a divided 'self' or inner struggle against undesirable impulses is often implicit in narratives of individuals failing to uphold God's commands (e.g., David's sin in 2 Samuel 11). Prophets like Jeremiah speak of a 'heart' that is deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9), hinting at an internal source of unrighteousness. Paul here explicitly articulates this internal conflict, making it a central theme and laying groundwork for the New Testament's emphasis on transformation not just of outward actions, but of the inner person through the Spirit, a concept that develops the Old Testament hope for a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26).

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Read alongside it

  • Galatians 5:16-17

    Paul describes a similar tension between 'flesh' and 'spirit' as conflicting desires within believers.

  • Philippians 2:12-13

    Paul encourages active participation in one's own salvation while acknowledging God's work within.

  • James 1:13-15

    James offers another perspective on temptation, tracing it to one's own desires.

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