Romans 7:18
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Cross-reference
Romans 7:25 offers deliverance through Christ and restates the dual nature, completing the lament of verse 18.
In Romans 7:19, Paul restates the very problem: he does not do the good he wants but the evil he doesn't want—reinforcing the inability declared in verse 18.
In Romans 7:15, Paul describes the same inner conflict—doing what he hates—which verse 18 then traces to the flesh's inability to do good.
Romans 7:5 describes the flesh's activity under the law, grounding the inability to do good in sinful passions.
Romans 7:17 clarifies it is sin dwelling in him, not his true self—directly explaining why nothing good dwells in his flesh.
Romans 7:14 grounds this inability in being 'sold under sin'—the same fleshly condition Paul laments here.
Romans 13:14 commands believers to clothe themselves with Christ and avoid gratifying the flesh, the solution to the internal war of 7:18.
Romans 8:3-13 contrasts the flesh's weakness with the Spirit's power, fulfilling the need for deliverance from the inability described in 7:18.
Genesis 8:21 acknowledges man’s heart evil from youth, reinforcing Paul’s claim of inherent sinfulness in his flesh.
Titus 3:3 recalls former enslavement to passions, mirroring Paul's description of the flesh's inability to do good.
Philippians 2:13 contrasts by affirming God works in us both to will and to act, while Paul says he cannot carry out the good he desires.
Ephesians 2:1-5 describes being dead in sins and made alive in Christ, directly addressing the condition of inability to do good in Romans 7:18.
In Galatians 5:24, Paul declares believers have crucified the flesh—in direct contrast to the ongoing struggle described here where the flesh still dominates.
In Galatians 5:19-21, Paul lists the evil works that come from the flesh—the very nature he says cannot produce good in Romans 7:18.
Galatians 5:17 explicitly describes the flesh-Spirit conflict that prevents doing what you want, directly paralleling Paul's struggle here.
In Mark 7:21-23, Jesus catalogues evil thoughts from within, echoing Paul's confession that no good dwells in his flesh.
Matthew 15:19 lists the evils from the heart, illustrating the corruption Paul identifies in his sinful nature.
Isaiah 64:6 declares our righteous deeds like filthy rags, reinforcing Paul’s assertion that nothing good dwells in him.
Genesis 6:5 shows every thought of man’s heart only evil continually, mirroring Paul’s confession that no good dwells in his flesh.
Job 14:4 asks who can bring clean from unclean, reflecting Paul’s despair over the flesh’s inability to produce goodness.
Psalm 51:5 confesses David’s sin from conception, aligning with Paul’s statement that no good dwells in his flesh.
Job 25:4 questions how man can be righteous before God, analogous to Paul’s inability to do good from his flesh.
Job 15:14-16 declares man’s corruption and unrighteousness, matching Paul’s lament that nothing good dwells in his flesh.
Matthew 26:41 says 'spirit is willing, flesh is weak' — the exact same tension Paul describes between desiring good and failing to carry it out.
Mark 14:38 echoes 'spirit willing, flesh weak' — the same conflict between desire and action that Paul laments.
Ephesians 2:3 describes the same fleshly nature and sinful desires, now overcome in Christ—parallel to Paul’s present struggle.
Luke 11:13 acknowledges human evil while promising the Holy Spirit — a solution to the inability to do good that Paul laments.
In John 3:6, Jesus states that flesh gives birth to flesh—explaining why nothing good dwells in Paul's flesh: it is inherently limited to earthly nature.
1 Peter 4:2 describes living for God's will instead of human desires, offering the goal that Paul's struggle points toward.
1 Timothy 1:8 affirms the law is good, whereas Paul says nothing good dwells in him—a contrast between the law’s goodness and human inability.
Philippians 3:12 shows Paul pressing on though not yet perfect, similar to his struggle here but with forward focus on pursuing Christ.
In Psalm 119:5, the psalmist longs for steadfast obedience—echoing Paul's desire for good but highlighting a prayer for help rather than lament of inability.
In Psalm 119:32, the psalmist runs in God's commandments only when God enlarges his heart—offering the divine enablement Paul finds lacking in his flesh.
In Psalm 119:40, the psalmist longs for God's precepts and begs for life—contrasting Paul's frustrated desire with a petition for the righteousness that gives life.
In Psalm 119:115-117, the psalmist asks God to uphold him so he can keep the law—showing reliance on God's strength, the very help Paul's flesh cannot provide.
Psalm 119:176 confesses straying like a lost sheep, echoing Paul's inability to do good despite desire — both admit human weakness before God.