The laws came from God’s Spirit, but you and I are influenced by our sinful natures. We often do not do the things that we desire, and we do the things that we detest because of a desire to sin that permeates us and prevents us from doing good, unless Christ frees us from being controlled by these desires.

Romans 7:14-25

14 We know that the laws that God gave Moses came from God’s Spirit. But as for me, I am influenced by my self-directed nature. It is as though I have been forced to become a slave of my desire to sin [MET]. 15 The things that I do, I often [HYP] do not understand. That is, sometimes [HYP] it is the good things that I want to do that I do not do. And sometimes [HYP] it is the evil things that I detest that I do. 16 Since I do the evil things that I do not want to do, I agree that the laws of God are good. 17 So, it is not that I do evil things because I wish to do them. Instead, what happens is that I do sinful things because the desire to sin causes me to do them. The desire to sin ◄is within/permeates► me [PRS]. 18 I know that my self-directed nature will not let me [PRS] do anything that is good. I know this because I want to do what is good, but I do not do what is good. 19 I do not do the good things that I want to do. Instead, it is evil things that I do not want to do that I do. 20 Because I do evil things that I do not want to do, it is not that I do evil things because I want to. Instead, I do them because my self-directed nature, which permeates me [PRS], causes me to do them. 21 I find, then, that what always happens is that when I want to do what is good, there is an evil desire present within me that [PRS] prevents me from doing good. 22 With my new inner nature I like the laws of God very much. 23 Nevertheless, I sense that there is a different force that is in ◄my body/me► [PRS, SYN]. It is opposed to what with my mind I desire to do [MET], and it puts me inescapably under the control of [MET] the sinful desires that I have [SYN]. 24 When I consider this, I feel that I am a very wretched person. I want someone to set me free from the control of what my body desires, in order that I might not be separated from God. [RHQ] I also think that what I have experienced is the same as what all believers experience. 25 I thank God that it is by Jesus Christ our Lord that we can be free from the control of what our bodies desire. So, with our minds, you and I on the one hand want to obey God’s laws. But also, you and I often let our sinful desires control us because of our self-directed nature.