What Paul has written in Rom. 6:12–14; 8:10–13; and other texts (Phil. 3:12–16) indicates that believers still battle with sin. His two letters to the Corinthians alone should convince us that believers still sin this side of redemption. Nonetheless, after everything is considered, the emphasis in the Christian life is on substantial, significant, and observable victory over sin.

Inability to keep the law cannot be assigned to the unspirituality of the law, since the law expresses God’s holy and good will. Paul thereby defends the view that the law is spiritual, that is, its origin is from the Holy Spirit. The law is transgressed because human beings are fleshly and have no inherent capacity for righteousness.

The words οὐ γινώσκω (ou ginōskō, I do not know, v. 15) do not mean that the “I” is unconscious of or unaware of one’s actions. Nor does it merely signify doing what one disapproves of or hates (against C. Barrett 1991: 138; Murray 1959: 261; Cranfield 1975: 358–59). What it means is that one cannot fully comprehend the depth of sin in oneself (cf. Origen in Bray 1998: 191; Lambrecht 1992: 52; Fitzmyer 1993c: 474). The evil in our hearts is a mystery to ourselves. In other words, the “I” doesn’t do what it wishes7 but practices what it hates. Still, the “I” ends up at the end of the day doing what it wants to do; in that sense it does evil “intentionally and voluntarily” (Van Den Beld 1985: 500).

Paul doesn’t deny responsibility but confesses impotence (cf. Seifrid 1992: 239). We need to recognize that Paul speaks metaphorically, and the language used shouldn’t be pressed to release the “I” of moral accountability (Thielman forthc.).