“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.”
— Romans 7:18
There is a humbling discovery in our walk with God: our own strength cannot produce the holy life He calls us to live. We may sincerely desire to obey Him, yet find ourselves returning to pride, impatience, resentment, or the need to have our own way.
Paul recognised this struggle. He could see what was good and desire to do it, but the desire itself did not give him the power to fulfil it.
His words are searching: “in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing.”
When we speak here of self, we mean our fallen nature seeking to live independently of God—trusting its own judgment, pursuing its own glory, and insisting on its own will. This self cannot become the source of righteousness. We need the life and power of Christ.
Self wants to remain in control
Self is often easy to recognise when it appears as open selfishness. It becomes harder to recognise when it hides behind respectable behaviour or religious activity.
We may serve while longing to be noticed. We may speak truth while enjoying the feeling of being superior. We may appear humble while quietly resenting correction. We may give generously and become offended when nobody thanks us.
The outward action may benefit others, while our motives still need to be searched and purified.
Jeremiah writes:
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
— Jeremiah 17:9
We cannot assume that a motive is pure simply because it feels right to us. We need God to examine us through His Word and bring to light what we would otherwise excuse.
The prayer of a surrendered heart is therefore:
“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
— Psalm 139:23–24
The flesh cannot supply spiritual life
Jesus said:
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.”
— John 15:4
A branch depends continually on the vine. Its fruit grows through the life it receives.
Likewise, we cannot receive salvation through Christ and then expect to mature through independence from Him. We need Him in our thoughts, our decisions, our relationships, and our service.
Jesus makes this dependence clear:
“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
— John 15:5
We can organise activities, acquire knowledge, and develop abilities. Yet the spiritual fruit Jesus describes depends on abiding in Him. Our abilities must be surrendered to His purposes, and our hearts must remain dependent on His grace.
The old man was crucified with Christ
God’s answer to our bondage to sin is found in the cross:
“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”
— Romans 6:6
The old man refers to who we were in Adam, under sin’s dominion. Paul declares that this old man was crucified with Christ. Our freedom begins with what Jesus has accomplished.
Because we belong to Him, we are called to stop yielding ourselves to sin:
“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.”
— Romans 6:12
Sinful desires may still press upon us, but we do not have to receive them as commands. In Christ, we have a new Lord and a new life.
We must therefore be careful with the expression “self + sin = the old man.” If self means the fallen flesh, it is already affected by sin. Scripture gives us a fuller picture: the old man has been crucified with Christ, and believers are called to put away the conduct that belonged to their former life.
Denying self is a daily surrender
Jesus said:
“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
— Luke 9:23
Self-denial reaches deeper than giving up a comfort. It means surrendering our claim to govern our lives apart from Jesus.
When His Word confronts our pride, we yield. When He calls us to forgive, we release our claim to revenge. When truth exposes our wrongdoing, we confess instead of defending ourselves.
This surrender becomes practical in ordinary moments:
Will I listen when corrected? Will I obey when nobody sees? Will I remain faithful when I receive no recognition? Will I allow God’s Word to change a conviction I have strongly defended?
The flesh resists surrender because it wants control. Following Jesus means bringing that resistance before Him and choosing obedience through His strength.
God works within the believer
Recognising the weakness and corruption of the flesh should lead us to depend on God with hope.
Paul writes:
“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
— Philippians 2:13
God works within His people. He shapes our desires and enables obedience. We respond by trusting Him, attending to His Word, and acting on what He has commanded.
This is why “no good thing in my flesh” must never become “God can do nothing good in me.” The first acknowledges our need; the second overlooks His transforming work.
Scripture says:
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
— Ephesians 2:10
The believer has been made new in Christ. God intends that new life to become visible through good works, holy conduct, and love.
Walking by the Spirit
“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”
— Galatians 5:16
Walking by the Spirit involves active dependence. We pray, receive Scripture, heed conviction, resist temptation, and obey.
When anger rises, we can pause and seek the Lord’s help before speaking. When envy appears, we can confess it and give thanks for His goodness to another person. When pride resists an apology, we can humble ourselves and make things right.
These choices matter. They are ways of yielding ourselves to God rather than allowing the flesh to govern us.
As the Spirit works, His fruit grows: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.
Christ living in me
The purpose of recognising our fallen condition is to bring us into deeper dependence on our Saviour.
Paul declares:
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
— Galatians 2:20
Paul still lives, loves, serves, and obeys. His confidence now rests in the Son of God who loved him and gave Himself for him. In this verse, living “in the flesh” refers to his present bodily life; his body itself is not being declared evil.
We do not need to defend the fallen self that God calls us to deny. We can bring our pride, self-reliance, and stubbornness to Him honestly.
There is no good thing in the flesh that can serve as our foundation for holiness. Christ is our life. As we abide in Him, we learn to surrender our will, receive His strength, and walk in obedience.
A Prayer
Abba Father, in the name of Jesus,
Thank You for revealing my need for You. I confess that I have often trusted my own understanding, defended my own desires, and sought recognition for myself.
Search my heart. Expose the pride and self-reliance that I have overlooked or excused. Forgive me where I have used even good things to draw attention to myself.
Thank You that my old man was crucified with Christ and that I am called to walk in newness of life. Teach me to deny myself, take up my cross daily, and follow Jesus.
Help me to abide in Him. By Your Spirit, strengthen me to resist sin, receive correction, forgive freely, and obey Your Word. Let Your work within me produce fruit that honours You.
May my confidence rest in Christ, who loved me and gave Himself for me. To God alone be all the glory.
In Jesus’ Almighty Name, Amen.
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