Romans 7:18 (The NEED for God's Torah)

"For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find."

This was written by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans, and here in the seventh chapter we see in such clarity the struggle between our spirit and our flesh (sinful nature).
In particular, Paul makes an interesting case for the importance of God's Law(Torah) in our lives as followers of Jesus(Yeshua)!

We of course have to remember that in Paul's case that he's making to the Romans, it is not just for them....it's for us as well. Simply put, Paul is building a case against all mankind that we all are sinners in need of a Savior. That savior is Christ.
We cannot do anything to earn our salvation, because we are sinful from birth and have no hope of attaining perfection outside of our Savior. In fact, His salvation is a free gift, but it still must be excepted under His terms or it will not take effect in our lives.
His terms are that we walk in His truth (word) and come to Him in repentance, otherwise we will never be able to receive His salvation.

So in verse 18 of chapter 7, Paul points out that in his flesh (sinful nature) there is NOTHING good. But then he says, "for to WILL is present with me". What does he mean by this?
"for to will" is simply referring to what Paul wants to do according to his spirit, which is born again of God. Remember, there is no struggle between the flesh and the spirit in someone who isn't saved.
Only those who have accepted Messiah Yeshua as their Savior and walk in obedience to Him are saved/born again, and therefore experience the battle between the spirit and the flesh. Or in other words, what the mind wants to do (according to the will of God) and what the flesh wants to do conflict within the life of the believer.

Paul also writes that to will is "present with me". The will to do good in the sight of the Lord is "with" him and us because the Spirit of the Living God is within us. He is with those who are His and works in us to will and to do for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). Since, as he first said, there is nothing good in a person because of our sinful nature which we inherited at birth, then it is only God who is the ONLY good thing present within us.

Then Paul makes the statement, "but how to perform what is good I do not find". To truly understand the context of what Paul is saying here one must go back and read through the preceding chapters of Romans. But we can understand from just a few verses back that Paul, in and of himself, cannot find anything good within him nor can he find out how to perform that which is good.

So how can he, or any of us know what is good and how to perform it? By the Torah of God and His Word in it's entirety. As Paul just wrote back in chapter 6 verse 12,

"Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good."

AND

"and know His will and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law," - Romans 3:18

The Torah of God is not only good but also our instructions of His good will. He therefore, through His commandments, instructs us as to what is good and how to perform them.
That is why Paul goes on to say in verse 25 of chapter 7 that he thanks God through Messiah for delivering him from his own body of death and that with his mind he serves the Law of God!

Paul served God's law and delighted in it because he served in the newness of the Spirit, not in the oldness of the letter which brings condemnation and death.
That's why Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 3:6 that we are ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills but the Spirit gives life, which is a partial fulfillment of Jeremiah 31:31-34.

The Law for an unbeliever brings about wrath and death, showing us what our sin is and that we need a Savior. However, once we're in Messiah, we are no longer under the Law but are free from sin and death and free to become servants of righteousness...now walking in His Law which is a light unto our path (Psalm 119:97-106).

Sadly, many in professing Christendom have twisted the message of God saying that His Law is bondage in the life of a believer and thereby, in essence, they make sin good. This is heretical to say the least!
It is through the Law that we know what sin is (Romans 7:7) and it is by faith that we establish the Law (Romans 3:31). So how does repentance figure in to all of this? Well, quite simply, if we don't repent then we harden our heart to what the Lord is trying to say to us through His Law.
In Psalm 51, David writes,

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart -
these, O God, You will not despise." - Psalm 51:17

In Ezekiel 36, the prophet, speaking of the new covenant, shows us what God says about the heart.

The Lord said, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and you will keep My judgments and do them." - Ezekiel 36:26-27

Notice that he says the "heart of stone" and "a heart of flesh". It's the heart of flesh that the Lord is giving us when we are born again. This heart of flesh is soft and workable, and the more so, the easier it is for God to reveal His Law in our hearts and minds. But our heart is workable only when we come before God in repentance. If we continually refuse to humble ourselves before the Lord and His mercy then we will harden our hearts and make it more and more difficult for His Law to penetrate it. This will eventually lead us away from His love and salvation until we are no longer in Him (Hebrews 6:4-6).

We must repent before the LORD and seek out His Law for our instruction in the things that He approves of for our lives. In this, we will be like a lamp for all to see and glorify Him thereby.