Thomas Aquinas, on Rom 7:21

“I find then a law, that when I have a will to do good, evil is present with me.”

“After showing that the law is good because it concords with reason, the Apostle now draws two conclusions based on the two things he had posited; the second conclusion is at but I see another law. In regard to the first he does two things: first, he draws a conclusion from what he had said; second, he offers a sign to clarify it, at for I am delighted. Now he had posited two things. The first was that the law is spiritual (Rom 7:14), from which he concludes: I find then, namely, by experience, a law consistent with that of Moses, that when I have a will to do good, i.e., there is agreement between the law of Moses and my reason, by which I approve the good and detest evil, just as that law commands the good and forbids evil: the word is very near unto you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it (Deut 30:14). And in this way it was necessary that evil, i.e., sin or the inclination of sin, is present with me, i.e., lay next to my reason, as though dwelling in my flesh: guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your bosom, i.e., from the flesh (Mic 7:5).”

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.