Romans 7:15 : For that which I do I know not: for not what I would, that do I practice; but what I hate, that I do. Some commentators think the first clause should read: "For what I do I approve not." But that has the appearance of being a translation made to escape a seeming difficulty. Lard thinks that ginosko sometimes, though rarely, means to approve, and adds: "Now, I hold that to render the word know, in the present clause, is to make the apostle not only contradict himself, but speak like a simpleton. For what I do, I know not.' If a man know not what he is doing, he is demented. This will not do for Paul." But Lard, with others, misses the significance of the word know. It does not mean simply to be conscious of the particular act one is performing, but also to grasp the nature and consequences of what one is doing. No sinner does that. When Paul was persecuting Christians, he was conscious of his acts, but was utterly ignorant of the nature and consequences of his deeds. "Howbeit I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief" (1 Timothy 1:13). He did not know that every act he performed in persecuting the church was a crime against God and man.; he thought he was doing right. He, therefore, did not know what he was doing--what he was accomplishing. When Jesus was on the cross, he prayed: "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." These men knew they were engaged in the act of crucifying a man called Jesus they did not know that they were crucifying the Son of God. They did not know what they were doing. "And now, brethren, I know that in ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers" (Acts 3:17). "For had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory" (1 Corinthians 2:8). Now, these men were not demented. They knew they were putting a person to death; yet they did not know what they were doing. If a sinner really knew the full nature and awful consequences of the life he is living, he would quickly turn away from it. The correctness of the foregoing remarks will be more easily seen if the reader is able to note a pe-culiarity of this verse. "Do" occurs twice, and each time from a different Greek word, and "practice" is from still another word, and these words are: katergadzomai--to effect, accomplish, achieve, etc. Prasso-- to exercise, practice, be busy with, carry on, etc. Poieo-- to produce, construct, form, fashion, to make, etc. And so it is seen that these words mean more than simply to perform one act. It will be helpful exercise if you will take your pencil and reconstruct this verse, using different definitions each time you write it. Try this: "For that which I accomplish I know not: for not what I would, that do I practice; but what I hate, that I produce." The sinner does not know what he accomplishes by a life of sin. He cannot so much as know how far reaching is the influence of his life of sin. In his thoughtful moments he desires a different life from the things he practices, but without Christ, sin has him under its dominion. He may delight in gratifying his flesh, but he hates the results produced by his dissipation.