For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Romans 8:3-4 (AV1611)
NOTES ON THE TEXT
Verse 3: “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh,”
The Believer’s Relationship to the Law
Here the law no doubt means the moral law. It was impotent for justification and for sanctification also. It condemned; it could not justify. It gave the knowledge but not the cure of sin. It is said to have been weak, wanting strength, lacking power. This was no inherent fault of the law; in fact, its working wrath arose from its very perfection, which brought a knowledge of the heinous nature of sin, revealed its power, and unmistakably threatened righteous and awful retribution on the transgressor. Nor could it give any strength to believer or unbeliever to resist the seductions of fallen human nature. To each and all of these ends it was impotent.
Man Must Lay Hold of Christ
In this our sad state the Lord undertook for us, sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh. God's own Son was he, who counted it not robbery to be equal with God. He was with God and he was God. The likeness of sinful flesh is not sinful flesh, but "the likeness of that flesh which was sinful," elsewhere expressed by the phrase in the likeness of men (Phil. 2:7). He was in all things made like unto his brethren, having a true body and a reasonable soul (Heb. 2:16-18). But he was not born in sin, nor did he ever offend against God, but was holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners. His Father, his friends, his judge, his betrayer all pronounced him faultless. It is said God sent his Son for sin, on account of sin; or, in respect of sin. But from Augustine down many have explained the words for sin as meaning for a sin-offering.[1] In Hebrews 10:6, undoubtedly this is the meaning. The margin in this place has, ‘a sacrifice for sin’. The foregoing, among good writers, is the more common method of exposition. But some contend that Paul is still speaking of sanctification, not of justification. Nor can it be denied that in many parts of scripture the sanctification of believers is stated in close connection with the sacrifice and sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 17:19; Eph. 5:25, 26; Tit. 2:14; 1 Pet. 1:18, 19). Nor is it safe to deny that by a figure of speech often only one thing in salvation is named, when the whole is intended to be included. And [James] Fraser is quite confident that in this verse Paul is still showing how men must be sanctified. He says: "The general point is clear, that the scripture connects making men free from the dominion of sin with Christ's sufferings and sacrifice." He also cites Galatians 3:13-14 in confirmation of the truth that the Spirit is received through the faith which lays hold of the redemption of Christ.
Distinguishing the Benefits of Christ: Justification and Sanctification
We may and we must distinguish, but we may never separate between justification and sanctification, and either of these words, or their synonyms may be chosen to represent to us all the benefits obtained by believers in Christ Jesus.
God Condemned Sin in the Flesh
The verb ‘Condemned’, is always so rendered except a few times where it is rendered damned. It is found again in verse 34 of this chapter.[2] The prominent idea in the verb is that of sentencing to death, or of putting to death in execution of a sentence. The doubt among interpreters is whether Paul is speaking of justification or sanctification, of the removal of the guilt of sin or of the destruction of its power.[3] Many admit that in this verse sin is personified. If it is, we know how it fared in the sacrifice of Calvary. It was punished, condemned and overcome. By that one offering it was made certain that sin should be put down, or as Calvin says: "cast down from its power, so that it does not now hold us subject to itself." The chains of its guilt are knocked off; the scepter of its power is broken; it is no longer lord over anyone who is in Christ Jesus. The more these verses are considered, the more it looks as if Paul was not nicely discriminating between the guilt and the power of sin, but was speaking of its utter destruction in every sense, so that it shall neither condemn us nor hold us in bondage. The word ‘condemned’ is cognate to the word ‘condemnation’ in verse 1. Those who are in Christ are not in any sense condemned, but sin is in every sense condemned. The sentence has gone forth, the death on Calvary was decisive, and the application of redemption by the Spirit is giving the victory more and more, till in all who are in Christ there shall be left neither spot nor wrinkle. In other words, complete deliverance from sin itself and from all its effects seems to be spoken of in these verses, by a figure of speech, a part being often put for the whole.
This mode of explanation seems to have been in the mind of [John] Evans:
"By the appearance of Christ sin was condemned, that is, God did therein more than ever manifest his hatred of sin; and not only so, but for all that are Christ's both the damning and the domineering power of sin is broken and taken out of the way. He that is condemned can neither accuse nor rule; his testimony is null, and his authority null. Thus, by Christ is sin condemned, though it live and remain, its life in the saints is still but that of a condemned malefactor. It was by the condemning of sin that death was disarmed, and the devil, who had the power of death, destroyed. The condemning of sin saved the sinner from condemnation."
This explanation, taking part for the whole, and personifying sin, covers the whole ground, and allows us to see how by the union of the legal and moral effects of Christ's death believers have full salvation.
In What Sense Did God Condemn Sin in the Flesh?
It is said that God condemned sin ‘in the flesh’. Two explanations are offered. One is that God condemned sin in the flesh of Christ.[4] The other is that he condemned it in human nature. But it is better to unite the two and say that God condemned sin in human nature, of which Christ is a partaker. All this was done, “That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (V.4)
V. 4 “That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
What is the Righteousness of the Law?
Perhaps the best method of expounding this verse is the same as that adopted in verse 3. The righteousness of the law is the righteousness which the law demands. By living union with Jesus Christ we receive his perfect active and passive obedience to the law in our room and stead as our justifying righteousness. The law demands no more. This robe is without a rent; and so the righteousness of the law is perfectly fulfilled in our justification. Some contend that this is all. But if the view given of verse 3 is correct, we may in the same way add that this verse also embraces the sanctification of believers; and that the righteousness of the law through Jesus Christ and by his Spirit is fulfilled in them just so far and so fast as their sanctification progresses.
Does the Righteousness of the Law Require Perfection?
The great objection urged to this view is that the law calls for perfect conformity to its demands, and that the best of mere men freely confess they come far short of perfection. In answer it may be said,
I. that whatever may be the imperfection of good men in this life, it shall not be so always. They shall at last have in their hearts and characters all that holiness which the law requires. If the gospel should fail in producing this effect, it would fail utterly in bringing glory to God or good to men.
II. Although the holiness of a believer is not in degree what the law requires, yet to a pleasing extent it is in kind much what the commandments call for.
1. This obedience is personal.
2. It is to the law as coming from God, having his authority and expressing his will.
3. It is from the heart.
4. It flows from love to God.
5. It flows from godly fear.
6. It springs from true and lively faith.
7. It is humble and accompanied by a just and deep sense of imperfection.
8. It is universal, extending without partiality to all the commands of God.
9. It is habitual and not by fits and starts.
10. It is evangelical, drawing its strongest motives from the love of God manifested in the cross of Christ.
[John] Colquhoun:
"True holiness is spiritual and sincere obedience to the law as a ‘rule of life’, in the hand of the blessed Mediator, and is commonly styled evangelical holiness or true godliness."
Were this obedience perfect, as it is sincere; spotless, as it is accepted and rewarded of God; without defect, as soon it shall be; it would in every respect be the very righteousness of the law, that is, the very holiness of the spirits of just men made perfect.
Progress, Not Perfection
Even now regenerate men walk not ‘after the flesh’. They are often carnal to an extent very mortifying to themselves, but the tenor of their lives and the aim of their hearts even now are towards holiness, not sin, after the Spirit, not after the flesh. Without holiness no man shall see the Lord (Heb. 12:14). A professed reliance on the merits of Christ, not followed by conformity to the preceptive will of God, is utterly vain and unprofitable.
DOCTRINAL AND PRACTICAL REMARKS
The Believer Relates to God in Christ, by the Gospel, and Not by the Law
It is proof of amazing madness and folly that, after all man has done and God has taught, men will still fly to the law for justification and sanctification. The law is ‘weak’, impotent to either of these ends (v. 3). Read the decalogue through and you shall find not one word of mercy for the guilty. Do and live, sin and die, is all it says (Lev. 18:5).
Calvin:
"It is absurd to measure human strength by the precepts of the law; as though God in requiring what is justly due had regarded what and how much we are able to do."
The law never demanded more than was holy, just and good. It can demand no less. The gospel is not an apology to man for having given him the law. God never acts more righteously than in demanding perfect obedience to the moral law on pain of his sore displeasure even death itself. But the gospel does suit our case. It is not weak. It is mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. It is the power of God unto salvation. How could it be otherwise?
The Author of the Gospel: Jesus Christ
Its author is God's own Son (v. 3). He is not the son of God as Adam was and as the angels were, by creation; nor as Christians are, by the renewing of the Holy Ghost (adoption). But he is God's own Son by an eternal generation. He is the brightness of the Father's glory and the express image of his person (Heb. 1:3). He is the only begotten Son of God (John 1:18; 3:16). He often called himself the Son of God, and the whole controversy concerning his sonship and divinity ought to have been settled, and to all well taught from heaven was settled by his resurrection from the dead.
The Incarnation is an Absolutely Necessity for Believers
Paul never utters a doubt respecting the fact or the necessity of the incarnation of Jesus Christ (v. 3). It was human nature that had fallen, and was to be redeemed. It was right that the nature which sinned should bear the punishment of sin, be exalted to honor and glory, and should appear for us in heaven. We needed a High Priest, who should not only be equal with God, and be able to lay his hand on the eternal throne, because he was the Fellow of the Father, but who should also be bone of our bone, and not be ashamed to call us brethren, that he might be a merciful High Priest (Heb. 2:11, 17). This incarnation, involving so profound humiliation on the part of Christ, is, when duly considered, very humbling to us. It was designed to "remind us that righteousness by no means dwells in us, for it is to be sought from him, and that men in vain confide in their own merits, who become not just but at the pleasure of another, or who obtain righteousness from that expiation which Christ accomplished in his own flesh."
Cur Deus Homo: Why God Became Man
Christ took our nature, its innocent infirmities, our place under the law, our load of guilt, the curse due to us; and in his love and mercy he gives us his blessing, his righteousness, his Spirit, his glory, his joy, his kingdom, a seat with him on his throne. It would be worse than swollen bombast to say these things, but God has taught them all to us.
When Was Sin Condemned?
Sin is condemned, was condemned on Calvary (v. 3). It was condemned and punished as outlawry, as usurpation, as deserving God's wrath and curse, and man's abhorrence and detestation for ever.
[Giovanni] Diodati:
"God has as it were by his sovereign decree taken away all command over believers from sin, has crucified and mortified it in them, whilst they live in this animal and corporeal life. He has done this in the flesh, to the end that we may not doubt of the forgiveness of our sins, which are destroyed in our proper nature, which the Son of God has taken upon him."
How Should Christians View Sin?
Sin is a conquered enemy.
Whatever sin is or does, it is and does without any rightful claim. Once those, who are now believers, were held as lawful captives; but all who accept of Christ, are no longer under the dominion of its guilt or of its power. The guilt is all removed, and in the matter of sanctification they have made by the grace of Christ a blessed beginning, which is a sure pledge of final and complete victory.
The Necessity of a Perfect Blood-Sacrifice for the Defeat of Sin
How clearly in all the scriptures the doctrine of a sacrifice for sin is so taught as to imply its absolute necessity (v. 3). Indeed, who can believe that God would have sent his own Son to endure any pain or shame, if our case had not been such as to require it? If remission without the shedding of blood could have been had, there would have been no blood shed. Under the law almost all things were purged with blood; not that God regarded as of any saving efficacy the sacrifice of an innocent lamb, but he thus taught the pious to look away from all human merits and offerings to the one great sacrifice on Calvary. Here is a vital matter. Men may be saved without science, without literature, without wealth, without civilization; but without faith in the atonement of Christ there is no hope of future blessedness. "If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins." (John 8:24).
Jesus Christ is the Perfect, All-sufficient Savior
Men are not saved in derogation of the honor of God's government. They enter not paradise trampling on the holy sovereignty of the Most High. The righteousness of the law is fulfilled in them. First their justifying righteousness, being the spotless obedience of the Lord Jesus, is without any defect. No sinner, however guilty and terribly awakened to a sense of his lost condition on account of the number and aggravation of his sins, when brought to rest on Christ alone for salvation, ever found any rent in his seamless robe, any spot in his glorious righteousness. How could he? Omniscient purity itself pronounced it faultless, and so released Christ from all further humiliation and raised him to glory and honor at God's right hand. The Lord Jesus was made under the law, under its precept for obedience and under its penalty for the suffering of death, that he might redeem them that were under the law and should believe on him (Gal. 4:4-6).
Christ’s Justifying and Sanctifying Righteousness Applied to the Believer
Then the righteousness, which the law demands, is finally and perfectly wrought in the souls of believers by the power of the Holy Ghost. This work is begun in regeneration. It is carried on by the same divine power until in glory the redeemed soul finds itself without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. Believers do in no sense enter heaven in derogation of law. Men are not saved without righteousness, both justifying and sanctifying
Christians Must Condemn and Execute Their Own Sin
As God has condemned sin, let us condemn it also (v. 3). As he abhors it, so let us abhor it. As he has punished it, so let us mortify it and crucify it. There is no danger of excess in our hatred of sin. It is horrible. It is a horrible dishonor to God, a horrible defilement of the soul, a horrible torment to him, in whom it reigns, and followed by torments so horrible, that if the gayest sinner had a just view of his sad state and dismal prospects he would never smile again unless he could be brought to believe in Jesus.
[Thomas] Chalmers:
"However zealously the righteousness of Christ must be contended for as the alone plea of a sinner's acceptance, yet the benefit thereof rests upon none save those who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. Light where it may, it must carry a sanctifying power with it; and you have no part nor lot in the matter, if you are not pressing onward in grace and in all godliness. It is not enough that upon Christ all its honors have been amply vindicated—upon you who believe in Christ all its virtues must be engraven."
All ye that love the Lord hate iniquity. If you do not kill sin, it will kill you. If you do not crucify it, it will torment you for ever.
[1] Plumer adds, “[This is the view of] Melancthon, Calvin and many others. [Daniel] Whitby cites more than thirty cases in the Septuagint where the same words mean ‘for a sin-offering’,”
[2] Plumer adds, “the [Syriac] Peshito [or Peshitta] has ‘condemned’; Schleusner, Hodge and Haldane: ‘punished’; Locke: ‘put to death’, ‘extinguished’ or ‘suppressed’; Conybeare and Howson: ‘overcome’ or ‘conquered’,”
[3] Plumer: “On this point [interpretors] are much divided. Venema, Pareus, Pool, B.P. Hall, Whitby, Hodge and Haldane refer it to justification. But Chrysostom, Fraser, Locke, Doddridge, Scott, Macknight, Owen of Thrussington and Stuart refer it to sanctification.”
[4] Syriac Peshitta.
