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Romans 8:1-4 - God Did

  • Writer: Chad Werkhoven
    Chad Werkhoven
  • 6 days ago
  • 5 min read

The entire gospel comes down to two words.

Text on a parchment background reads: "GOD DID... sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh. ROMANS 8:3."

Romans 8:1-4 (NIV)


8 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Canons of Dordt

Point 2 - Limited Atonement


Article 2: The Satisfaction Made by Christ


  1. Since, however, 

    1. we ourselves cannot give this satisfaction [required by God's justice]

    2. or deliver ourselves from God’s wrath, 

    3. God in boundless mercy has given us as a guarantee 

      1. his only begotten Son, 

      2. who was made to be sin and a curse for us, 

        1. in our place, on the cross, 

        2. in order that he might make satisfaction for us.


Summary


One of the most powerful words in scripture is often found lurking in the background; it's unassuming, and at times it seems like it doesn't really even belong. That all important word is the conjunction therefore, and it has the honor here of being the first word in what is arguably the Bible's most magnificent chapter: Romans 8.


The first seven chapters of Romans lay out the theology of your salvation. Paul begins with a brutal assessment of what sin has done to mankind and then contrasts our failure with Christ's perfect obedience. He then demonstrates what a regenerated person's life looks like after being baptized into Christ, even as we fight (and often lose) daily battles with sin. Along every step of the way we see grace that is so much stronger than we are.


Therefore, Paul begins here in chapter 8 - because of all that our Triune God has done to secure our salvation - here are the massive benefits conveyed to the recipients of this amazing grace; people who are in Christ. Your salvation results in deliverance from the divine condemnation your sins deserve. Through Christ Jesus you have been set free from the law of sin and death that condemns you.


Paul refers to that law - God's Law - as powerless, but it's not as if the laws God commanded us to follow are somehow fundamentally flawed. Rather, they were weakened by the flesh. If you've been around this Bible reading plan for awhile, you know the Greek word for flesh. It's Sarx. Sarx is that ugly representation of your old sinful self that twists everything - including God's good commandments - into an attractive opportunity to sin.




  Dig Deeper  


The book of Romans famously begins with Paul describing the gospel as the power of God for the salvation of all who believe. Now after seven chapters of laying the groundwork, he returns to this opening theme. We need this gospel power because of what the law was powerless to do.


This is such good news because the life God gives us depends on the fulfillment of our covenant obligation of perfect obedience. In other words, eternal life depends on the righteous requirement of the law being fully met in us. And on our own, weakened by Sarx, we're unable to meet that righteous requirement, and therefore we deserve condemnation.


The gospel can be summarized in just two words. What you are unable to do, God did on your behalf by sending His own Son in your likeness to be a sin offering. Because your sin has been atoned (paid for) by Christ, there is now no condemnation for you, because through Christ Jesus you fully meet God's righteous requirement.


This awesome opening to this magnificent chapter ends by reminding you how this truth makes you different. So many of your friends, neighbors, co-workers and even family live according to the flesh (Sarx). But not you. You kill off Sarx each and every day and instead you live according to the Spirit.



  • ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who did for us what we could not do for ourselves;

  • ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the strength, wisdom and desire to live according to the Spirit;

  • ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Matthew 23

 
 
 

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