Why God Became Man
To Condemn Sin In The Flesh
Romans 8:1-4
In the book of Revelation we read that Satan is the accuser of those who trust Christ. Which means that one of the weapons he uses against us is to plague us with guilt.
So even though we know that because we are trusting Christ we are completely forgiven, Satan will bring accusing thoughts into our minds. Maybe he’ll remind us of how we cheated on a test in high school, or how we lied to someone, or how we stole something.
And his aim in reminding us of these things is to make us feel guilty before God. Because he hopes that by making us feel guilty, he can make us pull back from God, he can take away our sense of being loved by God, and he will make us think we have to do something good in order to get back to God.
So what should we do at those times? What we should do is take the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, and slay Satan with passages that clearly show that by faith alone in Christ alone we are completely forgiven.
And this morning I want to give you a powerful passage that you can use in exactly that way. It’s Romans 8:1-4. Let’s turn there. If you need a Bible, go ahead and raise your hand and we will bring one to you. Romans 8 is on page 944 in the Bibles we are passing out.
We are taking four weeks during this Christmas season to focus on the reality that 2,000 years ago God was born as a baby. In Jesus Christ God became a man. And we’ve been asking the question – why? Why did God become man? The first week we saw from Philippians 2 that God became man so he could die on the Cross. The second week we saw from John 1 that God became man so we could see his glory. And today we are going to see from Romans 8 that God became man so our sin could be condemned in Jesus and so we could be free from condemnation.
So look at what Paul says in Romans 8:1-4 --
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,
4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
So in v.1 Paul says there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. What does that mean? What does it mean that there is no condemnation?
To understand what it would mean for there to be NO condemnation, we need to be clear on what it means for there to BE condemnation. And we can see what it means for there to BE condemnation two chapters earlier, in Romans 6:23 –
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Notice that phrase “the wages of sin.” That’s referring to the just payment that sin deserves. So is there anyone here who has not sinned? No. So all of us face the just payment that sin deserves.
And Paul says that just payment is “death.” “The wages of sin is death.” That’s not just talking about physical death, because he contrasts it with “eternal life.” So the just payment sin deserves is eternal death – an eternity of being separated from God and punished by God. That’s what we’ve all faced because of our sin. And that’s what it means that there IS condemnation.
Imagine that in a fit of rage you killed someone. You were arrested, found guilty, and sentenced to death. Imagine what it would be like to be in death row – waiting for the sentence to be carried out. Knowing you faced rightful punishment. Knowing there was no way out. Knowing this was your future. You would live every day under condemnation.
But then imagine that one day you hear the key turning in your cell door lock, and the door opens, and there is the jail warden. And he says your sentence has been paid, and that you are free to go. You just changed from being under condemnation, to having no condemnation.
Think of how you would feel walking through the prison gates – smelling the fresh air, feeling the sunlight, noticing the grass and streets and people. You were under condemnation, but now there is no condemnation.
Now multiply that by infinity, and that’s what Paul is talking about in v.1 --
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
NO condemnation. NO eternal death. NO punishment from God. NO separation from God. Instead, God’s love poured out upon you now, and an eternity of the heart-filling joy of beholding him and loving him and worshiping him!
But it’s not everyone who has no condemnation. In v.1 Paul says there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. So that raises another question -- How can we tell if we are in Christ Jesus? Paul answers that question in v.2 – let’s read vv.1 and 2 together –
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
So what is this law of sin and death? That’s Paul’s description of the power of sin that is has been in all of us. And Paul calls it the law of sin and death, because unless we are freed from it, it will lead to eternal death and punishment.
And the problem is – we can’t free ourselves from it. We can change ourselves on the outside – tell the truth, be nice to people, give to charity. But we can’t change ourselves on the inside – because deep down inside we don’t want to bend the knee before God.
So it looks hopeless – how can we get free from this law of sin and of death? There’s good news. Read v.2 again –
2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
The law of the Spirit of life is how Paul describes the power of the Holy Spirit. See, the moment we turn to trust Jesus Christ, God gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of life – so for the first time we see the glory of Jesus Christ, and we feel the glory of Jesus Christ, and our hearts are fully satisfied in the glory of Jesus Christ.
And that makes us love Jesus’ glory more than anything, and makes us want to live for Jesus’ glory more than anything. And that’s how the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus sets us free from the law of sin and death.
Not that we are perfect. We still sin. But our hearts have been changed. And so we quickly turn back in repentance and faith, and once again the Spirit fills us with a passion to love Jesus’ glory more than anything, and live for Jesus’ glory more than anything.
Now what if you just heard that and are thinking – I’m not sure if that’s ever happened. What should you do? Turn to Jesus Christ, and ask him to give you a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. And pray and read over God’s Word until you feel the Spirit making Jesus’ glory real and satisfying to you. And then you will know that you are in Christ, and there is no condemnation.
But this raises another question – how can a just God free us from condemnation? Paul tells us in v.3 --
3 For God has done what the law [the Old Testament law], weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh …
So God did what the Old Testament law could not do. The Old Testament law could not remove condemnation from us, because the law spoke condemnation against sin, and our flesh produced only sin. So because of our sin, all the Law could do was condemn our sin.
But God did what the law could not do. God sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh. Notice Paul’s language. If Paul had said God sent Jesus in sinful flesh, that could sound like Jesus sinned. But Paul said God sent Jesus in the likeness of sinful flesh, so make sure we understand that Jesus had no sin.
See, Jesus Christ is the only human being who always perfectly trusted God, perfectly loved God, perfectly obeyed God. Jesus Christ never sinned.
So Paul says God sent Jesus in the likeness of sinful flesh – and God sent Jesus for sin. That phrase “for sin” means God sent Jesus to do something about sin. And what did he do? Read v.3 again –
3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh …
So God condemned sin in the flesh. Whose sin? Since Jesus was without sin, it was our sin. So God send his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh – so he could condemn our sin in the flesh.
God sent Jesus in the flesh, so God could condemn our sin in his flesh.
See, because God is just -- our sin has to be condemned. But because God loves us, cares about us, has compassion on us, he condemned our sin in Jesus’ flesh. So as sinless Jesus hung on the Cross, our sin was being condemned – in his flesh. He suffered the punishment we deserve. He bore the pain we deserve. He felt the agony we deserve. So our sin was condemned – not in us – but in Jesus.
So when you are accused by Satan, when he attacks you with guilt – look at the Cross. See Jesus suffering? That’s your sin he’s suffering for. He’s suffering for yesterday’s impatience. He’s suffering for last week’s lust. He’s suffering for all of your sins, past, present, and future.
So if your sin was condemned in Jesus’ flesh, what condemnation is left for you? None. That’s why there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
So that’s why at Christmas 2000 years ago – Jesus Christ took on human flesh. He took on human flesh, and lived without sin and in perfect obedience to the Father, so the Father could condemn our sin in his flesh. Which is why “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
But Paul does not stop there. Paul has one other crucial truth he wants us to understand – what results from having our sins condemned in Jesus? Here’s why this question is so important. Some people think it’s possible to be forgiven for all of your sins, and keep living the way you’ve always lived. But in v.4 Paul says that’s not possible.
To see this, read vv.3 and 4 together –
3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,
4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Notice the first three words of v.4 – “in order that.” God had a purpose for condemning our sin in the flesh. His purpose is so that the righteous requirement of the law would be fulfilled in us who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Here’s how this works. God sent Jesus so that our sin could be condemned in his flesh. Then, we respond with faith -- receiving Jesus into our lives as Savior, Lord, and Treasure. At that moment we move from being under condemnation to having no condemnation – because of what Jesus did.
But there’s more. God condemns our sin in the flesh so that we will be transformed to walk in obedience to him. And so the moment we trust Christ he gives the gift of the Holy Spirit.
And like we saw in v.2, the Holy Spirit transforms our hearts so we love Jesus’ glory more than anything, and want to live for Jesus’ glory more than anything. That’s what it means to walk by the Spirit, and as a result we walk in obedience to him.
So everyone who has his sins condemned in Jesus’ flesh will live in growing obedience to Jesus Christ. Because he will receive the Holy Spirit, and that’s the fruit the Holy Sprit will bear in our lives.
And as we see ourselves walking in the Spirit – not perfectly – but progressively -- we will be assured that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Questions?
Now let’s take what we’ve seen in Romans 8 and let it bring us to the manger. Here’s Jesus – born in the likeness of sinful flesh – so our sin could be condemned in his flesh – so our sin would not need to be condemned in our flesh.
So let’s come and bow at the manger and worship Jesus for what he’s done. During the next two songs you can come up and take the bread and the cup and then go back to your seat. And after the second song I will come up and lead us in partaking of Communion together.
And let me stress that Communion is not for perfect people. Not one of us here is perfect. But Communion is for sinful people who are turning to Jesus and trusting Him as their Savior, Lord, and all-satisfying Treasure. Even if you came here this morning not trusting Christ, turn to trust him now, and join us in celebrating Communion together.
Let’s pray.