CONDEMNING SIN
“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 the flesh” (Romans 8:3).
There is a stretch of County Road 35 going past the golf course where the speed limit is 45 mph. But there is rarely a police car nearby, so what difference does it make? Usually none, until I looked in my rear view mirror and saw those flashing lights. The officer was kind to me and only gave me a warning, but he caught me doing 55 and I was guilty. Getting caught gave me a good respect for the law.
The law in itself has no power over our lives, but the penalty for disobeying is still in force. The law can’t force me or anyone else to stop speeding; it really has no power to shape how I choose to live. But, what the law could not do through fear, Jesus Christ did through His love.
When I reflect on what He did for me it humbles my stubborn pride and makes me want to follow His ways. Not because there is a law, but because He paid the penalty for me. Because we live in these flesh bodies, the law fails to control us. But when Jesus paid the penalty with His flesh, He condemned the sin in my flesh.
That’s why, “There is, therefore, now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
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