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:
What does Romans 8:3 mean?
Believers may be chastened of the Lord, but will not be condemned with the world. By their union with Christ through faith, they are thus secured.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Romans 8:1-5 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Romans 8:3
It could not free from sin and condemnation. This the apostle had fully shown in Romans 7 . In that - Because. It was weak - It was feeble and inefficacious. It could not accomplish it. Through the flesh - In consequence of the strength of sin, and of the evil and corrupt desires of the unrenewed heart. The fault was not in the Law, which was good Romans 7:12 , but it was owing to the strength of the natural passions and the sinfulness of the unrenewed heart; see Romans 7:7-11 , where this influence is fully explained.
Key words
- terminus a quo
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terminus a quo. (u) Zohar in Lev. fol. 3. 2. (w) Shirhashirim Rabba, fol. 4. 4. & 9. 4. ...
- terminus a quo
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terminus a quo. (u) Zohar in Lev. fol. 3. 2. (w) Shirhashirim Rabba, fol. 4. 4. & 9. 4.
Context in Romans 8
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Romans 8 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as justification and Abraham. Romans is Paul’s fullest sustained exposition of sin, grace, righteousness, faith, Israel, the Spirit, and transformed life in Christ. Read this chapter with the wider themes of justification, grace, and faith in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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Passages on trusting God, receiving Christ, persevering without sight, and the relation between faith and lived obedience.
Key passages on God's unmerited favour, the grace of Christ, salvation by grace through faith, and how grace transforms the way believers live.
Passages on the nature of sin, its consequences, God's judgment, repentance, and the way of forgiveness through Christ.