The Solution

 DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

THE SOLUTION

Rom 8:1-4

8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

NIV

Here is the solution to that situation that we were in, whereas we desired to do good, and evil was right there with us, and the good we wanted to do we did not, and the sin we did not want to do we did. The solution is to be in Christ Jesus because by being in Christ Jesus we are under no condemnation from God. The law could not and still cannot save us from this condemnation and therefore save us from death. There is no other way, no other remedy for our sinful state, no other solution than to be in Christ Jesus. It is interesting and also somewhat bewildering that Jesus came in the likeness of sinful man. The bewilderment is regarding the fact that Jesus came in our likeness. Does that mean he was capable of sin? The Greek word that is translated as likeness is homoiooma, which means that which has been made after the likeness of something, or a figure, image, representation, or resemblance. This would make us believe that Jesus came in our resemblance or likeness but was not actually like us in having a sinful nature because it would be impossible for God to have a sinful nature. Then we would have to conclude that Jesus was not capable of sin, although he was fully man. He certainly would have experienced all the temptation we face and that was demonstrated for us when we went out in the wilderness and was tempted by Satan, but Jesus not only resisted those temptations but put Satan in his place and by Jesus’s life, death and resurrection, he defeated death. So then, being in Christ Jesus we live free of condemnation and therefore free from death. It is also interesting that we are living as one who has fulfilled the law perfectly because we are living in the Spirit and not according to our sinful nature. Of course, this does not mean that we will not ever sin again, for we know that quite well. Although the righteous requirements of the law are fully met in us because we do not live according to that sinful nature but according to the Spirit. If we still lived according to our sinful nature we would have no interest in Christ Jesus, but only be interested in fulfilling our every desire. However, Jesus coming in our likeness lived according to the Spirit and perfectly met the righteous requirements of the law, so that when we enter into this union with him, we not only died to self, that sinful nature, and we were born again into Christ Jesus through the Spirit. It is a simple solution for life,  to live according to the Spirit, live in Christ Jesus.