The provision of our freedom/liberation - the how

Romans 8:3-4

Grace succeeds where the law fails; Grace motivates to holy living;  while the law is unable to do so!

In verse 3 the focus is on the HOW  of our freedom and liberation in Christ while in verse 4 the focus is on the WHY!

"For what the Law [M/L] could not do, weak as it was through the  flesh [OSN], God" [in grace has the perfect and complete solution] 

The Law could not do  avdu,natoj speaks of having no ability, being powerless, incapable of fulfilling an objective, here of providing the freedom that is ours in Christ.

Its inability is because it is weak  avsqene,w indicates being powerless; continually weak. The means or source of the law's weakness is the presence of the sin nature with all its various lust patterns including a propensity to human good.

We must remember that there are things that the law cannot do! This is true even being from the source of God, therefore perfect,  holy, righteous/just and good as Paul made clear in Rom. 7:12.  The law is just but it cannot justify anyone. The law is holy but it can not make anyone holy! The law demanded righteousness but can not enable one to live righteously.

The law points out that as an unbeliever I am a sinner but it cannot make me a saint! What the law was incapable,  powerless to do;  God did!  How? Sending the lamb!  (Jn 1:29)  The trouble is not with the law itself, but with the our sin  nature which resides in and uses the flesh to manifest its self centered desires.

But God intervened and He did this by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh; this phrase is critical.  The key word is likeness (o`moi,wma) which means a resemblance, a similarity. It does not bear the conotation of exactness as eikwn, it stresses similarity but leaves room for differences.  If Paul would have said that God sent His Son in the likeness of flesh that would say that He was not true humanity which is heresy and contradicts 1 Jn 4:2 which is a clear statement of orthodoxy.

He came into the world in human form, He resembled sinful humanity but with a major difference, He had no sin nature, He was without sin. (1 Pet 2:22; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Jn 3:5b)

Phil 2:7 says the same thing; "...having become in the likeness (o`moi,wma) of men..."  By Paul's use of the aorist of  (gi,nomai) - having become  emphasizes the entrance into a new state, something that  previous to the incarnation that He wasn't - a new state, namely true humanity.

This leads to several important observations:  

1. This expresses the fact that Christ became true humanity, but also was not merely humanity. There are two important differences between the humanity of Jesus in the incarnation and mankind:

#1 - the unique union of the two natures, deity/humanity.

#2 - the absence of the old sin nature because of the virgin conception.

2. His becoming man did not exclude His possession of Deity. It was not an exchange but an addition of the 2nd which points to His absolute uniqueness.

3. He was in the incarnation and is today at the right hand of the Father, a person of two natures. (hypostatic union - u`postasij)

God sent His Son to do what the law could not do, (as an offering) for sin; lit. "concerning sin, He condemned sin in the flesh."   

The aorist indicative of the verb condemned  takes us back to the cross.  What is it that is condemned here?  The sin, or sins?  What is forgiven when you believe in Christ?   Sins are forgiven! Never is the sin nature said to be forgiven; it is condemned!  The guilt of sin is forgiven, this Paul dealt with in Romans chapter 3-5.     

The focus here in this context is on the root cause of sin, the sin nature and so we have another aspect of the work of Christ on the cross for us, through His death He condemned the sin nature that resides in the flesh.

The Why of the provision of freedom for the believer

This freedom is linked to His having condemned the sin nature in 8:4.

"in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled" This is an important and very loaded statement.

It begins by stating that this is a purpose or reason that He   condemned the sin nature. 

The requirement of the Law [to. dikai,wma] - speaks of the ground or basis of something, here what is the righteous standard, the moral precepts of the law.

Paul doesn't define his focus at this point but gives us a clue in Rom. 13:9-10; also Gal 5:14. Paul is affirming what Jesus taught in Mt 22:37-40.  Jesus himself would amplify this in John 13:34-35 and in doing so changes the focus!

Is the law able to provide the motivation and the enabling to fulfill these commands?  Is it able to motivate loving obedience? No!   What about       1 Pet 1:15-16?  This flows from the righteous standard of the Law. Yet it is addressed to believers of Church age. It is linked to our behavior. Notice carefully the context of 1:13-14.

Can you fulfill these commandments?? You can't but He can in you!    That is, the Holy Spirit as He ministers to you! Illuminating the Word as He fills and enables you to properly apply truth in those circumstances or situations.

The verb is "might be fulfilled" carefully notice what follows; the righteous requirements of the Law are fulfilled not by us but in us!  His working in us!

The verb "might be fulfilled" [plhro,w] is also passive and therefore indicates that this fulfillment of the requirement of the Law is accomplished by someone or something outside of ourselves. It is the law of the Spirit of Life (8:2), that is,  the indwelling Holy Spirit who is able to accomplish what we are  incapable of doing (ch-7) through His enabling of us.

There is choice involved on our part if we are to realize this  fulfillment in us of the righteous requirement of the Law, i.e. will of God. The last phrase describes exactly who is in view; that is the ones in whom the righteous requirement of the Law is being fulfilled.  Provides us with the  balance:  "who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."  This is a description of the Normal Christian life.

Question!  Who is doing the walking?  What determines whether it is by the flesh or by the spirit?

The verb walk is peripate,w  and it indicates a pattern of life; Paul uses it to speak of ordering one's conduct/behavior in life.

The preposition according to is kata.  and it has the idea of domination;  [also has the idea of standard/criteria, according to]; therefore what the believer is dominated by. 

The standard by which we as believers are to walk, is stated here by a negative and a positive. Not this but this! Common for Paul!

The negative: not by the flesh  The positive: but according to the Spirit.   What Paul is describing here is the believer who is empowered, enabled by the Spirit is the one who is not fulfilling, or responding to the desires of the flesh but is fulfilling the righteous requirement of the will of God.  Living in the sphere of the will of God! Applying the truth of the Word known. That is living the Normal Christian life! 

The normal Christian life is a SUPERNATURAL LIFE and we are given  SUPERNATURAL POWER to live this life.

The Diving enablement for Phase 2 living is from the Holy Spirit who indwells all believers.

Paul in Phil 2:12-13  speaks to the balance between choice and the strengthening or enabling of the Holy Spirit. The balance between the divine provision - enabling and our responsibility as believers.

Our responsibility in 2:12 is to work out our salvation, that is not to work for but to carry our salvation to its logical goal and objective which is linked here by the causal particle -> gar at the beginning of 2:13 which introduces the means, the power and ability available to us to fulfill our responsibilities as believers.

What's the logical goal and objective of the Christian life?  To be conformed to the image of His Son! (Rom 8:29)

For it is God at work in you" This phrase describes a characteristic of God and His relationship to us as believers.  Basically energew means to work effectively, productively, to put forth power. Here it is used to describe the energy, the effective power of God himself, in action, in our life, that is, for after the cross living.  The present tense says He will always be there, be available to you!

We can put a monkey wrench into this! Putting the sin nature back in rulership which shuts off the power source!

What Paul is saying here is that God is the source of the power,  the enablement to fulfill our responsibilities as Believers, the goal, the objective He has for us. Which member of the Trinity is in view do you think? The Holy Spirit!

 *** Remember a basic principle of doctrine: God never demands anything without providing the means or the power to execute fully those demands. Here that is  holy and righteous living that results in unity in the body of Christ.

"...both to will and to work for His good pleasure.."

The purpose of this enabling power is expressed by two infinitives to will and to work.

What is informing your decisions, your will?  Is it divine viewpoint or is it human viewpoint?    

#1 - to will - qelw, to desire, to will; describes the function of volition in mankind [idea of course is to choose divine viewpoint]

#2 - to work - energew; to act, to be at work, to work effectively, productively; emphasis is on what is being produced in life, divine good production (DGP).  [this is the outflow of one's thinking]

The result of the to will and to work  is the believer accomplishing "...His good pleasure..."

What does God take delight in?  What is He pleased with?  Whatever lines up with His will or purpose and therefore what is consistent with His Holiness.  God's will / desire is never arbitrary, that is fatalism, it is never whimsical, by chance but it is always purposeful, has an objective. All leads to being conformed to the image of His Son!

 ** Good translation: "..inspiring both the will and the deed for His own purpose."

We see here in these verses the bringing together of man's responsibility and God's enablement in the life of grace with great power.

For the believer who is walking by the Spirit, that one is no longer standing in contradiction to the will of God therefore God is the one who is acting or working in Him as we live out the precepts of the Word. All volitional choices are then molded by the will of God, DVPT and the resulting actions of the believer then take place out of loving obedience to God.

When there is conflict between the indwelling Holy Spirit/Word on one side and the flesh, sin nature, on the other side and when we as believers choose to respond to the sin nature at that time, we're no longer in fellowship then the choices made are not acts of obedience to God no matter how good they might appear to man.

This enabling - working power of God in the life of each believer is through the ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

If He is quenched or grieved  He is no longer operative, no longer empowering, therefore the only power in the life is our own human ability, human merit, no divine power.

The only way we will KNOW the WILL of God, and therefore be able to please Him or as Paul is saying here that our will and desires will be the same as those of God, are if we know the Word of God because it is through His Word that we learn who He is and what He desires for us.

The word stored in your mind is used by God the Holy Spirit  to bring into the thinking, the conscience [analysis center] of your soul so that you have in your thinking exactly what God expects of you at that time.