Purposes of Christ's Death: Romans 8:3-4

This is one more edited and reposted piece from an old series of posts examining the purpose statement that scripture gives us regarding the death of Christ. 

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. (Romans 8:3-4 ESV)

The purpose statement in this text is found in verse four: “… 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.”

This is another purpose statement that refers to the law. We’ve already seen that Christ’s death removes the curse of the law. We all stand condemned because of our disobedience to God’s law, but Christ’s death removes this condemnation from those who are united to him. And this purpose statement from Romans 8 goes one step further. Yes, dying as a human being (in the flesh) Christ paid the penalty for sin (condemned sin), but his death also made it possible for those who belong to him to do what the law commands. 

Verse 3 says that that law was “weakened by the flesh.” Sinful corruption (the flesh) causes us all to be disobedient to the law, and this universal human disobedience turns God’s good law into a source of condemnation rather than blessing. God’s solution is to send his Son to die, removing condemnation for those who believe, and, in this way, giving the Spirit access to them. Based on the finished work of Christ, the Spirit works within each believer, enabling them to obey the law. Through Christ’s death God gives us power us to keep his commandments. 

Another of the purposes of Christ’s death is that those who belong to him would fulfill the requirements of the law through the work of the Spirit.

Theological Term of the Week

triumphal entry
Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem riding on a colt prior to his crucifixion, when crowds welcomed him waving palm branches and shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord … . ”1

• From scripture:

Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, [2] saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. [3] If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” [4] This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

[5] “Say to the daughter of Zion,

‘Behold, your king is coming to you,

humble, and mounted on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

[6] The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. [7] They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. [8] Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. [9] And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” [10] And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” [11] And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” (Matthew 21:1-11 ESV)

• From ESV Study Bible:

Jesus’ triumphal entry, with people waving palm branches to greet him, is celebrated in Christian tradition as “Palm Sunday.” His riding into Jerusalem mounted on a donkey fulfills OT Scripture (Zech. 9:9; see also Ps. 118:25–26). The waving of palm branches, which symbolically conveyed the notion of victory over one’s enemy, probably indicates that the people (mistakenly) thought that Jesus would then and there bring national deliverance from Israel’s political enemies, the Romans. Yet Jesus’ popular acclaim would not last; within a mere five days, the shouts of praise would turn to angry calls for his crucifixion.

Learn more:

1. The Bible: Matthew 21:1-12, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-40, John 12:12-19
2. GotQuestions.org: What is the significance of the triumphal entry?
3. Holman Bible Dictionary: Triumphal Entry
4. Ligonier Ministries: The Triumphal Entry
5. S. Lewis Johnson: The Triumphal Entry
6. Dr. Steven J. Lawson: The Triumphal Entry (audio)

Related term:

• ascension of Jesus
• crucifixion
• king (as an office of Christ)
• resurrecton of Jesus

1John 12:13 (ESV)

Filed under Person and Work of Christ

Do you have a term you’d like to see featured here as a Theological Term of the Week? If you email it to me, I’ll seriously consider using it, giving you credit for the suggestion and linking back to your blog when I do.

Clicking on the Theological Term graphic at the top of this post will take you to a list of all the previous theological terms in alphabetical order.

This Week in Housekeeping

Here are the Theological Term posts that I’ve updated recently:

final judgment

• Added a link to Tim Challies’ The Essential: Judgment.
• Fixed a broken link.

heaven

• Added a link to Tim Challies’ The Essential: Heaven.
• Fixed formatting issues and removed a dead link to an article on heaven by J. I. Packer on heaven that I was sad to lose. Also fixed a broken link.
• Added two more related terms: final judgment and intermediate state.
• Added Filed under Last Things.