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“Let us look at what the Word of God says.”
The central theme of this song is the victory of the Holy Spirit over the power of sin through the finished work of Jesus Christ. The lyrics are drawn directly from Romans 8:3–4:
> “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh,
> God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin:
> He condemned sin in the flesh,
> that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
> — Romans 8:3–4 (NKJV)
The song proclaims three central truths:
1. God sent His Son in a real human body.
2. In that body, God broke the power of sin.
3. The Holy Spirit now empowers us to walk free from the flesh and fulfill God’s righteous requirement.
The message is not merely that our sins are forgiven, but that the dominion of sin has been broken and a new way of life is now possible—walking “according to the Spirit.” This is not theory. It is the very heart of the Christian life and the basis of true deliverance.
Romans 8 comes after a long and careful argument by Paul. To understand verses 3–4, we must briefly trace his line of thought.
In Romans 1–3, Paul shows that all humanity—Jew and Gentile—is under sin and under God’s judgment. In Romans 3–5, he reveals God’s answer: justification by faith through the blood of Jesus. In Romans 6, he explains that through union with Christ we have died to sin and risen to newness of life. In Romans 7, he exposes the inner conflict of a person who knows the law of God, agrees that it is good, but lacks the power to fulfill it.
In Romans 7:18–19, Paul states:
> “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells;
> for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.
> For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.”
Here we see an honest description of the defeated Christian experience: wanting to do good, but repeatedly failing, because of the power of the flesh. Romans 7 ends with an anguished cry:
> “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24)
Romans 8 is God’s answer. It opens with a triumphant declaration:
> “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,
> who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1)
Paul then explains *how* this is possible. Romans 8:3–4 is the pivot. It shows the transition from law to Spirit, from human effort to divine power, from inward defeat to spiritual victory.
Who is speaking? The apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, writing to believers in Rome who faced the temptations, pressures, and spiritual conflicts of a pagan world. Many of them were Jews who honored the Law of Moses. Yet they had discovered that having the law did not impart the power to obey it.
The situation, then, is this: humanity under sin, the law proving our guilt but not providing power, and believers caught in the struggle between desire and ability. Into this, God acts decisively: “God did…” What the law could not achieve, God accomplished through His Son and through the Spirit.
The song you have provided simply lays out Romans 8:3–4 in clear, direct form. It moves us from theology to doxology—from doctrine to declaration.
Two key Greek words in this passage open the text for us:
### 1) “Flesh” – *sarx* (σάρξ)
Romans 8:3–4 uses the word “flesh” (Greek: *sarx*). This word does not simply mean the physical body. It describes human nature as it is, apart from the grace and operation of the Holy Spirit.
*Sarx* is the fallen, Adamic nature—humanity in its weakness, independence from God, and tendency toward sin. When Paul says “what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh,” he is saying: the law was good, but the material it worked with—fallen humanity—was fundamentally unable to produce righteousness.
So when the song says, “He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have,” it means God entered fully into our human condition—into *sarx*—without sinning. Jesus took on real human weakness, real limitations, real vulnerability to temptation, yet without yielding to sin.
### 2) “Righteous requirement” – *dikaiōma* (δικαίωμα)
Romans 8:4 speaks of “the righteous requirement of the law.” The Greek word is *dikaiōma*. It comes from the root *dikaios*, meaning “righteous, just,” and it refers not to the law in its entirety as a legal system, but to the *just demand* of the law.
In simple terms, the law demands obedience, holiness, and justice. It requires that God’s moral standard be upheld. The *dikaiōma* is what the law rightly expects: a life that conforms to the will of God.
Romans 8:4 does not say that the righteous requirement of the law is abolished. It says it is “fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” In other words, what we could never produce by our own effort, the Holy Spirit now produces in us.
When the lyrics say, “He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us,” that is *dikaiōma* in action—the justice of God fully met in Christ, and then worked out in our daily lives by the Spirit.
This gives us a deeper understanding of the song:
Let us walk through the lyrics and see how they align with and unfold the truth of Romans 8:3–4.
### [Verse 1]
“He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have.”
This is the heart of the incarnation.
Romans 8:3:
> “God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin…”
Notice the careful wording:
Hebrews 2:14–17 echoes this:
> “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood,
> He Himself likewise shared in the same,
> that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
> and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
> …Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren…” (Hebrews 2:14–17)
Why did He come in a body like ours?
1. To fully represent us. A sinless angel could not be our kinsman-redeemer. Only a true man could stand in for mankind.
2. To fully identify with us in our weakness, temptation, and suffering.
3. To provide, in His body, the place where sin would be condemned and judged.
This is essential for spiritual warfare. Satan’s territory is the fallen, Adamic nature. Jesus entered into that territory, without ever yielding to sin, and then, through His death, stripped Satan of his legal claim (Colossians 2:14–15). He fought the battle on our ground and won.
### [Chorus]
“And in that body, God declared an end to sin's control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.”
Romans 8:3 continues:
> “…He condemned sin in the flesh…”
Notice: God did not condemn *you*. He condemned *sin*—but He did it in the flesh of Jesus. This is judicial language. God passed sentence on sin. The verdict of God’s court against sin was carried out in the physical body of Christ on the cross.
This connects directly to Romans 6:6:
> “Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him,
> that the body of sin might be done away with,
> that we should no longer be slaves of sin.”
And Romans 6:14:
> “For sin shall not have dominion over you,
> for you are not under law but under grace.”
The song’s line, “God declared an end to sin’s control over us,” reflects this legal and spiritual reality. By giving His Son as a sacrifice, God did three things:
1. He satisfied the penalty our sins deserved (Romans 3:25–26).
2. He stripped sin of its legal right to rule over those who are in Christ.
3. He broke the power of sin as a ruling master.
This is not merely forgiveness. It is deliverance from domination. Many Christians live as if sin still has the right to control them. This is a deception. At the cross, God’s gavel fell: “Sin’s rule ends here for those in Christ.”
The sacrifice language echoes Ephesians 5:2:
> “…Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”
### [Verse 2]
“He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us.”
Here we see the purpose clause of Romans 8:4:
> “that the righteous requirement (*dikaiōma*) of the law might be fulfilled in us…”
There are two aspects here:
1. For us – Christ fulfills the law’s righteous demands on our behalf. His perfect obedience is credited (imputed) to us (Philippians 3:9; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
2. In us – The Holy Spirit works out (imparts) that righteousness in our character and conduct.
We must not separate justification and sanctification. The same grace that justifies us also trains us to live righteously (Titus 2:11–12).
The law could define righteousness but not produce it. Grace, through the Spirit, both declares us righteous and makes us righteous in practical living.
Hebrews 10:14 says:
> “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.”
The song rightly emphasizes that this is *God’s* initiative: “He did this…” What the law could not do, God did. What flesh could not produce, the Spirit produces.
### [Chorus]
“Who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.”
This is word for word the essence of Romans 8:4:
> “…who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
This is the central practical issue: *How do we walk?* “Walk” in Paul’s vocabulary means our habitual way of life, our daily conduct (Galatians 5:16–25; Ephesians 4–5).
Two ways are set before us:
Galatians 5:16–17 states:
> “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
> For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh;
> and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”
Notice: the outcome is *not* achieved by striving against the flesh in our own strength, but by choosing to walk in the Spirit. Then the Spirit Himself opposes and overcomes the flesh.
To “follow the Spirit” means:
This is a daily, moment-by-moment choice. The dominion of sin has been legally broken, but we must practically yield to the Spirit instead of the flesh.
### [Outro]
“The Spirit's power sets us free.”
This succinctly states the essence of Romans 8 and of the Christian life.
Romans 8:2 says:
> “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”
Here again Paul uses legal language: “law of the Spirit of life” and “law of sin and death.” These are not laws in the sense of commandments, but principles or forces operating with consistency, like the law of gravity.
The Spirit’s power operates like a higher law. The law of gravity can be overcome by the law of aerodynamics. In the same way, the pull of sin is overcome by the power of the indwelling Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:17 confirms:
> “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
Liberty here is not liberty to sin, but liberty from sin. It is freedom from the tyranny of the flesh, freedom from the condemnation of the law, and freedom to live in obedience to God.
So the song’s final line is both doctrinally accurate and practically vital: “The Spirit’s power sets us free.” Not our resolutions, not our religious effort, but the Spirit’s power—applied on the basis of Christ’s finished work—brings true and lasting freedom.
This truth must move from the page of Scripture to the practice of our daily life. Here are four clear, practical responses.
### 1) First, we must accept God’s verdict about sin and the flesh.
God has already passed sentence on sin: “He condemned sin in the flesh” (Romans 8:3). We must agree with that verdict. This means:
A practical step: Say to God, “I agree with Your judgment. My flesh cannot please You. I renounce dependence on my own strength and goodness.”
### 2) Second, we must reckon ourselves united with Christ in His death and resurrection.
Romans 6:11 commands:
> “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
“Reckon” means to consider, to count as true, to align your thinking with God’s declaration.
Because Christ died to sin once for all (Romans 6:10), and because we are united with Him, we may say:
This is not pretending. It is affirming what God says. Sin’s control ended at the cross. We enforce that victory by faith.
A practical step: Regularly declare aloud, “Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, I am dead to sin and alive to God. Sin shall not have dominion over me.”
### 3) Third, we must choose to walk according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh.
Romans 8:5 says:
> “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh,
> but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.”
Walking in the Spirit begins in the mind. What you set your mind on will determine your walk. This involves:
Galatians 5:25 says:
> “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
The Spirit dwells in every true believer. Our responsibility is to *walk* in step with Him.
A practical step: Start each day by consciously yielding your mind, tongue, and body to the Holy Spirit. Pray, “Holy Spirit, I choose today to walk with You. Direct my thoughts, words, and actions.”
### 4) Fourth, we must make continual use of faith-filled proclamation.
Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:13:
> “And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written,
> ‘I believed and therefore I spoke,’
> we also believe and therefore speak.”
Faith is expressed in proclamation. We align our mouths with God’s Word. The lyrics of this song are, in fact, a form of proclamation—declaring what God has done in Christ and what the Spirit now does in us.
We defeat Satan and the power of sin by:
A practical step: Turn Romans 8:3–4 into your own spoken confession, regularly affirming the end of sin’s control and your choice to walk in the Spirit.
### Proclamation
Say this out loud, in faith:
> I thank You, God, that what the law could not do, You have done.
> You sent Your own Son in a body like mine, in the likeness of sinful flesh, for my sin.
> In the body of Jesus on the cross, You condemned sin once for all.
> Therefore, sin’s right to rule over me has ended.
> The just requirement of Your law is fully satisfied for me in Christ.
> I am not under the dominion of sin, nor under the condemnation of the law.
> I do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
> The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
> The Spirit’s power sets me free, and I choose to follow the Spirit today.
> Sin shall not have dominion over me,
> for I am under grace, and the Spirit’s power is at work in me.
> In the name of Jesus. Amen.
### Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, I acknowledge that in my flesh there dwells no good thing. I confess that in my own strength I cannot fulfill the righteous requirement of Your law. I thank You that You came in a body like mine, that on the cross my sin was judged and condemned in Your flesh.
Father, I thank You that through the death and resurrection of Your Son, sin’s control over me has been broken. I ask now for the mighty working of the Holy Spirit in my life. Holy Spirit, I yield myself to You—my mind, my tongue, my body, my desires. Lead me, strengthen me, and empower me to walk according to You and not according to the flesh.
Let the righteous requirement of the law be fulfilled in me. Produce in me the fruit of righteousness, holiness, and love. Establish in my heart the reality that I am no longer a slave of sin, but a servant of righteousness. Let the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus operate in me with full power, setting me free from every chain of the law of sin and death.
I receive Your freedom now, by faith, and I choose to walk in the Spirit from this day forward. In the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
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