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“He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have… The Spirit’s power sets us free.”
This song is built directly on one of the central passages of the New Testament, 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)
Notice the contrast: what the law could not do… God did. The law could reveal sin. It could define righteousness. It could pronounce condemnation. But it could not change human nature. It could not break the power of sin. It could not set us free.
The message of this passage, and of the song, is this:
What the law could not do from the outside, the Spirit now does from the inside, based on the finished work of Christ.
The central theme is the total adequacy of Christ’s sacrifice and the present, active power of the Holy Spirit to set the believer free from the dominion of sin. Not free to live lawlessly, but free to truly fulfill the righteousness that the law required.
Let us look at what the Word of God says.
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Romans is Paul’s great systematic exposition of the gospel. In chapters 1–3 he establishes that all—Jews and Gentiles—are under sin. In chapters 4–5 he unfolds justification by faith: we are declared righteous on the basis of what Christ has done, not on our own works.
But then, in Romans 6–8, he addresses a vital question:
If we are justified by faith, what about sin in our daily living? Are we left helpless in the arena of practical holiness?
Romans 8:3–4 stands right at the turning point. It contrasts:
When Paul says “the law,” he primarily means the Law of Moses, the Torah, with its commandments and ordinances. It defined God’s standard. It exposed sin. But because of “the flesh” (our fallen nature), the law became a mirror that could show the dirt but could not wash it away.
The problem was not the law. The problem was the flesh.
So God acted. He sent His own Son:
> “in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh.”
Jesus entered our condition—without sin—so that in His own body, on the cross, sin could be judged and its power broken.
The purpose of this was not merely forgiveness (though it includes that). It was 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.”
The aim is a new kind of life—Spirit-governed, not flesh-governed—where God’s standard is not abolished, but fulfilled from within.
The lyrics of the song follow this progression:
1. The sending of the Son in a body like ours.
2. The sacrifice that ends sin’s control.
3. The fulfillment of the law’s just requirement.
4. The new walk: not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
5. The declaration of freedom: “The Spirit’s power sets us free.”
This is the gospel in concentrated form.
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To understand this passage more deeply, we will look at two key Greek terms: sarx (flesh) and dikaiōma (righteous requirement).
### 1. “Flesh” — *sarx* (σάρξ)
Romans 8:3–4:
> “…what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh [*sarx*]…”
> “…who do not walk according to the flesh [*sarx*] but according to the Spirit.”
The Greek word *sarx* literally means “flesh,” the soft tissue of the body. But in Paul’s theology, it often carries a moral, spiritual sense. It denotes human nature in its fallen, sin-dominated condition—humanity alienated from God, relying on its own resources.
*Sarx* in this sense is not merely the body. The body is not evil. Jesus had a real human body. But *sarx* is the whole person, as corrupted and dominated by sin, independent of God.
To “walk according to the flesh” means to live governed by that old nature, thinking, desiring, and choosing as if God were not there.
The song contrasts:
God did not try to improve the flesh. He condemned sin in the flesh, in Christ’s body on the cross, in order to introduce a new mode of existence: life in the Spirit.
### 2. “Righteous requirement” — *dikaiōma* (δικαίωμα)
Romans 8:4:
> “…that the righteous requirement [*dikaiōma*] of the law might be fulfilled in us…”
The word *dikaiōma* comes from *dikaios* (righteous, just). It can mean a righteous decree, ordinance, or requirement. Here it refers not simply to the ceremonial aspects of the law, but to its moral demand—God’s righteous standard.
The law said, in effect: “This is what a righteous life looks like.”
The problem was not with that standard. It was that flesh could not produce it.
Now, says Paul, that same righteous requirement is “fulfilled in us”— note: in us, not merely for us—when we walk according to the Spirit.
This goes beyond forgiveness. It is transformation. The Spirit enables us to live in practical righteousness that corresponds to the law’s intention, not by external compulsion, but by internal renewal.
This is what the lyrics point to when they say:
> “He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us.”
The cross satisfies the law’s demand for judgment. The Spirit satisfies the law’s demand for righteousness.
---
Now we will walk through the themes of the lyrics and see how Scripture interprets Scripture.
### Verse 1: “He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have.”
This line echoes Romans 8:3:
> “God… sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin.”
Several key truths are contained here.
1. “He sent His own Son”
The initiative is entirely God’s. Salvation does not begin with human effort. It begins with divine action.
2. “In a body like the bodies we sinners have”
Jesus took on full humanity, apart from sin.
The phrase “likeness of sinful flesh” in Romans 8:3 is precise. He had real flesh, real humanity, exposed to real temptation. Yet He Himself was sinless. Thus He could stand as our representative and substitute, bearing our sins in His body.
3. “On account of sin”
Romans 8:3 specifies that the sending was “on account of sin”—for a sin offering. The purpose was not merely identification with us, but redemption for us.
So in this first line we see the incarnation with a specific purpose: to deal with sin at its root, in the flesh.
### Chorus 1: “And in that body, God declared an end to sin's control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.”
This is an accurate reflection of Romans 8:3 in the New Living Translation:
> “In that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving His Son as a sacrifice for our sins.”
Notice the elements:
1. “In that body”
God’s judgment on sin was executed in the physical body of Jesus.
Sin is not dealt with in the abstract. It is dealt with concretely in the cross.
2. “God declared an end to sin’s control over us”
This speaks of a decisive judicial act. On the cross, sin was not only forgiven; it was judged and stripped of its legal right to dominate the believer.
Sin’s power is linked to law and condemnation. When the legal claim is satisfied, the dominion is broken.
3. “By giving His Son as a sacrifice for our sins”
The language is sacrificial. Jesus is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament sacrifices.
This chorus declares a finished work. Sin’s rule is not broken gradually; it was broken once-for-all in the death of Christ. We work out in experience what has already been accomplished in fact.
### Verse 2: “He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us.”
This is Romans 8:4:
> “that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us…”
Two dimensions are included:
1. For us — as our substitute.
Jesus bore the penalty that the law demanded. The curse of the law fell upon Him.
2. In us — as our life.
The Spirit now works within us to produce real righteousness, not merely imputed, but imparted in daily conduct.
We must hold both together. The cross satisfies the law’s demand for judgment. The Spirit satisfies the law’s demand for obedience. This is why any approach that claims “grace” but produces lawlessness is a counterfeit. True grace leads to true holiness.
### Chorus 2: “Who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.”
This expresses the condition in Romans 8:4:
> “…who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
Here is the great transition:
Walking is a continuous activity. It is not a single crisis; it is a daily, step-by-step lifestyle.
To walk “according to the flesh” is to live by our own fallen desires, reasoning, and strength. To walk “according to the Spirit” is to allow the Holy Spirit to govern our thoughts, choices, and conduct.
Paul unpacks this in the verses that follow:
The battleground is the mind. The direction of our thinking reveals whether we are walking in the flesh or in the Spirit.
Notice:
We do not “manage” the flesh. We put to death the deeds of the body—*by the Spirit*. The Spirit leads. We follow.
This is spiritual warfare at the most practical level. The flesh wants to assert its desires. The Spirit opposes the flesh (Galatians 5:17). We decide whom we will yield to.
The song declares that the true believer “no longer follows our sinful nature but instead follows the Spirit.” This is not sinless perfection, but a settled direction: we are no longer under the lordship of sin. We are under the lordship of Christ, mediated by the Holy Spirit.
### Outro: “The Spirit's power sets us free.”
This is the climactic affirmation. It resonates with Romans 8:2:
> “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”
Two “laws” are in operation:
1. The law of sin and death — the principle that sin leads to death, operating through the flesh.
2. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus — the principle of divine life, operating through the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit’s power is not a vague influence. It is a law—a consistent, effective operation. Just as the law of gravity always pulls downward, the law of the Spirit always lifts upward, when we submit to it.
Freedom is not the absence of authority; it is the presence of the right authority. The Spirit’s power sets us free from the tyranny of sin, not to be independent, but to be truly under God.
This is the heart of the message:
The cross frees us legally; the Spirit frees us practically.
The Son sets us free from guilt; the Spirit sets us free from bondage.
---
Truth must be applied. Romans 8 is not a theory; it is a way of life. How then do we walk in the reality that “The Spirit’s power sets us free”?
### First, we must accept God’s verdict on the flesh.
God did not attempt to improve the flesh. He condemned sin in the flesh (Romans 8:3). Our old nature cannot be reformed; it can only be crucified.
We must align our thinking with God’s verdict. When the flesh clamors for expression, we do not negotiate. We say: “You were judged and condemned at the cross. I owe you nothing. I choose to live by the Spirit.”
This is a decision of faith, based on the Word, not on feelings.
### Second, we must set our minds on the things of the Spirit.
The direction of the mind determines the direction of the walk.
We cannot feed our minds continually on the world, the flesh, and the devil, and then expect to walk in the Spirit.
Practically, this means:
What you continually think about, you will eventually walk into.
### Third, we must yield actively to the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit does not force us. He leads. We must cooperate.
To “follow the Spirit” is practical:
Each act of obedience strengthens the Spirit’s rule in our lives. Each act of disobedience strengthens the flesh.
### Fourth, we must make the right proclamations.
In spiritual warfare, our mouths are decisive. We either agree with God or with the enemy.
We must stop saying, “I can’t help it,” “I’m just this way,” “Sin always wins,” and begin to say what God has said:
Proclamation applies the victory of the cross and the power of the Spirit to our own lives. It is taking sides with God against our own flesh and against Satan.
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### Proclamation
Say this aloud, deliberately, in faith:
> I affirm that what the law could not do, God has done.
> He sent His own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have.
> In that body, on the cross, God condemned sin in the flesh.
> Jesus bore my sins in His body and became a sacrifice for my sins.
> Therefore, sin’s legal right to control me has been ended.
> The righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in me
> as 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.
> I no longer follow my sinful nature;
> I choose to follow the Holy Spirit.
> The Spirit’s power is at work in me,
> and the Spirit’s power sets me free.
> In Jesus’ name, Amen.
### Prayer
Lord God,
I thank You that You did what the law could not do.
You sent Your own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, for sin,
and in His body You judged and condemned sin.
I confess that Jesus Christ is my Lord.
I acknowledge that I died with Him,
and that now I live to You in the power of His resurrection.
Holy Spirit, I yield myself to You.
I renounce the rule of the flesh in my life.
I ask You to govern my mind, my desires, my choices.
Teach me to walk according to the Spirit day by day.
Where sin has claimed control,
apply to me the power of the cross and the law of the Spirit of life.
Let the righteous requirement of the law
be fulfilled in me in practical holiness.
Strengthen me to agree with Your Word in my heart and with my mouth.
Make this reality in my experience:
“The Spirit’s power sets me free.”
I ask it in the name of Jesus,
to the glory of God the Father.
Amen.
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