Romans 8:3 says, “For what is impossible to the law, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin and concerning sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” This verse says that there is an impossibility related to the law, referring not to the law of the Spirit of life, with which there is no impossibility, but to the law of God outside of us. There is an impossibility associated with the law of God because that law is weak through the flesh. The flesh is the factor of weakness, producing the impossibility mentioned in 8:3.
The subject of 8:3 is God. God sent His own Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin and concerning sin, and condemned sin in the flesh. This verse, the deepest verse in Romans 8, is very difficult to understand.
What is the “flesh of sin”? The flesh of sin is our body. The “flesh of sin” in 8:3 corresponds to the term “the body of sin” in 6:6, where we are told that our old man has been crucified with Christ that “the body of sin” might be made of none effect. Why is our body called “the body of sin” and the “flesh of sin”? Because, as we have seen from Romans 7, sin dwells in our body. Since our body is the dwelling place of sin, it is called “the body of sin.” Since our body has become a fallen body, it is also called the “flesh,” that is, the “flesh of sin.”
Our weakness in keeping the law of God is with our body of sin. Our body is weak to the uttermost in keeping the law of God. Although our mind wants to keep the law of God, our body does not have the strength to do it. It is weakened and paralyzed by sin. Sin is like the polio that paralyzes and cripples children’s bodies. Likewise, our human bodies have been paralyzed by sin. This body of sin is the basic factor of weakness in keeping the law of God. Romans 8:3 says that the law of God was weak through the flesh. Why has the law of God become weak? Because of the flesh. The law of God makes its demands, but the bodies of sinners cannot fulfill them because within the body is sin as the weakening factor.
Although the body of sin or the flesh of sin is exceedingly weak in keeping the law of God, it is powerful in committing sin. Unless you have the Lord’s mercy and grace, it is difficult for you to sit through the church meetings. As you consider attending a prayer meeting you may say, “I didn’t sleep well last night and I have a headache. I’m too tired to go to the meeting.” However, if someone invites you to go to the movie theater, the body of sin is energetic and powerful. Therefore, our body is weak toward the law of God, but very strong toward committing sin. Hence, through our body of sin the law of God is weak.
Since the law is weak through the body of sin, what did God do about it? What has God done with this situation? The law of God makes its demands, but it has been weakened through the flesh. The problem is not with the law itself; the difficulty is with sin and the flesh of sin. Sin is the transgressor and the flesh of sin is the helper. The two of them work together. If God was to solve the problem, He would have had to deal with both sin and the flesh. Although sin, not the flesh, is the foremost problem, God must deal with them both.
How did He do it? God did it in a marvelous way, in a way that is beyond human words to explain adequately. God solved the problem by sending His own Son “in the likeness of the flesh of sin.” God was wise. He knew that He should not send His Son to be the flesh of sin, for, if He did that, His Son would have been involved with sin. Therefore, He sent His Son “in the likeness of the flesh of sin,” as typified by the brass serpent lifted up by Moses in the wilderness (Num. 21:9) and mentioned by the Lord Jesus Himself. In John 3:14 Jesus said, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up,” indicating that the brass serpent was a type of Himself on the cross in our stead. When He was on the cross, Jesus was in the form of the serpent in the eyes of God. When God looked upon Jesus as He was nailed to the cross, He saw Him in the form of the serpent. Who is the serpent? Satan. What is the sin that was injected into man’s body, transmuting it into the flesh of sin? The nature of Satan. Hence, the flesh of sin actually means the flesh with the nature of Satan. The Bible says that Jesus, the Son of God, became flesh (John 1:14). However, this absolutely does not mean that Jesus became the flesh with the nature of Satan, because 8:3 says that He was sent in “the likeness of the flesh of sin,” thereby indicating that Jesus assumed only “the likeness of the flesh,” not the sinful nature of the flesh. Furthermore, 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For he hath made him [Christ] to be sin for us….” Although this verse says clearly that Christ was made sin, it does not mean that He was sinful in nature. He was made only “in the likeness of the flesh of sin.” The brass serpent had the serpentine form of the serpent, but it did not have the poison of the serpent. It had the serpentine form without the serpentine nature. Christ was made sin in form. Within Him there was “no sin”; (2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15); He had nothing to do with the nature of sin. He was only made in the form of the serpent, “in the likeness of the flesh of sin” for us.
John 12:31 says, “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.” When the Lord Jesus uttered these words He was speaking about His coming death on the cross. The Lord was saying that the time of His crucifixion would be the time of Satan’s judgment, for Satan is the prince of this world whose judgment was announced in John 12:31. It was Jesus who hung on the cross, but, in the eyes of God, Satan was judged there. Therefore, Hebrews 2:14 says that through death Christ destroyed him that had the power of death, the devil, Satan. Christ destroyed Satan by His death in the flesh on the cross. On the cross Christ “in the likeness of the flesh of sin” was not only a substitute for sinners, taking away all their sin; He was also crucified in the form of the serpent, completely destroying Satan, the devil.
Due to the flesh of sin, the law of God was weak. Therefore, God had to deal with both the flesh and sin. He sent His Son “in the likeness of the flesh of sin,” that is, in the form of the serpent. Christ brought this flesh to the cross and crucified it there. All of the beings in the spiritual world, the angels and the evil spirits, know the significance of this. When we enter into eternity we will look back and say, “Now I understand how Satan was bruised through the flesh of Christ on the cross.” Satan was bruised, destroyed through the very flesh that Christ put on Himself, because that flesh was in the form of the serpent. When that flesh was crucified on the cross, Satan was bruised and destroyed.
Romans 8:3 not only says that God sent His Son “in the likeness of the flesh of sin,” but also that He sent Him “concerning sin.” Some versions render “concerning sin” as “as an offering for sin,” taking the word sin here to be a reference to the sin offering. Although this interpretation is not wrong, it does not fully convey the thought. Paul’s thought is that God sent His Son, not only “in the likeness of the flesh of sin,” but also “concerning sin,” that is, for everything related to sin, that He might condemn sin and everything related to it. Everything associated with sin was condemned in the flesh of Christ on the cross. Never forget that sin is the nature of Satan. Satan’s nature, that is, sin, was in the flesh, and Christ put on this flesh in which sin, the nature of Satan, dwelt. Then Christ took this flesh to the cross and crucified it. By this both sin and Satan were condemned.
Satan was eager and happy to enter into man’s body, which became the flesh after he entered it, being glad to have a lodging place. Regardless of how wise Satan is, he can never surpass God. God is much wiser. God sent His Son in the likeness of this flesh in which Satan was and condemned it on the cross. It was as if Satan had thought, “Now I can get into man’s body.” However, Satan did not realize that this was a trap. When Satan took the bait, he was trapped. We may use the illustration of a mousetrap. It is difficult to catch a mouse because the mouse always runs away. However, we may use a mousetrap with some bait. The mouse comes into the trap, intrigued with the prospect of having the bait in his possession. Then he gets trapped and a man can easily crush him. Likewise, Satan has been trapped and bruised in the flesh of Christ on the cross. In doing this God solved two problems at once: He solved the problem of sin and of the flesh of sin. God has solved the problem of sin, the nature and source of which is Satan, and the problem of the flesh. Praise the Lord!