Albert Barnes Commentary Romans 8:3

"For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:" — Romans 8:3 (ASV)

For what the law could not do. This refers to the law of God, the moral law.

It could not free from sin and condemnation. The apostle had fully shown this in chapter 7.

In that. This means "because."

It was weak. This means it was feeble and ineffective; it could not accomplish this.

Through the flesh. This means because of the strength of sin, and of the evil and corrupt desires of the unrenewed heart.

The fault was not in the law, which was good (Romans 7:12), but it was due to the strength of the natural passions and the sinfulness of the unrenewed heart. See Romans 7:7-11, where this influence is fully explained.

God, sending his own Son. This means that God accomplished by sending His Son what the law could not do.

The words did or accomplished must be understood here to complete the sense.

In the likeness of sinful flesh. This means He resembled sinful flesh in that He partook of flesh, or the nature of man, but without any of its sinful propensities or desires.

It was not human nature—not, as the Docetae taught, human nature in appearance only—but it was human nature without any of its corruptions.

And for sin. The margin says, "By a sacrifice for sin."

The expression evidently means by an offering for sin, or that He was given as a sacrifice on account of sin. His being given was in relation to sin.

Condemned sin in the flesh. The flesh is regarded as the source of sin (see notes on Romans 7:18).

The flesh being the seat and origin of transgression, the atoning Sacrifice was made in the likeness of sinful flesh, so that He might meet sin, as it were, on its own ground, and destroy it. He may be said to have condemned sin in this manner for the following reasons:

1. Because the fact that He was given for sin, and died on its account, was a condemnation of it. If sin had been approved by God, He would not have made an atonement to secure its destruction. The depth and intensity of the woes of Christ on its account show the degree of abhorrence with which sin is regarded by God.

2. The word condemn may be used in the sense of destroying, overcoming, or subduing. For example, 2 Peter 2:6 says, And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them with an overthrow. In this sense, the sacrifice of Christ has not only condemned sin as being evil, but has also weakened its power, destroyed its influence, and will finally annihilate its existence in all who are saved by that death.