Jesus Came to Fulfill the Law in His People

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, 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

If Jesus had not come into the world, all we would have is the law. And if all we had was the law, we could never be forgiven or changed. But God sent His Son into the world, “in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us” (8:4). How is that possible?

The Pharisees believed it was a matter of effort. But Jesus was not simply a good moral teacher. So, if we want to please God, we simply follow His teaching? No. The problem is that in trying to be something you are not, you will eventually find yourself saying, “I can’t keep this up.”

Jesus came to bring about a new covenant, and the central blessing of this new covenant is that God will write His law on our hearts: “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts” (Jer. 31:33). Jesus came so we could live new and different lives that are pleasing to God.

How does this change of heart happen? “I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules” (Ez. 36:27). The Holy Spirit will enable you to live a life that is pleasing to God. His power will make the difference between a struggle in which you are destined for defeat and a battle in which you will have ultimate victory.

Are you trying to be righteous by your own effort? Or by relying on the power of the Spirit?