Gluten Free & God Seeking: Have You Seen the Gospel in Romans 8:3?

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Have You Seen the Gospel in Romans 8:3?

A few weeks ago at our Friday night Bible study with some college students we read in Genesis 2 and 3. For a long time I couldn’t understand how God in His omnipotence and foreknowledge would know ahead of time that Adam and Eve were going to be tripped up by His enemy and then let it happen. As I was reading chapter 15 of the Life-Study of Romans, I got the answer. I’ve read this message before but this illustration on page 188 always captivates me:

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 inwhich 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 mouse trap. It is difficult to catch a mouse because the mouse always runs away. However, we may use a mouse trap 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 man can easily catch 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 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 (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Romans. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1974, Print).