The Law could not save, because it was powerless to do so. It could tell us what the right way to live was, and so it showed up how we all failed, how we are all guilty, but it was powerless to do do anything about the problem. It could not pay for our sins, and most importantly it could not change our human nature. “Sinful nature” is a bad translation here (as throughout chapter 8) as some translations have. The most recent NIV version has corrected this and now uses “flesh”. In Romans “flesh” is not inherently evil, rather it is weak. The root of sin lies in a very nature. So God sent His Son to save us. He sent Him in the “likeness of sinful flesh”. Now some cannot see if Jesus was fully human he could be sinless, but this is an example of where we must be very careful to follow what Scripture says. Elsewhere it says that Jesus was tempted just as we are, yet did not sin. This does not mean the temptation was not real, rather it means that Christ has triumphed over sin. Jesus is fully human and fully God. The fact that although He was truly tempted He resisted temptation means that we too can overcome temptation. Now I am not arguing for sinless perfectionism, such a notion is completely without foundation, and about two minutes of experience is usually sufficient to disprove the notion. But it does mean we can overcome, little by little, step by step, we can gain victory. We do not appreciate how wonderful man is when he lives as he is meant to do, in perfect faith and obedience to the Father. “to be a sin offering” is wrong, ESV,and NIV margin, is better “for sin”. Jesus came and lived as He did, and died as He did, because of our sin. He came specifically to deal with the problem of our sin, my sin and your sin.
Sin was condemned in human flesh. Humanity had to pay a price for sin, in Christ that price was paid. On the cross our sin was condemned. Jesus has taken all my condemnation.
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