Pastor David Jang
If we believe in the love revealed at Christmas, why do we still stumble over the same familiar sins? Grünewald’s Isenheim Altarpiece brings together scenes of the Nativity, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection, inviting us to consider Christ’s coming within the unfolding story of salvation. In his sermon on Romans 8:3–13, Pastor David Jang, founder of Olivet University in the United States, connects the meaning of Christmas with the transformation that salvation brings to our lives today. God’s love in sending His Son is revealed in Christ’s gracious work of bearing our sins on the cross, and it leads us into freedom and obedience as we live by the Holy Spirit.
What the Law Could Not Do and the Love of Christmas
Knowing that we should love does not make envy disappear. We may know that belittling others is wrong, yet our desire to draw attention to ourselves can still take the lead. There is a deep gap between knowing what is right and having the strength to do it. Romans 8:3 explains this gap in terms of human weakness.
The law reveals God’s good will and exposes sin. Yet people bound by sin cannot fully obey that will, and the law itself cannot deliver them from sin’s dominion. As the lament of Romans 7 shows, the more clearly we recognize our wrongdoing, the more deeply we may feel our helplessness. This is a problem that stricter standards alone cannot resolve.
It is precisely here that Paul declares that “God has done” what the law could not do (Romans 8:3). God sent His Son in human flesh to deal with the sin that humanity could not overcome on its own. Here we see the purpose of the incarnation proclaimed in John 1:14: the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Christmas is the act of love in which God took the initiative to come to people who could not save themselves from sin.
The declaration that God loved the world and gave His only Son makes the starting point of this love clear (John 3:16). If we think we must first become sufficiently good before we can turn to God, our faith can falter whenever we fail. The incarnation shows us that God, who already knows our helplessness, has opened the way of salvation. When we look at Jesus’ life in light of that love, the joy of Christmas leads us onward to the cross, where He would bear our sins.
Forgiveness at the Cross and the Purpose of Our Freedom
Christ’s coming in human flesh led to His sacrifice for our sins. The redemption and forgiveness described in Romans 3:24–25 rest on the price He paid by giving Himself for us. For the grace we receive freely, the Lord endured real suffering and death. The more deeply we reflect on the love revealed at Christmas, the more we treasure the forgiveness we have received and reconsider the ways we have treated sin lightly.
Pastor David Jang connects this love with the declaration in Romans 8:1 that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Because Christ bore the judgment our sins deserved, the way was opened for us to be justified in Him. Even when our wrongdoing is exposed, we can return to God in reliance on His grace. We can stop hiding our sins and ask for forgiveness. Freedom from condemnation gives us the courage to face our sins honestly and repent.
The purpose of this freedom becomes clearer in Romans 8:4. God brings about the fulfillment of the law’s righteous requirement in us, who walk according to the Spirit rather than according to the flesh. The sermon explains this requirement as a life of loving God and our neighbors. For those who have received grace, freedom opens new possibilities for serving others and devoting their time and effort to acts of love.
Here we must not lose sight of the order of salvation and obedience. Christ’s saving work and the Spirit’s help come first; obedience is our response to that grace. When our good deeds increase, we can give thanks for grace instead of exalting ourselves. When we recognize our shortcomings, we can ask for help and continue to learn. This order sustains our faith, helping us take sin seriously without endlessly condemning ourselves for our failures.
From a Mind Set on the Flesh to Life and Peace in the Spirit
Life in the Spirit is closely connected to what occupies our minds. Paul says that those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, while those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit (Romans 8:5). In the verses that follow, the mind set on the flesh is revealed as an attitude that refuses to submit to God’s will. A mind set on the Spirit, therefore, describes a direction of life in which we entrust our hearts and choices to God’s will.
For example, when we hear good news about someone else, we may become preoccupied with the feeling that we are falling behind. If we dwell on that comparison, we may find it difficult to acknowledge the other person’s hard work and feel tempted to point out some small fault. Envy growing within us begins to reshape our words and relationships. Examining the thoughts we are holding on to helps us see honestly how sin moves from the heart into action.
What, then, can change this direction? Romans 8:9 points to the reality that the Spirit of God dwells within us. Christians have the Holy Spirit, who makes us aware of sin and gives us strength to obey. When we turn our attention from the strength of our own will to God, we learn to depend on the One who helps us in our struggle against sin.
Pastor David Jang emphasizes that the joy and grace given by the Holy Spirit make it possible to reject sin. As we reflect on God’s love, we begin to question our habit of seeking satisfaction only in getting ahead of others. We discover reasons for gratitude in the grace we have already received. The fruit of love, gentleness, and self-control takes shape in our everyday words and actions (Galatians 5:22–23). Life and peace are bound up with responding to God and following His guidance (Romans 8:6).
The Hope of Resurrection That Sustains Us as We Turn from Sin
Paul tells us that we are not debtors to the flesh and therefore have no obligation to live according to it (Romans 8:12). However powerful an old desire may feel, we do not have to let it continue determining our choices. His next exhortation—“if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live”—calls for both a firm resolve to turn from sin and faith that depends on the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:13). It is a call to exercise the freedom we have already received.
By linking life according to the flesh with death, Paul makes clear that sin cannot be treated lightly (Romans 8:13). If we allow familiar desires to remain unchecked simply because we know about grace, we fail to live out the meaning of freedom. The Holy Spirit leads us to hate sin and break free from its dominion. Responding to His guidance involves the effort of examining our habits and stopping the actions that lead us toward sin.
The example of envy can become an occasion for concrete repentance. We can acknowledge before God our desire to diminish another person and ask Him to help us rejoice in that person’s joy. Choosing to stop belittling someone’s achievements and offer sincere congratulations can be one step toward putting our prayers into practice. Repentance begins with acknowledging sin and continues as, with the Spirit’s help, we change the actions through which we have followed it.
Scripture, prayer, worship, and fellowship with other believers help us continue on this path. In the light of Scripture, we examine the excuses that have become familiar to us. In prayer, we ask for strength to turn from sin. Alongside fellow believers, we learn how to put love into practice. Through this process, both our effort to turn from sin and our joy in God deepen. Our confession that we depend on the Holy Spirit takes visible shape in the actual moments and relationships of our lives.
Temptation and conflict may continue along the way. When we fall, we can repent in reliance on Christ’s grace and ask again for the Spirit’s help. As we reflect on our failures, we should examine the patterns that keep recurring while remembering that the way back to God remains open. We must not allow today’s weakness to become the final verdict on our faith.
This hope also includes the promise of bodily resurrection. The God who raised Jesus from the dead promises to give life to our mortal bodies through His Spirit, who dwells in us (Romans 8:11). Because Christ, who broke the power of sin and death, holds our future, believers can have hope even as they struggle against sin. Christmas, the cross, and the resurrection direct our eyes both to the strength we need for today and to the salvation that will one day be brought to completion.
Returning to the question with which we began, Christmas shows us whom we can depend on as we struggle against sin. The God who sent His Son for us helps us obey through His Spirit and opens the way for us to repent and keep walking even when we stumble. As I remember that love today, what sinful habit can I turn from as I seek the Spirit’s help and choose love?
Dr. David Jang has proclaimed the gospel in various regions of the world through field missions and digital media ministry, and as the fruit of that ministry, many people devoted to the Great Commission have been raised up. Based on this missionary vision, Olivet first began as a small church school for missionary training. Later, in order to provide more systematic theological education and cultivate missionary leaders, Olivet Theological College and Seminary was established in Los Angeles and Seoul in 2000.
As the school grew, Dr. Jang officially founded Olivet University in San Francisco in 2004. In the diverse and dynamic environment of San Francisco, Olivet expanded its educational fields beyond theology to include music, journalism, art and design, and technology. The university also strengthened its educational capacity by recruiting faculty members, including Dr. William Wagner, and in 2005 moved to the former UC Berkeley Downtown Extension campus, further solidifying its foundation as a university.
In 2006, Dr. Jang transferred the presidency to Dr. David James Randolph in order to focus more fully on missionary work, while continuing to lead global missions as International President. Olivet University later received institutional accreditation in 2009, added a language education college and a business college, and continued to grow as a Christian educational institution for world missions by expanding its degree programs and international partnerships.
David Jang Official Website: www.davidjang.org
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