Transcript of Lesson 6
Welcome again to our study on The Doctrine of Salvation - How “Righteousness by Faith” Really Works
We are in Section B: How did Christ Live? and this is Lesson 6: Christ Took Our Nature
We are in Section B: How did Christ Live? and this is Lesson 6: Christ Took Our Nature
Much debate has centered on whether Jesus took our fallen nature or Adam's nature before the fall. Even though this may seem like an unimportant point, it really has tremendous implications for the kind of life we can live today – day by day. So:
All these questions can be answered by answering: What flesh – nature – did Jesus take?
Romans 8:3 tells us: “God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” Jesus came in the likeness of sinful flesh.
The first thing to understand is that the word “flesh” in this text, and in many other New Testament references, means “fallen nature” as we know it in our own natures. It refers to the carnal nature that we all inherit as a result of Adam's sin. Sinful flesh in this verse means the fallen nature which we all have in common from our birth.
But what does it mean when we read that Christ came “in the likeness of” sinful flesh? What does “likeness” mean? Does it mean “real” or “similar to” ? What “likeness” was Jesus made in?
Let’s compare a couple of texts: We read in Romans 8:3 “God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” And in Philippians 2:7 we see the same word: “And took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.”
The same Greek word for "likeness” is used in both verses. Was Jesus made similar to human beings or did He become a real human being? I think all would agree that when Jesus came down to this earth He became a real human being.
No one believes that Jesus, as the Son of God, only masqueraded around Israel for 33½ years in the form of a human being. But we don't have to rely on our common sense or deductions here. Let’s find out:
How did Jesus come to earth? 1 John 4:2-3 explains: “Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.”
Those who are of the antichrist say that Jesus did not have our fallen nature. Those who are of God say that Jesus did have our fallen nature. Remember, “flesh” in the New Testament means “our fallen nature.” Jesus “came in the flesh” which means Jesus had our fallen nature.
Here we have conclusive evidence that Jesus was not only a real flesh-and-blood human being, but that He really did take our flesh – our fallen nature.
In Philippians 2:7 we read that Jesus took the “likeness of men.” Clearly this means that Jesus really became a human being – likeness, real. And, in Romans 8:3 we read that Jesus came in the “likeness of sinful flesh.” Sinful flesh means fallen nature. So, you decide: Did Jesus just look as if He had sinful flesh? Or, did Jesus actually have sinful flesh?
The Expositors Greek Testament, Vol. 2, pp. 645-646, Comments on Philippians 2:7 – “The emphasis is on Christ's likeness to us, not His unlikeness; What [Paul] means by it is that “God sent His Son in that nature which in us is identified with sin.”
If we are to interpret likeness in Philippians 2:7 as actually being human, then we must interpret likeness in Romans 8:3 as actually having our sinful flesh, our fallen nature.
We can ask this question another way: In what did Jesus actually partake? Hebrews 2:14 tells us: “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also (Christ) himself likewise took part of the same (flesh and blood).”
Jesus joined the human race and shared our same flesh and blood – same fallen nature. Jesus actually took the same flesh and blood that we receive at our birth.
This debate about the nature of Christ can be settled easily with a few basic questions: Was Jesus born with the same “flesh” with which we are born? Does the Bible teach that He had a special exemption from our "flesh" so that He could have a perfectly sinless nature? In other words: How much like us was Jesus made?
Hebrews 2:16-17 explains: “For verily he (Jesus) took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren (descendants of Abraham).
If Jesus was born in the seed of Abraham, then we only have to ask the question: What nature did all the seed (descendants) of Abraham receive? Clearly, they all received fallen nature as a birthright. Notice also that the text says that Jesus was made like his brethren (us) in all things.
Another inspired reference supports this conclusion: “It would have been an almost infinite humiliation for the Son of God to take man's nature, even when Adam stood in his innocence in Eden. But Jesus accepted humanity when the race had been weakened by four thousand years of sin. Like every child of Adam, He (Christ) accepted the results of the working of the great law of heredity. What these results were is shown in the history of His earthly ancestors. He came with such a heredity to share our sorrows and temptations, and to give us the example of a sinless life.” Desire of Ages, p. 49
What are the results of the law of heredity for us? What nature did Jesus' ancestors inherit? The answer to these questions is all too obvious. The only possible conclusion is that Jesus came with the same heredity that David and Abraham had.
Here is the Conclusion on this matter: There is no inspired evidence that Jesus inherited only the physical results of the fall, such as hunger, weakness, thirst, and mortality, but that He did not inherit dispositional traits. These areas cannot be separated. If the law of heredity was operative, it was operative totally. If we receive traits of character from our parents, then Jesus received traits of character from His mother, for she was a fully human mother.
We do not believe that Mary was immaculately conceived. Therefore, we believe she had the same fallen nature that all human beings possess, and that she passed that fallen nature on to her Son. There is no inspired evidence to suggest that the chain of heredity was broken between Mary and Jesus.
The only reason that this clear biblical evidence is denied is because many Christians believe that to have a fallen nature is to be a guilty and condemned sinner. Therefore, they say, it would have been impossible for Jesus to have received a fallen nature from Mary, because that would have made Him a sinner, too, and He could not then be our sinless Saviour.
This is the reason for the false doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary to protect Jesus from any stain of sin. This is why many Christians talk about Christ being “exempted” from the normal laws of heredity.
The real issue here is the nature of sin. (Lessons 1-4) This is why we began our study on the Doctrine of Salvation with a study about Sin as Choice. If we do not understand the biblical definition of sin, we cannot understand the true Incarnation of Christ when the Word became flesh -- having our fallen nature.
Without the understanding of sin as always being by choice and not being about our fallen nature at birth, we will develop a false gospel, based on false premises about sin, which lead to false claims about a special “exempted” nature of Christ distancing Him a long way from being our Brother. Thus, making it impossible for Him to serve as our Example for conquering sin in our sinful flesh.
Let’s take another look at our text: Roman 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.”
If Christ did not fully descend to our level, Satan would have cried “Foul!” immediately, and nothing in the name of justice would have been accomplished in answering basic questions in the Plan of Salvation.
To place Jesus Christ above our nature, living in Adam's perfect nature, is to obscure the amazing victory that He gained for us. After all, where does the strength of our temptations lie? Surely within our fallen nature.
Christ knows by experience what it means to be tempted from within. We can rejoice that Jesus did not sidestep the ugliness of being born into a fallen world to fallen parents with a fallen nature.
We indeed have a Saviour who is very near to us. He did not quarantine Himself from the disease or curse of our fallen nature, giving us instructions by long distance communication.
Christ stepped right into the battle zone with us, fought Satan head-on, and WON! Now, He can take our hand and lead us out of the quagmire in which we find ourselves -- in a fallen world with a fallen nature, if we choose to follow his leading. Praise God for such a Saviour!
- What kind of human being was Jesus?
- What kind of inheritance did Jesus receive from Mary?
- Was He exempt from the laws of inheritance by which we are born?
- Did His nature pull Him toward sin like ours does?
All these questions can be answered by answering: What flesh – nature – did Jesus take?
Romans 8:3 tells us: “God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” Jesus came in the likeness of sinful flesh.
The first thing to understand is that the word “flesh” in this text, and in many other New Testament references, means “fallen nature” as we know it in our own natures. It refers to the carnal nature that we all inherit as a result of Adam's sin. Sinful flesh in this verse means the fallen nature which we all have in common from our birth.
But what does it mean when we read that Christ came “in the likeness of” sinful flesh? What does “likeness” mean? Does it mean “real” or “similar to” ? What “likeness” was Jesus made in?
Let’s compare a couple of texts: We read in Romans 8:3 “God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” And in Philippians 2:7 we see the same word: “And took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.”
The same Greek word for "likeness” is used in both verses. Was Jesus made similar to human beings or did He become a real human being? I think all would agree that when Jesus came down to this earth He became a real human being.
No one believes that Jesus, as the Son of God, only masqueraded around Israel for 33½ years in the form of a human being. But we don't have to rely on our common sense or deductions here. Let’s find out:
How did Jesus come to earth? 1 John 4:2-3 explains: “Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.”
Those who are of the antichrist say that Jesus did not have our fallen nature. Those who are of God say that Jesus did have our fallen nature. Remember, “flesh” in the New Testament means “our fallen nature.” Jesus “came in the flesh” which means Jesus had our fallen nature.
Here we have conclusive evidence that Jesus was not only a real flesh-and-blood human being, but that He really did take our flesh – our fallen nature.
In Philippians 2:7 we read that Jesus took the “likeness of men.” Clearly this means that Jesus really became a human being – likeness, real. And, in Romans 8:3 we read that Jesus came in the “likeness of sinful flesh.” Sinful flesh means fallen nature. So, you decide: Did Jesus just look as if He had sinful flesh? Or, did Jesus actually have sinful flesh?
The Expositors Greek Testament, Vol. 2, pp. 645-646, Comments on Philippians 2:7 – “The emphasis is on Christ's likeness to us, not His unlikeness; What [Paul] means by it is that “God sent His Son in that nature which in us is identified with sin.”
If we are to interpret likeness in Philippians 2:7 as actually being human, then we must interpret likeness in Romans 8:3 as actually having our sinful flesh, our fallen nature.
We can ask this question another way: In what did Jesus actually partake? Hebrews 2:14 tells us: “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also (Christ) himself likewise took part of the same (flesh and blood).”
Jesus joined the human race and shared our same flesh and blood – same fallen nature. Jesus actually took the same flesh and blood that we receive at our birth.
This debate about the nature of Christ can be settled easily with a few basic questions: Was Jesus born with the same “flesh” with which we are born? Does the Bible teach that He had a special exemption from our "flesh" so that He could have a perfectly sinless nature? In other words: How much like us was Jesus made?
Hebrews 2:16-17 explains: “For verily he (Jesus) took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren (descendants of Abraham).
If Jesus was born in the seed of Abraham, then we only have to ask the question: What nature did all the seed (descendants) of Abraham receive? Clearly, they all received fallen nature as a birthright. Notice also that the text says that Jesus was made like his brethren (us) in all things.
Another inspired reference supports this conclusion: “It would have been an almost infinite humiliation for the Son of God to take man's nature, even when Adam stood in his innocence in Eden. But Jesus accepted humanity when the race had been weakened by four thousand years of sin. Like every child of Adam, He (Christ) accepted the results of the working of the great law of heredity. What these results were is shown in the history of His earthly ancestors. He came with such a heredity to share our sorrows and temptations, and to give us the example of a sinless life.” Desire of Ages, p. 49
What are the results of the law of heredity for us? What nature did Jesus' ancestors inherit? The answer to these questions is all too obvious. The only possible conclusion is that Jesus came with the same heredity that David and Abraham had.
Here is the Conclusion on this matter: There is no inspired evidence that Jesus inherited only the physical results of the fall, such as hunger, weakness, thirst, and mortality, but that He did not inherit dispositional traits. These areas cannot be separated. If the law of heredity was operative, it was operative totally. If we receive traits of character from our parents, then Jesus received traits of character from His mother, for she was a fully human mother.
We do not believe that Mary was immaculately conceived. Therefore, we believe she had the same fallen nature that all human beings possess, and that she passed that fallen nature on to her Son. There is no inspired evidence to suggest that the chain of heredity was broken between Mary and Jesus.
The only reason that this clear biblical evidence is denied is because many Christians believe that to have a fallen nature is to be a guilty and condemned sinner. Therefore, they say, it would have been impossible for Jesus to have received a fallen nature from Mary, because that would have made Him a sinner, too, and He could not then be our sinless Saviour.
This is the reason for the false doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary to protect Jesus from any stain of sin. This is why many Christians talk about Christ being “exempted” from the normal laws of heredity.
The real issue here is the nature of sin. (Lessons 1-4) This is why we began our study on the Doctrine of Salvation with a study about Sin as Choice. If we do not understand the biblical definition of sin, we cannot understand the true Incarnation of Christ when the Word became flesh -- having our fallen nature.
Without the understanding of sin as always being by choice and not being about our fallen nature at birth, we will develop a false gospel, based on false premises about sin, which lead to false claims about a special “exempted” nature of Christ distancing Him a long way from being our Brother. Thus, making it impossible for Him to serve as our Example for conquering sin in our sinful flesh.
Let’s take another look at our text: Roman 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.”
If Christ did not fully descend to our level, Satan would have cried “Foul!” immediately, and nothing in the name of justice would have been accomplished in answering basic questions in the Plan of Salvation.
To place Jesus Christ above our nature, living in Adam's perfect nature, is to obscure the amazing victory that He gained for us. After all, where does the strength of our temptations lie? Surely within our fallen nature.
Christ knows by experience what it means to be tempted from within. We can rejoice that Jesus did not sidestep the ugliness of being born into a fallen world to fallen parents with a fallen nature.
We indeed have a Saviour who is very near to us. He did not quarantine Himself from the disease or curse of our fallen nature, giving us instructions by long distance communication.
Christ stepped right into the battle zone with us, fought Satan head-on, and WON! Now, He can take our hand and lead us out of the quagmire in which we find ourselves -- in a fallen world with a fallen nature, if we choose to follow his leading. Praise God for such a Saviour!