What does it mean that Jesus came in the likeness of sinful flesh?

Answer

Romans 8:3–4 states, “For what the law was unable to accomplish because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully satisfied in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” To comprehend what it meant for Jesus to come “in the likeness of sinful flesh,” we need to clarify a couple of terms.

When the Bible mentions “the flesh” (John 6:63;Romans 8:8), it typically refers to the human inclination to sin that we all inherited from Adam «Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: », (Romans 5:12). When Adam and Eve decided to disobey God’s command, they became “sinful flesh.” At that point, sin entered God’s flawless world and started to corrupt everything (Genesis 3). Since every human being descended from Adam, we have all inherited his fallen nature. Therefore, every individual is born as a sinner «as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: », (Romans 3:10,23) «for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; », (Romans 3:10,23).

The term likeness means “resemblance” or “the state of being similar to something else.” A likeness is not identical in substance or nature, but it bears a resemblance in appearance. A likeness is a portrayal of the original. For instance, idols are crafted in the likeness of birds, beasts, and other created things (Romans 1:22-23; Exodus 20:4-5). A photograph is a likeness. Philippians 2:6–8 describes Jesus setting aside His divine privileges as God to take on the likeness of the humans He had created, see also John 1:3. However, Jesus did not have an earthly father, so He did not inherit a sin nature as all other human beings do «And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. », (Luke 1:35). He took on human flesh, yet He retained His full divinity. He lived the life we live, suffered as we suffer, and learned and grew as we learn and grow, but He did it all without sin (Hebrews 4:15; Hebrews 5:7-8). Because God was His Father, He lived only in the likeness of sinful flesh. Jesus inherited the flesh from His mother, Mary, but not the sin from Joseph.

Jesus became man in order to be our substitute. In His flesh, He had to suffer physical pain, emotional rejection, and spiritual separation from God (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34). He lived the life human beings live, but He did so in the way we were meant to live—in perfect fellowship with a holy God «And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. », (John 8:29). Because He came in the likeness of sinful flesh, He could then present Himself as the final sacrifice sufficient to pay for the sins of all humanity (John 10:18; Hebrews 9:11-15).

In order to receive the gift of a full pardon from God, every person must allow Jesus to be his or her personal substitute. That means we come to Him in faith, recognizing that, because He came in the likeness of sinful flesh, was crucified, and took on the sins of the world, our sin can be paid for in full “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”, (2 Corinthians 5:21). Our own sinful flesh is crucified with Him so that we are free to follow the Spirit in total obedience to God (Romans 6:6-11; Galatians 2:20). Christians are those who have Christ’s death and resurrection credited to their account, thus wiping out the debt we owe God “blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;”, (Colossians 2:14). Because of this full pardon, Christians daily reckon themselves dead to their own sinful flesh. Since Christ conquered sin and death in His flesh, we can live by the power of His Spirit, who will conquer sin and death in all who trust in Christ (Galatians 5:16, 25; Romans 8:37).