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body is connected with the risen Christ, the last Adam, Who is a "life giving Spirit". In
order to go step by step with the Scriptures, and leave nothing assumed, we must not go
on into other departments of this truth before we have seen just what Scripture says
concerning "Jesus Christ come in the flesh".
The Word became flesh.
"And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory
as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1: 14).
We have quoted from the A.V., but must draw attention to the omission of the article
in this verse. Literally we must read, "A glory as of an only begotten from a father", and
the teaching is that the glory that John beheld was just such a glory as one would
associate with such a begettal, and such a father. Moreover, the word translated "only
begotten" is clearly connected with "becoming flesh". John's other references to the
"only begotten" are John 1: 18; 3: 16, 18; I John 4: 9. The last reference takes us back
to the passage already considered, namely, the antichristian denial that Christ came in the
flesh. Luke uses the word three times, 7: 12; 8: 42; 9: 38, and in each case it
means literally an only child. Heb. 11: 17 completes the references, and uses the word of
Isaac.
It will be seen that the word cannot have reference to the period before the Word
became flesh, but that the title "only begotten" must be taken strictly literally. To tamper
with the literal begettal, birth, and humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ is to tamper with the
foundations of our faith. Several issues arise here to tempt us aside, but we shall do more
service by dealing with one feature at a time.
"His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the
flesh, and declared the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the
resurrection from the dead" (Rom. 1: 3, 4).
The focal points of this passage are the terms, "according to the flesh", and "according
to the spirit". The Son of God according to the flesh was of the seed of David. The
resurrection marked Him off as the Son of God with power, and that according to His
holy spirit, which made it impossible for death to hold Him, or for Him to see corruption.
"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"
(Rom. 8: 3).
The inability of the law was because of the weakness of the flesh. In dealing with the
expression "the likeness of sin's flesh" we must beware of putting out a hand to save the
ark of God. That ark at the moment is the sinlessness of Christ. Scripture declares "He
knew no sin". Let us not, therefore, because we fear for the doctrine of the sinlessness of
Christ, so emphasize the word "likeness" as to make it amount to unreality. A parallel
passage is Phil. 2: 7, where we read, "and was made in the likeness of men". His flesh
and blood humanity was real but sinless. Therefore the passage does not say "sinful