Judy wrote:
>>> He didn't go from holy to sinful and
>>> then back to holy again.

David Miller wrote:
>> 2 Corinthians 5:21
>> (21) 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.

Judy wrote:
> He layed all of our sin and iniquities upon Him
> at Calvary David and our righteousness is based
> upon the blood of the cross.

But you said he did not go from holy to sinful and then back to holy again. 
Have you changed your mind or simply your definitions?

David Miller wrote:
>> You are missing my point.  It is a logical point about the
>> word "likeness."  If Phil. 2:7 says Jesus "was made in the
>> likeness of men," and yet we agree that Jesus was truly
>> a man and not just an imitation or resemblance of a man,
>> then we know that the word "likeness" used in Romans
>> 8:3 might be used in the same way.  Therefore, you should
>> acknowledge that this is a possible way to read this passage.
>> From my perspective, the word "likeness" is actually emphasizing
>> the sameness of Christ's flesh to ours rather than suggesting that
>> it was a counterfeit or imitation flesh.

Judy wrote:
> I find it impossible to accept this one point based on logic
> when it flies in the face of the rest of God's revealed Word.

I'm only asking you to accept this as a possible interpretation of Romans 
8:3 when considered alone.  It is important to see if you can accept this as 
a possibility, to see if you know how to think outside your present 
paradigm.

What you are doing is hanging on to a model that has a lot of baggage with 
it.  You refuse to hear me because it is contrary to a model that you 
already have in your mind, something formed in your mind for over 30 years. 
The only way you can consider a different model is to be open to some 
different definitions and a different model.  I can't cause you to consider 
another model all at once.  Your mind can't process it all.  Rather, you 
must consider your assumptions on how you read certain passages one by one. 
In this case, I am looking for an honest analysis of Romans 8:3.  I think 
you should be able to agree that based upon consideration of this passage 
alone, it is possible that Jesus was sent in the form of sinful flesh.  Once 
you agree about the acceptability of this interpretation, we will deal with 
the other passages that seem to lean you toward the other interpretation of 
this passage.

Judy wrote:
> God did not make the first Adam sinful, neither did He provide
> a sinful body for the second Adam. Everything God makes is
> good.

God did not directly make Jesus out of the dust of the ground.  His Holy 
Spirit overshadowed Mary and caused HER to develop a child through normal 
means.  The only unnatural aspect of it was that she did not conceive her 
child through sexual intercourse with a man.  Rather, through a mystical 
surgery of the Holy Spirit, her egg began the process of development into a 
male body.  As I have said many times, there is no reason to assume that 
Jesus was NOT genetically related to Mary.  Based upon numerous passages of 
Scripture, I believe he was related to Mary, and that he was genetically 
related to his brother James, and to his other brothers and sisters as well. 
If we trace it back, I believe he was genetically related to David, to 
Abraham, to Noah, and to Adam.

So God did not directly make the flesh of Jesus.  God directly made Adam, 
and Jesus was descended from Adam.  The body of Jesus ultimately came from 
Adam.  Read the geneaology of Luke 3 for evidence of this.

David Miller wrote:
>> If Romans 8:3 had left out the word "sinful" which
>> modifies flesh, I don't think you would be arguing
>> the way you are now about this word "likeness."

Judy wrote:
> The Holy Ghost put it there to describe us, not Him.

The prepositional phrase "in the likeness of sinful flesh" is modifying the 
word "Son."  We are not mentioned anywhere in this verse.  The passage (Rom. 
8:3) says, "God sending his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh..."  You are 
mangling the verse and inventing a noun that is not there.  The subject is 
the Son, whom God sent, and he was sent in the likeness of flesh.  What kind 
of flesh?  Sinful flesh.  Whose flesh?  The flesh of the Son of God.  You 
keep repeating that it describes us, not Him, but this is not true.  Read 
the text.  There is no way for this text to be talking about us.  It is 
talking about JESUS.  We were not sent by God in the likeness of sinful 
flesh in order to condemn sin in the flesh.  Jesus was.

Judy wrote:
> If his flesh were exactly like ours then it would mean
> his flesh was sinful because our flesh is under the curse
> of Genesis 3:19 "Dust thou art and to dust thou shalt
> return" and Heb 9:27 "It is appointed to men once to
> die and after that the judgment"

Yes, Judy, now you are catching on.  Jesus came under the curse, and was 
made a curse for us.  This is how he defeated the curse for us, because when 
all was said and done, he did not deserve the curse.  The Justice of God 
brought deliverance.

Judy wrote:
> His flesh was under no such curse -

Now you are going back to your unbiblical model.

Judy wrote:
> Death couldn't legally hold Him and "God did not allow
> His holy one to see corruption" Ps 16:10, Acts 2:27, 13:35

Death could not hold him, but not because death was breaking the law by 
trying to take him.  Rather, Jesus simply conquered death just like he had 
first conquered sin.  In order to conquer death, Jesus came in the form of 
mortal flesh.  In order to conquer sin, Jesus came in the form of sinful 
flesh.

Judy wrote:
> I thought this had something to do with "manly men"
> or some such thing.  Jesus did not overcome by the
> power of his flesh David.

I'm sorry I came up with that analogy now.  I did not mean to say that Jesus 
overcame by the power of his flesh.  He overcame by his spirit, and he 
overcame both the devil and his flesh.  The analogy was just meant to 
illustrate how he might feel about the struggle he experienced in the flesh, 
and the diminshing of this victory that some people on this list make of it. 
Jesus truly struggled and learned obedience through his struggles, just like 
we do.  His life was not a cakewalk anymore than ours is.  He constantly 
denied himself and did only what he saw his Father doing.  This pleased the 
Father and perfected faith in him.  He is truly our example in everything, 
and we may walk just as he walked, if we believe in him and put our 
confidence and trust in him.

Peace be with you.
David Miller. 

----------
"Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know 
how you ought to answer every man."  (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org

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