God sent His Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin that He might redeem those under law so that we might receive the sonship. Romans 8:3 speaks of “God sending His own Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin and concerning sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” The flesh is of sin, and the Son of God did indeed become flesh (John 1:14; Heb. 2:14). However, He was only in the likeness of the flesh of sin, but had no participation in the sin of the flesh (2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15). This was typified by the brass serpent lifted up by Moses for sinful Israelites (Num. 21:9; John 3:14). The brass serpent was in the form, the likeness, of an actual serpent, but it did not have the poison of a serpent. In like manner, Christ had the likeness of the flesh of sin, but He did not have the sinful nature of the flesh of sin.
The subject of Romans 8:3 is God. God sent His own Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin. God was wise. He knew that He could not send His Son to be the flesh of sin, for, if He did that, His Son would have been involved with sin. Therefore, He sent His Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin, as typified by the brass serpent lifted up by Moses in the wilderness. Christ does not have the nature of sin. God sent Him only in the likeness of the flesh of sin.
God sent His Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin in order to redeem us from under the law so that we might receive the sonship. Galatians 4:4 and 5 say, “When the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, come of a woman, come under law, that He might redeem those under law, that we might receive the sonship.” The fullness of time in verse 4 denotes the completion of the Old Testament time, which occurred at the time appointed of the Father. In this verse Paul describes the Son as “come of a woman, come under law.” The woman is, of course, the virgin Mary (Luke 1:27-35). The Son of God came of her to be the seed of woman, as promised in Genesis 3:15. Furthermore, Christ was born under law, as revealed in Luke 2:21-24, 27, and He kept the law, as the four Gospels reveal.
God’s chosen people were shut up by the law under its custody (Gal. 3:23). Christ was born under the law in order to redeem them from its custody so that they might receive the sonship and become sons of God.
According to the entire revelation of the New Testament, God’s economy is to produce sons. Sonship is the focal point of God’s New Testament economy. God’s New Testament economy is the dispensing of Himself into His chosen people to make them His sons. Christ’s redemption is to bring us into the sonship of God so that we may enjoy the divine life. God’s New Testament economy is not to make us keepers of the law, which was given only for a temporary purpose. God’s New Testament economy is to make us sons of God, inheriting the blessing of God’s promise, which was given for His eternal purpose. God’s eternal purpose is to have many sons for His corporate expression (Rom. 8:29; Heb. 2:10). Hence, He predestinated us unto sonship (Eph. 1:5) and regenerated us to be His sons (John 1:12-13).
Galatians 4:4 says that God sent forth His Son when the fullness of the time had come. God sent Christ at exactly the right time. Earlier would have been too soon, and later would have been too late. Christ came when the time was right. It was at the appointed time, at the fullness of time. For this reason, the Son’s coming was full of meaning.
First, God sent John the Baptist to prepare the way for Christ, and then He sent His Son. God sent His Son that we might receive the sonship. To receive the sonship is to receive the dispensing of the divine life. Therefore, the sending of both John the Baptist and of Christ were for the dispensing of the divine life into God’s chosen people.
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