Christ Manifested in the Flesh

If Christ is able to be manifested in the flesh—in us—then He Himself must have come in the flesh at some time. And He did. This is the very essence of Paul’s gospel.

“Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” Rom. 1:1-4.

As we have explained previously, it is as though Paul divides Jesus into two: according to the flesh, and according to the Spirit of holiness. We also experience this same duality in us, and this truth runs like a scarlet thread through the epistle to the Romans. “For when we were in the flesh . . . that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit . . . who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit . . . . But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit . . . .” Etc.

We were taught as children that Jesus was true God and true man. Paul explains this in the following way: “Concerning His Son . . . who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh [here we see that He was truly man], and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead [here we see His true divinity].”

The conflict between God and man began at the fall. Man had received his own will and began to go his own way. God called him and worked with him to get him to be obedient, but at best His success was only partial. Therefore He sent His Son as the Son of Man. John 5:27. The decisive conflict between God and man began in Jesus; God was completely victorious, and the “man” was put to death. This took place because Jesus, as the Son of Man, said, “Not My will, but Yours, be done.” Luke 22:42. Paul expresses it in this way: “Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” Rom. 6:6. This is the “gospel concerning His Son”—the good news to mankind: that Jesus has put to death our old man. Now we no longer need to serve sin.

Paul calls this death over the flesh (our human nature) “the dying of the Lord Jesus.” Paul always bore this dying in his body so that the life of Jesus also might be manifested in his body. “For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.” 2 Cor. 4:10-12.

This is Christ manifested in the flesh; but this could not take place in us before it had taken place in Jesus. Paul was not the first one to overcome the natural man (the flesh: anger, a bad temper, self-love, etc.), because then it would have been the dying of Paul, and he would have been the foundation of our faith. Neither was it Peter or Luther; it was Jesus. He is the foundation of our faith. He is the One who brought us redemption by death to our human nature, thus making it possible for the good news to be proclaimed to us.

“Who is this who comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah, this One who is glorious in His apparel, traveling in the greatness of His strength?—‘I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.’” Is. 63:1-8.

There is no doubt that in this passage the prophet is referring to Jesus. Edom is Esau, who represents the flesh. Gen. 25:30. Who is this who comes up from Edom—the flesh—traveling in the greatness of His strength? This was unheard of. No one had ever come up out of Edom before. On the contrary, all those who had come in the flesh had remained in the flesh. It was amazing that someone came up out of the flesh.

It was Jesus who came up out of the flesh—He who is mighty to save. “Why is Your apparel red, and Your garments like one who treads in the winepress? ‘I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with Me. For I have trodden them in My anger, and trampled them in My fury; their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, and I have stained all My robes. For the day of vengeance is in My heart, and the year of My redeemed has come.’”

Here we see the conflict Jesus had in the days of His flesh—a conflict with the peoples of Edom. These were the peoples whom He trod down in His anger and whose blood He let run down to the ground. These peoples were: Anger—“Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return”; Vengeance—“When He suffered, He did not threaten”; Lying—“Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; Hate—He loved His enemies, etc. He overcame these peoples and put them to death. This was not a make-believe conflict. The apostle puts it like this: “Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear . . . .” Heb. 5:7.

Man had been given the law, but it was powerless against these enemies—the flesh. Therefore God had to send His Son, and then these enemies were defeated. Now God had gained control. The apostle says: “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh.” Rom. 8:3.

He did this work for our sake. Jesus was with the Father; He did not need redemption. But we were in the flesh—in Edom—overcome by all these peoples. No one had ever come up from Edom, but now God had sent His Son there—a Savior—to bring us an eternal redemption. The apostle says further: “That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Verse 4.

Now the message is: “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.” Verse 9. We have been liberated from Edom if we truly have the Spirit of Christ. It was in this Spirit that all of these peoples were conquered, and it is only when this Spirit dwells in us that we can overcome and be liberated from them. Then there will be an end to all that is of the flesh—the natural man.

“And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able.” 1 Cor. 3:1-2. It doesn’t take much before those who are in the flesh are upset and offended. As soon as the Word comes, they think it is a hard message and a judging spirit.

“For you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, ‘I am of Paul,’ and another, ‘I am of Apollos,’ are you not carnal?” Verses 3-4.

Does this mean, then, that we are no longer to be “mere men”? Exactly! Our human nature received its death sentence in Jesus, and now God is to be in control. Now this Word is addressed to us: “But you, O man of God, flee these things.” 1 Tim. 6:11. Now Christ is to be manifested in the flesh.

“Are you not carnal, and behaving like mere men” when you don’t want to attend a function because your clothes are not nice enough, or you cannot invite “him” to your home because your home is not “fine” enough, and the food you serve is not as “fancy” as you would like? You cannot testify because you are not a gifted speaker. “I like him so much because he is so pleasant to listen to! It was so nice being there. Isn’t she sweet? I guess I will go to the conference because it is supposed to be so beautiful there. It would be pleasant to take a nice trip!”

Can you hear that such people are carnal and behave like mere men? Those who are in Christ Jesus stop behaving like this. “Old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Cor. 5:17.

Who is this Peter who used to be so afraid, but now has become so bold? Who is this Paul who breathed threats and murder against the saints, but now is an example to all those who believe in Jesus? Who is this Hansen who used to be so angry and miserly, but now has become like a lamb and is so generous? And what about Olsen? He was so envious and liked to lord it over the others, and because he was not elected as chairman, he stayed home and sulked. But now he has become the servant and slave of all and seeks everyone else’s best? And Iversen! He loved to preach, but now he is so short and to the point and is so blessed to hear. “‘Surely they are My people, children who will not lie.’ So He became their Savior.” Is. 63:8.

People are not used to such transformation. They are amazed when they see who is able to come up from Edom. Jesus is not ashamed to call them brethren, for both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one. “And again, ‘Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.’” Heb. 2:11-13.

These are people who have surrendered themselves into the death of Christ and who are led by the Spirit of God. There is no guile in their spirit. They do not defend Esau and hide him when they are in a tight spot.

“But I have made Esau bare; I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself. His descendants are plundered, his brethren and his neighbors, and he is no more.” Jer. 49:10.

The ungodly cannot remain in the congregation of the righteous. If someone comes in who is in the flesh—an Esau—he is laid bare. If he attempts to hide behind a humble demeanor or under grace and the blood, he is uncovered. The light of the Spirit uncovers him. It does not help if he cries out, “Judge not!” The sword of the Spirit brings him to nothing—together with his brothers and neighbors. If there is guile in your spirit (if you take sides with Esau), it is not surprising that you take to your heels and look for another place. Jesus will not be your Savior.

“Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.” Heb. 2:14. “For indeed, He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.” Verse 16.

This is how Jesus destroyed the devil, and this is how the works of the flesh are destroyed in us as well. That is why Jesus is able to be manifested in flesh, not only once, two thousand years ago, but again and again throughout the centuries, much to the displeasure of the devil. The devil realized this and tried to take His life through his faithful servant Herod. From that day on he was always out to take His life until the day he managed to kill Him on the cross. But he had miscalculated. By then Jesus had finished the slaughter in Bozrah, the enemy had been conquered, and He won redemption. Jesus was offered as a spotless Lamb, the Just for the unjust. By His blood we are redeemed from our evil ways, we who were “carnal, sold under sin.” Rom. 7:14.

The wages of sin is death. If Jesus had sinned—if He had walked as a “mere man”—the grave would have been able to hold Him; but death could not hold Him! God be praised! He has been “declared to be the Son of God with power.” He opened up Paradise and took the thief with Him. He entered the Most Holy Place in the heavens with His own blood and obtained an eternal redemption for us (Heb. 9:11-12), “now to appear in the presence of God for us.” Verse 24. There He lives to make intercession for us. Heb. 7:25. He can save us to the uttermost from Edom. He watches over us with care and prays for us. Jesus consecrated a new and living way for us. The old way—making the flesh keep the law—was impossible; but the new way—death to the flesh—leads into the Holy of Holies.

Many have gone this way since then. Paul was a faithful follower, and he exhorts us to follow him as he followed Christ. May there be many of us in whom there is no guile, who faithfully follow Jesus from Edom into the Holy of Holies.

And so Satan has lost forever. Hallelujah! He had overcome all those who had come in the flesh, and when God sent His Son in the flesh, Satan reckoned that he would overcome Him as well. First he wanted to kill Jesus before He could accomplish His work. When this did not succeed, he tried to tempt Him with all the glory that was in Edom, hoping to ensnare Him and cause Him to sin, but he failed with every attempt. He was powerless to prevent God’s victory over the natural man, and thus he lost his hold over man. God became man, and man became God. “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” Since then the devil has not been able to prevent Christ from coming in the flesh. He has not managed to get rid of Him. Jesus continued to live in the apostles and all the saints throughout the ages. The devil musters his forces and leads astray those who are in the flesh, but ever since Jesus’ work was finished, the devil has met many whom he could not defeat. He has been destroyed.

Jesus has wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us by nailing it to the cross. As a result, we can receive forgiveness for our sins. Jesus redeemed us by His blood; but not only that, He “disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them on the cross.” (Norw.) Col. 2:14-15.

This is why we can boldly proclaim victory over sin just as boldly as we proclaim the forgiveness of sins. When Jesus was here on earth, they crucified Him because He said He was the Son of God. It was vital for Satan to keep the great gift of God hidden. When Peter confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” Jesus answered, “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” Matt. 16:16-17. Who would ever reveal the one who has conquered him? No. The flesh tried as well as it could to hide this, but now it is no longer possible to explain away the fact that God’s Son came down to earth and lived here. However, now they say that He didn’t come in the flesh like us, but only in a likeness, that He came like Adam before the fall, as if it were written like this: “Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brother!” But God be praised, it is written, “Like His brethren!” Therefore there is hope for us all. Heb. 2:17. “Yes,” you say, “but it says, ‘likeness.’” Yes, “in the likeness of sinful flesh.” Nevertheless, it says very clearly that sin was condemned in the flesh. The point is that the flesh does not become sinful if one does not live according to one’s lusts. We have sinful flesh because we have lived in sin, but sin was condemned in Jesus’ flesh. Therefore we read, “in the likeness of sinful flesh.” Rom. 8:3.

We are told that our sin was laid upon Jesus as He hung on the cross, in the same way that the high priest laid his hands on the goat. “Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.” Lev. 16:21-22.

By this sacrifice they received forgiveness for their sins. “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.” Heb. 10:4. They were only reminded of their sins. Verse 3. This is understandable, because the goat had never overcome any of these sins; it merely bore them into the wilderness. This points to Jesus who is the perfect sacrifice. He not only bore our sins on the cross by dying, He overcame them by His life. Therefore John the Baptist could say of Him when he baptized Jesus, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29.

Most people make the blood of Jesus to be no more than the blood of bulls and goats whereby they receive forgiveness for their sins; they reckon that when they die, they will cease from sin. But this is not the case. “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” Heb. 9:14. It is now, in this present world, that we are to serve God, not after we die.

“For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” Rom. 5:17.

What the fall had destroyed has now been restored. To live and reign with Jesus Christ—this is the message that must be proclaimed with power. Now we shall live a life—not in sin and grace, but in grace and victory.