"In me - that is, in my flesh - dwelleth no good thing ... I see a law in my members, warring against the law of my mind ... the law of sin within my members." -Rom. 7:18,23

He (Jesus) kept his body under, triumphing over its lusts.-Eureka 1:12

* * *

He (Zechariah) sees Joshua, the High Priest of the Restoration, angelized, and clothed in filthy garments. That is, he represents the Christ, in the capacity of Jehovah's Messenger, the "Angel of the Covenant," clothed with the "flesh of sin," in which, Paul tells us, "dwells no good thing"... While Zechariah was beholding, he saw the garments of Joshua the High Priest changed, and was instructed that the action represented the putting away of iniquity which the priest is supposed to bear. In this we see, by the light of the New Testament, the change of nature, or body, in relation to Christ, "whom," says Paul, "we know henceforth no more after the flesh." He was crucified "in the flesh," and then sin was "condemned in the flesh." -Eureka 1:58

It (the body of Jesus) was not angel flesh or nature, but that common to the seed of Abraham, styled by Paul "flesh of sin," "in which," he says, "dwells no good thing" ... His flesh was like our flesh in all its points - weak, emotional, and unclean ... Sin, whose wages is death, had to be condemned in the nature that had transgressed ... He took part of the same, that through death he might destroy that having the power of death, that is, the diabolos, or elements of corruption in our nature inciting it to transgression, and therefore called "Sin working death in us." -Eureka 1:106

Jesus is to be considered in two states ... In the former state, the flesh was the "filthy garments" with which the SPIRIT-WORD was clothed (Zech. 3:2); the "iniquity of us all" that was laid upon him (Isa. 53:6). But as he now is, the filthy garments have been taken away, "his iniquity has passed from him," and he is clothed with change of raiment. - Eureka 1:108

We note that, to bro. Thomas (and it is the Truth), the "iniquity of us all" that was laid upon him was the flesh of sin itself, the "filthy garments." This iniquity was laid on him - not merely "ritually" in shadow and type, but ACTUALLY in his being made ONE OF US, sharing our unclean, sin-in-the-flesh nature (with or without the hyphens, the TRUTH is the same). He was "made sin" that in himself he might destroy sin. This was his victory: rob him not of it.

Joshua, son of Josedec, a type of Jesus in the flesh, is first introduced as clothed with filthy garments, representative of the flesh with its propensities, and lusts. But when the type is changed to represent Jesus in Holy Spirit Nature, such as he acquired after resurrection, Joshua's raiment is represented as being changed. "Take away," says the Spirit, "the filthy garments from him." When this was done, then the Spirit addresses him and says, "I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment."- Eureka 1:169

"Filthy garments" and "iniquity" was the diabolos -

Sin's Flesh which he bore.

Aaron wore the representations upon his person; Jesus bore them in himself. The gold represents the wisdom of a tried and precious faith; blue, a cleansing principle; purple, the element of the flesh; scarlet, the sin thereof; and fine twined linen, righteousness. These principles were embodied in Jesus, as "holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners" as to character; yet the "likeness of sin's flesh in whom sin was condemned" when crucified, as to nature. -Eureka 1:171

If the principle of corruption had not pervaded the flesh of Jesus, or if he were not flesh, he could not have been tried in all points as we; nor could sin have been condemned there; nor could he have "borne our sins IN his own body on the tree." - Eureka 1:203

Here again, we note that the "principle of corruption" had to be in Christ's flesh in order for him to "bear our sins IN HIS OWN BODY." He did not bear them merely "ritually" - he bore them in being of the sin-cursed nature and in bearing sin-in-the- flesh. And he bore them AWAY in perfectly overcoming and defeating it, putting it to death, nailing it in condemnation to the cross.

The Spirit clothed Himself with weakness and corruption - in other words, "Sin's flesh's identity" - that He might destroy the "DIABOLOS." It is manifest from this the Diabolos: must be of the same nature as that which the Spirit assumed; for the supposition that He assumed human nature to destroy a being of angelic nature, or of some other more powerful, is palpably absurd. The Diabolos is something, then, pertaining to flesh and blood, and the Spirit or Logos became flesh and blood to destroy it. -Eureka 1:246

"SIN" is a word in Paul's argument (in Rom. 7) which stands for human nature, with its affections and desires. Hence, to "become sin," or for one to be "made sin" for others (2 Cor. 5:21) is to become flesh and blood. This is called "sin" or "Sin's Flesh," because it is what it is in consequence of sin, or transgression. -Eureka 1:247

This perishing body is "sin"; and left to perish because of "sin". "Sin," in its application to the body, stands for all its constituents and laws. The power of death is in its very constitution, so that the law of its nature is styled the "law of Sin and Death." In the combination of the elements of the law, the power of death resides, so that "to destroy that having the power of death" is to abolish this physical law of sin and death, and instead thereof, to substitute the physical "law of the spirit of life," by which the same body would be changed in its constitution, and live forever. -Eureka 1:248

What is that which hath the power of death? It is the "exceedingly great sinner SIN," in the sense of the "Law of Sin and Death" within all the posterity of Adam, without exception. This, then, is Paul's Diabolos, which he says "has the power of death"; which "power" he also saith is "sin, the sting of death."

But why doth Paul style Sin, Diabolos? The answer will be found in the definition of the word. Diabolos is derived from diaballo which is compounded of dia, a preposition which signifies "across, over"; and of ballo, "to throw, cast," and intransitively, "to fall, tumble." Hence diaballo is "to throw over or across"; and intransitively, "to pass over, to cross, to pass." This being the signification of the parent verb, the noun diabolos is the name of that which "crosses, or causes to cross, or falls over." DIABOLOS is therefore a very fit and proper word by which to designate the law of sin and death, or Sin's Flesh. -Eureka 1:249

Isaiah (6:5) saw the King of whom the Spirit afterwards said "Take away the filthy garments from him" - the filthy garments of flesh, styled his "iniquity" (Zech. 3:4). -Eureka 11:19

As the Dead One, anointed with spices and bound with grave clothes, he (Jesus) was Sin's Flesh crucified, slain and buried; in which by the slaying, sin had been condemned, and by the burial, put out of sight. -Eureka 11:124

Jesus being set forth by the Deity a propitiatory for the remission of sins that are passed through faith in his blood (Rom. 3:25) exhibits him in relation to the believer as an Altar. The Word made flesh was at once the victim, the altar, and the priest. The Eternal Spirit-Word was the High Priestly Offerer of His Own Flesh, whose character was without spot - "holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners," "who knew no sin" - yet whose nature was in all points like ours: Sin's Flesh" in which dwells no good thing (Heb. 9:14, 7:26; 2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 83; 7:18; Heb. 2:14-17).

The flesh made by the Spirit out of Mary's substance, and rightly claimed therefore (Psa. 16:8; Acts 2:31) as His flesh, is the Spirit's Anointed Altar, cleansed by the blood of that flesh when poured out unto death "on the tree." THIS FLESH WAS THE VICTIM OFFERED - THE SACRIFICE. Suspended on the tree by the voluntary offering of the Spirit-Word (Jn. 10:18), sin was condemned in the flesh when the soul-blood thereof was poured out unto death. The Spirit-Word made his soul thus an offering for sin (Isa. 53:10), and BY IT sanctified the Altar Body on the tree. -Eureka 11:224

Jesus was a man in the flesh common to all mankind, which is Sin's Flesh (Rom. 8:3) ... If Jesus was not crucified in THE flesh common to us all, then "sin was" NOT "condemned in the flesh," as all the apostles taught. -Eureka 11:624

Sin was condemned IN the same flesh that had transgressed in Paradise, so that IN the crucified body he bore the sins of his people upon the tree. - Eureka 11:669

He bore his people's sins IN HIS BODY, not typically but actually in being of the same Sin's Flesh as they, and in the act of conquering and destroying it.

The subject of such a nature, however excellent a character he may be, or may have been, is materially defiled, or unclean. Therefore nothing born of a woman is clean, even though it have been begotten in her substance by the power of the Spirit (Job 14:4). Now, this is a principle of the knowledge revealed to us, and is of universal application. It obtains in relation to Jesus himself. Paul says (Gal. 4:4) the Son of the Deity sent forth "was made of a woman, made under the Law." The body so made and born was therefore unclean materially and Mosaically. -Eureka III:586

The thigh and garment (of the Faithful and True One: Rev. 19:11-16) had been filthy; but their filthiness had been purged, or caused to pass away so thoroughly, that the garment was as raiment changed. The filthy garment was the Human Nature, which the Word of the Deity was clothed with in his flesh manifestation. -Eureka 111:648

The flesh in or through which the Deity was manifested was - for the brief space of 33 years, inferior to the angelic nature. It had been "purified" by the sprinkling of its own blood on the cross. -Catechesis, 12

When was the Jesus-Altar purified, the Jesus- Mercyseat sprinkled with sacrificial blood, and the Jesus-Holy of Holies lustrated (another word for "purified")? After the veil of his flesh was rent, and before he awoke at the early dawn of the third day. -Catechesis, page 14

Sinful flesh was laid upon him, "that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil," or sin in the flesh (Heb. 2:14). -Elpis Israel, page 99

The word "sin" is used in two principal acceptations in the Scripture. It signifies in the first place "the transgression of law"; and in the next it represents that physical principle of the animal nature which is the cause of all its diseases, death, and resolution into dust. It is that in the flesh "which has the power of death," and it is called "sin" because the development or fixation of this evil in the flesh was the result of transgression. Inasmuch as this evil principle pervades every part of the flesh, the animal nature is styled "sinful flesh," that is, flesh full of sin, so that "sin," in the sacred style, came to stand for the substance called "man." -Elpis Israel, page 126

"Sin" is a synonym for human nature. Hence the flesh is invariably regarded as unclean ... This view of sin in the flesh is enlightening in the things concerning Jesus. The apostle says "God made him to be sin for us"... And this he explains by saying in another place that "He sent His Own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. - SIN COULD NOT HAVE BEEN CONDEMNED IN THE BODY OF JESUS - IF IT HAD NOT EXISTED THERE. -Elpis Israel, page 127

Sinful flesh being the hereditary nature of the Lord Jesus, he was a fit and proper sacrifice for sin. -Elpis Israel, page 128

Sin was condemned "ritually" and "ceremonially" IN Christ's flesh - not in the sense that it and its condemnation THERE were not realities - but that in being ACTUALLY condemned and destroyed there, it was condemned and (prospectively) destroyed in all his people, and for all time. Sin's condemnation in Christ's "flesh of sin" was not just another type or shadow: it was the climactic once-for-all REALITY which all the types and shadows represented, and without which they were meaningless.

As soon as we say there was no "sin" in Christ's flesh, and/or that the sin in Christ's flesh did not need condemnation and cleansing away, we immediately make him a substitute instead of a representative, a shadow instead of a substance. The essence of the whole transaction is the REALITY of the sin there, and the REALITY of its destruction. Christ DID what all the sacrifices before him merely shadowed. He really and actually destroyed Sin - the Diabolos - and it had to BE THERE in order to be destroyed. It was not just a figure of speech, a type, a shadow, like all the preceding sacrifices.

This was his great victory. He did not just suffer. Lots of people suffer. He OVERCAME. He perfectly, flawlessly conquered, defeated, destroyed the Diabolos within himself: held it bound and powerless all his life, and nailed it in triumph to the cross. The death was the culmination and termination of the struggle and the victory, the perfecting of the essential life-long sacrifice and offering for all sin- stricken mankind, including himself. This is the very heart and power of the Truth of the Gospel of Salvation.

Many - mistakenly fearful of "defiling" and dishonoring Christ - make him just another shadow, destroy his struggle, and rob him of his victory, thrusting him back into the Mosaic rituals and ceremonies. They see a noble "sacrifice" in the shallow sense of the term, a heroic manifestation of selfless love, but they do not see the reality of the Diabolos - Sin-in-the-flesh - put to death within him.

Truly our sins were "laid on him" and he "bore them away." But HOW? Not in mere symbolic ritual, but in the reality of being part of the condemned race, of Sin's Flesh - contending lifelong with that same Diabolos within that slays his brethren. He was made ONE WITH US, in our sin-nature. He THUS "bore our sins IN HIS OWN BODY," that he might, for all (including himself) overcome sin, destroy it bear it away-that we in turn may in the deep wisdom and righteousness and loving mercy of God, be accounted ONE WITH HIM in his victory.

That which Christ actually ACCOMPLISHED in the perfection of the obedience of his life and death, is that which is SYMBOLIZED by animal sacrifices. He is the reality. That which is called "sacrifice" is simply the shadow representing that life and death - a shadow which has no meaning apart from the reality of what he accomplished.

The whole divine purpose of salvation from death - including Christ's own salvation as one of the condemned Adamic race - depended on someone doing just what he did ... overcoming the diabolos and putting it to death: nailing it up in public condemnation before all men to manifest and vindicate God's holiness and Sin's deadliness.

He did not just offer one more "sacrifice." Rather, he was IN HIMSELF everything that "sacrifice" means and teaches and (in shadow) "accomplishes," or, put more clearly, that which the sacrifices represented as being accomplished and needing to be accomplished.

All our conception and understanding of the meaning of "sacrifice" must be derived from WORKING BACKWARDS from his accomplished reality to the shadow. Apart from him and his work and his victory, sacrifice would have had no meaning or purpose, and would never have been instituted at all. -G.V.G.