Romans 8:3 says Jesus was made in the likeness (homoíōma) of sinful flesh. What he didn't say is that Jesus was made sinful flesh. Huge difference.
Theological Dictionary of the New Testament
homoíōma. This rare word means “what is similar,” “copy,” with a stress on the aspect of “similarity.” In the LXX it also takes on the sense of “form” (Dt. 4:12). This is the meaning in Rev. 9:7.
1. In Rom. 1:23 cultic “images” are contrasted with the glory of God; they are made in the form of human or animal bodies.
2. In Rom. 6:5 the baptized are in the “likeness” of Christ’s death and resurrection. Much debated is whether Paul’s point is that baptism is just a representation of Christ’s death or whether it is a likeness that contains the original. A first view is that it is a similitude or reproduction of Christ’s death and resurrection. A second view relates the “likeness” to our own death in baptism; we have grown together with a baptismal death that is like Christ’s death, which is the type that is reflected in the death experienced at baptism. A third view is that the word homoíōma denotes the mystical and sacramental death of the baptized with Christ; in Roman Catholic thinking Christ’s death is directly present in the sacrament. A fourth view is that we are sacramentally but not mystically integrated into Christ’s death as it is present in baptism. As concerns the likeness of the resurrection, there is debate as to whether this refers to mystical resurrection with Christ at baptism or to the future resurrection of the baptized. The two main lines of exegesis are a. that the baptized experience a mystical resurrection corresponding to that of Christ, and b. that they share sacramentally in Christ’s own resurrection. It may be noted (1) that since Paul speaks of the likeness rather than the event of Christ’s death and resurrection, he can hardly be referring to a mystical relation to the historical acts, (2) that since he has in view an organic link, he can hardly be saying that our experiences are copies of Christ’s, and (3) that we are thus led to the conclusion that the likeness in question is that of the death and resurrection of Christ, as they are now sacramentally present, to the historical acts, and that by means of this likeness we ourselves are thus closely linked with these saving realities.
3. In Rom. 5:14 Paul says that death holds sway even over those who did not sin like Adam, i.e., who did not copy Adam’s sin.
4. In Rom. 8:3 and Phil. 2:7 Paul uses the word with reference to Christ’s earthly life. In Rom. 8:3 he stresses the reality of Christ’s humanity by saying that he came in the “likeness” of sinful flesh; he entered the nexus of human sin but without becoming subject to the power of sin, as would be implied if Paul had simply said “in sinful flesh.” The homoíōma denotes likeness in appearance but distinction in essence. With the body the intrinsically sinless Christ becomes the representative of sinful humanity in order that by destroying this body God might cancel human sin. The term homoíōma is clearly an attempt to overcome the difficulty of having to say that the Christ in whom human sin is condemned is not himself a sinner. The word may well be an inadequate one, face to face with the mystery of Christ’s person and work, but it is not docetic as some suppose. Christ is not just a heavenly being with an external human form; he is fully and truly human, but not a sinner. The point is similar in Phil. 2:7, where Christ, taking servant form, is born in human “likeness.” The sense here is closer to that of form, but in the background are the two thoughts that he who is the full image of God becomes the image of man, and that the image means likeness rather than full identity, since Christ differs from all others by his consistent obedience (v. 8). Behind the statement lies the message of Jn. 1:14, namely, that God has entered human history. It is not implied that he has ceased to be God; even in his humanity Christ is at the same time a being of another kind. In the fathers Ignatius refers to the resurrection of believers corresponding to Christ’s “likeness” (Trallians 9.2), and an early sacramentary calls the bread the “likeness” of Christ’s body.
Theological Dictionary of the New Testament
homoíōma. This rare word means “what is similar,” “copy,” with a stress on the aspect of “similarity.” In the LXX it also takes on the sense of “form” (Dt. 4:12). This is the meaning in Rev. 9:7.
1. In Rom. 1:23 cultic “images” are contrasted with the glory of God; they are made in the form of human or animal bodies.
2. In Rom. 6:5 the baptized are in the “likeness” of Christ’s death and resurrection. Much debated is whether Paul’s point is that baptism is just a representation of Christ’s death or whether it is a likeness that contains the original. A first view is that it is a similitude or reproduction of Christ’s death and resurrection. A second view relates the “likeness” to our own death in baptism; we have grown together with a baptismal death that is like Christ’s death, which is the type that is reflected in the death experienced at baptism. A third view is that the word homoíōma denotes the mystical and sacramental death of the baptized with Christ; in Roman Catholic thinking Christ’s death is directly present in the sacrament. A fourth view is that we are sacramentally but not mystically integrated into Christ’s death as it is present in baptism. As concerns the likeness of the resurrection, there is debate as to whether this refers to mystical resurrection with Christ at baptism or to the future resurrection of the baptized. The two main lines of exegesis are a. that the baptized experience a mystical resurrection corresponding to that of Christ, and b. that they share sacramentally in Christ’s own resurrection. It may be noted (1) that since Paul speaks of the likeness rather than the event of Christ’s death and resurrection, he can hardly be referring to a mystical relation to the historical acts, (2) that since he has in view an organic link, he can hardly be saying that our experiences are copies of Christ’s, and (3) that we are thus led to the conclusion that the likeness in question is that of the death and resurrection of Christ, as they are now sacramentally present, to the historical acts, and that by means of this likeness we ourselves are thus closely linked with these saving realities.
3. In Rom. 5:14 Paul says that death holds sway even over those who did not sin like Adam, i.e., who did not copy Adam’s sin.
4. In Rom. 8:3 and Phil. 2:7 Paul uses the word with reference to Christ’s earthly life. In Rom. 8:3 he stresses the reality of Christ’s humanity by saying that he came in the “likeness” of sinful flesh; he entered the nexus of human sin but without becoming subject to the power of sin, as would be implied if Paul had simply said “in sinful flesh.” The homoíōma denotes likeness in appearance but distinction in essence. With the body the intrinsically sinless Christ becomes the representative of sinful humanity in order that by destroying this body God might cancel human sin. The term homoíōma is clearly an attempt to overcome the difficulty of having to say that the Christ in whom human sin is condemned is not himself a sinner. The word may well be an inadequate one, face to face with the mystery of Christ’s person and work, but it is not docetic as some suppose. Christ is not just a heavenly being with an external human form; he is fully and truly human, but not a sinner. The point is similar in Phil. 2:7, where Christ, taking servant form, is born in human “likeness.” The sense here is closer to that of form, but in the background are the two thoughts that he who is the full image of God becomes the image of man, and that the image means likeness rather than full identity, since Christ differs from all others by his consistent obedience (v. 8). Behind the statement lies the message of Jn. 1:14, namely, that God has entered human history. It is not implied that he has ceased to be God; even in his humanity Christ is at the same time a being of another kind. In the fathers Ignatius refers to the resurrection of believers corresponding to Christ’s “likeness” (Trallians 9.2), and an early sacramentary calls the bread the “likeness” of Christ’s body.
