Did Christ Come In Flesh or Into Our Flesh

Did Christ Come "In the Flesh" or "Into Our Flesh"?

Video Version => https://youtu.be/xixJl_zEdCc

🔵 Central Text

1 John 4:1-3 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is of God: 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus, is not of God: and this is the spirit of the antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it is coming; and now it is in the world already.

What "spirit" is John referring to? The Greek word is "pneûma". The definition from Strong's Concordance is " by analogy or figuratively, a spirit, i.e. (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, demon, or (divine) God, Christ's spirit, the Holy Spirit".

The context here seems to indicate two classes of humans:

Those who speak with "the Spirit of God";
Those who speak with "the spirit of the antichrist".

As we have seen, John is saying that those who believe that Jesus came in the flesh are of the "Spirit of God"(vs. 2) and those who don't are of the "spirit of antichrist"(vs.3). So, this is a serious matter.

Our primary focus will be on the phrase => "come in the flesh".

🔵 Original Language (Greek)

Reason for the grayed "the" => It was added. Translators often add "the" for clarity and to convey the intended meaning in English. The phrase "come in the flesh" is understood to refer to the incarnation of Jesus Christ, emphasizing His real, physical existence. The addition of "the" helps to convey this specific theological concept in a way that is clear to English readers.

Breakdown of the Phrase "come in flesh" From the Greek

ἐν (en): This preposition generally means "in" or "within." It indicates a state of being or existence within a certain context.
σαρκὶ (sarki): This is the dative form of "σάρξ" (sarx), meaning "flesh." The absence of a definite article (such as "the") means it can be understood as "in flesh" or "in a fleshly state" rather than specifically "in the flesh."
ἐλθόντα (elthonta): This is the aorist participle of the verb "ἔρχομαι" (erchomai), meaning "to come" or "to arrive." The aorist tense indicates a completed action, suggesting that the coming has already occurred.

The phrase is often interpreted as a reference to the incarnation of Jesus Christ, emphasizing that He came into the world in a physical human body - a central tenet of Christian theology. It can also imply that Jesus experienced human life in its entirety, including suffering, temptation, and physical existence. This aspect highlights Christ's ability to relate to human experiences.

🔵 Doesn't Everyone Agree that Christ Came in Human Flesh?

I certainly thought so, until I studied further into the matter. The idea that Christ did not come in human flesh is a central tenet of some Gnostic sects, particularly those that emphasized the spiritual nature of Christ and the illusion of his physical existence. This concept is often referred to as "docetism," from the Greek word "δοκεῖν" (dokein), meaning "to seem" or "to appear." This was likely being taught in the time of the Apostle John, which would explain why he said that this type of antichrist "is in the world already." - 1Jn4:3

It is this denial of Christ's coming in human flesh which John referred to as "the spirit of the antichrist". The Greek word " an-tee'-khris-tos ", interpreted to the English word "antichrist " is defined by Strong's Concordance as "an opponent of the Messiah ". See => https://sidnash.org/docs/AntiChrist.html for further study of "the antichrist".

🔵 What is "Into Our Flesh" About?

There are some, even today, who teach that the meaning of "Jesus Christ is come in the flesh" is that "Jesus Christ is come in our flesh". By this, they mean that He is inside of our human flesh. They even say that if we don't confess this, then we are "antichrist ".

Please note, as I said above that there are three Greek words which translate to "come in flesh". By adding an additional word ("our") into the Bible, this changes the meaning of John's words. Here is a list of possible problems =>

The phrase, "come in flesh" => "ἐν σαρκὶ ἐλθόντα" (en sarki elthonta) specifically refers to the incarnation of Jesus Christ, emphasizing that He came into the world in a physical human body. This was a rebuke to those who believe that Christ's body only seemed to appear to be human flesh, but really wasn't(docetism). By adding the word "our" this removes, or at best dilutes, the rebuke to docetism and could lead to misunderstandings about the nature of Christ and the significance of His incarnation.
Good translation practices prioritize fidelity to the original text. Changing "the" to "our" would not only misrepresent the original Greek text but would also deviate from established translation principles that aim to convey the intended meaning of the original authors. Maintaining the original wording is essential for preserving the clarity and accuracy of the message conveyed in 1 John 4:2 .
2 Peter 1:20-21 This passage emphasizes the divine origin of scripture: "Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."
1 Corinthians 4:6 Paul warns against going beyond what is written: "I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another."

Problems with believing in a disembodied(intelligent spirit being without a body) christ literally inside your body.

How many disembodied spirit christs would it take to live inside of all of christ's followers?
If one believes that a disembodied holy spirit being is literally inside of their brain, might it be tempting to think that microscopic "being" will cause everything you think, do, and believe to be according to the will of God? I know someone who thinks that way.
Remember the Bible texts above that speak of believers being in Christ and in His Father? If Christ and His Father are literally inside of you, then, according to those texts, all believers are literally inside of Christ and His Father. To that notion, let me remind you of that quote from one of my favorite authors above, which speaks of "the absurdity of their positions".

🔵 Where Else do we see Christ "In the Flesh"?

1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness; He[Jesus] who was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the spirit, Seen of angels, Preached among the nations, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.

Was Jesus manifested in His own human-flesh OR was He manifested in your flesh?

1 Peter 3:18 Because Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God; being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;

Was Jesus literally put to death in your flesh or His?

1 Peter 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ suffered in the flesh, arm ye yourselves also with the same mind; for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;

Here we saw Peter clearly delineate between Christ's flesh and our flesh, especially if we have the same mind as Christ.
Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
If we continue to assimilate Christ words into our minds, more and more, we will have the mind of Christ and we can say, with Paul, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ(His mind/spirit) living in me(see Col1:27): and that life which I now live in the flesh(my own flesh) I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me(in His own flesh. See 1Pet3:18)."(Gal2:20)
John 1:14 ... the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us...
- Notice "the Word"(Christ) "dwelt among us", rather than in our flesh.

Now, it seems obvious to me that Christ came in His own flesh, not ours. However, we can have Jesus, living His life through us, by assimilating His words, which come from His mind - His teachings into our own being - into our minds, for "It is the spirit that giveth life", according to Jesus, in Jn6:63. And, in the same verse, He also says, "the words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and are life" (eternal).

Ellen White's comments on this => https://sidnash.org/docs/ChristInUs-OurFlesh.pdf

More about "Christ in us" and related topics => https://sidnash.org/docs/ChristInUs.html

More about antichrist => https://sidnash.org/docs/AntiChrist.html

Desiring to live by every word that comes from the mouth of Jehovah ( Deut8:3; Matt4:4 )

-Sid Nash: 07/19/2025. Latest version: https://sidnash.org/docs/IntoOurFlesh.html