The Golden Chain - Robert J. Wieland

We must distinguish between Christ's nature of
equipment, and what He did with it, namely, His
performance. Our performance is that of sin; His
performance was perfect righteousness. If Christ
lived a holy life in holy flesh in a holy nature
unlike ours, He would not be "Immanuel, God with
us." The glory of the "message of Christ's
righteousness" is that His amazing performance
was with our equipment, even our fallen human
nature. Christ was "in all things ... made like unto
His brethren," sent "in the likeness of sinful flesh,"
"in all points tempted like as we are, yet without
sin." "Holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from
sinners" means "without sin," yet tempted as we
are, not merely as the sinless Adam was tempted.
Thus Christ is "that Holy One." The angel was
glorying in Christ's performance, not His
equipment, for He was to be "born of thee," "made
of a woman, made under the law" (cf. Luke 1:35,
Galatians 4:4, KJV). His holiness was sublime and
glorious, for it was perfected in fallen human flesh,
the result of conflict with temptation, yes, even
"unto blood," "even the death of the cross"
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