which he offered up on the cross (cf. 2:14; 5:7 [Koester 444; Lane 2:284]). The word does not carry a neg. connotation here. There are three options for understanding τοῦτʼ ἔστιν τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ, of which the second and possibly the third are preferred. 1. The clause modifies ὁδὸν πρόσφατον καὶ ζῶσαν; e.g., “the way of his flesh” (NEB, REB; see discussion in Lane 2:275 n. j). Although possible, this is not a natural reading of the Gk. (cf. Bruce 251; cf. Attridge 286; Cockerill 469; Koester 443).