CHRIST WAS ABSOLUTELY UNIQUE
Jesus of Nazareth was the only Man who was born into this world as a totally unique person. He was fully and perfectly God (denied by the heretics and cultists) and at the same time He was fully and perfectly human (denied by heretics also), yet without the sin nature inherited from Adam. This is clearly brought out in many passages of Scripture. This one should suffice: For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens (Hebrews 7:26)
Thus we have the following Scriptures: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:... For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him... And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin... How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?... But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:(1 Peter 2:22; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 3:5; Hebrews 9:14; 1 Peter 1:19 )
CHRIST WAS THE PASSOVER LAMB WITHOUT SPOT
If Jesus could have sinned in even the slightest degree, He would have been disqualified from becoming the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world (John 1:29). When Christ was on that cross on the 14th day of Nisan in the year 30 AD, He was fulfilling the Feast of Passover and the role of the Passover lamb. That lamb was supposed to be without spot or blemish, which spoke of the sinlessness of Christ. So Christ was perfectly sinless throughout His life on earth, and no man could rightly accuse Him of being a sinner.
WHAT MADE CHRIST ABSOLUTELY UNIQUE?
Why was Christ “separate from sinners” even while He mingled with sinners daily? Because of His unique conception and His virgin birth. He did not inherit the taint of the sin nature which is derived from Adam, because He had no human father. And no one needs to speculate on the nature of His miraculous conception. It is enough to believe what is revealed in Scripture: And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS... Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:30,31,34,35)
THE TEMPTATIONS OF CHRIST MEANT NOTHING
In view of this how should we understand the temptations of Christ? Well first of all temptations are all external, but how we respond to temptations is internal. Ordinary Christian can and do resist temptations daily. But they can also yield to temptations because of “the flesh” (the indwelling old Adamic sin nature). Since Jesus did not have this corrupt nature (even though some seriously but mistakenly believe this) there was nothing within Christ to yield to any temptations. Thus we have this Scripture: For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)
SATAN DOES NOT KNOW EVERYTHING
Of course, since Satan is not omniscient, he would not have known this. He sincerely believed that he could tempt the Son of God. But as we know, all his efforts proved useless. And finally Christ simply dismissed him. Could Jesus have immediately cast the devil into the Lake of Fire at that point (had He chosen to do so)? Absolutely. But God had a plan to use Satan for the plot against Christ (and for other future evil deeds) therefore Christ merely dismissed him.
CHRIST IS ALSO GOD WHO CANNOT BE TEMPTED
We must always keep in mind that even while Christ was fully sinless Man He was fully God. And God cannot be tempted with sin: Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:.. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth... Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.(James 1:13;John 1:14; John 14:10)
WHAT THEN DOES “IN THE LIKENESS OF SINFUL FLESH” MEAN?
The Bible says: For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: (Romans 8:3)
This verse appears to suggest that Jesus was also a sinner, and had the sin nature. But it cannot mean that since it would contradict other Scriptures. Therefore what it means is this: Christ appeared as an ordinary human being, and since all human are sinners, some assumed that He was a sinner also. But “likeness” simply means appearance, not reality. Furthermore, Christ was literally made SIN for us on the cross and that is primarily what this verse in saying.
THE TEMPTATIONS OF CHRIST CAUSED SUFFERING
We read in Hebrews 2:18 & Hebrews 5:8,9: For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted... Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
Since God is absolutely holy and righteous, and Christ is God, it would follow that any temptations presented to Him would in some way cause sufferings, because they were abhorrent to Him. We may not fully understand this, neither can we fully understand what it means when it says He learned obedience through suffering. It may imply that as the Son of God who was totally obedient to the Father, He allowed temptations and suffering to assault Him, even though He could have stopped them.
CHRIST’S ENEMIES COULD NOT PROVE THAT HE SINNED
Christ’s enemies did indeed falsely accuse Him of being a sinner in many different ways, since He did not fit into their idea of the Messiah. They figured that if they could accuse Him of being a sinner, they could get away with their own sins. But Jesus met their accusations head on: Which of you convinceth [convicts] me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?... Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. (John 8:46, 49)
Which means that those who claim that Jesus was in some way capable of sin, not only dishonor Him, but make Him a liar.
Jesus of Nazareth was the only Man who was born into this world as a totally unique person. He was fully and perfectly God (denied by the heretics and cultists) and at the same time He was fully and perfectly human (denied by heretics also), yet without the sin nature inherited from Adam. This is clearly brought out in many passages of Scripture. This one should suffice: For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens (Hebrews 7:26)
Thus we have the following Scriptures: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:... For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him... And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin... How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?... But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:(1 Peter 2:22; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 3:5; Hebrews 9:14; 1 Peter 1:19 )
CHRIST WAS THE PASSOVER LAMB WITHOUT SPOT
If Jesus could have sinned in even the slightest degree, He would have been disqualified from becoming the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world (John 1:29). When Christ was on that cross on the 14th day of Nisan in the year 30 AD, He was fulfilling the Feast of Passover and the role of the Passover lamb. That lamb was supposed to be without spot or blemish, which spoke of the sinlessness of Christ. So Christ was perfectly sinless throughout His life on earth, and no man could rightly accuse Him of being a sinner.
WHAT MADE CHRIST ABSOLUTELY UNIQUE?
Why was Christ “separate from sinners” even while He mingled with sinners daily? Because of His unique conception and His virgin birth. He did not inherit the taint of the sin nature which is derived from Adam, because He had no human father. And no one needs to speculate on the nature of His miraculous conception. It is enough to believe what is revealed in Scripture: And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS... Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:30,31,34,35)
THE TEMPTATIONS OF CHRIST MEANT NOTHING
In view of this how should we understand the temptations of Christ? Well first of all temptations are all external, but how we respond to temptations is internal. Ordinary Christian can and do resist temptations daily. But they can also yield to temptations because of “the flesh” (the indwelling old Adamic sin nature). Since Jesus did not have this corrupt nature (even though some seriously but mistakenly believe this) there was nothing within Christ to yield to any temptations. Thus we have this Scripture: For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)
SATAN DOES NOT KNOW EVERYTHING
Of course, since Satan is not omniscient, he would not have known this. He sincerely believed that he could tempt the Son of God. But as we know, all his efforts proved useless. And finally Christ simply dismissed him. Could Jesus have immediately cast the devil into the Lake of Fire at that point (had He chosen to do so)? Absolutely. But God had a plan to use Satan for the plot against Christ (and for other future evil deeds) therefore Christ merely dismissed him.
CHRIST IS ALSO GOD WHO CANNOT BE TEMPTED
We must always keep in mind that even while Christ was fully sinless Man He was fully God. And God cannot be tempted with sin: Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:.. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth... Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.(James 1:13;John 1:14; John 14:10)
WHAT THEN DOES “IN THE LIKENESS OF SINFUL FLESH” MEAN?
The Bible says: For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: (Romans 8:3)
This verse appears to suggest that Jesus was also a sinner, and had the sin nature. But it cannot mean that since it would contradict other Scriptures. Therefore what it means is this: Christ appeared as an ordinary human being, and since all human are sinners, some assumed that He was a sinner also. But “likeness” simply means appearance, not reality. Furthermore, Christ was literally made SIN for us on the cross and that is primarily what this verse in saying.
THE TEMPTATIONS OF CHRIST CAUSED SUFFERING
We read in Hebrews 2:18 & Hebrews 5:8,9: For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted... Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
Since God is absolutely holy and righteous, and Christ is God, it would follow that any temptations presented to Him would in some way cause sufferings, because they were abhorrent to Him. We may not fully understand this, neither can we fully understand what it means when it says He learned obedience through suffering. It may imply that as the Son of God who was totally obedient to the Father, He allowed temptations and suffering to assault Him, even though He could have stopped them.
CHRIST’S ENEMIES COULD NOT PROVE THAT HE SINNED
Christ’s enemies did indeed falsely accuse Him of being a sinner in many different ways, since He did not fit into their idea of the Messiah. They figured that if they could accuse Him of being a sinner, they could get away with their own sins. But Jesus met their accusations head on: Which of you convinceth [convicts] me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?... Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. (John 8:46, 49)
Which means that those who claim that Jesus was in some way capable of sin, not only dishonor Him, but make Him a liar.
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