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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | is it possible for Jesus to have sinned? | Heb 4:15 | arlene11157 | 221183 | ||
is it possible for Jesus to have sinned? | ||||||
2 | is it possible for Jesus to have sinned? | Heb 4:15 | BradK | 221184 | ||
Hello Arlene, You ask a great question. This touches upon what is referred to as "impeccability". Heb 4:15 tells us- "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." (NASB) I would hold that it was not possible for Christ to have sinned! He was 'tempted', but without sin. As the Moody Handbook of Theology notes, "Those who hold to impeccability suggest Christ’s temptation by Satan was genuine, but it was impossible for Christ to sin. Several introductory observations should be noted. Observations: The purpose of the temptation was not to see if Christ could sin, but to show that He could not sin. The temptation came at a critical time: the beginning of Christ’s public ministry. The temptation was designed to show the nation what a unique Savior she had: the impeccable Son of God. It is also noteworthy that it was not Satan who initiated the temptation but the Holy Spirit (Matt. 4:1). If Christ could have sinned, then the Holy Spirit solicited Christ to sin, but that is something God does not do (James 1:13). Christ’s peccability could relate only to His human nature; His divine nature was impeccable. Although Christ had two natures, He was nonetheless one Person and could not divorce Himself of His deity. Wherever He went, the divine nature was present. If the two natures could be separated then it could be said that He could sin in His humanity, but because the human and divine natures cannot be separated from the Person of Christ, and since the divine nature cannot sin, it must be affirmed that Christ could not have sinned. Evidence. The evidence for the impeccability of Christ is set forth by William Shedd and others in the following way. (1) The immutability of Christ (Heb. 13:8). Christ is unchangeable and therefore could not sin. If Christ could have sinned while on earth, then He could sin now because of His immutability. If He could have sinned on earth, what assurance is there that He will not sin now? (2) The omnipotence of Christ (Matt. 28:18). Christ was omnipotent and therefore could not sin. Weakness is implied where sin is possible, yet there was no weakness of any kind in Christ. How could He be omnipotent and still be able to sin? (3) The omniscience of Christ (John 2:25). Christ was omniscient and therefore could not sin. Sin depends on ignorance in order that the sinner may be deceived, but Christ could not be deceived because He knows all things, including the hypothetical (Matt. 11:21). If Christ could have sinned then He really did not know what would happen if He would sin. (4) The deity of Christ. Christ is not only man but also God. If He were only a man then He could have sinned, but God cannot sin and in a union of the two natures, the human nature submits to the divine nature (otherwise the finite is stronger than the infinite). United in the one Person of Christ are the two natures, humanity and deity; because Christ is also deity He could not sin. (5) The nature of temptation (James 1:14–15). The temptation that came to Christ was from without. However, for sin to take place, there must be an inner response to the outward temptation. Since Jesus did not possess a sin nature, there was nothing within Him to respond to the temptation. People sin because there is an inner response to the outer temptation. (6) The will of Christ. In moral decisions, Christ could have only one will: to do the will of His Father; in moral decisions the human will was subservient to the divine will. If Christ could have sinned then His human will would have been stronger than the divine will. (7) The authority of Christ (John 10:18). In His deity, Christ had complete authority over His humanity. For example, no one could take the life of Christ except He would lay it down willingly (John 10:18). If Christ had authority over life and death, He certainly had authority over sin; if He could withhold death at will, He could also withhold sin at will." [Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology] I hope this helps, BradK |
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3 | is it possible for Jesus to have sinned? | Heb 4:15 | CDBJ | 221186 | ||
Hi Brad, Great post! I’ve done some thinking on this subject with the following in mind from the Latin, “Not able to sin and able not to sin”. I think the zinger spells it out in the book of James. James 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. The word enticed, in the English, is from the Koine Greek word, DELEAZOMENOS, meaning to entice, as with a lure used in fishing. Our lust patters come to us from the old sin nature residing within our flesh or bodies. Since Jesus Christ didn’t have an old sin nature, due to the fact that He was not born from the seed of Adam, I classify the temptation in the wilderness as a “satanic fishing party” because Christ didn’t have any lust patterns therefore He didn’t fall for the bait. Matthew 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. Satan threw everything he had at Christ and the lures didn’t work: Namely, the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. Jesus used the offensive weapon, the sword of the Spirit, i.e. the Word of God to defeat the attacks, which shows us that we can do the same thing with the knowledge of Bible doctrine residing in our soul, combined with the filling of the Spirit. 1 Cor. 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape,------ that ye may be able to bear it. The function of the shield of faith and the Sward of the Spirit. My spin on it, CDBJ |
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4 | is it possible for Jesus to have sinned? | Heb 4:15 | BradK | 221190 | ||
Hello CDBJ, Good points- and I agree! To add some more fuel to this discussion, Joseph Saul in Bibliotheca Sacra observes: "Could Jesus Christ sin? Was it possible that He could have succumbed to the temptations He faced in the world and at the instigation of Satan? All evangelical scholars affirm that Christ did not sin. But the question is whether He could have sinned. The problem centers on the question of Christ’s susceptibility to sin. Theologically, the question is whether the Savior is posse non peccare (able not to sin) or non posse peccare (not able to sin). In other words, is it only that the Lord Jesus was able to overcome sin and temptation or rather that He could not be overcome by them? Peccability refers to Christ’s being liable to or prone to sin, and impeccability speaks of His not being liable to sin and being incapable of sinning." As to why this is significant, he notes, "First, since the Lord Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8), whatever attributes were true of Him during His earthly existence also must be true in His preincarnate state, as well as in His present state of glory. Second, the virgin birth, the Incarnation, and the hypostatic union, are all influenced by one’s understanding of the question concerning the impeccablity of Jesus Christ. Christ, the God-Man, had a divine nature and human nature that were inseparably linked without confusion. This union demonstrated the humanity of the God-Man prepared by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35; Heb. 10:5). If Christ could sin, then deity was capable of sinning. Third, this doctrine has ramifications for angelology. The Scriptures affirm the existence of a personal being known as Satan, who is the primary instigator and sole originator of evil within the universe. Yet, if the Lord Jesus Christ is not impeccable, one can begin to question the temptation accounts of the Lord in the wilderness. If it is possible that He could sin or be overcome by temptation, what assurance does one have that these temptations were not just self-induced lustful thoughts within His human intellect and were not attacks by Satan? Fourth, the question of the impeccability of Jesus Christ also has implications for biblical inerrancy and integrity. Without a doubt, at times within His earthly life, the Lord Jesus spoke from within the limits of His unfallen humanity. For example, He declared His thirst (John 19:28) or His lack of information on the exact time of His return (Matt. 24:36). If it is possible that the Lord Jesus Christ could succumb to or be deceived by sin, then one must also conclude that it is possible for Him to have given inaccurate information about eternal things when He was growing in wisdom and stature and favor with God and man (Luke 2:52)." Blessings, BradK |
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