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NASB | Hebrews 4:15 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. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are, yet without [committing any] sin. |
Bible Question:
If Jesus is God, and God cannot be tempted, how could Jesus really be tempted? I think I have an answer, but I would like to hear from others. Ref. Mt. 4.1; Heb. 4.15; Jms. 1.13 |
Bible Answer: Temptation, despite our modern usage of the term, does not necessarily originate from our own sinfulness. We see that Jesus, for example, was tempted in the wilderness by Satan, as we see in Matthew 4:1. Who was the tempter? Satan. Was Jesus tempted? The rest of chapter 4 is pretty clear on that. Did Jesus sin? By no means! Therefore, the temptation of Matthew 4 has absolutely nothing to do with any moral imperfection that lay within Jesus during the incarnation. Now in James 1, the apostle is obviously referring to those who are not only tempted, but those who SUCCUMB to temptation (as we see in v. 14). For possessors of a sin nature such as we are, we can be tempted by our lusts, as well as by external tempters, or a combination of the two. What James DOES write is that God cannot be tempted (i.e. convinced/coerced into sin), and God is not the one who will tempt (i.e. convince/coerce others to sin). Now he may ALLOW us to be tempted, but but he is not the author of temptation to sin. We see this understanding of temptation also in the Lord's Prayer (or "model prayer," if you prefer). Jesus instructs that we should pray to not be led into temptation, in Matthew 6:13. Now it would be nonsense for someone to pray to the Father not to lead them into actual sin. Therefore, "temptation" here must mean something else. The Spirit (i.e. God) led Jesus into his temptation in the wilderness, but The Spirit did not lead him into sin. Therefore, the author of Hebrews tells us that Jesus our High Priest has been tempted, it refers to his exposure to avenues in which humans could sin in word, thought, or deed. However, as the rest of the verse says, he was "without sin" totally and completely in the face of such enticements. Make sense? --Joe! |