Moreover, we should consider for a moment how important it was to God for us to understand God’s love for His future children by sending the Word to the earth to die! The divine Word’s willingness to come down to the earth, emptying Himself of His inherent glory and might to suffer and die in our place (Philippians 2:5-8, English Standard Version), is the most extraordinary example of sacrifice for the sake of others. Could Jesus be tempted to sin? This brings us to another question about Jesus’ humanity. Was it possible for Jesus to sin? When He was God on the divine plane of existence, it is clear that He could not sin, for the Bible states that “God cannot be tempted by evil” (James 1:13). Again, though, what about Jesus while He was human? The Bible is clear that Jesus did not sin. Paul says that Jesus “knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21). John confirms that “in Him there is no sin” (1 John 3:5). None of His enemies could convict Him of sin (John 3:5). But could He have sinned? Was He able to choose to sin? Hebrews again: “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot
lusts in his heart or actually commits the sins, he has succumbed to the temptation. As James 1:14-15 points out: “A man’s temptation is due to the pull of his own inward desires, which can be enormously attractive. His own desire takes hold of him, and that produces sin” (J.B. Phillips New Testament). Humanly, for Jesus there were fleshly appeals, but He had to recognize the temptation and immediately make a clear choice to reject the fleshly appeal to the human heart. How was He able to resist?
His fasting in the desert for 40 days and nights and being “tempted by the devil” was not merely a pointless exercise. What the devil tempted Jesus with was appealing to any human being, and Jesus was human. sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (4:15). If it wasn’t possible for Jesus to sin, then was His temptation genuine? Perhaps it’s better to say that while He was capable of choosing to sin, it was certain He would not do so—the promises of the Bible hinging on His remaining sinless. We’ll give more attention to why His success was sure a little later. It’s also certain that the struggles and temptations Jesus faced were genuine. His fasting in the desert for 40 days and nights and being “tempted by the devil” (Matthew 4:1) was not merely a pointless exercise. What the devil tempted Jesus with was appealing to any human being, and Jesus was human. But just because something appeals to a person doesn’t mean that the person has sinned. Yet if there were no appeal, there could be no temptation. When a person
Jesus stated that His supernatural, miracle-working power while in the flesh came not from Himself but from His Father (John 5:30; 14:10). The same power was required to consistently withstand temptation throughout His human life. Thus, Jesus resisted sin through relying on help from God the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in Him. We must do the same. The temptation of Christ We earlier read where Jesus was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Undoubtedly, the greatest temptation was when He was about to be tortured and killed. Knowing what He was about to face, He prayed under great duress, as reported: “And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44).
This is the moment referred to in Hebrews 5:7: “. . . Who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear.” For Jesus to really know what it’s like for human beings to struggle against sin, He had to become completely like us: “For in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make a propitiation [or atoning sacrifice] for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted” (Hebrews 2:17). How could He be our example if He wasn’t truly human and tempted as we are? He was tempted in all facets of life, yet He went beyond. If a person yields to temptation, he has not felt its full power but has given in while there would be yet more to resist if he did not give in. Only the one who keeps resisting and successfully prevails against a particular temptation knows the full extent of that temptation. Jesus went the full distance. He “resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin” (Hebrews 12:4). He refused to go against His Father’s will even though it meant His agonizing death! “And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8, ESV). Jesus’ salvation Thankfully, Jesus’ story does not end with His death. He was returned to life— something that, again, required help from on high. The night before His death, Jesus prayed to His Father, “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was” (John 17:5). As a human being who died, if Jesus was going to be restored to eternal life on His former level of divine existence, it would be because His Father would resurrect Him from the dead. When Jesus became flesh, He put His entire future in the hands of the Father. If Jesus had sinned while human, there would be no payment for His sin or for our sin. Neither Jesus nor the rest of us would have the hope of eternal life! Jesus knew it was possible for Him to sin. As we have shown, the temptation on more than one occasion was great. But He also had complete faith in His Father. He March-April 2014
9