The Sinless Human

[NetChaplain]

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The Lord Jesus was fully human physically but not spiritually, that is, He had the nature of our body but not the nature of our soul (the soul being the reasoning entity of our spirit). The nature of a human soul is sinful, but the nature of Christ’s soul was sinless! Thus only Christians have two natures in their soul (old and new man)! This “new man” or new nature in those reborn is something “created in righteousness and true holiness,” and “after the image of Him that created him (it)” (Eph 4:24; Col 3:10). Man was created in God’s “likeness,” but the Son of God was incarnated after the “likeness of sinful flesh” (Rom 8:3 – “He sent His own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have” -NLT).

The word “likeness” here is in the sense of similarity, in appearance only, but not as identically the same. One (Jesus) taking on a body has the appearance of having the sinful nature, but it is common knowledge of course that the Lord Jesus did not partake of the sinful nature (“old man”) of a human. He partook of the nature of a human body (if its “infirmities” - Heb 4:15 - can be considered a nature) but not the nature of a human soul, which is sinful. After all, does not all spirit beings have their own soul, as Jesus has His own Soul.

There may be some who may think that human sin coexisted in Christ with His deity, but this is incorrect! During the crucifixion at His death, the guilt of all believers sin was “laid on Him” (Isa 53:6), but never in Him, i.e. He was made out to be sin, not actually be sin but imputatively; “to be the offering for our sin” (2Co 5:21 NLT). Not to stray too far from the subject matter, there are some (e.g. J MacArthur, R C Sproul, etc.) who believe that Christ was peccable and was capable of sinning, but this conflicts with the fact that “God cannot be tempted with evil” (Jam 1:13). Also, to sin you must have a sin nature!

The best I can say is that He did not need to partake of the nature of man’s soul to “be touched with the feeling of our infirmities”; nor could He, because the sin sacrifice required being “spotless.” Jesus was “tempted of the devil,” but He was not enticed within Himself to do evil, as a man would, He being without a sin nature.

Here (Rom 8:3) the word “flesh” is in relation to the nature of man’s spirit, which is sinful, and not in the sense of the physical body because a thing or object cannot be considered sinful, it being without spirit and soul. Things can be used sinfully but never become sinful! Therefore, the proper interpretation here for “flesh” is in reference to the nature of man’s spirit and not the body of man’s spirit. ‘Sarx’; Strong’s definition IV: “the flesh, denotes mere human nature, the earthly nature of man apart from divine influence, and therefore prone to sin and opposed to God.”

 

[JerryfromMass]

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Not to stray too far from the subject matter, there are some (e.g. J MacArthur, R C Sproul, etc.) who believe that Christ was peccable and was capable of sinning, but this conflicts with the fact that “God cannot be tempted with evil” (Jam 1:13). Also, to sin you must have a sin nature!

I know what you're saying. I also understands that which Sproul and MacArthur refer to in their statements. Though Jesus was tempted by evil but did not sin, could he have? His divine nature was 100% grace and truth, but his 100% flesh nature was that from a woman who did have a 100% sin nature. His divine nature was what kept him from sinning, and we that have only a flesh nature sin because we have a 100% sin nature. Mary had a sin nature, which passed to Jesus through human birth. But for Jesus's divine nature, Jesus was free to give in to fleshly temptation because as 100% fleshly human he was not free from being tempted. To quote Churchill: Jesus as fully God and fully human, "is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma." Blessings.

 

[Bob Carabbio]

I know what you're saying. I also understands that which Sproul and MacArthur refer to in their statements. Though Jesus was tempted by evil but did not sin, could he have? His divine nature was 100% grace and truth, but his 100% flesh nature was that from a woman who did have a 100% sin nature. His divine nature was what kept him from sinning, and we that have only a flesh nature sin because we have a 100% sin nature. Mary had a sin nature, which passed to Jesus through human birth. But for Jesus's divine nature, Jesus was free to give in to fleshly temptation because as 100% fleshly human he was not free from being tempted. To quote Churchill: Jesus as fully God and fully human, "is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma." Blessings.

"Sin Nature" is nothing but "Religious sensationalism". WE ALL (including Adam, and Jesus) have a HUMAN NATURE. and the mechanism of TEMPTATION is detailed in James 1. It all starts with YOUR LUST (desire), and it's "Enticed" by the enemy. THEN we let it "Conceive" and the resulting birth will be sinful action. There's no reason to claim that Jesus COULDN'T sin - if He decided to. The MIRACLE IS that He never did.

 

[JerryfromMass]

"Sin Nature" is nothing but "Religious sensationalism". WE ALL (including Adam, and Jesus) have a HUMAN NATURE. and the mechanism of TEMPTATION is detailed in James 1. It all starts with YOUR LUST (desire), and it's "Enticed" by the enemy. THEN we let it "Conceive" and the resulting birth will be sinful action. There's no reason to claim that Jesus COULDN'T sin - if He decided to. The MIRACLE IS that He never did.

I agree with you in part, but it was no miracle that Jesus did not sin. Jesus was fully God while fully human, and God does not sin. That is the power of God that none of us mere humans have until we surrender to God and receive HIS gift through faith. Only then are we mere humans given the power of God to resist temptation to sin.

 

[NetChaplain]

When Scripture writes that "God saw that it was good" it designs the intention that He foreknew He would use all for good that He created, like the Tree of good and evil, Satan and man, hell and the lake of fire. He knew all would be use for the good of His plan and pleasure. It's also a common mistake in the belief that Adam and Eve did not possess the old man (sin nature) until they partook of the Tree, but this merely manifested that they did have the sin nature prior to the temptation. They expressed possesing "all that is in the world" (1Jo 2:16) in Gen 3:6 prior to partaking of the Tree: "saw that the tree was good for food" (which God said it was in 1:12 but with man it is "lust of the flesh" or great hunger for food or anything we desire in excess relating only to this life), "was pleasant to the eyes" (same thing concerning great desire for all that is appealing to see), "the pride of life" (which Gill comments that "which above all was the most engaging, and was the most prevailing motive to influence her to eat of it, an eager desire of more wisdom and knowledge; though there was nothing she could see in the tree, and the fruit of it, which promised this; only she perceived in her mind, by the discourse she had with the serpent, and by what he had told her, and she believed, that this would be the consequence of eating this fruit, which was very desirable, and she concluded within herself that so it would be."

A human consists of a spirit, body, soul and nature. The only "likeness" that was of Christ's incarnation or humanity was His body and its "infirmities" which He endured from it. His spirit being has always existed, but His body, like ours was incarnated; and His soul and nature could ever only be Divine. Concerning that Christ "was in all points tempted like as we are" (Heb 4:15), I like how Gill's comment addresses this in Heb 2:18:

"For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted",.... "By Satan, at his entrance on his public ministry, and a little before his death; which was done, not by stirring up sin in him, for he had none, nor by putting any into him, which could not be done, nor could Satan get any advantage over him; he solicited him one thing and another, but in vain; though these temptations were very troublesome, and disagreeable, and abhorrent to the pure and holy nature of Christ, and so must be reckoned among his sufferings, or things by which he suffered: and as afflictions are sometimes called temptations, in this sense also Christ suffered, being tempted, with outward poverty and meanness, with slight and neglect from his own relations, and with a general contempt and reproach among men: he was often tempted by the Jews with ensnaring questions; he was deserted by his followers, by his own disciples, yea, by his God and Father; all which were great trials to him, and must be accounted as sufferings: and he also endured great pains of body, and anguish of mind, and at last death itself."

"A body hast Thou prepared Me," so that God could "condemn sin in the flesh (sin in the nature, i.e. not the body which has no sin within itself); for He did not desire "burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin" (Heb 10:6).

 

[JerryfromMass]

When Scripture writes that "God saw that it was good" it designs the intention that He foreknew He would use all for good that He created, like the Tree of good and evil, Satan and man, hell and the lake of fire. He knew all would be use for the good of His plan and pleasure. It's also a common mistake in the belief that Adam and Eve did not possess the old man (sin nature) until they partook of the Tree, but this merely manifested that they did have the sin nature prior to the temptation. They expressed possesing "all that is in the world" (1Jo 2:16) in Gen 3:6 prior to partaking of the Tree: "saw that the tree was good for food" (which God said it was in 1:12 but with man it is "lust of the flesh" or great hunger for food or anything we desire in excess relating only to this life), "was pleasant to the eyes" (same thing concerning great desire for all that is appealing to see), "the pride of life" (which Gill comments that "which above all was the most engaging, and was the most prevailing motive to influence her to eat of it, an eager desire of more wisdom and knowledge; though there was nothing she could see in the tree, and the fruit of it, which promised this; only she perceived in her mind, by the discourse she had with the serpent, and by what he had told her, and she believed, that this would be the consequence of eating this fruit, which was very desirable, and she concluded within herself that so it would be."

A human consists of a spirit, body, soul and nature. The only "likeness" that was of Christ's incarnation or humanity was His body and its "infirmities" which He endured from it. His spirit being has always existed, but His body, like ours was incarnated; and His soul and nature could ever only be Divine. Concerning that Christ "was in all points tempted like as we are" (Heb 4:15), I like how Gill's comment addresses this in Heb 2:18:

"For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted",.... "By Satan, at his entrance on his public ministry, and a little before his death; which was done, not by stirring up sin in him, for he had none, nor by putting any into him, which could not be done, nor could Satan get any advantage over him; he solicited him one thing and another, but in vain; though these temptations were very troublesome, and disagreeable, and abhorrent to the pure and holy nature of Christ, and so must be reckoned among his sufferings, or things by which he suffered: and as afflictions are sometimes called temptations, in this sense also Christ suffered, being tempted, with outward poverty and meanness, with slight and neglect from his own relations, and with a general contempt and reproach among men: he was often tempted by the Jews with ensnaring questions; he was deserted by his followers, by his own disciples, yea, by his God and Father; all which were great trials to him, and must be accounted as sufferings: and he also endured great pains of body, and anguish of mind, and at last death itself."

"A body hast Thou prepared Me," so that God could "condemn sin in the flesh (sin in the nature, i.e. not the body which has no sin within itself); for He did not desire "burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin" (Heb 10:6).

In Genesis 2:16-17, the Lord said to Adam: "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

Adam and Eve had a choice to sin or not to sin because they had free will. Had they not sinned, there would have been no sin nature passed on to their descendants. When they chose to sin, a sin nature and spiritual death manifested in them in such a way so as to pass it along to all that were to follow. Since they were now removed from the garden and denied access to the tree of life, there only hope for salvation was by the grace of God through faith.

 

[NetChaplain]

In Genesis 2:16-17, the Lord said to Adam: "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

Adam and Eve had a choice to sin or not to sin because they had free will.

But we know God knew they would choose to sin, and that it was their choice as you say.

 

[JerryfromMass]

But we know God knew they would choose to sin, and that it was their choice as you say.

Yes, perhaps.

 

[PloughBoy]

GOD did not tell them the day you eat from the tree you will be sinning.

HE SAID; And GOD does not tell lies, men do, For GOD does not LIE!

American Standard Version
but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And from the tree of knowledge of good and of evil you shall not eat from it, because in the day that you will eat from it, you will die the death.”

Dead men don't understand Nothing!

 

[NetChaplain]

GOD did not tell them the day you eat from the tree you will be sinning.

HE SAID; And GOD does not tell lies, men do, For GOD does not LIE!

American Standard Version
but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And from the tree of knowledge of good and of evil you shall not eat from it, because in the day that you will eat from it, you will die the death.”

Dead men don't understand Nothing!

The sin nature showed itself within man prior to committing the sin via Eve's "desire to make one wise," and "be as Gods" (Gen 3:5, 6).

 

[PloughBoy]

The sin nature showed itself within man prior to committing the sin via Eve's "desire to make one wise," and "be as Gods" (Gen 3:5, 6).

Those are your thoughts concerning the sin nature before the Fall in the "Garden of Eden". As for me, i do not trust any man especially when he is trying explain to me what GOD has already made plain. Now if the rest want to drink home made "Cool Aid", many believe "Freedom of The Will". Whats so ever a man wills, so let him drink .

 

[NetChaplain]

Those are your thoughts concerning the sin nature before the Fall in the "Garden of Eden". As for me, i do not trust any man especially when he is trying explain to me what GOD has already made plain. Now if the rest want to drink home made "Cool Aid", many believe "Freedom of The Will". Whats so ever a man wills, so let him drink .

Hi and thanks for your comment! Regardless of what we think, my point is that God knew He would be using evil to manifest and draw people to salvation. Nothing occurs without His foreknowledge and Him allowing it to occur, and all according to His plans.