DID JESUS HAVE A SIN NATURE?

Sin will take you deeper into the pit than you ever want to go and it will keep you longer than you ever want to stay. God’s love is our only freedom from sin and His love is only found through a relationship with Jesus Christ.~ ~Janet Boynes

Subtle Sins
But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
James 1:22

Ever tried cleaning up a room that was totally trashed? By the time the dresser drawers won't shut and the bed disguises an unseen colony of clothes and clutter -- when the last shoe has finally dropped and you've been surrounded by the law of gravity -- it's time to do the big stuff first. The glaring things. The obvious things. Like making your bed. Folding up your sweaters. Returning all the plates, forks, and glasses to the kitchen.

But underneath the chief culprits lies a second layer of vandals. Dust. Corners. Baseboards. Pockets of disarray you didn't notice before, but now -- with all the major problems taken care of -- they cry out for correction. On and on it goes. The light exposes another. You fix, tinker, and straighten. You want to be clean.

As a growing Christian, you need to stay constantly open to the white glove of God's Word -- not to keep you endlessly frustrated with your faults, but to keep unseen sins from becoming an all-day mess. What's under the rug can be more of a problem than you think.

Look-Up Verse
James 1:19-25

Presumptous Sin

The Imputation of Sin by Charles Spurgeon

WAS JESUS BORN IN SIN?

No!

Luke 1:35 says “that the child will be called holy, the Son of God.”

If he had been born in sin he could not have been called holy. If He had not been holy He could not have been the Son of God.

Jesus was called the second or the last Adam for a very important reason. He was spiritually alive, and like the first Adam, Jesus was perfect. 1 Corinthians 15:22 , 45-49 .  Jesus Christ repaired the sin damage imputed to the human race by the first Adam.  Sin and Satan will be eliminated when Christ comes back as reigning King.

Human nature isn’t our problem. Our problem is worse than human nature. We are dead in sin.  Humans were created perfect and sinless until Adam and Eve disobeyed the one and only commandment they had been given. This is why it is impossible for humans to be accepted and united with God until they have been born again. Romans  5:17

WE ARE BORN IN SIN, BORN TO  SIN, BORN DEAD

Before Adam sinned he was spiritually alive and able to see and talk to God face to face.  After he sinned he died spiritually and death entered the whole world. The word ‘dead’ means ‘to be separate from’. Adam was separated from God, and Satan usurped dominion of the world which had been given to mankind. Genesis 2:17 ; Romans 5:12 “Just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned….” As a result of Adam’s disobedience, the world itself was cursed and the whole human race died spiritually.  It is impossible for humans not to sin.  We are born sinners, inclined to believe Satan.  We have a spiritually corrupt nature and legal guilt.  This is what is known of as ‘original sin’ or ‘inherited sin.’ “You were dead in your trespasses and sins.”  Ephesians 2:1

No human merit, no amount of obeying laws, no self denial, no amount of giving up possessions, no amount of ascetic starvation of our carnal nature can bring humans to life. No  human ministry, activity, relationship or fellowship can save us. Romans 10:3-4

In contrast, when Jesus was born, he was spiritually alive because God is his Father.  The virgin conception illustrates the fact that salvation can never come through human effort.  It is the work of God Himself. The virgin conception made Christ’s true humanity without inherited sin possible.

The virgin birth united the full deity of God with full humanity in Jesus Christ Emmanuel: The With Us God. “God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”  Galatians 4:4-5  

God said that Satan would be destroyed by the seed of woman. Genesis 3:15 This was the first prophecy of Jesus Christ’s mission to earth. The name ‘Jesus’ means “The LORD is salvation.” God had planned this solution to the sin/Satan problem before the world was created.

• Only God’s Perfect Life’s Blood Sacrifice could restore the separated relationship.
• 1 John 1:7 ; Romans 5:9
  

Jesus had the same opportunity to disobey God’s Law, just as Adam had.  But because He is God, he didn’t.  He had human desires, weaknesses, limitations, a human body, mind, soul or spirit and emotions.  He suffered aggravation, pain, grief, hunger, tiredness, undeserved cruelty and danger from people. But He was also God and through constant communion with His Father and the Holy Spirit He resisted sin.

Some people think that Jesus had a sin nature but scripture tells us that He did not because He is the second Adam. He did have the opportunity to sin and Satan tempted him many times but He resisted. His weapon was the Sword of Truth, words from His Father, given in scripture.  If He had been born in sin or sinned as Adam had, there would be no hope for anyone.

To argue that Jesus was not tempted if he could not sin is out of the question.  Scripture clearly affirms that Jesus was tempted yet he did not sin.  Remember the 40 days of fasting in the wilderness and the cunning offers by Satan. Remember Jesus sweating blood in the Garden of Gethsemane. Think about how Jesus dreaded the cross and asked if it be possible, that it be taken from Him. His temptations were worse than what most people experience. Some people have accused Jesus of sin, but they have never been able to prove that he did. His family, friends, and his enemies all acknowledged that he was blameless. Jesus Christ was unique. Scripture affirms His perfection.  He is God. John 1:1 ; Hebrews 1:8 It is impossible for God to sin. James 1:13 Jesus’ human nature never existed apart from His divine nature.  The power of God is always greater than human power.  Otherwise we would have no hope whatsoever. Praise God!

Scripture clearly affirms the sinlessness of Jesus.  He was filled with wisdom and the favor of God was upon him. Luke 2:40 No evidence of wrongdoing was on him.  When Jesus challenged his enemies to convict him of sin, they were unable to do so.  John 8:46 ; 18:38 He was the Holy One, the Righteous One, blameless, unstained, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens, a lamb without spot or blemish.  Hebrews 4:15 ; Hebrews 7:26 ; 2 Corinthians  5:21

Some people claim that babies are born innocent and that all people are born good. But scripture tells us that our hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked.  We are born in bondage to sin and death. We cannot trust ourselves. We cannot see the future. We cannot know all things.  We don’t have the power to resist sin.  We cannot trust anyone or anything but God and His Word. We cannot even believe His Word without His Grace and help from the Holy Spirit. We are more prone to believe Satan than God.

Jesus was fully God and fully human.  Humans are made in the image of God. This makes it possible for us to be adopted into the Family of God.  Our souls are eternal, lasting forever wherever they are, heaven or hell.  The human soul is more precious than anyone can imagine.

This is why it was so important to God to restore the opportunity of salvation to dead sinners.  Jesus knew the importance of His mission better than anyone else.  Only an infinite God could pay the sin debt of the entire world.  No mere human could have paid such a price. Hell is a real physical place with all the reality of what Jesus said about it. 

There is only one hope for anyone: Faith in Jesus Christ: His death and resurrection. The historical fact of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is proof of God’s ability to give us eternal life in Christ.

IT IS ALL ABOUT GRACE

This is why God’s Grace and Sacrifice is so important to know and understand.  Paul explains the Doctrine of Grace in every one of his letters. If you do not understand the Doctrine of Sin you will not understand the Doctrine of Grace and Salvation.  Humans have a debt problem as well as a sin problem.  We owe God for our sins.  The price we owe is so great we could never pay it.  So Christ paid it for us with His infinite eternal sacrifice. He took God’s wrath and went through hell on earth and then proclaimed “it is finished.” Salvation to those who believe was accomplished on the cross.  Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one may boast.” If we don’t understand that Jesus is God we will not believe how necessary it was or how His sacrifice could pay the infinite price for the salvation of mankind. Christianity is the only faith on earth that depends on God’s righteousness for salvation instead of man’s efforts.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God loves all people and wants everyone to be saved but only those who believe will be saved. 1 Timothy 2:3-4 ; 2 Peter 3:9 ; Romans 8:1 Christ took our sin and paid our debt on the cross and gave us (imputed) His righteousness. This means more than forgiveness. This is eternal life with God. 1 Corinthians 5:21 This means we are born again….free of the bondage to sin. We are dead to sin instead of dead in sin.  We can resist sin.  And it is important to resist it or we can be enslaved to it again.  Continuing a life of sin may be evidence that we have not been born again.  Revelation of Who Jesus is and what He accomplished is given by the Father and the Holy Spirit. God wants us to be holy as He is holy. Our salvation is in Christ alone, not in our own ability to resist sin. All those who have been truly born again will be transformed to the image of Christ and will persevere to the end. John 3:36 ; 10:27-29 ; Romans 5:1-2 ; 8:30 ; Colossians 1:23 ; Hebrews 3:14 ; 6:4-6 1 John 2:2 , 15:26  Faith in Jesus saves us.

We must place our trust in Christ and confess it with our mouths. Romans 10:10

Faith will increase as knowledge and love of scripture and God increases. Faith and repentance must come together. Acts 19:30

IS IT POSSIBLE TO BELIEVE IN GOD’S GRACE AND LOVE BUT NOT BELIEVE IN JESUS?

Some people say that since God is love and full of grace, He will not send anyone to hell.   Some people say that Jesus was just a man whom we must imitate in order to become like Him. (If he was just a man born dead in sin we could not become anything other than a dead human being.) Some people know and believe that Jesus existed and was crucified and therefore assume they are saved but when Jesus returns He will tell them that He never knew them.

Matthew 7:23  

How could that happen?

Some reasons which keep people from being born again are:

(1.)   Idolatry: trusting the wrong god, the wrong spirit or a different Jesus or

(2.)   Refusing to believe the gospel of grace

(3.)   Trusting their own righteousness

(4.)   Refusing to honor or worship Jesus as God

(5.)   Refusing to study, believe or obey scripture

(6.)   Trusting false prophets, false teachers, false gospels and/or false doctrines

(7.)   Refusing to acknowledge and repent of sin

(8.)   Adding rules to faith rather than trusting Christ’s sacrifice  

(9.)   Believing their sins are too bad for Christ to forgive

(10.) Lying to God, to others and themselves, pretending to believe

(11.) Thus, refusing to share the true gospel seed with others and

(12.) Refusing to abide in the True Vine/refusing to be transformed to the image of Christ.

(13.) Hating or harming Christian believers

(14.) Refusing to serve and help suffering needy Christians

(15.) Uninterested and unwilling to be taught what scripture says

(16.) Refusing Christian fellowship         

(17.) Loving Satan’s world

(18.) Attending more to the cares of life or human friendships than Jesus

(19.) Blaspheming the Holy Spirit 

(20.) Condemning others

(21.) Mocking the gospel as foolishness

(22.) Too much pride

(23.) Refusing or neglecting to believe in Christ’s role as King of Kings or to look for his physical return 

(24). Believing false signs and wonders.

This is why it is imperative to make our calling and election sure….to know, abide in and study the Word, to be in prayer and loving fellowship with other believers, to be sensitive to the direction of the Holy Spirit, living according to scriptural teaching, obeying the Great Commission Matthew 28:19-20 teaching others, baptizing them, serving, loving others, loving our enemies, forgiving others.