When I first came across this subject was after teaching Hebrews 2 to my Adult Bible Fellowship class and the questions was raised, “Could Jesus have chosen to sin?” After all He was tempted in all ways and yet without sin, right? How then could He completely understand and be our “High Priest” if the opportunity for Him to sin was not there?
This weighed heavily on my mind and I was greatly burdened on many fronts, one of those being seeking God’s will and guidance in how to portray His truths as I believe them to be based on Scripture and the study of other men of God throughout the ages.
The discussion we had concerning the peccability or impeccability of Christ was very lively and caused many of us to search Scripture, definitions, our own hearts, and through prayer. I felt that it was important for us to consider the Person of Jesus Christ in His entirety. Overall it is not relevant to salvation nor does it negate the fact that He is our merciful and faithful High Priest.
I think as human beings we tend to try and humanize Christ to have been exactly like us during His incarnation and I don’t think we can do that. I say that for several reasons:
o He is God. We are not.
o He is holy by nature. We may be considered holy only by association with Christ.
o He is just. We are unjust.
o He is sinless. We are sinners.
o He is infinite. We are finite.
o He is Omniscient – We are limited in our knowledge
o He was here at the laying of the foundations of the earth. We weren’t even created yet.
o He played a part in the overall plan of God. We know what he reveals to us through general and special revelation.
o He is the Creator. We are the creation.
o He is faithful. We are unfaithful.
There are many things that the more I learn the more I realize I don’t and will not have all the answers to and I am OK with that. That is where faith, hope and love come in play.
Hebrews 11:1-3 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
Habukkuk 2:4 - “…But the just shall live by his faith.
1 Corinthians 2:4-5 – “And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human[a] wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
It is important to note that there are certain Christian essentials that are not and should not be debated. These are basic elements that make up and characterize our faith and separate it from other beliefs. All other items of Scripture can be debated by men but we must make sure that we do not get consumed in things that are not essential to our belief system.
Essential Christian Doctrine –
1. The authority of Scripture - which is another way of saying that the Bible is God's inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word. It's the ultimate source for knowledge about God, as well as the definitive guide for our daily lives.
This weighed heavily on my mind and I was greatly burdened on many fronts, one of those being seeking God’s will and guidance in how to portray His truths as I believe them to be based on Scripture and the study of other men of God throughout the ages.
The discussion we had concerning the peccability or impeccability of Christ was very lively and caused many of us to search Scripture, definitions, our own hearts, and through prayer. I felt that it was important for us to consider the Person of Jesus Christ in His entirety. Overall it is not relevant to salvation nor does it negate the fact that He is our merciful and faithful High Priest.
I think as human beings we tend to try and humanize Christ to have been exactly like us during His incarnation and I don’t think we can do that. I say that for several reasons:
o He is God. We are not.
o He is holy by nature. We may be considered holy only by association with Christ.
o He is just. We are unjust.
o He is sinless. We are sinners.
o He is infinite. We are finite.
o He is Omniscient – We are limited in our knowledge
o He was here at the laying of the foundations of the earth. We weren’t even created yet.
o He played a part in the overall plan of God. We know what he reveals to us through general and special revelation.
o He is the Creator. We are the creation.
o He is faithful. We are unfaithful.
There are many things that the more I learn the more I realize I don’t and will not have all the answers to and I am OK with that. That is where faith, hope and love come in play.
Hebrews 11:1-3 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
Habukkuk 2:4 - “…But the just shall live by his faith.
1 Corinthians 2:4-5 – “And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human[a] wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
It is important to note that there are certain Christian essentials that are not and should not be debated. These are basic elements that make up and characterize our faith and separate it from other beliefs. All other items of Scripture can be debated by men but we must make sure that we do not get consumed in things that are not essential to our belief system.
Essential Christian Doctrine –
1. The authority of Scripture - which is another way of saying that the Bible is God's inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word. It's the ultimate source for knowledge about God, as well as the definitive guide for our daily lives.
2. Existence of a triune God or one God in three distinct persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This God is self-existent, eternal, unchanging, omnipotent, omnipresent, holy, righteous, and loving. God created the universe from nothing and He rules over His creation sovereignly including both human and angelic beings.
3. Man is a physical and spiritual being who is created in God's image. But because of his sin or transgression, man has lost his fellowship with God. The extent of sin is so great that its effects continue to this very day in the form of cruelty, suffering, and death.
4. Jesus Christ - Who is fully God and fully man - was sent to save us from our bondage to sin. We believe that Christ was born of a virgin, died for our sins, physically rose from the dead, and will one day return to judge the world and deliver His people. Faith in Christ is the only means by which mankind can escape eternal damnation and judgment. He came by God’s grace (unmerited favor) and the salvation He provides is not based on anything we can do to earn it.
5. The church as God's ordained institution headed by Christ. The church is composed of all believers, and is organized for worship, for fellowship, for the administration of the sacraments, for spiritual growth and support, and for evangelizing the world.
A few of the questions I have had to ask myself and try to answer about this subject for the past week, which I hope will be valuable for you as well, include:
• Is Jesus Holy?
o Yes. Most definitely. So then what is holiness? Absence of evil. Positive righteousness and all measured against Himself as a positive standard.
• Is Jesus Immutable (Unchangeable) as the God-Man?
o Yes. Immutability is one of the unchanging characters of God.
• Could Jesus have changed the plan of God the Father and sinned thereby not being the unblemished lamb of God?
o No. He could not have. He came here to do His will, prophecy tells us that He would come here and there are hundreds of Bible prophecies concerning Jesus that were fulfilled in their entirety. Isaiah expounds that “He was wounded for OUR transgressions, He was bruised for OUR iniquities.”
• Is Bible prophecy about the Lamb incorrect? Could Jesus have been a spotted Lamb and become incapable of saving mankind?
o No. as He is the Messiah that Scripture has always pointed to and this was God’s plan BEFORE He even laid the foundations of the earth.
• Did Jesus actually express and demonstrate throughout Scripture many times that He came here not to do His Will but His Father’s will?
o Yes.
• Does Jesus share in the eternality of God, meaning has He always been as well as the Father and the Holy Spirit?
o Yes. If so, then He would have known the complete plan of the Father and that he would come here to experience life in the “likeness of men” and would be the unblemished Lamb sacrificed for the sins of all mankind. Only He could have performed this work for mankind.
• Is Jesus and His Father One?
o Yes. The triunity of the God-Head is shared throughout Scripture and He tells us so in Scripture such as John 10:30 - “I and My Father are One.”
o He also explains in John 8:58 – “Most assuredly I say to you before Abraham was, I AM.”
• What does it mean to come in the “likeness of men”? Does it mean an exact duplicate or just in a form of likeness?
o Likeness means sharing in the experience of flesh. Being hungry, tested, tired, sadness, pain, anguish, love, etc. Being fully God He could not relate in EXACTLY the same way as man because He could not sin.
o He was made in the likeness of men (See Jn. 1:14; Rom. 1:3; Gal. 4:4; Heb. 2:14, 17). This simple but absolutely staggering fact cannot be even remotely grasped by human minds. The Almighty God and Creator of the universe comes in the likeness of sinful flesh (yet without sin). The King of Kings came, not a king, but rather, as a lowly servant.
o J. Vernon McGee writes:
“He could have been born in the palace in Rome. He could have been born a Caesar. But God had already promised He would be in the line of David. ‘.… Have you ever noticed what Isaiah said concerning Him:
‘And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots’ (Isa. 11:1). For years that bothered me. I felt like saying, ‘Isaiah, you should have said out of the stem of David.’ I think if Isaiah could have spoken to me, he would have said, ‘Oh, how you fellows miss it. The stem comes out of Jesse!’ When Jesus was born, Israel was under the heel of Rome; the royal line of David was no longer on the throne, but had returned to peasantry. You see, Jesse, the father of King David, was a peasant, a farmer in Bethlehem. And when Jesus was born, the royal line was again in the peasant class. Jesus was born into a poor family. Though He was the Son of David, the stem came out of Jesse. He took upon Himself the form of a servant”
• Would His inability to sin make His being our merciful and faithful High Priest less than what it actually is?
o No. The fact that He came, left the riches of his kingdom…clothed Himself in flesh…and experienced the human experience beyond our comprehension…knew what it was like to be tempted/tested…experienced first hand the destructiveness of sin in the lives of His children makes a stronger case to me.
o The fact that His testing proved that he could not sin actually brings me much greater comfort and trust in Him as the Holy Creator of all things, knowing that he is NOT like me. His ways are far above my ways and His thoughts far above my thoughts.
• What did Jesus mean in John 8:29 where He says, “The Father has not left Me alone for I ALWAYS do the things that please Him.”?
o Would Christ have made that statement if He thought He might not do something that pleases Him?
o Would John the Baptist have called Him the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world if Jesus could have sinned? If He could have and would have sinned we would have no salvation!
• If Jesus emptied Himself of some Divine attributes in becoming 100% man as well as 100% God could that have made Himself susceptible to sin?
o It is important to understand that Christ never gave up His Divine attributes at all. To rid Himself or empty Himself of any of the divine attributes of God would nullify His Deity.
o Kenosis is the theological term related to the “divine emptying” of Jesus Christ. He chose to abstain from the use of certain attributes for a period of time but He never gave them up. Omniscience – All knowing, Omnipresent – everywhere at once, and Omnipotent – all powerful. o He did not consider it robbery to make Himself equal with God because He is God.
Excerpt from Wilmington’s Guide to the Bible -
A few of the questions I have had to ask myself and try to answer about this subject for the past week, which I hope will be valuable for you as well, include:
• Is Jesus Holy?
o Yes. Most definitely. So then what is holiness? Absence of evil. Positive righteousness and all measured against Himself as a positive standard.
• Is Jesus Immutable (Unchangeable) as the God-Man?
o Yes. Immutability is one of the unchanging characters of God.
• Could Jesus have changed the plan of God the Father and sinned thereby not being the unblemished lamb of God?
o No. He could not have. He came here to do His will, prophecy tells us that He would come here and there are hundreds of Bible prophecies concerning Jesus that were fulfilled in their entirety. Isaiah expounds that “He was wounded for OUR transgressions, He was bruised for OUR iniquities.”
• Is Bible prophecy about the Lamb incorrect? Could Jesus have been a spotted Lamb and become incapable of saving mankind?
o No. as He is the Messiah that Scripture has always pointed to and this was God’s plan BEFORE He even laid the foundations of the earth.
• Did Jesus actually express and demonstrate throughout Scripture many times that He came here not to do His Will but His Father’s will?
o Yes.
• Does Jesus share in the eternality of God, meaning has He always been as well as the Father and the Holy Spirit?
o Yes. If so, then He would have known the complete plan of the Father and that he would come here to experience life in the “likeness of men” and would be the unblemished Lamb sacrificed for the sins of all mankind. Only He could have performed this work for mankind.
• Is Jesus and His Father One?
o Yes. The triunity of the God-Head is shared throughout Scripture and He tells us so in Scripture such as John 10:30 - “I and My Father are One.”
o He also explains in John 8:58 – “Most assuredly I say to you before Abraham was, I AM.”
• What does it mean to come in the “likeness of men”? Does it mean an exact duplicate or just in a form of likeness?
o Likeness means sharing in the experience of flesh. Being hungry, tested, tired, sadness, pain, anguish, love, etc. Being fully God He could not relate in EXACTLY the same way as man because He could not sin.
o He was made in the likeness of men (See Jn. 1:14; Rom. 1:3; Gal. 4:4; Heb. 2:14, 17). This simple but absolutely staggering fact cannot be even remotely grasped by human minds. The Almighty God and Creator of the universe comes in the likeness of sinful flesh (yet without sin). The King of Kings came, not a king, but rather, as a lowly servant.
o J. Vernon McGee writes:
“He could have been born in the palace in Rome. He could have been born a Caesar. But God had already promised He would be in the line of David. ‘.… Have you ever noticed what Isaiah said concerning Him:
‘And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots’ (Isa. 11:1). For years that bothered me. I felt like saying, ‘Isaiah, you should have said out of the stem of David.’ I think if Isaiah could have spoken to me, he would have said, ‘Oh, how you fellows miss it. The stem comes out of Jesse!’ When Jesus was born, Israel was under the heel of Rome; the royal line of David was no longer on the throne, but had returned to peasantry. You see, Jesse, the father of King David, was a peasant, a farmer in Bethlehem. And when Jesus was born, the royal line was again in the peasant class. Jesus was born into a poor family. Though He was the Son of David, the stem came out of Jesse. He took upon Himself the form of a servant”
• Would His inability to sin make His being our merciful and faithful High Priest less than what it actually is?
o No. The fact that He came, left the riches of his kingdom…clothed Himself in flesh…and experienced the human experience beyond our comprehension…knew what it was like to be tempted/tested…experienced first hand the destructiveness of sin in the lives of His children makes a stronger case to me.
o The fact that His testing proved that he could not sin actually brings me much greater comfort and trust in Him as the Holy Creator of all things, knowing that he is NOT like me. His ways are far above my ways and His thoughts far above my thoughts.
• What did Jesus mean in John 8:29 where He says, “The Father has not left Me alone for I ALWAYS do the things that please Him.”?
o Would Christ have made that statement if He thought He might not do something that pleases Him?
o Would John the Baptist have called Him the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world if Jesus could have sinned? If He could have and would have sinned we would have no salvation!
• If Jesus emptied Himself of some Divine attributes in becoming 100% man as well as 100% God could that have made Himself susceptible to sin?
o It is important to understand that Christ never gave up His Divine attributes at all. To rid Himself or empty Himself of any of the divine attributes of God would nullify His Deity.
o Kenosis is the theological term related to the “divine emptying” of Jesus Christ. He chose to abstain from the use of certain attributes for a period of time but He never gave them up. Omniscience – All knowing, Omnipresent – everywhere at once, and Omnipotent – all powerful. o He did not consider it robbery to make Himself equal with God because He is God.
Excerpt from Wilmington’s Guide to the Bible -
Christ could not sin. There is no question concerning the fact that Jesus did not sin while on this earth, but could he have done so? Author W. E. Best writes:
“The point of view that Christ could sin is designated by the idea of peccability, and the fact that He could not sin is expressed by the term impeccability. To suggest the capability or possibility of sinning would disqualify Christ as Saviour, for a peccable Christ would mean a peccable God. Holiness is far more than the absence of sin; it is positive virtue. The advocates of peccability say, ‘Christ could have sinned, but He did not.’ To say that He could have sinned is to deny positive holiness. To deny positive holiness, therefore, is to deny the holy character of God. Holiness is positive virtue which has neither room for nor interest in sin. The Lord Jesus could not sin because the days of His flesh meant only addition of experience, not variation of character. Holy humanity was united to Deity in one indivisible person, the impeccable Christ. Jesus Christ cannot have more holiness because He is perfectly holy; He cannot have less holiness because He is unchangingly holy.” (Studies in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, p. 3)
The question is asked, however: If Christ could not have sinned, then what was the purpose of the temptations in the wilderness? Here it should be observed that these trials were not to see if Christ would sin, but to prove he would not.”
So there you have it. You have The Scotsman’s view and study on the peccability vs. impeccability of Christ. You have also received some top notch information from theological minds including J. Vernon McGhee, W.E. Best, and information from Wilmington’s Guide to the Bible. I hope this is helpful for those of you who have in past, present or future will be pondering this idea and studying the Scriptures diligently. As a reminder, the passages indicated above are not exhaustive as there is much more that points to the attributes of God (Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Immutable), the view of kenosis (The “emptying” of Christ while manifested in the flesh), and His temptation and victory over death and sin.
Search the Scriptures my brethren and find all of the wonders and truths provided for us in the pages of Scripture. Make sure that before you do…pray! Pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit to reveal His truth to you and that your minds would be clear from any other distractions. I will be praying for you!
-The Scotsman-
Galatians 2:20
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