When we come to study the scriptures, we should not approach it with a view of causing the Bible to conform to our own ideas and opinions. Instead we should allow the word to inform our understanding, guiding our thoughts, and concepts, and be willing to give up preconceived ideas as may be warranted. In so doing, we will be searching the scriptures in an objective manner, not subjectively.
Especially must this be the case, when it comes to such a delicate matter as the nature of Christ, for one miniscule error, can open the floodgates to a host of erroneous theories, and speculations. Thus, it is fitting that the counsel of God be heeded as we proceed. Let’s read:
Exodus 3:5 Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
2nd Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
Thus, in our study of the nature of Christ, we will not approach it from a perspective of curiosity, but instead with a purpose of making God’s plan for our salvation as plain as possible, so that we may harbor clear concepts of truth and duty. In the Bible, there are two Adams presented, one was created at the beginning of this world’s history, and the other was born incarnate to the virgin Mary. There are stark similarities, and stark differences between them, of which we must be cognizant. Therefore, we will use the scriptures to inform our understanding.
We begin with the similarities:
[1] Both Adams were made sinless. When the first Adam was created, there was no taint of sin in him, and when the second Adam was made incarnate, there was no taint of sin in Him either. Let’s read:
Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
[2] The First Adam had the freedom of choice, and the second Adam also had the freedom of choice.
Genesis 2:16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 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.
Hebrews 2:17 Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren.
18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.
Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who,
7 Made Himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
[3] Before the fall, the first Adam did not have any propensity to sin, because he was created sinless, and God was his Father. The second Adam also was made without any inclination to sin, for He had God as His Father, in whom there is no sin. This is where some Christians stumble, by thinking that because Jesus was not predisposed to sin, as we are, that it was easy for Him to overcome. But nothing can be further from the truth, for when Jesus took on the liabilities of human nature, it had already suffered about 4000 years of deterioration, making the force of temptation exponentially greater.
When we speak of the liabilities of fallen human nature, we are referring to those natural biological urges in their most acute form, such as tiredness, hunger, thirst, etc. It is not a sin to get hungry, but the way in which we satisfy our hunger, determines whether we do so in a sinful manner or not. We can satisfy our hunger by working for our daily bread, or we can steal from the grocery to do so. When Christ suffered from excruciating pangs of hunger, He was tempted to satisfy that biological urge in a manner that would be contrary to God’s will.
But instead of delivering Himself by a miracle, He “Suffered” being tempted, and showed us that it is better to deny ourselves wrong foods, than to be satisfied with that which is forbidden. That is how the full force of satan’s temptations were leveled against Christ, and the Bible tells us that He suffered being tempted.
But Jesus also set before us the way in which we can overcome like He did, for in every temptation, He trusted God the Father to keep Him, just like we should. But if we were to conclude that temptation exerted no force against Him, then the system He gave us for overcoming becomes useless, and if so, then we will believe that overcoming sin is simply impossible. We should be very careful about the conclusions we draw about the nature of Christ.
The differences:
[1] The first Adam was human, but the 2nd Adam, Jesus Christ was fully God, and fully man at the same time. However, Jesus voluntarily made His divinity subject to the will of His Father, so that He could be a full partaker in our suffering. This point must be clearly understood, for at no time in His life on earth, did Christ ever use His divinity to minimize the force of temptation. Let’s read:
John 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
John 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
[2] After Adam sinned, he was not able to pass on to his posterity, the sinlessness with which he was made, for one cannot give what one doesn’t have. Christ on the other hand was sinless, for God was His Father. This point is of critical importance for us to understand, for being sinless never prevents any person from being tempted, nor does it prevent one from sinning. Furthermore, being sinless does not mean that a person will not need to pray for help in resisting temptation. Let’s read:
Hebrews 5:6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
The question is often asked, “Could Jesus Christ have sinned? The answer is absolutely yes. Adam was sinless before he fell, satan was sinless before he fell, and the evil angels were all sinless before they fell. Christ was no different, for His sinlessness did not place Him beyond the reach of temptation, nor did His holiness inhibit His freedom to choose. Let’s read:
Matthew 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
Luke 4:13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.
Ezekiel 28: 14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth.
15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
[3] The way in which Jesus was tempted was by way of the five senses, through which we navigate and interact with the outside world. When Adam, and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, all five senses were, opened up as gateways to the soul, and that’s how satan’s temptations asserted their power against human nature. In fact, it will be extremely difficult for any person, who is blind, and deaf, and who is deprived of the senses of touch, taste, and smell, to be tempted, for our five senses are the avenues to the soul. Thus, in all of Christ’s temptations, at least one of the five senses were involved. Let’s read:
Genesis 3: 1 Now the serpent was more, subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
John 19:1 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.
2 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe,
3 And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands.
Matthew 27:34 They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.
42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.
[4] The first Adam had his system fine-tuned, with with his natural biological urges well balanced, very unlike the fierce pangs of hunger we experience at times. In the beginning, Adam ate when he knew it was time to eat, and there was always an abundant supply of food at his disposal. But gnawing pangs of hunger, with gas, as we know it was unknown. How do we know this? In the earth made new, the fine balance God created us with, will be restored. Let’s read:
Isaiah 49:10 They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.
Christ on the other hand, had to overcome those temptations on appetite, after human nature had suffered over 4000 years of deterioration. This is one of the reasons why Jesus was at a disadvantage, when compared to the first Adam. He also had to restrain Himself from using His divine power to save Himself from difficulties. As finite beings, we do not have that option at our disposal, and that’s why we can never be tempted like Christ was.
John 19:10 Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?
11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above.
John 10:17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.
Now that we have gone through some of the main similarities, and differences between the 1st and 2nd Adam, it’s important for us to understand how that knowledge translates into a saving relationship with The Lord Jesus. As we stated previously, Adam’s fall rendered him totally incapable of passing on to his posterity, the sinlessness with which he, as the head of humanity, was endowed at creation.
Thus, his sin and his guilt were passed on as a “gift” to all who came after. It is very important for us to grasp this truth, for if our understanding of sin and guilt is that it is action based, then we would be in danger of understanding the righteousness God as being action-based also. There are several passages of scripture which do address the issue of guilt and sin by default, so it’s necessary to let God’s word speak for itself in this matter. Let’s Read:
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.
Question: Who is included in the word “All”? All means all, and includes every individual, every child, and every cute baby who is born into this world. It is also inclusive of those who were still-born, and even those who died prematurely during pregnancy. The seeds of rebellion were passed on from Adam to all his posterity, and therefore there is something such as a cute little rebel, for even though babies are not cognizant of the fact, they too share in Adam’s sin and guilt, or else they are innocent, and if so, they are not eligible for salvation. Several passages of scripture bear out this central truth. Let’s read:
Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Luke 12:47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes.
One thing is certain, God will never ever “beat” an innocent man. Even though he may be unaware of God’s will, yet he is guilty. In the Bible, guilt is not tied to such variables as the age of reason, or one’s knowledge of right or wrong. It is a state of being we are all born into, which does not necessarily require any action on our part. As descendants of Adam, we are born with all the seeds of rebellion lodged in our genes, and thus, it is not necessary for us to do anything per’ se, for us to sin, and be guilty.
The basic concept can be extrapolated from the writings of Paul, in which he declares that Levi paid tithes in Abraham whilst as yet Levi was unborn in his father’s loins. It is worthy of note that, in fact, Abraham was not the biological father of Levi, nor were Levi’s parents yet born, let alone dating, when Abraham paid tithes to Melchizidec. So we owe it to ourselves to understand exactly Paul is speaking of, as he writes under the influence of the Holy Ghost? Let’s read:
Hebrews 7:9 And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, paid tithes in Abraham.
10 For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.
To fully understand what is being revealed here, we must first understand what the word “Loins” mean. “Loins” refer us to Abraham’s D.N.A, his genes, and ultimately, his sperm. All of these definitions are wrapped up in the word, “Loins”. Here are the two critically important definitions of the word, loin and the term D.N.A:
Loin
loin/Submit
noun
The region of the sexual organs, especially when regarded as the source of erotic, or procreative power.
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid, a self-replicating material present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent of chromosomes. It is the carrier of genetic information, the fundamental, distinctive characteristics or qualities of someone, especially when regarded as unchangeable.
Thus, the Holy Ghost is hereby declaring that Levi participated in the act of paying tithes by default, a fact that transcends Levi’s choice, or his actions in the matter. The problem is that Abraham did not only do right things, for he did a few wrong things too. Question: Are those wrong things to be equally credited, and transferred from Abraham to Levi, as the right things were? Let’s read:
Psalms 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Romans 3: 10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
12 They are all gone out of the way, there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
Similarly, we sinned in Adam, and we are guilty by default, for just as Adam gifted us with sin, and its guilt, just so Christ gifted us with righteousness and innocence. One is a good gift, and the other is a bad gift, but one thing is certain, neither of the gifts are to be regarded as being action based. A woman is pregnant with her unborn baby, but she has a habit of drinking alcoholic beverages. Her unborn child is therefore made a participant in her sins by default, by-passing the baby’s freedom to choose in the sin, and thereby rendering her offspring’s awareness, knowledge, and other variables, irrelevant to the fact that she is a drinker.
In fact, if a trooper were to stop her, while she was driving under the influence, the officer will take her down to the county jail, with her baby, and both will be incarcerated. The same thing goes for each of us who were found in Adam, we were all booked, and taken down to the county jail, and when we came before the Judge, we were all found guilty in Adam.
Thus, the guilt of humanity is based on the fact that our progenitor sinned, not necessarily on actions we may take later when we reach the age of reason, for a lack of knowledge does not absolve a person of his/her guilt. Let’s read:
Leviticus 4:13 And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which should not be done, and are guilty;
14 When the sin, which they have sinned against it, is known, then the congregation shall offer a young bullock for the sin.
22 When a ruler hath sinned, and done somewhat through ignorance against any of the commandments of the Lord his God concerning things which should not be done, and is guilty;
23 Or if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, come to his knowledge; he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a male without blemish:
27 And if any one of the common people sin
through ignorance, while he doeth somewhat against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which ought not to be done, and be guilty;
28 Or if his sin, which he hath sinned, come to his knowledge: then he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, for his sin which he hath sinned.
Leviticus 5:4 Or if a soul swear, pronouncing with his lips to do evil, or to do good, whatsoever it be that a man shall pronounce with an oath, and it be hid from him; when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty in one of these.
5 And it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess that he hath sinned in that thing:
17 And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the Lord; though he wist it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.
Psalms 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born.
Genesis 18:23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
[S.G Vol 1 pp 193] I saw that the slave-master would have to answer for the soul of his slave whom he has kept in ignorance; and all the sins of the slave will be visited upon the master. God cannot take the slave to heaven, who has been kept in ignorance and degradation, knowing nothing of God, or the Bible, fearing nothing but his master's lash, and not holding so elevated a position as his master's brute beasts. But he does the best thing for him that a compassionate God can do. He lets him be as though he had not been.
[Faith and works pp 88] Adam sinned, and the children of Adam share his guilt and its consequences; but Jesus bore the guilt of Adam, and all the children of Adam that will flee to Christ, the second Adam, may escape the penalty of transgression.
The understanding of these passages, when taken together as a whole, brings out the beauty, and the completeness of Christ’s sacrifice for us, for if we are not sinners, and if we are not guilty, we do not stand a chance. In other words, there is no legal premise to save an innocent person, because those who are not guilty do not need forgiveness. Here’s why.
Mark 2:17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
We close with a passage from the book of Galatians, which cautions us not to forget the great, and the complete sacrifice made to save us, and at every step of advance, to remember it is always all about Jesus. Always!
Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
May God add His blessing to the study of his word.
God bless!