Did Jesus Have a Sinful Nature While on Earth?

Yes, I think I have Scripture to support what I'm saying. Starting with Romans 5:12.

Sin entered the world by Adam and was passed onto all of us by him. I know of no other way for Adam's sin to be passed onto us except through the seed of the man. In order for Jesus Christ to be our sacrifice, he has to be perfect. If he has a sin nature, can he be the perfect sacrifice? I say no. Thus the need for the virgin birth.

Christ took on the flesh of man, but that doesn't mean he took on the sin nature of man. He couldn't have if he's the perfect sacrifice for us.

That's a good question. I'll research it and hope that somebody who knows this answer can respond.

Our sin nature isn't the only thing that causes us to sin. Sin is a willful choice of disobedience to God, made easier by the fact that we have a sin nature.

Yes, I have. What's your point?

 

I will echo that. I read James a lot.

 

If you're referring to what I think your'e referring to, I addressed that here:

http://www.baptistboard.com/showpost.php?p=1499614&postcount=15

On a sidenote, it's usually poor exegesis to lift a verse from the context of its whole passage.

 

Don't think it's that.

 

God cannot even look upon sin. Never mind be tempted by it.

 

That's why Jesus could never have been tempted in the sense that we understand it.

It would have been immediately repulsive to him. Yes He was tempted. He understands.

We are talking about a Man here who kept the Mosaic Law perfectly.

Never did He not love God less than He should have.

Never did He steal.

Never did He disrespect His parents.

Never did He covet.

Never did He look at a young lady or woman without pure intentions.

Etc etc etc etc etc. He kept God's Law. All His Life.

Lover of my Soul. Bless You Jesus. Blessed Saviour. My Beloved.

 

Good thread.

I think what God Himself said after the flood would lead us to believe Jesus had no sin nature.
Genesis 8:21 The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.

Clearly, Jesus does not fit this mold even being 100% man.

Remember, man was not created with a sin nature, was tempted...and fell for it. Temptation does not = sin nature, hence the reason Christ was truly tempted, but did not sin. Christ is also referred to as the Second Adam.

 

You might have hit the nail on something. Perhaps the issue is not that Jesus wasn't tempted. Rather, it's an issue of him being tempted, but not in the sense that we nondivine humans understand it.

Just brainstorming there.

 

It's a discussion board.

Teach me brother.

 

Jesus Christ my Lord. Pure and blameless Man.

You removed my sin as far as the east is from the west.

Jesus Christ my Lord.

I can see me ending on this note a lot lol.

 

HP: That depends on what you are referring to. Man is not born with a sinful moral nature, for neither sin or morality cannot be predicated of any necessitated state devoid of choice. Neither sin or righteousness are created states nor can they be. Morality at its heart centers on the ability to do something other than what one does under the very same set of circumstances apart from consideration of punishments or rewards. Without the initiation of an act of the will in the formation of an intent of either benevolence or selfishness, no morality can be predicated of the soul or the ‘nature’ we are born into by necessity. Morality rules in the realm of choice alone as opposed to the realm of necessity.

In another sense, if we are speaking of a natural proclivity to sin, a natural inclination to sin that is the results of physical depravity as a result of the fall and sin, and limit the word ‘nature’ to the realm of the sensibilities, yes, in a sense man is born with a nature to sin. Because the natural proclivities have clearly been corrupted by the fall, and serve as formidable influences to selfishness, the root of all sin, in a sense it could be said we are born with a sinful nature. Again, I am limiting the word ‘nature’ to our corrupted sensibilities and not the will itself.

Because of what I see as utter confusion in much of the Church as to our constitutional makeup from birth, and the all but total inability to distinguish between the sensibilities, those impulses and influences via the flesh itself that are not sin (for they are necessitated traits) and the will itself (the chooser), I would as a general rule refrain from saying we have a sinful nature.

I believe it far more an accurate depiction of the state we are born into to refer to our state as being born with a natural proclivity to sin or an natural inclination to sin, but clarify that neither of these in and of themselves are sin. Only as we yield our wills to these selfish impulses is sin conceived.

As a statement of faith I might say the following: All are born with a natural proclivity to sin as a direct result of the fall that corrupts the sensibilities of man, and all that come to the age of accountability sin and become guilty before God.
Note: the ‘sin itself’ comes subsequent to, as a result of, the will choosing and not before.

Of a truth, all men in our dispensation have indeed yielded their wills voluntarily to the proclivity to sin we all are born with, and as such have sinned and became guilty before God.

Does this help answer your question in a manner you can follow? Am I confusing as you see it in my explanation?

 

HP: Whatever serves as the ‘cause’ of our sin is that and that only that our sins can be blamed on. Scripture no where blames man for the nature he was born into or with, but everywhere condemns man for their own selfish choices. Our will is the cause of our sin, not our nature. Our nature only serves as a proclivity or inclination to sin, and is not sinful in and of itself.

We only are sinful when? James says it best. Note carefully the progression that sin takes and when the inclination or temptation upon the will initiates sin. Jas 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.

 

Ge 8:21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth;

The words are 'evil from his youth.'

 

Concerning the above expression "evil from his youth," Keil and Delitszch, both Hebrew scholars, say this:

 

HP: You cannot get that from the text. That is read into the text via presupposition, not the text itself, in spite of the brilliance and or education of these two men.

 

It is doubtful that K&D read anything into the text. They had no axe to grind; nothing to gain or lose. The fact is that they were liberals. They denied most of the fundamentals of the faith. Their only purpose here was to give an accurate rendering of the Hebrew, which they are very good at.

 

HP: Scripture speaks for itself. He was tempted in all points like as we are. If we are tempted to do the right things the wrong way, so was Christ, but that clearly is not the only way we are tempted according to James. Again, Christ was tempted in ALL points as we are.

Only those holding onto the false presupposition of original sin try and make such unsupported notions stick. They are constantly trying to drum up ‘penumbral’ notions that might provide cover for their false dogma.