NeedNotFret
Puritan Board Freshman
Is there an official reformed position on whether Jesus could have sinned? If not, what do reformed folks today generally hold to?
Thanks,
KLH
Thanks,
KLH
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Is there an official reformed position on whether Jesus could have sinned? If not, what do reformed folks today generally hold to?
Thanks,
KLH
Shedd writes:
Again, the impeccability of Christ is proved by the relation of the two wills in his person to each other. Each nature, in order to be complete, entire, and wanting nothing, has its own will; but the finite will never antagonizes the infinite will, but obeys it invariably and perfectly. If this should for an instant cease to be the case, there would be a conflict in the self-consciousness of Jesus Christ similar to that in the self-consciousness of his apostle Paul. He too would say, ‘The good that I would, I do not; but the evil which I would not, that I do. It is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me?’ Rom 7:19, 20, 24. But there is no such utterance as this from the lips of the God-man: On the contrary, there is the calm inquiry of Christ: ‘Which of you convinceth me of sin?’ John 8:46; and the confident affirmation of St. John: ‘In him was no sin.’ 1 John 3:5. There is an utter absence of personal confession of sin, in any form whatever, either in the conversation or the prayers of Jesus Christ. There is no sense of indwelling sin. He could not describe his religious experience as his apostle does, and his people do: ‘The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh,’ Gal 5:17.” Dogmatic Theology, II, 335-36.
Thanks, Bob. I appreciate your comments.
Apart from the verses that Shedd marshals in support, his following comment is what caught my attention:
"Each nature, in order to be complete, entire, and wanting nothing, has its own will; but the finite will never antagonizes the infinite will, but obeys it invariably and perfectly."
His not knowing the time of his return in His human will does not conflict the divine will. If according to Shedd, his human will is invariably and perfectly consistent with the divine will, q.e.d. he is impeccable.
I would say no there is not an "official reformed position" on whether Jesus could have sinned. I know several Reformed brethren who believe His temptations would not have been real if there was not a possibilty, and that Jesus (freely selected of His own will and after careful consideration) choose not to sin.Is there an official reformed position on whether Jesus could have sinned?
Thanks,
KLH
Bob,
I have been thinking about your argument that Christ could not be our example in temptation if He did not have the possibility to sin. However, you are not comparing a perfect Pattern here as Christ was born with no sin nature and we are so you could say He had an advantage over us that we could never aspire to.
Secondly, I think we are looking at this the wrong way. The reason Christ is able to succour us in temptation is not that He experienced the temptation to sin and resisted it. As I read the Scriptures I am told to overcome sin as per Rom 6 and John 15 by abiding in the True Vine ie Christ. Therefore the fact that He could not sin ever comforts me as I know that if I abide in Him when I am tempted to sin then I can overcome it. However, if i abide in Him and He could sin then that is not much use to me. I need a certain Rock to hang on to.