| “In Him [the Lord Jesus] is no sin” (1 John 3:5). |
| “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil” (Matthew 4:1). |
| It is very clear from the first verse we have today that the Lord Jesus did not have a sinful nature, and could not sin. Some people say that He could have sinned, but did not. But this is a blasphemous statement, for if He could have sinned, then He must have had a sinful nature, and could not be our Savior. |
| Then why was it necessary for Him to be tempted [or tested] of the devil? Some people would argue, Why did He need to be tempted, if He could not sin? Where was the temptation in all this? The answer is very simple. The temptation proved that the Lord Jesus did not have a sinful nature. |
| Let me use an illustration. You all know that real gold is very valuable. At the moment, gold is worth nearly $1,800 U.S. per ounce (approximately 31 grams). For thousands of years people have been making “fake gold,” and then selling it as if it were real gold. Sadly, many people have been fooled by this fake gold, and have paid their money, only to find out later that what they have is not real gold. But there are special tests that can be done to prove that gold is real. Fake gold jewelry will usually leave a mark on your skin, while real gold will not. Fake gold will rust, while real gold will not. Finally, you can put a small amount of nitric acid on real gold, and nothing will happen. But if it is fake gold, a green color will appear, or sometimes a milky color, if the gold is mixed with silver. In this way people can test a piece of gold, to make sure that it is real. |
| The testing that the Lord Jesus went through proved that He was who He said He was — the Son of God. We who have a sinful nature can all be tempted by the devil, but the Lord Jesus simply answered him with quotations from the Word of God, and Satan was defeated. Satan could not tempt the Lord Jesus to sin, for He did not have a sinful nature. Then He began His earthly ministry, having proven who He was. |
