There are a growing number of Christians today who do not understand the sinless humanity of Christ. They believe that Christ could have sinned when He was here on earth, but they affirm (rightly) that He didn't.
However, even thinking that Christ was capable of sinning shows that some people are not clear (doctrinally) as to the sinless perfection of His humanity. In many cases, if these same people were asked, "Do you believe in the sinless humanity of Christ?" They would reply, "Yes, I certainly do." But they almost always think that you are asking whether they believe that the Lord did or did not sin in His life—which they rightly affirm that He didn't. But that is not really the point in question; all Christians unanimously agree that Christ did not sin in His life. One verse of Scripture would settle this: "Christ...who did no sin" (1 Peter 2:21-2221For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: (1 Peter 2:21‑22)). The subject of Christ's sinless humanity deals with something deeper; it addresses Christ's nature as a Man. The sinless humanity of Christ and the sinless life of Christ are not identical, though related.
The question that would be more to the point is: "Did Christ have a nature capable of sinning?" Most Christians would say that He did have a nature that could sin, but thankfully, He didn't. They don’t realize it, but what they are saying is derogatory to Christ’s impeccable Person and is a serious doctrinal error. Scripture teaches that Christ did not have a nature that could sin.
The Nature of Christ's Humanity
When Christ came into the world (His incarnation), He took manhood (a human spirit, a human soul, and a human body) into union with His Person. This union of the divine and human natures is inscrutable to the human mind (Matt. 11:2727All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. (Matthew 11:27)). In doing so, He did not take the innocent human nature that Adam had before he fell. That nature was without sin, but it didn't have the knowledge of good and evil, and it was capable of sinning—which Adam sadly demonstrated (Rom. 5:1212Wherefore, 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: (Romans 5:12)). Christ couldn't have taken that nature because it no longer existed in its innocent state at the time of His coming into the world. It had been corrupted by Adam's disobedience and was fallen. Nor could Christ have taken into union with Himself that nature in its fallen state, for in doing so, He would have taken sin into His Person, and thus, He would have ceased to be holy. Had He done that, He would have ceased to be God, because holiness (the absence of evil) is one of the essential attributes of deity! (Isa. 6:33And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. (Isaiah 6:3); Rev. 4:88And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. (Revelation 4:8)) The Bible indicates that God prepared for Him a "holy" humanity—spirit, soul, and body (Luke 1:3535And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:35); Heb. 7:26; 10:526For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; (Hebrews 7:26)
5Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: (Hebrews 10:5)). Being holy, the Lord Jesus had a human nature that could not sin.
Now, since Adam's fall, when we speak of a person sinning, regardless of who it might be, it immediately brings into the discussion the possession of the sin-nature that would necessarily produce those sins. Sins, as we know, are the product of sin (the nature). Hence, to say that the Lord Jesus could sin (though He didn't) implies that He had the fallen sin-nature! This is a terribly mistaken assumption which the Word of God most surely does not support.
Scripture References That Show Christ Did Not Partake in Fallen Humanity
The following references show that Christ did not partake in fallen humanity in any way:
1 John 3:55And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. (1 John 3:5) says, "In Him is no sin." This single statement from the Word of God ought to settle the question as to whether Christ could sin. It tells us that He didn't have the sin-nature in Him, therefore, He couldn't possibly commit sins.
In Luke 3:2323And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, (Luke 3:23), when tracing the Lord's lineage down from Adam, Scripture says, "Jesus Himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph." The phrase "as was supposed" is inserted in the text here by the Holy Spirit to show that the Lord was not the natural son of Joseph; He was only his legal son. He was "conceived" by the Holy Spirit, not by Joseph (Matt. 1:2020But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. (Matthew 1:20)). The fact that Scripture notes that Joseph had nothing to do (biologically) with the Lord's conception, shows the care that God takes in guarding against any thought that Christ inherited the fallen sin-nature by having it passed down to Him through the descendants of Adam.
Romans 8:33For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: (Romans 8:3) says, "God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh." Here again we see that Scripture is careful in guarding Christ's humanity, stating that His coming into Manhood was "in the likeness of sinful flesh." Thus, He did not have "sinful flesh," but was only in the "likeness" of it. That is, from all outward appearances, He looked like any other man (Heb. 10:2020By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; (Hebrews 10:20)), but inwardly, He did not have the sin-nature.
Hebrews 2:66But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? (Hebrews 2:6) says, “What is man that Thou art mindful of Him?” This is a quote from Psalm 8. The Psalmist wonders at the grace of God that would take up with men. The word here for “man” in the Hebrew is “Enosh.” It denotes man’s weak, frail state—implying a fallen and degenerated condition. We are indeed very thankful that God has been mindful of our fallen race, for He could have "thought only of Himself, and gathered unto Him His spirit and His breath, and all flesh would perish together" (Job 34:14-1514If he set his heart upon man, if he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath; 15All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust. (Job 34:14‑15)). God would have been just in doing this, but we would be lost forever. The psalm goes on to say, “ ... Or the son of man that Thou visitest him.” This refers to God's visit to the human race in the Person of His Son (Luke 1:7878Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, (Luke 1:78)). Instead of thinking only of Himself and leaving us to perish in our sins, "God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting [eternal] life" (John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)). Note: on this occasion, the psalmist uses a different word for “man” in the Hebrew from what he had previously used. Here it is “Adam,” which does not carry the connotations of “Enosh.” This means that when Christ would visit mankind, in becoming a Man, it would not be in the degenerated “Enosh” state. Thus, He would partake in manhood (spirit, soul, and body), but not in fallen manhood.
Hebrews 2:1414Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; (Hebrews 2:14) says, "Since therefore the children partake of blood and flesh, He also, in like manner, took part in the same." Here again, Scripture carefully guards the sinlessness of Christ's humanity. It uses two different words in the Greek to distinguish between fallen men taking part in humanity and Christ taking part in humanity. The first word (koinoneo) translated "partake" refers to a full, common sharing in something. It is used in this verse to denote the kind of sharing in manhood that all in Adam's race have. Being that it is a full sharing, it would necessarily include partaking in the fallen sin-nature. The other word (metecho) translated "took part" refers to taking part in something without specifying how far the sharing went. It is used in this verse to denote the sharing that Christ had in humanity. He took part in humanity, but not to the point of partaking in the fallen sin-nature, which all other men have. (See the footnote in J. N. Darby's translation on this verse.)
In Hebrews 4:1515For 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. (Hebrews 4:15), regarding the Lord's testing and temptations in His earthly pathway, the writer says "We have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities; but was in all points tested like as we are, yet without sin [sin apart]." Unfortunately, reading this verse as it is in the KJV (and in many modern translations), it looks as though it is saying that the Lord didn't commit any sins in His life. But this is not the point in the verse. The phrase "yet without sin," should be translated "sin apart." Sin apart, means that His temptations were not in the classification of temptations having to do with the sin-nature. As we know, there are two classes of temptations to which men are subjected. There are outward temptations and testings (holy trials) whereby one's faith and patience are tested, and there are inward temptations that result from having a sin-nature (unholy trials). See James 1:2-122My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. 5If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. 9Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: 10But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. 11For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways. 12Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. (James 1:2‑12) and James 1:13-1613Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. 16Do not err, my beloved brethren. (James 1:13‑16). The writer of Hebrews is simply stating that the Lord was tested in every way that a righteous man could be tested, but not in the class of temptations that are connected with the indwelling sin-nature. The reason for this is obvious—He didn't have a sin-nature.
J. N. Darby said, "There are two kinds of temptations; one is from without, all the difficulties of Christian life; Christ went through them and He has gone through more than any of us; but the other kind of temptation is when a man is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Christ, of course, never had that" (Notes and Jottings, p. 6).
In John 8:4646Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? (John 8:46) the Lord said to His detractors, "Which of you convinceth Me of sin?" No one could prove that He had a fallen nature, because no one could point to a single sin that He had committed.
In John 14:3030Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. (John 14:30), the Lord announced to His disciples, "The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me." He was referring to Satan's coming to harass and terrify Him, but He assured them that there was nothing "in" Him (i.e. the sin-nature) that would respond to his attacks.
James 1:1313Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: (James 1:13) says that "God cannot be tempted with evil." Thus, holiness is an intrinsic attribute of God (Isa. 6:33And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. (Isaiah 6:3); Rev. 4:88And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. (Revelation 4:8)). If, when God in the Person of His Son became a Man (1 Tim. 3:1616And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (1 Timothy 3:16)), He thereby became capable of being tempted to do evil, then He relinquished one of His essential attributes in deity. Hence, if the doctrine that Christ could have sinned is true, then Christ ceased to be all that He was as God in becoming a Man! This is blasphemy!
1 John 3:99Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. (1 John 3:9) says, "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for His seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." This verse is speaking about the believer having a new nature (resulting from new birth) which cannot sin. John explains that this is so because, being begotten of God, we have "His seed" in us. It confirms what every Christian knows already—that God's "seed" (or life) cannot sin. Building on this fact, since Christ is "God manifest in flesh" (1 Tim. 3:1616And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (1 Timothy 3:16)), then it naturally follows that He could not sin—because God cannot sin! What could be more clear than this?
Old Testament Types of the Sinless Humanity of Christ
The Ark of God which was used in the tabernacle, and later in the temple, is a type of Christ (Ex. 25:10-1610And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. 11And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. 12And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it. 13And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. 14And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them. 15The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it. 16And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee. (Exodus 25:10‑16); Heb. 9:44Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; (Hebrews 9:4)). Everything having to do with the materials and its construction speak of Him. It was made of "shittim wood" and overlaid with pure "gold." Trees and wood are used many times in Scripture to typify men or manhood (Psa. 1:33And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. (Psalm 1:3); Psa. 92:12-1412The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 13Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. 14They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; (Psalm 92:12‑14); Amos 2:99Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath. (Amos 2:9); Isa. 10:16-1916Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire. 17And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day; 18And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standardbearer fainteth. 19And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child may write them. (Isaiah 10:16‑19); Luke 3:7-97Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 9And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. (Luke 3:7‑9), etc.). Pure (fine) gold in Scripture speaks of what is divine—deity. Hence, these two things typify the union in Christ of the divine and human natures. It is interesting and significant that "shittim wood" is translated "incorruptible wood" in the Septuagint (a Greek version of the Old Testament (Ex. 25:5, 105And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood, (Exodus 25:5)
10And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. (Exodus 25:10), etc.). This suggests the sinlessness of Christ's nature as a Man.
Three Main Objections Answered
There are three main objections to this truth:
Robbing Christ of His Glory
1) Those who hold that Christ could have sinned, but didn't, think that we are robbing the Lord of His glory of obedience by saying that He couldn't sin. They say that if what we teach were true, then Christ gets no credit (thus no glory) for His life of perfect obedience to His Father, because He couldn't do anything but what was right.
To human reason it might look as though these things concerning Christ's Manhood are robbing Him of glory, but really, to teach that He could sin attacks the impeccability of His Person and sullies His glory. We are not wiser than the Word of God; when our human reason leads us to conclusions that are in collision with Scripture—which this doctrine does—then we must lay down our thoughts and accept what Scripture says as the final authority, for it is God's infallible Word (Psa. 12:66The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. (Psalm 12:6); John 10:3535If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; (John 10:35)).
Temptations of the Lord in the Wilderness
2) Those who hold that Christ could have sinned, but didn't, point to the temptations of the Lord in the wilderness, and ask, "What was the purpose in having Christ pass through those temptations when He couldn't fail?" The answer is that they were not for God to find out whether Christ would or would not sin. He knew of His sinless perfection and pronounced His approval upon Him—"This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased"—before He was tempted (Matt. 3:1717And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Matthew 3:17)–4:11). If the temptations were for the purpose of discovering whether or not Christ would sin—then God's pronouncement would have been after He went through the testing. It would be, so to speak, His "stamp of approval" on Christ's perfect obedience. But these temptations were not for God; they are for us to see and know, beyond any shadow of doubt, that Christ couldn't sin. If He had any tendency in Him to sin whatsoever, it would have come out under such intense testing—but there came forth nothing but moral perfection. Thus, the temptations prove that Christ couldn't sin!
Where many are confused as to this, is in thinking that "tempted" (Matt. 4:11Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. (Matthew 4:1)) loses its meaning if it doesn't involve the possibility of sinning. But this is a mistake. Tempt means to test, and not all tests imply the possibility of failure. Suppose I had a valuable object in my hand that was made of 100% pure gold. But you dispute it and insist that it is made of Pyrite (so-called "Fool's Gold"). So, to prove what I already know that it is, I say to you, "Let's take it to a jeweler and have it tested." And sure enough, it comes back just as I said it was—100% pure gold. Why did I have the object tested? I didn't need it; I knew all along that it was 100% pure gold. Obviously, the test was for you; it proved to you what it was really made of. Likewise, with the temptations of the Lord, all such testing only proved what was true of Him—that He could not sin. They are recorded in Scripture for us so that we would know this blessed fact concerning the Son of God.
Definition of True Manhood
3) Some of those who hold that Christ could have sinned, but didn't, say that there could be no true manhood without a person having the capability of sinning. They will say that we are teaching that Christ was not a real man, because we say that He didn't have the thoughts and temptations to sin as other men do. They believe that this robs Christ of the ability to sympathize with us in our temptations of lust and sin.
The truth is that there are many things that we experience in life as men that the Lord never experienced, but this does not mean that He wasn't a real Man. Nor does it disqualify Him from being our High Priest. For instance, we experience infirmities (sicknesses), but the Lord never did. We have experienced the joy of forgiveness, but the Lord was never forgiven. He never married, nor fathered children, yet He was (and is) a real Man. Why would we think that He had to have temptations of lust and sin before He could be considered as being a real Man?
Hebrews 4:1515For 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. (Hebrews 4:15) is often quoted to support this mistaken idea. It says that the Lord was tempted "in all points like as we are," which (in their minds) would include the temptation to sin. However, those who say such things have overlooked the fact that the writer of the epistle qualifies these temptations by saying, "sin apart"—which means that the Lord's temptations were not those in the category pertaining to sin. Had they read this verse more carefully, they also would have seen that the writer is referring to trials in connection with our "infirmities," which are bodily sicknesses (Matt. 8:1717That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses. (Matthew 8:17); John 5:55And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. (John 5:5); Rom. 8:2626Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. (Romans 8:26); 2 Cor. 12:55Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities. (2 Corinthians 12:5)). Infirmities are not temptations to sin. Let us note that even though the Lord did not have infirmities personally (He was never sick), the verse says that He is able to sympathize with our infirmities. This shows that it is a false assumption that Christ could not have been a true man without experiencing everything that we experience.
Likewise, it is the same with other things that we, as a race, have inherited through sin entering the world— including the temptation to sin. These are not essential to being human, but they are sad degenerations that have come in through sin. It is, therefore, terribly wrong to think that the Lord had lustful thoughts because we have them, and that they have enabled Him to sympathize with us in our temptations to sin. Let us be clear about this: the Lord did not have lustful thoughts. Nor does He sympathize with our lustful thoughts, but rather, He exercises our consciences as to our need of judging ourselves for allowing sin to be conceived in our hearts (James 1:14-1514But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. (James 1:14‑15)). Those who think that the Lord sympathizes with our lusts clearly do not understand what sin in the flesh is. They seem to think that sin is only wrong actions, but Scripture plainly teaches that sin can be committed in a person's mind without the person doing any act (Matt. 5:2828But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. (Matthew 5:28); James 1:14-1514But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. (James 1:14‑15); Prov. 24:99The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men. (Proverbs 24:9)). All such is iniquity, and the Lord does not sympathize with it.
Being that Christ had a sinless human nature, He could not have taken sin into His Person and still be holy. In view of this, some might wonder about 2 Corinthians 5:2121For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21). This verse seems to say that He did take sin into His Person when He was on the cross. It says, "He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."
A closer look at this verse shows that the words "to be" are in italics in the KJV translation, which means that they are not part of the Greek text, but have been inserted by the translators to help (as they think) in the reading of the text. Unfortunately, in this case, they have inserted something that is somewhat misleading. The point in the verse is that the Lord stood as our Substitute (which "for us" indicates) in the place of sin, and as a sin-offering, bore our judgment. It does not mean that He mystically became sin, or that there was a union of sin with His Person. Scripture says our sins were "laid upon Him" (Isa. 53:66All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)) and that He "bore our sins" (1 Peter 2:2424Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. (1 Peter 2:24)), but Scripture does not say, that in doing so, He took sin into His Person. Hence, He had sins on Him, but not in Him.
All thy sins were laid upon Him,
Jesus bore them on the tree;
God who knew them laid them on Him,
And, believing, thou art free."
(#35 L. F. )
The Ramifications of Christ Sinning
The logic of these blasphemous ideas is absurd. Think of the ramifications of Christ being able to sin. If He could sin when He was on earth, He could sin now in heaven—for Scripture says that He is "the same yesterday, and today, and forever!" (Heb. 13:88Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. (Hebrews 13:8); Acts 1:1111Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. (Acts 1:11)) And (far be the thought), if He were to sin now, He would surely be expelled from heaven, as Satan once was! And what would happen to us? We would lose everything—our Saviour, our salvation, and all our blessings—because everything we have is "in Christ!" If this bad doctrine were true, then we are not eternally secure, as Scripture teaches (John 10:27-2827My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (John 10:27‑28)). Moreover, if Christ did sin, what part of Him would go to hell? Because in His incarnation, there was a union of the human and divine natures that will never be dissolved.