ABOUT THE HUMAN NATURE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHIRST

A. BIBLE PASSAGES (ESV)

1 John 3: 5 You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.
Obs.: In Him there is no sin (singular), compare with John 1:29. In the Bible, sin is experienced
by humans not only at the behavior level, as a moral failure (and sanctification just a behavioral change),
but also as a tyrannical force, enslaving power (Rom 5:21; 6:6,7; ) and a corrupted, impure state of the
heart (Jer 17:9 ; Mt 15:19; Gen 8:21; Rom 7:20).

John 14: 30 …for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me (NKJV).
Obs.: That is no correspondent element from Satan’s character to be found in Jesus Christ: no
tint of rebellion, no shade of pride, selfishness, lust… Therefore, Jesus did not have an ―old me‖ to be
crucified (Gal 2:20).

2 Cor 5: 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the
righteousness of God.
Obs.: He knew no sin = no intimate relationship with sin. Adam knew Even and she
conceived… We know sin intimately because sin dwells in us (Rom 7;20). James 1:13-15 shows
that each sin is conceived by Satan’s initial temptations and our lusts. It is conceived in a
corrupted heart/mind. Therefore, we experience God’s salvation by dying and being born again
with a new heart and changed mind.

Rom 8: 3-4 By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, [and as a sin offering] he
condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us,
who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Obs: Jesus Christ came ―in the likeness of sinful flesh‖. Gr: homoioma - that which has been
made after the likeness of something; a figure, image, likeness, representation; likeness i.e.
resemblance, such as amounts almost to equality or identity.

Gal 5: 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Que: Did Jesus Christ have to crucify his flesh with its sinful passions and desires (His sinful
nature) as we have to do?

Luke 9: 23 And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his
cross daily and follow me.
Que: Peter denied Jesus (same Greek word as in this verse), I have to deny myself (not my
newly born nature, but the sinful, old one, with its sinful passions and desires), but did Jesus
have to deny something within or part of Himself?

Gen 8: 21 the LORD said in his heart, "I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the
intention of man's heart is evil from his youth.
Mark 7: 21-23 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft,
murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these
evil things come from within, and they defile a person."
Que: After Adam ate from the tree of knowledge and knew evil and sin, we are born with all
these evil desires, inclinations and propensities ―built-in‖ our heart, as part of the ―spring‖ of our
life. Was Jesus born with the same sinful nature, even if He was born of the Holy Spirit and is
called in the Bible (John 6:69) ―the Holy One of God‖?

Gal 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And
the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
1 Cor 15:31 I die daily.
Que: Can these verses be applied to Jesus, in the same way they refer to our sinful human
nature?

B. HANDBOOK OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST THEOLOGY (Bible Commentary v.12)

In one’s assessment of the human nature of Jesus, it is necessary to take account of another clear
testimony of the NT concerning His sinless character, addressed clearly in a number of statements. The
Epistle to the Hebrews affirms that Jesus ―in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin‖
(Heb. 4:15). Peter, who knew Him well, refers to Jesus as ―the Holy One of God‖ (John 6:69), adding
that He ―committed no sin; no guile was found on his lips‖ (1 Peter 2:22). John affirms that ―in him
there is no sin‖ (1 John 3:5), while Paul’s witness is that Christ ―knew no sin‖ (2 Cor. 5:21). Equally
important is Jesus’ own testimony: ―I have kept my Father’s commandments‖ (John 15:10). ―I always
do what is pleasing to him‖ (John 8:29). In the same vein He asked His hearers, ―Which of you convicts
me of sin?‖ (verse 46).

Part of Christ’s mission was to be truly human. He possessed the essential characteristics of human
nature. He was ―flesh and blood‖ (Heb. 2:14), and in all things like His fellow human beings (verse 17).
His humanity did not correspond to Adam’s humanity before the Fall, nor in every respect to Adam’s
humanity after the Fall, for the Scriptures portray Christ’s humanity as sinless. Conceived by the Holy
Spirit, His birth was supernatural (Matt. 1:20; Luke 1:35), so much so that the angel sent by the Father
told Mary that ―the child to be born will be called holy‖ (Luke 1:35).

He came ―in the likeness of sinful flesh‖ (Rom. 8:3). He took human nature in its fallen condition
with its infirmities and liabilities and bearing the consequences of sin; but not its sinfulness. He was
truly human, one with the human race, except for sin. He could truthfully say ―He [Satan] has no power
over me‖ (John 14:30; lit. ―has nothing in me‖). Jesus took human nature,
weakened and deteriorated by four thousand years of sin, yet undefiled and spotless. ―In him,‖ writes
John, ―there is no sin‖ (1 John 3:5).
 The uniform witness of Scripture to the sinlessness of Jesus does not mean that He could not have
sinned. While it is true that Scripture tells us that God does no evil and cannot be tempted (James 1:13),
it is fitting to point out that Jesus, as a human being, could have sinned, though He did not. He refused to
break His intimate relationship with the Father. There were genuine struggles and temptations, some of
enormous intensity, as His struggle in Gethsemane to do the Father’s will shows (Luke 22:41–44).

―Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift,‖ writes Paul (2 Cor. 9:15). The mystery of Christ is
beyond adequate expression. For indeed Christ’s sinlessness is not merely a matter of moral perfection,
but the foundation of His sacrifical death. His sinlessness is not simply a statement about Christ-in-
Himself but also of Christ-for-us, of Christ as our Saviour. Because He is holy and sinless, He is fully
qualified to be for sinners Lord, Redeemer, and High Priest. This holiness, this sinlessness of Jesus, is
the moral presupposition of the atonement which will be considered later (see II. C-E).1

C. ELLEN WHITE COMMENTS

Our Saviour ―assumed the liabilities of human nature, to be proved and tried‖ (EGW ST Aug. 2,
1905; cf. DA 49, 117, 131). ―Like every child of Adam He accepted the results of the working of the
great law of heredity‖ (DA 49). What does she mean is explained in the following paragraphs:

―He could have sinned; … but not for one moment was there in Him an evil propensity‖ (EGW letter
8, 1895, see p. 1128). He took ―the nature but not the sinfulness of man‖ (EGW ST May 29, 1901). ―He
vanquished Satan in the same nature over which in Eden Satan obtained the victory‖ (EGW YI April 25,
1901).

―Jesus revealed no qualities, and exercised no powers, that men may not have through faith in Him.
His perfect humanity is that which all His followers may possess‖ (DA 664; cf. 24). ―In His human
nature He maintained the purity of His divine character‖ (ML 323). ―No trace of sin marred the image of
God within Him‖ (DA 71; cf. 123).

See EGW Supplementary Material on Matt. 4:1–11; Luke 2:40, 52; Col. 2:9, 10; Heb. 2:14–18;
4:15.2

Be careful, exceedingly careful as to how you dwell upon the human nature of Christ. Do not set
Him before the people as a man with the propensities of sin. He is the second Adam. The first Adam was
created a pure, sinless being, without a taint of sin upon him; he was in the image of God. He could fall,
and he did fall through transgressing. Because of sin his posterity was born with inherent propensities of
disobedience. But Jesus Christ was the only begotten Son of God. He took upon Himself human nature,

1
Dederen, Raoul. Vol. 12, Handbook of Seventh-Day Adventist Theology. electronic ed. Logos Library System; Commentary
Reference Series, Page 164. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 2001, c2000.
2
Nichol, Francis D. The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Volume 5, Page 918, Review and Herald Publishing
Association, 1978; 2002.
and was tempted in all points as human nature is tempted. He could have sinned; He could have fallen,
but not for one moment was there in Him an evil propensity. He was assailed with temptations in the
wilderness, as Adam was assailed with temptations in Eden.

Avoid every question in relation to the humanity of Christ which is liable to be misunderstood. Truth
lies close to the track of presumption. In treating upon the humanity of Christ, you need to guard
strenuously every assertion, lest your words be taken to mean more than they imply, and thus you lose or
dim the clear perceptions of His humanity as combined with divinity. His birth was a miracle of God;
for, said the angel, ―Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his
name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give
unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his
kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a
man? And 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.‖

These words do not refer to any human being, except to the Son of the infinite God. Never, in any
way, leave the slightest impression upon human minds that a taint of, or inclination to, corruption rested
upon Christ, or that He in any way yielded to corruption. He was tempted in all points like as man is
tempted, yet He is called ―that holy thing.‖ It is a mystery that is left unexplained to mortals that Christ
could be tempted in all points like as we are, and yet be without sin. The incarnation of Christ has ever
been, and will ever remain a mystery. That which is revealed, is for us and for our children, but let every
human being be warned from the ground of making Christ altogether human, such an one as ourselves;
for it cannot be. The exact time when humanity blended with divinity, it is not necessary for us to know.
We are to keep our feet on the Rock Christ Jesus, as God revealed in humanity.

I perceive that there is danger in approaching subjects which dwell on the humanity of the Son of the
infinite God. He did humble Himself when He saw He was in fashion as a man, that He might
understand the force of all temptations wherewith man is beset.

The first Adam fell; the second Adam held fast to God and His Word under the most trying
circumstances, and His faith in His Father’s goodness, mercy, and love did not waver for one moment.
―It is written‖ was His weapon of resistance, and it is the sword of the Spirit which every human being is
to use. ―Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in
me‖—nothing to respond to temptation. On not one occasion was there a response to his manifold
temptations. Not once did Christ step on Satan’s ground, to give him any advantage. Satan found
nothing in Him to encourage his advances (Letter 8, 1895).1

Jesus took upon Himself human nature, and with it the possibility of yielding to sin (DA 117). He
was permitted to ―meet life’s peril in common with every human soul, to fight the battle as every child
of humanity must fight it, at the risk of failure and eternal loss‖ (DA 49). Only thus could it be said that
He ―was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin‖ (Heb. 4:15). Otherwise, if, as some assert,
Jesus, being divine, could not be tempted—then His temptation was a farce. It was through His human

1
Nichol, Francis D. The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Volume 5, Page 1128, Review and Herald Publishing
Association, 1978; 2002.
nature that He experienced temptation (cf. DA 686). Had His experience with temptation been in any
degree less trying than our experiences with it, ―He would not be able to succor us‖ (DA 117). See
Additional Note on John 1; see on Luke 2:40, 52; John 1:14; Heb. 4:15; EGW Supplementary Material
on Matt. 4:1–11; Rom. 5:12–19.1

It is not correct to say, as many writers have said, that Christ was like all children. He was not like
all children. Many children are misguided and mismanaged. But Joseph, and especially Mary, kept
before them the remembrance of their child’s divine Fatherhood. Jesus was instructed in accordance
with the sacred character of His mission. His inclination to right was a constant gratification to His
parents. The questions He asked them led them to study most earnestly the great elements of truth. His
soul-stirring words about nature and the God of nature opened and enlightened their minds.

On the rocks and knolls about His home the eye of the Son of God often rested. He was familiar with
the things of nature. He saw the sun in the heavens, the moon and the stars fulfilling their mission. With
the voice of singing He welcomed the morning light. He listened to the lark caroling forth music to its
God, and joined His voice with the voice of praise and thanksgiving. …

[Luke 2:40 quoted.] He was an example of what all children may strive to be if parents will seek the
Lord most earnestly, and if children will cooperate with their parents. In His words and actions He
manifested tender sympathy for all. His companionship was as a healing, soothing balm to the
disheartened and depressed.

No one, looking upon the childlike countenance, shining with animation, could say that Christ was
just like other children. He was God in human flesh. When urged by His companions to do wrong,
divinity flashed through humanity, and He refused decidedly. In a moment He distinguished between
right and wrong, and placed sin in the light of God’s commands, holding up the law as a mirror which
reflected light upon wrong. It was this keen discrimination between right and wrong that often provoked
Christ’s brothers to anger. Yet His appeals and entreaties, and the sorrow expressed in His countenance,
revealed such a tender, earnest love for them that they were ashamed of having tempted Him to deviate
from His strict sense of justice and loyalty (YI Sept. 8, 1898).2

Christ passed from this scene of glory [His baptism] to one of the greatest temptation. He went into
the wilderness, and there Satan met Him, and tempted Him on the very points where man will be
tempted. Our Substitute and Surety passed over the ground where Adam stumbled and fell. And the
question was, Will He stumble and fall as Adam did over God’s commandments? He met Satan’s
attacks again and again with, ―It is written,‖ and Satan left the field of conflict a conquered foe. Christ
has redeemed Adam’s disgraceful fall, and has perfected a character of perfect obedience, and left an
example for the human family, that they may imitate the Pattern. Had He failed on one point in reference
to the law of God, He would not have been a perfect offering; for it was on one point only that Adam
failed (RH June 10, 1890).3

1
Nichol, Francis D. The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Volume 5, Page 309, Review and Herald Publishing Association,
1978; 2002.
2
Nichol, Francis D. The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Volume 5, Page 1116, Review and Herald Publishing
Association, 1978; 2002.
3
Nichol, Francis D. The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Volume 5, Page 1080, Review and Herald Publishing
Association, 1978; 2002.