Re: [TruthTalk] Jesus' Nature

[Lance Muir]

I can't speak for the 'and friends' but, as for Lance; he thinks this is articulate, understandable and God-honouring.   So thanks,   Lance ----- Original Message ----- From: ShieldsFamily To: TruthTalk@mail.innglory.org Sent: February 13, 2005 23:33 Subject: [TruthTalk] Jesus' Nature   I'm putting my thoughts about all this squabbling about Jesus' nature under a new heading, as it had nothing to do with mormons. For what it's worth, (nothing to Lance and friends I’m sure) here are my two cents:   1) I believe in "Original Sin" only as it means that we are born with the Flesh Nature, and we are sure to live in it once we are old enough to choose between what we know is right vs wrong.  No human being has ever yet failed to commit sin once they are old enough to choose, other than Jesus.  I do not believe a newborn is born guilty of sin.  One must sin by volition, not by condition.  Otherwise, if one is born with imputed sin and is therefore a sinner even before taking that first breath outside the womb, God must condemn every aborted fetus to hell.  That's just not the God I see in scripture.   2) I believe that Jesus had God for a Father, and a human sinner for a mother.  Thus He also inherited Adam's sin-nature, just like all of us. Otherwise He could not have been "tempted in all ways as we are."  I believe he was not only tempted, as in recognized mentally that someone was trying to tempt Him, but that He actually at times felt tempted, just like we do. Otherwise, He cheated.  If He wasn’t even capable of sinning, then the fact that He never sinned was meaningless. His substitution on the cross was a hoax, because He didn’t really overcome anything, because He just did His “God thing” and didn’t suffer like we do when we are tempted.    I Peter 5:10 “After you have suffered  for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His  eternal glory in Christ, will Himself  perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”    What is that suffering but resisting the temptation of satan? We know that Jesus was tempted, that He suffered, that He experienced anger, grief, and the same emotions that we do.  He was completely Human in the same way that we are.    3) I believe that Jesus was actually God the Father manifesting Himself on earth as a Real Human Being.  He was God’s Son in that way.  The only-begotten of the Father.  He was fully God.   4) I believe that Jesus was born fully man, as a real human being, with that same sin-nature (Meaning ability to walk in the Flesh vs the Spirit) that we have.  He could actually have sinned! One manifestation of Adam’s Fall in God’s creation is that physical death came upon all human beings.  Prior to the Fall (for those of you from Rio Linda, that means when Adam committed the first sin), Adam, Eve, and all their subsequent progeny would have lived eternally.  But since the Fall, every human being has aged and then died.  Did Jesus age? Yes.  If Jesus had not died on the cross, would He have aged and died physically? I believe He would have.  He was human in all ways that we are.   5) BECAUSE Jesus was as human as we are, but never sinned, He was the one and only One qualified to be our substitute on the cross—and die for OUR sins.  But He ALSO came as an example to us, that since He suffered temptation in the very same ways that we do, and NEVER sinned, that WE can do that also!!  How can we do that?  By becoming indwelt by the same Holy Spirit that indwelt Him!  NOW we actually DO have a CHOICE of whether or not to sin!  Just as He took on our real Flesh nature from Adam and never sinned, we can now receive the Holy Spirit from Him and never sin!   6) And just as Jesus was not imputed as a guilty sinner due to his fleshly human nature, that is why I believe that newborn infants are not imputed as guilty of sins they never committed, and are guiltless before God unless/until they live to be old enough to choose to sin. If Original Sin means that we are born guilty and deserving of hell then Jesus was born guilty by His human nature, and could never have been the Sinless Lamb of God who died for our sins.   Izzy