Jesus, while He lived on Earth, was 100% God in personality, and 100% man in mortal nature and subject to temptation, like us. To have a Divine bodily nature under a human garment would mean not being subject to temptations:
- “Let no man say when He is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God CAN NOT BE TEMPTED with evil, neither tempteth He any man“ {James 1:13}
The Bible shows us the difference between the body, i.e. human bodily nature, and the spiritual body, i.e. Divine bodily natures:
- “There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.“ {1 Corinthians 15:44}
Why is there a difference between these two body types? Because the fallen human body and nature, which Jesus took 100%, are infected with the virus of sin and thus lean towards sin. Of course, that does not mean the existence of a specific sin, because babies, even though they are infected with this virus from birth, are born without having sinned. Jesus took Adam’s nature after the fall, with a weaker body. He did not have a Divine body-nature while He lived on Earth.
- “There were in him (Adam) no corrupt principles, no tendencies to evil. But when Christ came to meet the temptations of Satan, He bore “the likeness of sinful flesh.” {Ellen White: ST, 17. October 1900}
- “…He took upon Him our sinful nature.“ {Ellen White: RH, 15. December 1896}
- “He took upon Himself fallen, suffering human nature, degraded and defiled by sin.“ {Ellen White: YI, 20. December 1900}
- “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the (human!) 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}
- “This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.“ {Galatians 5:16,17}
- “Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, Which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh“ {Romans 1:3}
- “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did My mother conceive Me.“ {Psalms 51:5}
- “For verily He took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took on Him the seed of Abraham.“ {Hebrews 2:16}
- “For 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}
- “He was not only made flesh, but He was made in the likeness of sinful flesh.” {Ellen White: Letter 106, 1896}
- “Jesus also told them [..] That He should take man’s FALLEN nature, and His strength would not be even equal with theirs.” {Ellen White: 1SG, p. 25.1}
- “For 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}
In Bible translations to other languages, we see that is Jesus who is weak in the flesh! Jesus overcame absolutely every temptation and survived without any sin, through unceasing fellowship with His heavenly Father. So it is no wonder that the apostate leader Dr. LeRoy Froom in 1957 in his book “Questions of Doctrine” brought the currently accepted false doctrine that Jesus came with the genetic nature of Adam before the fall into sin:
- “Christ’s flesh and nature in the incarnation were different from ours. He was “exempt” from our genetic inheritance, and took only the sinless nature of Adam as it was before the fall“ {Dr. LeRoy Froom; Questions of Doctrine, p. 383, and heading, p. 650}
In fact, that would almost prevent any temptation, and therefore it would not be a real sacrifice on the cross, because Adam’s body had no weakness for sin! But the truth is that Jesus have a human, sin-degenerate nature, and even with it, He was able to resist every sin for us and die on the cross for our transgressions. After His return to heaven, He took back His Divine life and nature, which He had previously laid with the Father. The spirit of Prophecy is clear that Jesus did not have the nature of Adam before the fall, because He did not look like Adam, nor was He over 3m tall like Adam!
- “In taking upon Himself man’s nature in its fallen condition, Christ did not in the least participate in its sin“ {Ellen White: 1SM 256.1}
What a difference between the lies that Dr. Froom brought into the church and the truths told by the Spirit of Prophecy! Jesus’ body, unlike Adam’s, bore a weakness for sin! If Christ took the form of a man to save man, then he had to take the complete nature of sinful man, because it is the sinful man whom He wanted to save. Death could not rule over the nature of sinless man before falling into sin, as Adam was in paradise; in the same way, death would not have had power over Christ if He had not taken upon himself the completely sinful nature of all of us.
- “Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful high Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself hath suffered Being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted.“ {Hebrews 2:17,18}
If Jesus was like his brothers in EVERYTHING, then He certainly did not have Adam’s nature before the fall into sin!
This Text is part of the book First Commandment OR Trinity? – Encyclopedia of Evidences of the Old Trampled Truths of All Areas