34 Question 2

That is a very interesting question.  As humans, we can all say as King David said in Psalm 51:5, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”  This teaches us the truth that we are all born in sin and shaped in iniquity.  Solomon, the wisest of them all had this to say about mankind in Ecclesiastes 7:20, “For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.”  Jeremiah the prophet had this to say about the human heart in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”  The testimony of these three great men of God affirms the truth that man is sinful.  We have a sinful nature that delights in doing terrible things.  Our hearts are incredibly deceitful and corrupt and cause us to even deceive ourselves.

Now let’s listen to the testimony of three other great men of God about our Lord Jesus Christ.  The Apostle Paul said of the Lord in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “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.”  The Apostle Peter said of the Lord in 1 Peter 2:21-22, “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:  Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.”  The Apostle John said of the Lord in 1 John 3:5, “And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.”  The testimony of these three affirms the truth that the Lord Jesus Christ was, and is, sinless. He knew no sin; He did no sin; and in Him is so sin.

So, why are we so sinful and Christ is not?  Let’s start by looking at 1 Timothy 3:16, “And 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.”  This, of course, is speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He is God manifest in the flesh.  Manifest means to appear or make known.  Jesus came as the very personification of God.  Matthew 1:23 tells us, “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”  One title for the Lord Jesus was Emmanuel, which means that God is with us.  Jesus was, and is, God.  Romans 8:3 says, “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.”  The Lord Jesus came in the “likeness” of sinful flesh.  He looked like any other man, but he did not have a sinful nature.  He is God.

Let’s look at the words of the angel, Gabriel, as he spoke to Mary in Luke 1:35, “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.”  Then, we have the account of the angel speaking to Joseph in Matthew 1:18-21, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But 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.  And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”  The sinful nature is passed to each generation by the seed of the father.  Reading these past two portions, we see that the Lord Jesus had no earthly father.  Luke 3:23 tells us, “And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph…”  While others assumed that Joseph was the father of Jesus, in fact, he was not.  He was conceived by the work of the Holy Ghost.

So, man is born in sin, while the Lord Jesus Christ did not have a sinful nature.  He has a divine, or perfect, nature.  Because of His marvelous work of grace on the cross of Calvary, the Lord Jesus has offered salvation to all who will put their faith in Him as savior and Lord.  To those who know Christ as their savior, we have these words in 2 Peter 1:2-4, “Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue; whereby he hath granted unto us his precious and exceeding great promises; that through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in that world by lust.”  Amazing!  He shares that perfect, Godly, nature with us.  Although we were born in sin, we do not have to continue in sin.  1 John 4:16-17 says, “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.”