but how? James tells us, and that description certainly cannot fit the nature of Christ.
all of this rests on the impeccability of Jesus. He cannot fail.
but let's leave my objection to some nuances of translation behind and look at how this relates to the thread topic - - the two natures or the single nature of the believer.
on the two natures side, we have that the believer has a carnal nature of the flesh - - waiting for its final redemption - - that can be internally tempted, and also the spiritual nature of Christ bestowed on him or her through regeneration, which can only be externally tempted: that is, a fleshly heart which still desires sin that the spiritual man resists, and a spiritual heart in which there is no unrighteousness, that can only be presented with an option to sin but has no desire for it - - vis a vis in common parlance testing, or, the archaic meaning of tempt, the actual meaning of the original text.
on the side of the single nature, the believer has only the mind and heart of Christ and there is no struggle, because the carnal heart is completely gone, completely dead and buried, and there is no internal desire for sin that the believer has any need to overcome. in this sense, there is no reason to believe such a person can be tempted with sin, only tested, and necessarily found impeccable, because anything less would be an indication that the natural man has not been completely buried, that there is still an internal desire to sin. Thus one would expect that the believer is completely sinless, outwardly and inwardly, and there is no future hope of redemption of the flesh to be looked for, apart from some physical change imbuing power, because there is no spiritual failing.
what fits experience and the ubiquity of encouragement to resist sin, in the Bible?
why encourage one another to live righteously if there exists no opposite force in any true believer?
what is really being asked is whether we are perfect or we are being perfected
“
brother your truly enjoyable to discuss with even when we aren’t seeing eye to eye. Always respectful and respectable I truly appreciate that .
“but how? James tells us, and that description certainly cannot fit the nature of Christ.”
Christs perfect natire was something he established by overcoming all the temptations of mankind
for us who were overcome by it
It’s something he did fornus siffered for us .was part of the plan to save mankind who fall through temptation into sin. Thier nature isn’t born wrong either but when they face temptation ,
they fail
thats why he faces temptation not because of his own nature being corrupt but to save us he endured temptation for us
It’s something he had to do he had to overcome the devils attacks on men
so he can help us now when we do battle with him in temptations
This part brother I think you are having trouble with it eas part of zgods redemption plan
“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 KJV
your saying “
Jesus couldnt possibly be tempted “
I’m saying
he became a man so he could be tempted and overcome it for you. Having endured our same feelings and trials as a man he’s able to help us when we face them . It’s something he did for you in the flesh as a man.
this was necassary because there was no mediation for man to God now we have one because god became a man he never ceased being god in heaven but he became a man on earth that’s why he says stuff like this so often
“Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me?
the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: ( not me )
but
the Father that dwelleth in me, ( but God ) he doeth the works.”
John 14:10 KJV
“Ye men of Israel, hear these words;
Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:”
Acts 2:22 KJV
Now before you think I’m denying Jesus divinity here’s my opinion and belief that before he became a man the Lord is in heaven . Than he was born as a man on earth ( son of man ) but this doesn’t mean he’s not still the god in heaven the spirit but now there’s a man whos created because we needed a man to be perfect in order to mediate a relationship and reconcile man and God .
then after Jesus went to the cross
“And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said,
Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.”
Luke 23:46 KJV
Look what Jesus taught the
men who listened to and believed him
“And
call no man your father upon the earth: for
one is your Father, which is in heaven.”
Matthew 23:9 KJV
see the kinship between man and god that existed always ? From the first man ?
“which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of
Adam, which was the son of God.”
Luke 3:38 KJV
Man and God needed a mediator , now we have one
“For there is one God, and
one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”
1 Timothy 2:5 KJV
Jesus did what he did for us even when he faced the very same temptations we do
he never sinned.
Think of the glory of he was never even tempted yet he didn’t sin
v he was tempted in every way as we are and her he did not sin .
The latter holds far more glory and victory ots something he did for you when he became flesh Jesus is and was God bit he became a man. A real man because we needed a perfect man tried and true and faithful to our fathers Will over his own …. Even when it was a struggle for the man he endured all the way through his temptations to the cross where soon after he was glorofoed as he was in the beginning
John 17:5
But look at his strength in the struggle the man I mean who’s praying here to God
“Then saith he unto them,
My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye hear, and watch with me.
And he went a little further, and
fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
He went away again
the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.”
Matthew 26:38-39, 42 KJV
the glory is on the fight he won for us tempted in every way yet he stood strong and never sinned
