February 7, 2020
Were Jesus’s temptations genuine?
Jesus’s temptations (Matt 4:1-11; Mk 1:12-13; Lk 4:1-13) were genuine (Lk 4:2; Heb 4:15; cf. Heb 5:8), but He couldn’t sin (impeccability). Among evangelicals, the issue is not whether or not Christ sinned since all evangelicals would deny that Christ sinned. The key question in the debate is whether or not Christ could have sinned.
Jesus’s peccability could only be linked to His human nature since His divine nature was impeccable. Jesus had two natures, but He was still one person and it is impossible to separate the two natures (it would only be possible for Jesus to have sinned if His human nature could be separated from His divine nature, which is impossible) since they both existed united in one person. Several lines of evidence support the impeccability of Jesus: His immutability (Heb 13:8), His omnipotence (Matt 28:18), His omniscience (Jn 2:25), His deity, and His authority (Jn 10:18) (see below for more details about these various lines of argument.
Some theologians and Bible teachers, like Charles Hodges, M. R. & Richard DeHaan hold to the peccability of Jesus because of Hebrews 4:15. I do not agree with this viewpoint since the word temptation (Gk. peirazo) is also used of God the Father (Acts 15:10; 1 Corinthians 10:9; Hebrews 3:9) and the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:9) and of course, nobody in their right mind would say the Father or the Holy Spirit could have sinned. Therefore, temptation does not demand the ability to sin. The people genuinely tempted God the Father and the Holy Spirit, but there was no likelihood of either person sinning.
It is noteworthy that it was not Satan who instigated the temptation but the Holy Spirit (Matthew 4:1). If Christ could have sinned, then the Holy Spirit solicited Christ to sin, but that is something God would never do (James 1:13).
Christ is immutable (i.e., unchangeable) regarding His nature (Hebrews 13:8 ), so therefore He couldn’t sin. If Christ could have sinned on earth, what assurance do we have that He cannot sin now? According to Matthew 28:18, since Christ is omnipotent (i.e., all-powerful), He could not sin because if He could have sinned, that would imply He was weak. Of course, Christ can’t be all-powerful and weak at the same time.
If we look at the nature of temptation (James 1:14–15), it normally comes from within an evil nature. The temptation that came to Christ was from without. However, for sin to occur, there must be an inner response to the outward temptation. Since Jesus did not possess a sin nature, there was nothing within Him to respond to the temptation.
It is important to point out that the purpose of Christ’s temptation was not to see if He could sin but to clearly show that He could not sin.
I do not believe that just because Jesus couldn’t sin, His temptations were not genuine. In actuality, His temptations were more real since He did not give in to them. I agree with those theologians who would say that only those who resist the temptation to the end, truly feel the force of that particular temptation. Hebrews 5:7 shows the genuineness of Christ’s temptation when it vividly describes His emotional anguish as he faced the prospect of drinking the cup of the world’s sins. The next verse implies that Jesus Christ, even like the son of a human father, had to learn what it means to obey God amid challenging trials. According to Hebrews 2:17, Christ “had to be made like his brothers in every way” to free sinners from bondage to Satan and death. So, as fully man, Christ entered into the full experience of our human experience.
I’ll end this post with an excellent illustration from Dr. Tom Constable: “As an illustration of the thoroughness of Jesus’s temptations, imagine a large boulder on the seacoast. Since it does not move, it experiences the full force of every wave that beats against it. Smaller pebbles that the waves move around do not receive the full force, because they yield to the force of the waves. Similarly, Jesus’s temptations were greater than ours, because He never yielded to them. By the same principle, a prizefighter (Jesus) who defeats the champion (Satan) endures more punishment than other contenders, who throw in the towel or are knocked out before the end of the fight.”
Sources Consulted
Constable, Dr. Thomas L. “Notes on Hebrews.” 2019 Edition.
Enns, Paul P. The Moody Handbook of Theology. Moody Publishers.
Lewis, Gordon R. & Bruce A. Demarest. Integrative Theology. Zondervan.
Ryrie, Charles C. Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth. Moody Publishers, 305.
Sahl, Joseph G. “The Impeccability of Jesus Christ.” Bibliotheca Sacra 140 (1983): 19-20.
