Singapore Moses Supporter Messenger of God, CEO in IT industry, Astronaut, Scientist

✿ Jesus was tempted in all things like human beings, without consenting to sin. (Heb 4:15). Paul mentioned Christ as our High Priest before (Heb. 2:17; 3:1), but did not attempt to prove it until now, which he does at great length in Heb. 4:13--Heb. 10:39. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

✿ We come boldly to throne from which all grace proceeds. In Israel it was the mercy-seat or covering for the ark between the two cherubim. The high priest could approach this only once a year and that with the blood of atonement. If Jesus transgressed in anything he would be struck dead. His approach was with fear and trembling. The new covenant believers can come boldly to God's throne without fear and trembling, and that daily and at any time of the day. This is the freedom, confidence, and liberty of approach they are commanded to keep until the end (see Acts 4:13).

✿ “Liberty In Prayers” refers to absolute confidence of access to God because all sins which separated from God are removed (Isa. 59:1-2). In Old Testament days men were not permitted to approach God. Even the mountain on which God gave the law was not to be touched by man or beast. Only the high priest was permitted in the holy of holies once a year, and even then he could not approach God without proper atonement. Now we all have free and daily access to God by the blood of Jesus (Heb. 10:19-23 Eph. 2:18). We are invited to come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain help in time of need (Heb. 4:14-16). As long as we hold fast to his liberty of access to God we are His house (Heb. 3:6). If sin is in the life we do not and cannot have this liberty of access. God will not hear our prayers (1Jn. 3:20-23; 5:14-15). See Ps. 66:18.

✿ Because of Christ’s following attributes, we have Liberty In Prayers:
❶ Jesus Christ was God's only begotten Son (Heb. 4:14; 1:5-7; 5:5; Jn. 3:16). 
❷ He was not a descendent of earthly priests (Heb. 7:11-14 Mt. 1:1). 
❸ He passed into heaven to minister to us (Heb. 4:14; 7:25; Rom. 8:34). 
❹ Jesus Christ was sinless (Heb. 4:3,15). 
❺ He lives forever to help in the time of need (Heb. 4:16; 7:25). 
❻ He was not taken from among men or ordained by them, but sent from heaven and ordained by God (Heb. 5:1,5; Jn. 3:16; Acts 10:38).
❼ Christ is a priest after the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 5:6,10). 
❽ He was perfect (Heb. 5:9). 
❾ Christ is the author of eternal salvation to all people who obey (Heb. 5:9). 
❿ He made a way of access to God (Heb. 4:14-16; 10:19-23).

December 16 2017 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

Aurel Gheorghe Supporter

Yes, He could have! Jesus' death fulfilled the plan to atone for the sin of the human race, to pay the price of our sin so we don’t have to (Isaiah 53:5).

Although Jesus was God, on Earth He lived it as a human. His life was an example of how to live a sinless life with God’s power.

If Jesus had sinned even once during His entire life, if He had given in to the smallest temptation, He could not have been resurrected. Jesus was constantly under Satan's attacks, tempted at every step. Satan constantly tried to cause Jesus to sin. 

During the last hours of Christ's life, Satan tried the hardest. His demons worked overtime to cause Jesus to sin, to give up, to speak one word of anger or hatred towards those that so cruelly mistreated Him. But Satan was unsuccessful.

God put everything on the line to save us. If Jesus had sinned in any respect, God would have failed in securing our salvation and Satan would have had complete victory.

The truth is Jesus didn’t have to die. He chose to because that was the only way to guarantee us a chance at eternal life. His perfect life is a free gift to all who accept to be covered by it.

Jesus’ life and death are ours if we choose to accept them. Then as we walk in the newness of life that He offers, we are empowered to live as He did (Rom 6:4). Slowly but surely, as we submit daily to His Holy Spirit, our characters are changed into His image.

"I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:10). Jesus came to show us God’s love, and the lengths to which God will go to save us (John 3:16). His life, death, and resurrection reconciled us to God (Colossians 1:21-22).

December 06 2017 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

John Appelt Supporter

Could Jesus have sinned? For certain, He was sinless: 
He was “a lamb without blemish or spot,” I Peter 1:19. 
He knew no sin, II Corinthians 5:21
He committed no sin, I Peter 2:22
In Him there was no sin, I John 3:5
No one could “convict Him of sin,” John 8:46
He was the Holy One of God, the Righteous One, Luke 4:34, Acts 3:14, 7:52, 22:14.

But the question is whether He was incapable of sinning or if He was capable of sinning.

Jesus was fully God and fully man. God cannot be tempted, James 1:13, but He, as a man, was tempted as we are, yet without sin(ning), Hebrews 4:15. 

He restricted the attributes of God to live as a human, Philippians 2:5-8. Jesus shared the same humanity as Adam and Eve and all mankind. He experienced emotions and felt the needs of man. He was hungry, thirsty, angry, sad, and tired. He had to grow in wisdom, Luke 2:52. He suffered anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane, Matthew 26:37-39. He was dependent on God and resorted to prayer. He felt the total experience of being a man, including the temptations. 

Jesus was not just tested to show that He could not fall. He was tempted to see if He would fall. Jesus could have done the things Satan tempted Him to do, such as turn stones into bread, cast Himself from the temple, and worship Satan. But He would not. The temptations were real. 

One must ask why Satan would confront Jesus in the wilderness with the three temptations if He could not have succumbed. It would have been a waste of Satan’s efforts and totally meaningless if Jesus was resistant to temptation. And it is certainly unlikely for Satan to try again at some opportune time if Jesus could not sin, Luke 4:13. These temptations were genuine tests to see if Jesus would sin. 

While Jesus could have sinned, He chose not to. Jesus was able to conquer temptations because He yielded to God, the power of the Spirit, and the authority of the Scriptures. He always made the right choices. Because of this He could aid mankind, Hebrews 2:18. He could not help mankind if He was not like them. But He was like them, except totally sinless.

That is why He could be made sin for us, II Corinthians 5:21. He could forgive sins, Mark 2:7, 10, purge our sins, Hebrews 1:3 and make propitiation for the sins of the people, Hebrews 2:17. He could bear the sins of many, Hebrews 9:28, offering one sacrifice for sins forever, Hebrews 10:12. He could bear our sins in His own body, I Peter 2:24, being the propitiation for “our sins and also for the whole world,” I John 2:2, 4:10. He could washed us “from our sins in His own blood,” Revelation 1:5. 

Jesus could have sinned. He was genuinely tested, but He was victorious every time making Him eligible to be our Savior.

September 08 2022 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jack Gutknecht Supporter Arizona Bible College graduate and Dallas Seminary graduate

Great question, George! Let's take a look at Hebrews 4:14 --

"Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession."

"'Great high priest who has passed through the heavens'
This points to Jesus’ exalted position and divine nature. The high priest in the Old Testament passed through the veil into the Holy of Holies. Jesus, the greater high priest, passed through the heavens — meaning He didn’t just go into a man-made sanctuary but entered the actual presence of God after His ascension." chatgpt

"Jesus, the Son of God":
This title points to His divine identity. He wasn’t just a man who faced temptation — He is God the Son: eternal, holy, and unchanging. And since God cannot sin (James 1:13; Habakkuk 1:13), this shows that Jesus was not capable of sinning. His divine nature made moral failure impossible.

I had Dr. Charles Ryrie, author of the Ryrie Study Bible, in seminary for a professor, and he agrees with me. (Dallas Theological Seminary, 1971-1975).

"Let us hold fast our confession"
This is a call to remain firm in our faith. And why should we?
Because Jesus, our High Priest, is divine, exalted, and completely without sin — we can trust Him without hesitation.

If He had been capable of sinning, our entire faith would be on shaky ground. His perfect righteousness and ongoing role as our intercessor depend on the fact that He could not fail.

3 days ago • 3 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Carolyn Hostetter Supporter Wife, mother, grandmother, retired church administrator

Could Jesus have sinned? Jack's answer that Jesus could NOT sin provoked some thoughts and led me to add my answer.

The fact that Jesus could NOT sin confirms that He is trustworthy and faithful. If Jesus is truly God, then He is incapable of sinning, just as He is incapable of lying. Lying and sinning are outside his nature. Although he had a genuine human nature with all it's limitations, He was not subject to the falleness of the human nature. He was before time. We can trust in those facts because Jesus IS God.

If Jesus was capable of sinning in His life as a human but chose not to, He would have had to divest Himself of the essential attribute of being immutable, which would make Him “not fully God,” just like divesting Himself of the attribute of being incapable of lying would make Him “not fully God.” He would no longer be immutable! We count on the fact that He is immutable!

If Jesus was capable of sinning but chose not to, that means that in our desire to be more like Jesus in His actions, we might think we could become sinless by our own efforts, making Jesus’ death on the cross completely unnecessary. We would be able to earn our salvation by becoming perfect, which would rend Ephesians 2:8-9 (For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.) null and void. 

And, to put it in Jack’s words, “If He had been capable of sinning, our entire faith would be on shaky ground. His perfect righteousness and ongoing role as our intercessor depend on the fact that He could not fail.”

3 days ago • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report