Christ's peccability

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On Mon, 29 Apr 1996 19:58:20 -0400, you wrote:


>| Definition:                 | Christ could sin                        |
>Christ could not sin           |
>| Meaning:                  | Christ was able not to sin          | Christ
>was not able to sin  |
>| Common Agreement:                       Christ did not sin
>                                          |
>|                                                       Christ was tempted
>
>If any pastors can give me some input on this, I would appreciate it.  

Hehehe.. Last time I got into this it raised quite a storm. I respond
privately, but for the record, stated as briefly as possible here is
what I would represent as the Apostle's teaching:

1. Jesus Christ had within himself all the elements required to sin,
including freedom of will, knowledge of the reality of any profits to
be received from sin and the hungers of the personality and humanity
which all men and women experience, to some degree.

2. Christ had within his life, the experience of temptation as great
as that which any many has every experienced.

3. Christ's sufferings in that temptation were also paramount to that
of any other man.

4. Jesus Christ was not, however, in possession of a unique and
distinct purpose for his life which might be classified as an
essential element of identity, other than that of the Almighty God. He
was externally and in human personification, the same logos (or
expression) of the One True God, whcih was communicated to Moses
through spoken and written word. In other words, no, he did not posess
a distinct will that can be seen by any living creature save perhaps,
God. In this we see "the mystery of the Son", who no man knoweth, save
except the Father (Deity).

It is not possible to distinguish between ONE thought which Jesus
Christ ever had, or ONE word which he ever spoke, or ONE action he
ever commissioned, and the essential purpose or WILL of God.

Given this it must be said: no, at the bottom line, it was not
possible for Jesus to sin, UNLESS God was to loose his govornance and
cease to be the Holy, Just and Righteous God who is the truth which
clothed in mercy delivers to you and I salvation. However, Jesus
Christ did experience ALL the powers of Hell hurled at his humanity,
NOT his deity, and He did not exercize ANY power overcoming temptation
that is not the inheritance of the Saints through the Holy Ghost.

Thus, John is able to say, 

"Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth
in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." - I Jn 3:9

This is certainly true of the "only begotten" Son. [monogenes huios],
if it is true of those who He has given "power" to become the sons of
God.

I know thats not exactly ORTHODOX, but I enjoy the fact that in the
knowledge that Jesus Christ is the one true God is the answers to all
mysteries, and the motivation for every meaningful action.

Yours in Jesus Christ,


MW Bassett, Pastor
Life Tabernacle United Pentecostal Church
Milford, CT
http://eli.warit.org/~mbasset/life.htm
Acts 28:31, Acts 2:38