(1) The immutability of Christ (Heb. 13:8). Christ is unchangeable and therefore could not sin. If Christ could have sinned while on earth, then He could sin now because of His immutability. If He could have sinned on earth, what assurance is there that He will not sin now?
Christ is in a resurrected state now and cannot sin—just as we will not sin in the consummation of the Kingdom (glorification).
Immutability does not imply that there are no changes whatsoever in Christ, after all Jesus did not always exist, etc., etc., etc…... When Jesus died, the human nature died, not the divine. Likewise, when Jesus rose from the dead, it is the physical body that was raised in a glorified state, not the divine nature. It was the same physical body of Jesus that rose from the dead (John 2:19-21; Luke 24:39) with the same wounds, yet it was also glorified. (CARM)
What assurances do we have that He will not fail: (1) He fulfilled the law and all righteousness (2) He is the first born from the dead (3) He is faithful in all His house, (4) He sits at the right hand of God, etc., etc., etc. (there is far much to list here).
All God’s attributes or perfections are included in His immutability. There can be no increase, nor decrease in their number, capacity, or power. God could not be more or less holy, righteous, omnipotent, etc. However, immutability, is not immobility. Immutability or unchangeableness does not mean inactivity or idleness on the part of God. God created the heaven and the earth and then stopped creating. Immutability does not negate the power of CHOICES that Christ had! Just as the FIRST Man Adam had the power of CHOICE and failed, the LAST Man Adam had the power of CHOICE and succeeded.
Next, you appeal to the Divine attributes of Christ (omnipotence (#3), omniscience (#4), His very deity (#4), and His authority (#7)), to speak of Christ humanity??? While I do not have time for detailed arguments here (may be someone else will pick o the mantel), these arguments FAIL to reveal that Christ is MAN and God. You are stressing Christ’s divine nature to the exclusion, or at least limiting, of His FULL human nature! You, as others, are denying the full humanity of Christ, by over emphasizing His divine nature…. If one reads the Scriptures one will see that Christ did not always display omnipotence, omniscience, etc. He
did not call on 12 legions of angels, He
did not know His own Second Coming (Matt 24:36), etc., etc., etc. (i.e. you may desire to change your theology here when you stated;
the human nature submits to the divine nature (otherwise the finite is stronger than the infinite). Christ is FULLY man and FULLY God. To over emphasize one, or under emphasize the other is to deny Christ’s WHOLE person.
(5) The nature of temptation (James 1:14-15). The temptation that came to Christ was from without. However, for sin to take place, 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. People sin because there is an inner response to the outer temptation.
Christ did not have a depraved nature and thus like the FIRST Adam (prior to the Fall) He
could CHOOSE life or death…. (1) The FIRST Man Adam
did not have a depraved nature (before the Fall, Gen 1:31), but yet partook by CHOICE of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If we are to use your terms (temptation from without, inner response, outward temptation) we can say that the FIRST Adam’s temptation
from without was responded to
from within, but the FIRST Man Adam made the wrong CHOICE! Christ, the SECOND Adam, the LAST Adam (1 Cor 15; 45, 47) made the right CHOICE. You have proved my argument. (2) you are implying Christ had a CHOICE which negates all your other arguments. Temptation
from without still requires a CHOICE
from within whether to obey or disobey God or the tempter (i.e. the FIRST Adam; the LAST Adam). Where there is a genuine temptation, there is a genuine CHOICE to do good or evil.
(6) The will of Christ. In moral decisions, Christ could have only one will: to do the will of His Father; in moral decisions the human will was subservient to the divine will. If Christ could have sinned then His human will would have been stronger than the divine will.
No, Christ had a genuine, distinct, human will. The Scripture does
not say;
Galatians 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his robot, made of a woman, made under the law
Christ made a choice, a decision, and a conscious determination to DO the will of God. Again, the Scripture reveals Christ had a will that was distinct, but obedient:
Luke 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
Clearly, Christ had a will. Christ CHOOSE to submit to the will of the Father and was not merely a
God-Robot.
