How could Christ be tempted of the devil?

Matthew 4:1
Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

I came across the view that Christians do not believe that Christ could have sinned and failed in his mission on earth. Well then how could he be 'tempted' in the desert?
 
Cos the devil was trying his hand at dethroning Christ.

That would be like saying just because you are a christian you are immune from the devils attacks. No satan will go after you precisely cos you are righteous and will try to tempt you i.e get you to fall. Thing is if you are strong in faith he wont succeed. But that doesnt mean he wont try.
 
Notice that none of what the father of lies offered our Lord has his to give. Notice also that the response of Jesus was to quote scripture.
 
Matthew 4:1
Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

I came across the view that Christians do not believe that Christ could have sinned and failed in his mission on earth. Well then how could he be 'tempted' in the desert?

In Philippians 2:6, the apostle Paul begins with the acknowledgement that Jesus is God and provides us with a revealed analysis of his redemptive function. Paul does not begin his discussion of Jesus from the vantage point of the incarnation but from that of eternity. What Paul stresses in the first part of this chapter is the example of humility that Jesus gave us in his willingness to divest himself of this form for a time on our behalf. This of course does not suggest that he ceased be God. He does not strip himself of deity. I am quite sure that we will never fully understand all that is involved in Jesus’ emptying himself of divine form and equality. All we can rely on is the language of the text. The word translated emptied means to lay aside. How do we explain how, even in the flesh, he is still God yet remains so without retaining anything that defines divine nature? Perhaps ‘to lay aside’ offers the best explanation. He laid it aside as one would a garment, then in Hebrews chapter one we will see him take it up again.

In order for Jesus to fulfill his redemptive mission, he must first assume a fleshly posture. We can find at least four reasons for this in scripture. 1) Divine essence cannot die. As man he will die. 2) The requirements of the Law of Moses required a sacrifice of flesh and blood. Divine essence is not made of flesh and blood. 3) His heritage must come from a specific fleshly linage. As God, he has no linage. 4) The demands of the Law were imposed upon man and it required that man fulfill them. The Law required not only that man fulfill its demands, but that only a man of the seed of Abraham to whom the Law was given. Thus, a Gentile could never have satisfied the demands of the Law, Romans 1:1-5.

Fulfilling the function of a sacrifice required that he assume the form of a sacrifice. In this metamorphosis, he poured out of himself every expression of deity. Divine essence is now submitted to limitations. As God, these characteristics of essence are, by their very nature, without boundaries or limitations, but as man, he will be subject to all of the same sets of determined relations that limit all men. Divine character is now submitted to vulnerability. As God, he cannot be tempted, but as man, he yields his divine character to the onslaught of Satan. He becomes the second Adam. He exposes his own moral integrity to the same temptations that are common to all men, Hebrews 2:18, 4:15, and 5:2. Yet, unlike Adam, he maintains his integrity all the way to the cross, Hebrews 4:15 and 2:9. He succeeds where Adam failed. He simply never sinned, but he could have.
 
Proof and resilience.
Was Jesus ready? 30 years, the time to testing, everything was in place. The questions were about distraction, food to eat, protection from harm, power to force. All things that would stop the plan. He needed that focus, to withstand the temptation to stop. Even on the last night, so hard. That will and desire, to fight through.
He is our example of focus, God bless you
 
In Philippians 2:6, the apostle Paul begins with the acknowledgement that Jesus is God and provides us with a revealed analysis of his redemptive function. Paul does not begin his discussion of Jesus from the vantage point of the incarnation but from that of eternity. What Paul stresses in the first part of this chapter is the example of humility that Jesus gave us in his willingness to divest himself of this form for a time on our behalf. This of course does not suggest that he ceased be God. He does not strip himself of deity. I am quite sure that we will never fully understand all that is involved in Jesus’ emptying himself of divine form and equality. All we can rely on is the language of the text. The word translated emptied means to lay aside. How do we explain how, even in the flesh, he is still God yet remains so without retaining anything that defines divine nature? Perhaps ‘to lay aside’ offers the best explanation. He laid it aside as one would a garment, then in Hebrews chapter one we will see him take it up again.

In order for Jesus to fulfill his redemptive mission, he must first assume a fleshly posture. We can find at least four reasons for this in scripture. 1) Divine essence cannot die. As man he will die. 2) The requirements of the Law of Moses required a sacrifice of flesh and blood. Divine essence is not made of flesh and blood. 3) His heritage must come from a specific fleshly linage. As God, he has no linage. 4) The demands of the Law were imposed upon man and it required that man fulfill them. The Law required not only that man fulfill its demands, but that only a man of the seed of Abraham to whom the Law was given. Thus, a Gentile could never have satisfied the demands of the Law, Romans 1:1-5.

Fulfilling the function of a sacrifice required that he assume the form of a sacrifice. In this metamorphosis, he poured out of himself every expression of deity. Divine essence is now submitted to limitations. As God, these characteristics of essence are, by their very nature, without boundaries or limitations, but as man, he will be subject to all of the same sets of determined relations that limit all men. Divine character is now submitted to vulnerability. As God, he cannot be tempted, but as man, he yields his divine character to the onslaught of Satan. He becomes the second Adam. He exposes his own moral integrity to the same temptations that are common to all men, Hebrews 2:18, 4:15, and 5:2. Yet, unlike Adam, he maintains his integrity all the way to the cross, Hebrews 4:15 and 2:9. He succeeds where Adam failed. He simply never sinned, but he could have.

Hello oldhermit;

God bless you and thank you for your post.

It's good to see you back again.

God bless you and your family.
 
Proof and resilience. Was Jesus ready? 30 years, the time to testing, everything was in place. The questions were about distraction, food to eat, protection from harm, power to force. All things that would stop the plan. He needed that focus, to withstand the temptation to stop. Even on the last night, so hard. That will and desire, to fight through. He is our example of focus, God bless you

Hello ChosenRedeemed;

Amen and well said. It's good to see you again, brother.

God bless you and your family.
 
Notice that none of what the father of lies offered our Lord has his to give. Notice also that the response of Jesus was to quote scripture.
Greeting
Are you referring to when Satan offered Jesus the kingdom of this world???
For of course they belong to Satan and will perish with him.
Please excuse if I misunderstood.
 
For of course they belong to Satan and will perish with him.
The world belongs to its creator.

The enemy lays false claims, but the world belongs to God.

Even if you were to interpret kingdom to mean the political structures of man, they do not belong to the enemy.

At most they are in rebellion to God and one can only rebel against ones own sovereign.
 
Matthew 4:1
Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

I came across the view that Christians do not believe that Christ could have sinned and failed in his mission on earth. Well then how could he be 'tempted' in the desert?

"HOW"?

Because He is human, and made like us in every way, that He could do three vital things:
1) destroy the devil’s power and free those who were held in slavery by their fear of death.
2) become a merciful and faithful High Priest in service to God and atone for our sins.
3) be the One who is able to sympathize with us in all our weaknesses and infirmities.

Our Lord’s human nature enables Him to sympathize with our own weaknesses, because He was subjected to weakness, too. More importantly, we have a High Priest who is able to intercede on our behalf and provide the grace of forgiveness.
 
“When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men." 2Samuel 7:12-14. This is a Messianic text.
 
The world belongs to its creator.

The enemy lays false claims, but the world belongs to God.

Even if you were to interpret kingdom to mean the political structures of man, they do not belong to the enemy.

At most they are in rebellion to God and one can only rebel against ones own sovereign.
Yes God is the creator.
Lucifer is also a creation and he separated himself from God.
All that is then imperfect is then not part of God.
When Satan offered the kingdoms of this world to Jesus he did not correct the devil in his proposition but addressed it.
 
"Belong to the enemy"
I guess that is defined by how we understand 'a gift from God'.
Can the gift be separated from the Giver?
Lucifer was created a great being - it seems at a level in which he was able to accomplish that.
Not to diminish God for He has a purpose even in that...
 
Matthew 4:1
Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

I came across the view that Christians do not believe that Christ could have sinned and failed in his mission on earth. Well then how could he be 'tempted' in the desert?
He was tempted. He did not fall for the temptation. Devil tempted Jesus with all sorts of lies. Jesus did not fall for them and crushed them all.
 
Matthew 4:1
Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

I came across the view that Christians do not believe that Christ could have sinned and failed in his mission on earth. Well then how could he be 'tempted' in the desert?

If Jesus is God, then it wasn't at any time possible for Him to sin in any way and never could be. God is without sin and cannot fall because of temptation. This is the purpose of the scriptures regarding the Devil tempting Jesus: to show how easy it was for God Himself, in human form, to thwart the Devil. Evil in it's entirety is nothing compared to God, like a grain of sand compared to the Universe. All of this world's history is how God is ending evil forever, particularly through His Son.

The very foundation of the Christian faith is that Jesus is that part of God which came into the world to redeem us. Seeing that people are made in God's image, we can see that He didn't change at all in taking human form: it is Him and always has been. As His name states ("Immanuel": God with us) and remembering that He is the same yesterday, today and forever, we must base all conclusions regarding His actions on earth on His unalterable divinity.

Yes, He had a flesh and blood body - meaning that it is eternally true of Him that He could take human form, hence the appearance of "the Angel (Messenger) of the Lord" in the Old Testament. He looked at that time like a man. This was Jesus, always both God's Word (message) and the Messenger who speaks to us of Him. No, He could not have sinned at any time, being God, even though He was born of the Virgin in order to fulfil the prophecy regarding the Messiah. This was not His beginning, and the supremely beautiful mystery of the Incarnation remains just that: a mystery which we cannot comprehend, but which causes us to worship Him.
 
Matthew 4:1
Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

I came across the view that Christians do not believe that Christ could have sinned and failed in his mission on earth. Well then how could he be 'tempted' in the desert?


I think we must also remember the difference between being tempted and falling into sin: being tempted is not sinning. Deciding to agree with and yield to the temptation causes us to then commit the sin.
 
Theology can be a bit over my head at times. All I know is that we will never fully understand the depths of God and the Holy Trinity of God. I am okay with that as I pray I will pursue him daily until the day I get to be with him for all eternity. Maybe this is why we will never fully know the depths, so we will push forward continuously seeking him. So often when we have all the answers we stop looking.
 
I think we must also remember the difference between being tempted and falling into sin: being tempted is not sinning. Deciding to agree with and yield to the temptation causes us to then commit the sin.

Hello Mouse;

What you share is very wise and so important. When we study Matthew 4, Mark 1 and Luke 4 it's very clear Jesus is teaching us to distinguish between temptation and yielding beyond the temptation to sin.

God bless you and your family.

Theology can be a bit over my head at times. All I know is that we will never fully understand the depths of God and the Holy Trinity of God. I am okay with that as I pray I will pursue him daily until the day I get to be with him for all eternity. Maybe this is why we will never fully know the depths, so we will push forward continuously seeking him. So often when we have all the answers we stop looking.

Hello CoffeeDrinker;

Well said! You wrote, "So often when we have all the answers we stop looking." In regard to temptations, many times we will justify our answer to go beyond temptation and give in to sin instead of our faith. When we confess that we don't have all the answers nor understand the way we are, is when we need to rely on God and His strength to help us overcome temptation.

I don't feel theology (study about God) is a calling for all believers. What He commands, your constant prayers - is when we talk with God,

1 Samuel 12:23, 23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way.

And your study of your Bible - is when He talks to us, we are empowered to receive God's guidance in all areas of our walk with Jesus.

2 Timothy 3:16, 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

These two disciplines are commands from God and Biblical.

God bless you and your family.
 
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