I write this post is in response to a discussion I had with a couple Christians that believe that Jesus could have sinned but did not.  The conversation took me by surprise as that is not something I ever thought about or entertained.  It never entered my mind.  In fact, I did not even realize that this was something that was questioned by Christians.  When Jesus was in the wilderness, the Lord was tempted by Satan.  Satan offered Jesus the world if He bowed before and worshipped satan.  The conversation and question arose as to whether Jesus as man was tempted by satan’s offer. 

I first looked at the meaning of the word ‘tempt.’  Modern day dictionaries define the word “tempt” as

(1) To try to get (someone) to do wrong, especially by a promise of reward; (2) to be inviting or attractive to: A second helping tempted me. We refused the offer even though it tempted us; (3) to provoke or to risk provoking: Don’t tempt fate; and (4) to cause to be strongly disposed: He was tempted to walk out.

 In other words, to temp is to make an offer (temptation) and a person either accepts or rejects. 

 The bible also defines the word “tempt” as “test”

 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water that we may drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?” (Exodus 17:2 NASB) 

Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD? (Exodus 17:2 KJV)

The modern day usage of the word, the word “tempt” or “temptation” has a negative connotation.  We take it to imply that if we are tempted to do something, we actually consider doing a particular act – while we may or may not do a particular act.  We can be tempted, that is we may consider accepting the temptation offered.  Dissecting the word “temptation” or “tempt” what it really means is that there is an inducement to do something for a reward.  We do this all the time in our lives.  We could tell our child “if you eat all your vegetables, I’ll take you to the park tomorrow.”  We are attempting to get the child to do something with a lure of some kind of reward.  There is nothing evil or sinister with a temptation in and of itself nor is the act that we are eliciting necessarily evil.  The temptation is simply the reward for doing a particular thing.  On the other hand, the temptation may not be something that we would even consider and therefore we are not tempted.  Silly as this may sound, $100 would not be enough of a temptation to get me to eat a plate of beets.  Slap a $100 bill on the table to tempt me to eat beets and I guarantee I won’t eat the beets.  The person may be tempting me but I am not tempted. 

Did Satan tempt Jesus?  Yes of course.  But not in the sense that we view the word “tempt” in modern day usage.  Satan offered Jesus the world but in order to obtain what was offered, satan required Jesus to bow and worship him.  And that was impossible!

The following scripture will show that God states that we are not to tempt Him (in parenthesis is the word “test” which is used in other translations).

Exo 17:2  Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt (test) the LORD?

Deu 6:16  Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted (tested) him in Massah.

Isa 7:12  But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt (test) the LORD.

 H5254 ָנָסהnāsāh: A verb meaning to test, to try, to prove. Appearing nearly forty times in the Old Testament, this term often refers to God testing the faith and faithfulness of human beings, including Abraham; the nation of Israel. Although people were forbidden from putting God to the test, they often did so.

Act 5:9  Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt (test) the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.

G1598 ἐκπειράζω ekpeirázō; fut. ekpeirásō, from ek (G1537), an intens., and peirázō (G3985), tempt. Try, prove, tempt, put to the test. Sinners are said to tempt God, putting Him to the test, refusing to believe Him or His Word until He has manifested His power. When God is said to try (peirazō) man

 We cannot claim that we have the ability to “tempt” the Lord into doing something He does not wish to do and most importantly, there is no being whether human or satanic, that can lure Him into sin as satan attempted.  These scriptures state that we are not to “test” Him.  Satan had no ability to convince Jesus, no matter what he offered, to enter into sin. 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. (Matthew 6:13 KJVR)

This verse is not asking God to not lead us into something that will cause us to sin – a very misunderstood verse.  This verse, if one looks at the Greek meaning of the word, is asking God to not put us to the test.

G3986 πειρασμός peirasmos pi-ras-mos’ From G3985; a putting to proof (by experiment [of good], experience [of evil], solicitation, discipline or provocation); by implication adversity:

Jesus could not be led into sin nor was there ever a chance that He could have failed the test put before Him.  Adam failed despite that he had an un-fallen nature.  When satan tempted (tested) Jesus’ response was to reply with scripture.  There is not even an indication in scripture where Jesus found the lure inviting – in fact, the indication is that He found it to be abominable for He was in the presence of evil, that which He came to destroy.

Scripture demonstrates that humans have been “tempting” God from the Old Testament.  Temptation means putting Him to the test. 

If Christians are to believe that Jesus could have possibility failed and bowed to satan and worshipped him, then if He could fail, then one must accept that God can fail.  Indeed this is a frightening concept.  Jesus is God and there was absolutely no possibility that He would have bowed down and worshipped satan.

Lastly, the problem that seems to be the case in those that question whether Jesus could have entered into sin because He is human as well as God is that people project their understanding their own humanity onto Him.  We cannot do that simply because we have no concept of what it is to be so perfect, so holy, without the blemish of the fallen nature that we all possess, and most important, we cannot begin to comprehend, and we shouldn’t even attempt to, what it is like to be fully human AND fully God.  The nature of Jesus is that He is 100% fully God and fully human, both together and cannot be separated.  Were Jesus to fail, then God would have failed. 

IMPOSSIBLE!

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