The temptation of Christ

Among evangelicals, there are two ways of thinking about Christ and His temptation.  No orthodox believer thinks that Christ sinned, but there is debate about whether he could have sinned.  The view that Christ could have sinned is termed peccability (“able not to sin”) while the view that Christ could not have sinned is designated impeccability (“not able to sin”).

As we read Luke 4, the third gospel account of this temptation, it is good to remember that Christ’s temptation was a testing for the demonstration of His purity and sinlessness (Heb. 4:15) without any possibility of enticement to evil (Js. 1:13).

Those of us who hold to Christ’s impeccability believe that His temptation by Satan was genuine, but it was impossible for Christ to sin in that temptation (or any other temptation). A couple of introductory observations should be noted.

First of all, the purpose of the temptation was not to see if Christ could sin, but to show that He could not sin. The temptation came at a critical time — the beginning of Christ’s public ministry. The temptation was designed to show the nation what a unique Savior she had: the impeccable Son of God. It is also noteworthy that it was not Satan who initiated the temptation but the Holy Spirit (Mt. 4:1; Lk. 4:1-2). If Christ could have sinned, then the Holy Spirit solicited Christ to sin, but that is something God does not do (Js. 1: 1 3).

Further, Christ’s peccability could relate only to His human nature; His divine nature was impeccable. Although Christ had two natures, He was nonetheless one Person and could not divorce Himself of His deity. Wherever He went, the divine nature was present. If the two natures could be separated then it could be said that He could sin in His humanity, but because the human and divine natures cannot be separated from the Person of Christ, and since the divine nature cannot sin, it must be affirmed that Christ could not have sinned.

Shedd is helpful in explaining this principle:

“The divine nature is both intemptable, and impeccable.…The human nature, on the contrary, is both temptable and peccable.  When these two natures are united in one theanthropic person, as they are in the incarnation, the divine determines and controls the human, not the human the divine. The amount of energy, therefore, which the total complex person possesses to resist temptation, must be measured not by the human nature but by the divine; and the amount of energy to resist temptation determines the peccability or impeccability of the person. Jesus Christ, consequently, is as mighty to overcome Satan and sin, as his mightiest nature is.  His strength to prevent a lapse from holiness is to be estimated by his divinity, not by his humanity…” [Shedd, Dogmatic Theology, 2: 332; emphasis mine.]

Thus, it can be said that from Satan’s viewpoint the temptation was a solicitation to sin.  From God’s viewpoint the temptation was to prove that Christ could not sin.

That Christ could not sin is seen in several other ways, as well.  First of all, Christ is immutable (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.

Further, Christ is omnipotent (Mt. 28:18) and therefore could not sin. Weakness is implied where sin is possible, yet there was no weakness of any kind in Christ.  He is infinite in His power and can be overcome by nothing, including enticements to sin.

Christ is also omniscient (Jn. 2:25) and therefore could not sin. Sin depends on ignorance in order that the sinner may be deceived, but Christ could not be deceived because He knows all things, including the hypothetical (Matt. 11:21).  Finite intelligence may be deceived (1 Tim. 2:14), but infinite intelligence cannot be deceived (Mt. 9:4; Ps. 94:11).  We sin because we are deceived. We are led into a discussion that leads to an argument and sin.  We can be led to sin through deception that may lead to lying, immorality, stealing, cheating, etc.  Christ could not be deceived (Mt. 9:4).

Christ is also deity; He is God (Jn. 1:1-14).  If He was only a man then He could have sinned, but God cannot sin and in a union of the two natures, the human nature submits to the divine nature (otherwise the finite is stronger than the infinite).

That Christ could not sin is also demonstrated by the nature of temptation (Js. 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.  But there is no ability of the divine nature to respond to sin. The outward solicitation can be made — and in that sense even God the Father was tempted, but there can be no positive response by the divine nature to the solicitation to sin.

Additionally, the will of Christ precludes Christ from having an ability to sin.  In moral decisions, Christ could have only one will — to do the will of the 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.  If Christ could have sinned then His human will would have been in conflict with His divine will and He would have experienced Paul’s conflict of Romans 7.

Finally, the authority of Christ (Jn. 10:18) demonstrates Christ’s inability to sin. In His deity, Christ had complete authority over His humanity. For example, no one could take the life of Christ except He would lay it down willingly (Lk. 4:28-30; Jn. 10:18). If Christ had authority over life and death, He certainly had authority over sin; if He could withhold death at will (Jn. 19:30), He could also withhold sin at will.

The temptation of Christ in the wilderness is a revelation of the greatness of our Redeemer — He is a Savior who understands the full onslaught of Satan and hell and yet is supreme over that temptation in every way — and provides for us not just an example to follow, but power to withstand similar temptations against us.