Paul said, “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son…” (Galatians 4:4). Jesus came to this world to rescue man from the strong grasp of the devil and the shackles of sin. As John put it, He came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).
To destroy the works of the devil, Jesus had to be willing to become the Lamb of God, that is, the sacrifice that would pay the price for man’s transgressions. That would, of course, necessitate Jesus leaving his home in heaven and being made in the likeness of men (Philippians 2:7). Paul said, “…though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). The sacrifice of Christ began long before He was placed on the cross to be crucified. It began when He left His heavenly home and took on flesh to dwell here on earth among men. In His incarnation, we see one of the greatest acts of humility ever demonstrated. In Philippians 2:8, we read, “And being found in fashion as a man, he HUMBLED HIMSELF, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (emphasis mine, DW).
Being made flesh and dying in the stead of man, however, was not all that was needed if Jesus was to become the Savior of mankind. In between these two great events came the sinless life of our Lord. Living sinlessly was a necessary requisite of Christ reconciling man with God. Though Jesus was constantly tempted by Satan (Luke 4:2-13), He fulfilled the requirement of sinless living. Not once did Christ violate God’s law. Paul said, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Peter also testified about the sinless nature of Christ when he wrote, “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth” (1 Peter 2:22).
The sinless life of Jesus puts Him on a higher plane than anyone else who has ever lived in this world. We have all sinned (Romans 3:23). Jesus, however, knew no sin. He never fraternized with it in any way. This sinless life of Christ put Him in position to condemn sin in the flesh (Romans 8:3). He became both our High Priest who offered a sacrifice on our behalf, and the sacrifice that was offered to take away the sin of the world. The Hebrew writer said, “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:14). We sometimes talk about the importance of the blood of Christ and how it washes away our sins, and we should. But if Jesus had not lived without sin, that blood would do us no good. God has always demanded that sacrifices made to Him be without spot or blemish (Leviticus 1:3). Because of this, not just any man could die for the sins of mankind. Only one man qualified for the job, and that man was Jesus Christ. He qualified because He was a man without sin. We have been redeemed as Peter says, “…with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19). Let’s look at some practical things we learn from the sinless life of Jesus.
Jesus serves as our example
When it comes to overcoming sin, we should look to Jesus (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus set the greatest example possible as to how to overcome temptation and sin. Notice a few things that helped Jesus to overcome sin.
- Jesus prayed regularly with His Father. Even a casual reading of the gospel accounts of the life of Christ reveals that Jesus often spoke with His Father. In fact, it appears that Jesus prayed before every important event of His life. After He was baptized and before He embarked upon His personal ministry, He prayed (Luke 3:21). Before He selected the men who would be His apostles, He prayed (Luke 6:12-16). Before He faced the horror of the cross, Jesus prayed passionately to His Father (Luke 22:39-44). These are but a few examples of the prayer life of Jesus. When we read the gospels about the life of Christ, we often see Jesus separating Himself from His disciples, going to a place where He could be all alone, and praying to His Father. Prayer helped give Jesus the strength to live a sinless life, and it should be pointed out that Jesus taught His disciples to overcome temptation in the same manner (Matthew 26:41).
- Jesus determined to live a sinless life. He made it His fixed purpose to always please His Father (John 8:29). Jesus had the innate ability to discern between right and wrong. Remember, He was God manifested in the flesh. The impressive thing about the life of Christ, though, is that He always chose to do right. It was not that He accidentally did what was right, nor even that He had no choice but to do right. Jesus chose to do right. He chose not to sin. Sin is a choice and, thus, when we become guilty of it, there is no one to blame but ourselves. Let us determine to have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5). Let us decide that we, too, are going to please God daily in all that we do. That was the determination that Jesus made, and it helped Him live a sinless life. Now we may not live a sinless life ourselves, but having that kind of determination will motivate us to repent of our sins when we do commit them.
- Jesus put God’s will first. Never was this more evident than when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:39, 42). Doing God’s will was more important to Jesus than anything else (John 4:34), and that mentality played a vital role in Jesus living a life apart from sin. While it is too late for us to reach the lofty goal of sinlessness, our sins will certainly be much fewer if we follow in the steps of Jesus and strive to always put God’s will first. Like Jesus, our meat (our strength and nourishment) should come from doing the will of God.
Jesus’ sinlessness proves He is God’s Son
Is Jesus from Nazareth the Son of God? The evidence clearly affirms that He is. First, He fulfills Old Testament prophecies in which He is called God’s Son. In Psalms 2:7, the record says, “I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.” Paul applied this Psalm to Jesus (Acts 13:33). Second, the Father called Jesus His Son. At the baptism of Christ, a voice from heaven said, “…This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Third, the miracles of Christ proved He was the Son of God. Seeing Jesus walk on water, His disciples worshiped Him and said, “Of a truth thou art the Son of God” (Matthew 14:33). Even the demons who possessed people in the New Testament recognized Jesus as the Son of God (Matthew 8:29).
But how does the sinless life of Christ prove that he is the Son of God? Jesus, Himself, claimed that He was God’s Son. He regularly referred to God as His Father, and on numerous occasions He referred to Himself as God’s Son. When Nathaniel called Him the Son of God, Jesus did not deny this conclusion (John 1:49-51). Did Jesus lie about God being His Father? Was He really God’s Son as He claimed to be? If these claims of Jesus were not true, then He was a liar and not a sinless man. Jesus could not have been mistaken about being the Son of God. Either He was, or He was lying about it. But since He was indeed a sinless man, His claim of God being His Father, and that He was God’s Son, must be true.
Jesus’ claim to be God’s Son was also an affirmation of His Deity. In the fifth chapter of John, we see that the Jews wanted to put Jesus to death because He called God His Father (John 5:17-18). In responding to this accusation, Jesus did not try to correct this conclusion because they were right. Jesus was claiming equality with God from the standpoint of being the same kind of Being as the Father. They were both Deity. If Jesus is the Son of God, and as we have seen, His sinless life proves that He is, then He is also a Divine Being, something verified by the New Testament repeatedly. Paul said that in Him dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). In several passages Christ is referred to as God (Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8; 1 John 5:20). So then, the sinless life of Christ proves that He is the Son of God, which proves that He is Deity, that is, a part of the Godhead.
That Jesus not once gave in to the temptations of the devil is an amazing fact. Not once, in word, thought, or deed, did Jesus sin. He was and is perfect. What an honor it is to be associated with Him in any way. I am glad to say that He is my Lord, my Savior, and my King. And I look forward to the time when He will return to deliver His kingdom to God, even the Father (1 Corinthians 15:24).