JESUS’ SINFUL NATURE By Nyron Medina

JESUS CAME IN SINFUL-NATURE OR SINFUL- FLESH, YET WITHOUT SIN. (The following is a booklet done to show what Sis White meant when she used the term sinful-nature, this is one of the points that Elder Jones and Elder Waggoner presented at the 1888 General-Conference and it was rejected by the majority.

JESUS’ SINFUL NATURE

By Nyron Medina

Jesus was born on the earth as a true human being. Galatians 4:4; Hebrews 2:14,16.

His human linage can be traced back to Adam the first man. Luke 3:23,38.

However, Jesus was born a human being to ancestors that were humans in sin. The linage of Jesus reveals that He was born from sinful humans. Luke 3:31-34. Matthew 1:3-5.

However, again, while Jesus was human on the earth, He was sinfree. 1 Peter 2:21,22.

Jesus was born sinfree. Luke 1:35, 31, 32. Ephesians 

2:12.

Jesus was born with the Divine Nature, God, in Him, thus He was born sinfree. Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 7:14,15.

Jesus was born with “human nature.” Here is what human nature means.

It means: A. Mind B. Passions/Emotions C. Flesh D. Experience (called spirit)

We are told that Jesus had our “sinful nature.” “He took upon Him our sinful nature.” Ellen G. White, Signs of the Times, 7/30/02. “In him was no guile nor sinfulness,….yet He took upon Him our sinful nature.” Ibid.

From what we have just read, we see that the term “sinful nature” for Mrs. White does not mean that the person has sin for she says that Jesus was sinfree. But what does sinful nature mean that the person? A. It means human nature affected by sin not infected with sin. B. It means human nature weakened by sin, but not resided by sin. C. This is the Mind, Emotions/Passions, Flesh and Experience weakened by sin, but not necessarily indwelt by sin. D. It is quite true that man’s sinful nature, a nature weakened by sin, in the average sinner may have sin in it. So sinful nature for the sinner in sin is a nature weakened by sin, but the man has sin in this nature. E. This means the man has sin in his Mind, Passions/Emotions, Experience, and sin in his flesh is sin in his Mind, Passion/Emotions, and Experience. F. However, Jesus was not like this, He had our sinful nature, that is, our human nature weakened by sin, but there was NO sin within.

Thus our chart explains sinful nature without sin. 

This chart explains sinful nature with sin. 

Sinful Nature or human nature weakened by sin is human nature with infirmities caused by sin in the human population. Jesus was born in human flesh weakened by sin for 4000 years, thus Jesus had sinful nature but without sin. Or, Jesus had the infirmities of sinful nature. Hebrews 4:15.

Infirmities are not sinful or sin themselves, because through them we can have compassion on others of similar infirmities. Hebrews 5:1,2. Romans 15:1.

While infirmities are weaknesses on human nature (called sinful nature, or sinful human nature), and while they are the results of sin upon human nature, they are not sin, hence Paul could glory in them as a means of divine aid. 2 Corinthians 12:5,8-10. 

Mrs. White said the following: “….Christ took upon Him the infirmities of degenerated humanity.” Ellen G. White, Signs of the Times, 12/03/02.

What are Infirmities? They are: A. Weakened minds. B. Weakened passions/emotions. C. Weakened Flesh. D. Weakened Experience.

The following is true about Infirmities. A. A weakened mind is a mind of diminished intellectual capacity. We all have this at differing rates, more or less. B. Weakened Passions, Emotions are feelings that are wrong and are liable to easily flow with thoughts. They are also feelings or pain, hunger and weakness. These are not wrong. C. Weakened Flesh is a flesh that has weariness diminished functional capacity of various sorts, and liable to have corrupted passions flowing. D. A weakened experience is the mind liable of having diminished contemplation, and also, it is the liability to lean to bad habits. A habit is a mental experiential weakness. A bad habit is the liability of having such experience.

Thus our following hart explains Sinful Nature without sin or with infirmities. This is the experience of the true Christian. 

Using Sinful Nature or Sinful Human Nature has been so complicated for some, thus the Bible uses the simple term Sinful flesh. This is what we would rather use. Romans 8:3.

Mrs. White also uses that term. “Christ came in the likeness of sinful flesh, clothing His divinity with humanity.” Ellen G. White, Signs of the Times, 4/11/95. “He took upon Himself the likeness of sinful flesh.” Ellen G. White, Signs of the Times, 9/03/02. “He was not only made flesh, but He was made in the likeness of sinful flesh: Ellen G. White, Letter, 106, 1896.

Sinful Flesh must be properly understood. This is exactly what it means. A. It is a flesh affected by sin, NOT infected with sin. B. It is a flesh that has infirmities, the moral results of sin upon the flesh, but not sin in the flesh. C. It is a flesh that has human nature weakened by sin (sinful nature), but it is not infected with sin.

This Sinful Flesh and Sinful Nature mean the same things in essence and could be used interchangeably. The key to understanding both terms is that they both speak about having infirmities which is not sin. Infirmities have already been seen to be the following: A. Weakened Mind. B. Weakened Passion/Emotion. C. Weakened Flesh D. Weakened Experience. 

Infirmities must not be identified as only passions or emotions, as some do. Here is the reason. A. Diminished intellectual capacity is also an infirmity, but it is not a passion. B. However, the feelings of hunger or weariness are both infirmities, but they are passions or emotions triggered off by the want of food, or by much work, or sleep depravation. None are sin because infirmities are not sin. C. even “having unpracticed bad habits, or the liability of bad habits, or the inherited leaning to bad habits is an infirmity; but it is not sin so long as the bad habits are NOT practiced. 

Jesus had these Infirmities also as He had a Sinful Nature which He inherited form His sinful ancestry, but He did not yield to them. Yet here is what the SDA Church tell us about Jesus. “Christ was exempted from the inherited passions and pollutions that corrupt the natural descendants of Adam.” Questions on Doctrine, p. 383.

What does the word exempt mean? Here is the dictionary meaning. “exempt….. To free, or grant immunity (from)…..taken out: not liable….” The Wordsworth Concise English Dictionary, p.337.

Following this meaning, it means that Jesus was immune or incapable of having the passions that corrupt humanity, that is , sinful passions. A. This is saying that Jesus was incapable of having sinful passions. B. It means that a mechanism was put in place at the conception, and birth of Christ, by God ensure that He was incapable or unable to have corrupt or sinful passions flowing in His body. C. It means that it was impossible for Jesus to have sinful passions flowing in His body even id He wanted them to be there. D. This means that His abstention from corrupt sinful passions was not by choice through Faith, but through or because of the mechanism that would not allow this flowing of evil passions to happen in Him. E. The mechanism to allow sinful passion to flow in Christ’s body was absent from Him. 

This will also mean that Jesus was fixed one way with His passions. A. It means also that Jesus could only have sinfree passions flowing in His body in His life one earth. B. It would also mean that this exemption, this privilege that kept Him form sinning in His passions was absent from all the other children of Adam. C. This also means that Jesus had an advantage over us all in being free from sin, and it is His exemption from sinful passions.

This exemption of passions that causes man to sin is a false doctrine of devils. We need to understand the following: A. The sinful passions that Christ did not experience was not because He was exempt from them, it was because, by Faith, He did not allow wrong thoughts in His mind, thus no wrong feelings can flow. Romans 6:6, 12. B. By Faith Jesus kept Himself from Internal Temptations which also consists of sinful thoughts and also the sinful passions which are sin.

This leads us to two types of temptations to understand A. Internal temptation. B. External Temptation.

Internal temptation is temptation to DO sin, but from within the mind and feelings of the individual. This means that he already yielded to external temptation in his mind and feelings, thus he has sinned in his mind and feelings without as yet doing the wrong acts of sin. We are told of this in James 1:14, 15. 1 Thessalonians 3:5. A. Temptation from within is sin already. B. If Jesus had sinful passions flowing in His body He would have sinned in thoughts and feelings. Mark 7:21-23.

External Temptation is from the devil and his human agents seeking to beguile you to cause you to yield in mind and feelings to his temptations. This is what Jesus faced. Matthew 4:1.

The true Christian must be like Jesus. He must let temptation stay outwards and never let it inwards to become Internal Temptation. Hebrews 4:15,16. 1 Corinthians 10:13.

There are false understands we need to be careful about. A. We must not mistake Internal Temptations for sinful flesh, for they are not. The two are different. B. Sinful Flesh is flesh affected by sin NOT infected with sin. Sinful Flesh is not sin. C. Internal Temptations is where the mind and emotions, having yielded to External Temptation, is now tempted to do what the mind and emotions tells the person to do in active transgression. This person has sinned in mind and emotions already.

However, a Christian, like Christ, can be tempted from within and yet not sin. A. It is infirmities which are not sin, that can tempt us from within. Galatians 4:14. B. We must not let our infirmities lead us to sin. Hebrews 4:15. 

Another careful exposition we are giving is about the fact of Christ and His passions. A. Christ was born free from sinful passions activated in His body, He was born free from sinful passions operating in his body. But He was not born free from the capability of these sinful passions flowing in His body, which would be sin. B. Babies are not born with lust or greed flowing as passions in their bodies when they are born; but they are born with the capability of these sinful passions being able to flow. C. Christ is born the same way as every child of Adam, thus He too has these capabilities.

Jesus has the capability to cause sinful passions to flow within Him. It must start with His mind then influence His emotions, this is being tempted from within. This Jesus never did. “Though He had all the strength of passion of humanity, never did He yield to do one act which was not pure and elevating and noble.” Ellen G. White, In High Places, p. 155.

Finally, Jesus did not sin, He was capable of sinning, but He did not let His infirmities lead Him to sin. So it must be with us. In taking human nature, Christ did not become a sinner. “He assumed human nature, bearing the infirmities and degeneracy of the race. He took the nature of man, capable of yielding, to temptation…[He] took humanity with all its liabilities.” Ellen G. White, The Bible Echo, 11/22/93.

Sinful flesh as sinful nature.