SPELLING EDITED Bb-6. DID JESUS SIN BEFORE HIS BAPTISM? The question has been asked of me by a dear sister in our Lord Jesus Christ if I believe that Jesus sinned BEFORE his baptism when God ANOINTED Jesus with the Holy Spirit and power? I told her that while I had pondered that question before. I had not yet done any in depth study in the Scriptures to know for sure whether or not Jesus sinned before God anointed him at his baptism. To me, I personally do not see any problem IF Jesus did sin before God anointed him and sent Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the Devil. For you see, we are all BORN as innocent children of God. And thus, God does not hold any sin against the little children until they reach the age of “ACCOUNTABILITY”. Please read the study called “THE AGE OF ACCOUNTABILITY” But for now, please understand that those who tried to live righteously but did sin from time to time BEFORE the cross, God WINKED at those sins. Please read Acts 17:29-31. “For as much then as we are the offspring of God, (In other words, for as much then, as we are all the CHILDREN of God when we are born) we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. 30. And the TIMES of THIS IGNORANCE God WINKED at; (Or at the times of this ignorance of living in SIN God OVERLOOKS, as in, to NOT PUNISH) but NOW (Speaking of AFTER the cross) commands all men everywhere to REPENT: (Or to be saved to walk in righteousness being led by the Holy Spirit of God) 31. Because he has appointed a day, in the which he will JUDGE the world in righteousness by that man whom he has ordained; (Speaking of the RIGHTEOUSNESS of the Son of MAN, Jesus) whereof he has given assurance unto all men, in that, he has raised him from the dead.” Here is how E-Sword defines the Greek word “hupereidō” that is translated as “WINKED at” in the King James Version of the Bible. G5237 ὑπερείδω hupereidō hoop-er-i'-do From G5228 and G1492; to overlook, that is, not punish: - wink at. Total KJV occurrences: 1 In other words, God’s so great plan of salvation for Him to save us by grace, through faith, IN His Son, Jesus, was cunningly devised by God from the foundation of the world. God was giving Satan just enough rope to hang himself, so to speak. For you see, had Satan and the fallen angels known all of God’s hidden plan of salvation that God kept secret from His ENEMY, they would NOT have crucified the Lord of glory. And during the time that Jesus descended into the belly of the earth for three days and three nights, he PREACHED to the spirits of the dead who died during the Old Testament from Adam to the last person who died with Jesus on the cross. And above 500 souls came out of the grave with Jesus and “paradise” was moved up into heaven to be with our Lord up in heaven. Please read the study “WHAT AND WHERE IS PARADISE?” Now since I had not personally heard any teaching by Christians who do believe that Jesus sinned before his baptism, I did some research to learn WHY they teach that Jesus sinned before his baptism. I mean, surely, they must have at least some Scriptures that they interpret to mean that Jesus sinned. And here is what I learned from that research. Many of them are atheists and agnostics. Some of them now deny Jesus as their Lord and Savior after being a Christian for many years. And some of them are most likely Christians in name only and they do not truly have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them as their teacher. I personally do not see any TRUE born again Christians teaching others that Jesus SINNED. But that does not mean that SOME true born-again Christians may have WONDERED IF Jesus sinned BEFORE his baptism. I know that I myself have wondered IF some verses in the Bible are saying that Jesus might have sinned before his baptism. The following is a quote from another website that teaches Jesus “assumed” or took on a “fallen” nature based on their “logic” that Jesus came to save “fallen” mankind, and therefore, to THEM Jesus must have had a fallen NATURE himself. In other words, to them, the words of Jesus saying, “I have come to save SINNERS” means, to THEM, that Jesus assumed or took on SINFUL flesh as opposed to just taking on human flesh. The emphasis is mine. A Fallen Nature? We may take for granted that in order for Jesus to be the spotless lamb and a worthy sacrifice for our sins, Jesus had to assume a human nature that was unaffected by the fall. This is the “unfallen nature” view. However, in order for Jesus to secure redemption for fallen humans would He not need to assume a human nature that was affected by the fall? This is the “fallen nature” view. Here we see that, so far, the only argument FOR Jesus assuming a “fallen nature” is just a QUESTION based only on logic. Now, I have no problem with using LOGIC to prove what the Scriptures are ACTUALLY teaching us. But I do have a problem when Christians “cherry-pick” a few verses of Scripture which they then take OUT of their context to TRY and prove things that the Bible ITSELF does NOT teach. Now, further on in this particular article, the writer does give one verse that I myself have pondered on in the past as to what it truly means. But until I was asked by this dear sister in our Lord Jesus Christ, I never pursued any in depth study on this verse of Scripture. So hear is what I have learned after doing my own in depth study in God's word. Please read Romans 8:3. “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of SINFUL flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:”
Now, I have to say and make my readers aware that both sides of this argument in this particular article on another website as to whether or not Jesus actually SINNED before the baptism of Jesus, believe that Jesus had TWO natures during the days of his flesh, one divine, and one human. So they argue that Almighty God the Son came down from heaven and simply “assumed” the likeness of SINFUL flesh at his “incarnation”. And thus, ALL of their arguments are all based on their ASSUMPTION that both the doctrine of the Trinity and the doctrine of original sin are Biblical. And as some of you may already know that I no longer believe either of those Roman Catholic man-made church doctrines. I have now come to believe that BOTH the doctrine of the Trinity and the doctrine of original sin are false teachings and doctrines of devils. So to me, Romans 8:3 does NOT mean that God sent down His Son from heaven to take on the likeness of sinful flesh. But rather, to me, this verse means that the HUMAN Son of God was sent by God INTO the world AFTER his baptism. Let me explain WHY I believe that this is the true sound Biblical meaning of Romans 8:3. Let us read it again with some emphasis on different words and then I will add some comments to explain what is actually being said in this verse of Scripture. Romans 8:3. “For what the law could not do, in that it was WEAK THROUGH the FLESH, God SENDING his own Son in the LIKENESS OF sinful flesh, and for sin, (Or and as CONCERNING sin the shed blood of the anointed Son of MAN, Jesus, with the Holy Spirit and POWER to overcome the temptations to sin) CONDEMNED sin IN the FLESH:” In other words, because the flesh is WEAK, God needed an ANOINTED man to send out into the world in the LIKENESS of sinful flesh to overcome sin. So this verse of Scriptures in Romans 8:3 simply means that Jesus was CAPABLE of sinning. For you see, it would not be a TRUE temptation if it was impossible for Jesus to SIN. But just because Jesus was TRULY tempted in all points as we are tempted, does NOT mean that Jesus sinned. The temptation itself is not a sin. It is the giving into the temptations of Satan that draws our flesh to lust. And IF we are deceived by the temptation of Satan to be drawn away by the lust of the WEAKNESS of our FLESH, then that is SIN. But during the time after his baptism when Jesus SUFFERED being TEMPTED, then Jesus did NOT sin, no not one single sin, according to 1 Peter 2:22. Please read 1 Peter 2:21-25. “For even hereunto were you called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should FOLLOW his steps: (So then, WHAT steps of Jesus are WE CALLED by God to FOLLOW? Keep reading) 22. Who did NO sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: (So then, WE, as Christians, are called by Almighty God to live OUR lives WITHOUT SIN as well in the SAME way that Jesus lived his life WITHOUT SIN) 23. Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judges righteously: (So then, Jesus COMMITTED himself to his God and Father to HELP him live his life without sin) 24. Who his own self bare OUR sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being DEAD to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes you were healed. 25. For you were as sheep going astray; but are now RETURNED unto (Or CONVERTED over to or towards) the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.” So then, IF Jesus lived his life without sin by him actually being Almighty God Himself in the flesh as some Christians claim, then how can we possibly have faith to believe that WE can FOLLOW the steps of Jesus who did NO sin and live our life without sin? Are we as mere humans able to do what an Almighty God did during the days of His flesh if so be that Jesus is Almighty God Himself in the flesh as the mainstream Orthodox church claims. However, seeing Jesus in the LIGHT of what the Bible itself actually teaches, which is that Jesus was fully HUMAN whom God ANOINTED with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and POWER to overcome sin; then it is easy to believe that we can live without sin THROUGH the power of the Eternal Holy Spirit who dwells in us the SAME way that Jesus offered himself to God WITHOUT spot of blemish, according to Hebrews 9:14. Hebrews 9:14. “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who THROUGH the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, (Who IS the Eternal Spirit who DWELT IN the Son of MAN, Jesus) purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” This brings us right back to Romans 8:3 that is incorrectly interpreted by some Christians who teach that a God the Son came down from heaven and ASSUMED a SINFUL NATURE. First of all, human NATURE does not mean that we inherited a SINFUL nature. For you see, we all have a sinful nature because we have ALL sinned at some time or another in our life. Plus, God CONCLUDED ALL of mankind to be UNDER sin in order that God might have MERCY upon all men and that the promise by FAITH in His Son, Jesus, be received by whosoever BELIEVES. And thus, we were not BORN with a sinful nature as some Christians falsely teach. Please read the study “THE FALSE DOCTRINE OF ORIGINAL SIN!” But for now, let us go back and read Romans 8:3 in its CONTEXT so you can see its true sound Biblical meaning in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. Please read Romans 8:1-19. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are IN Christ Jesus, who WALK NOT after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (In other words, by being created by God as a NEW creature created IN the ANOINTED Jesus, we have been given the POWER to BECOME the sons of God. And therefore, there is now no condemnation in us who WALK NOT after the FLESH but who walk AFTER the Spirit leading us) 2. For the law of the Spirit of life IN Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. (By condemning sin in the FLESH or by God not holding the WEAKNESS of the flesh against us to forgive us of all our past sins. Please understand that after we are regenerated by the Holy Spirit to become new creatures of righteousness in Jesus that God is ALWAYS faithful to forgive us of all our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness, according to 1 John 1:9) 3. For what the law could NOT do, in that it was WEAK THROUGH the FLESH, God SENDING his own Son in the LIKENESS OF sinful flesh, and for sin, (Or and as CONCERNING sin the shed blood of the anointed Son of MAN, Jesus) CONDEMNED sin IN the FLESH: 4. THAT (Or SO THAT) the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled IN us, who walk NOT after the flesh, but AFTER the Spirit. 5. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are AFTER the Spirit (MIND or OBEY) the things of the Spirit. 6. For to be carnally minded is death; (Or for Christians to follow after and obey their flesh is DEATH) but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Or to follow after and obey the Holy Spirit dwelling in our NEW HEART that God created in us the very moment we BELIEVE in Jesus as our Lord and Savior is life and peace having no condemnation of sin) 7. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. (The law of God in this verse is speaking of the law of the Spirit and NOT the Law of Moses under the Old Covenant written in the Old Testament. The CONTEXT is about what the Law of Moses could NOT do, CAN be done THROUGH the Eternal Spirit giving us power to obey the law of the Spirit. And the law of God or the law of the Spirit in this age of GRACE is to obey the commandments under the NEW COVENANT written in the New Testament) 8. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. (And that includes the seventh day of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians who have been deceived by doctrines of devils to do the WORKS of the law of commandment contained in ORDINANCES that Jesus FULFILLED on the cross and thus nailed those ORDINANCES to the cross. Please understand that Jesus did NOT nail ANY of the MORAL commandments to the cross as some Christians wrongly teach. We MUST obey all of the commandments under the NEW COVENANT written in the New Testament lest we SIN) 9. But you are NOT in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. (Sadly, some Christians who have been raised in church ASSUME that they are born-again Christians but they are Christians in name only. Jesus said that we can know them BY their FRUITS or by their WORKS. So if you are not bearing the fruits of the Spirit which are love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, in all goodness and righteousness and truth, proving what is ACCEPTABLE to God: against such there is no law when having NO fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, which are these, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, sedition, heresies, envying, murders, drunkenness, reveling, or PARTYING to get drunk, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God, but rather reproving them, according to Galatians 5:19-24 and Ephesians 5:6-12) 10. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. (This means that our physical body will die and be changed to a new immortal body at the coming of Jesus but our spirit is changed the moment we first believe and NOW the Spirit of God dwells in us is LIFE, if we REMAIN walking AFTER the Spirit) 11. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwells in you. 12. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, NOT to the flesh, to live after the flesh. (Or we do NOT OWE our old man of the flesh anything that we must obey our flesh. And that means that we are DEBTORS to the Spirit of God to OBEY the Holy Spirit dwelling in us lest we SIN) 13. For if you live AFTER the flesh, you shall DIE: (Or you will NOT receive eternal life in the world to come) but if you THROUGH the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live. 14. For as many as are LED BY the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. (And as many that are led by Satan, they are the children of the Devil, according to 1 John 3:1-11) 15. For you have NOT received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16. The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: (Please read the studies “HOW CAN I KNOW IF I AM TRULY SAVED?”, and “ARE ALL PEOPLE THE CHILDREN OF GOD?” which teaches that we do not actually become the eternal children of God until the RESURRECTION) 17. And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, (Speaking of suffering or ENDURING the temptations of Satan to NOT sin) that we may be also glorified together. 18. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (Who walk NOT after the FLESH but who WALK AFTER the Spirit dwelling in us) 19. For the earnest expectation of the creature waits for the MANIFESTATION of the sons of God.” Now, in my research as to WHY some people believe that Jesus SINNED, I found that they use John 5:18 where Jesus was falsely ACCUSED by the unbelieving Jews for him breaking the weekly Sabbath commandment to not do any servile work on the seventh day of the week. Let us read that verse out of its CONTEXT first because that is what they do to TRY and prove that Jesus SINNED and that Jesus made himself EQUAL to God. John 5:18. “Therefore, the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.” But what those Christians do NOT tell you is that Jesus DEFENDED himself by saying that he was only OBEYING what Almighty God told him to do. In words that we would use today, Jesus said, I did not heal that man, God healed that man. Jesus went on to say that the Son can do NOTHING of Himself. And that means that Jesus is saying that it was Almighty God the Father HIMSELF who healed that man ON the Sabbath day. Let us now read John 5:18 being left in its CONTEXT to learn the true sound Biblical meaning of that verse of Scripture when it is CORRECTLY interpreted in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. Please read John 5:15-20. “The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole. 16. And, therefore, did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things ON the Sabbath day. (Speaking of the Father Himself healing the man through His ANOINTED human Son, Jesus and TELLING Jesus to tell the man to pick up his bed and carry it ON the Sabbath day. But the unbelieving Jews THOUGHT that Jesus healed the man by the power of Satan and falsely accused Jesus of having a DEVIL) 17. But Jesus answered them, My Father WORKS hitherto, and I work. (Or it is my Father who healed that man and I was only OBEYING what Almighty God my Father TOLD me to do ON the Sabbath day) 18. Therefore, (Or simply because Jesus called God his Father and saying that God Himself WORKED ON the Sabbath day) the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. (So then, the unbelieving Jews THOUGHT that Jesus was making himself equal to Almighty God simply because Jesus said that God was his Father. Now they thought that Jesus was making himself EQUAL with God because Jesus told them that it was his God and Father who was the one WORKING ON the Sabbath day and that he worked on the Sabbath being LED by God to heal that man. In other words, the unbelieving Jews misunderstood the words of Jesus saying I work to mean that Jesus himself healed the man with his OWN power and thus made himself equal to God. But then Jesus DEFENDED himself against both of these FALSE accusations) 19. Then answered Jesus. (Or Jesus defended himself that he did NOT make himself equal with God) and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do NOTHING OF himself, but what he sees the Father DO: for what things so ever He does, these also does the Son likewise. (In simple words, Jesus is saying that he only did what his God and Father TOLD him to do and it was Almighty God the Father Himself who actually did the healing ON the Sabbath day) 20. For the Father loves the Son, and SHOWS him all things that Himself does: and He will show him greater works than these, that you may marvel.” So then, why would Almighty God the Father BREAK His own commandment to NOT work on the Sabbath day? It was to show us that a CHANGE in the law of God was coming and God was about to make a NEW COVENANT with the children of Israel FIRST and then later turn to the Gentiles with the gospel of salvation IN his Son Jesus who he would MAKE to become the Lord of the TRUE Sabbath rest of Yahweh in the world to come. Please read the study called “IS JESUS OUR TRUE SABBATH REST?” But for now, let us continue this study to learn the sound Biblical answer to the question, “Did Jesus sin BEFORE his Baptism?” Now the Bible itself is blatantly clear that Jesus was WITHOUT sin AFTER his baptism and God ANOINTING him with the Holy Spirit and POWER, according to Acts 10:38. Please read the following verses of Scripture which are all speaking of AFTER the baptism of Jesus. And even more particularly that are actually referring to AFTER the cross and resurrection of Jesus to be MADE both Lord and Christ. For you see, our sins were not actually laid on Jesus until his death on the cross to be crucified FOR our sins and then resurrected by God to DECLARE that Jesus is the SON OF God with POWER, according to the spirit of righteousness, BY the resurrection, which you can read in Romans 1:3,4 on your own. Here are the verses of Scripture that prove that Jesus did NOT sin even once AFTER his baptism. 2 Corinthians 5:21. “For he has made him to be sin FOR us, who knew NO sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
And here is the prophecy that teaches us the true sound Biblical meaning of God MADE him TO BE sin FOR us. Please read Isaiah 53:6. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; (Meaning that we have fallen short of the glory of God because we have all SINNED at some point in our life to TURN from being the children of God to become the children of Satan the Devil) and the LORD has LAID ON him the iniquity of us all.” So then, Jesus being MADE to be sin FOR us simply means that God LAID all of the sins of the whole world on Jesus so that WHOSOEVER of any person in the whole world who BELIEVES in Jesus as their Lord and Savior shall be saved. 1 Peter 2:21-25. “For even hereunto were you called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow his steps: 22. Who did NO sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23. Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judges righteously: 24. Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 25. For you were as sheep going ASTRAY; (Or you were once holy, pure, and innocent children of God who then went ASTRAY from God’s flock to sheep into Satan’s fold of sheep) but are now RETURNED (Or now are you CONVERTED) unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.” Verse 25 proves that we were NOT BORN with the stain and guilt of the so-called original sin church doctrine which is the invention of the Roman Catholic Church along with many other false doctrines such as baptizing babies and their doctrine called the immaculate conception of Jesus. For you see, the Roman Catholic Church painted itself into a corner so to speak with its FALSE original sin doctrine that WRONGLY teaches that we are BORN not only with a so-called sinful nature but we were also born IN SIN, as in, the stain of sin and the guilty verdict of death which we supposedly inherited from Adam because of his original sin. And thus, Christians were worried about their babies and little children who died would be lost. So the Roman Catholic Church had to invent two other doctrines called purgatory and infant baptism in order to get out of having to openly admit that their Pope is not infallible and that they are WRONG about their doctrine of original sin. And later when Christians were worried that Jesus was also BORN in sin and with a sinful nature, the Roman Catholic Church invented their doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary claiming that she was born without sin so the doctrine of original sin does not apply to the Virgin Mary. And thus Jesus could be born without sin and a sinful nature because the Virgin Mary was immaculately conceived without the stain of original sin. So you can see how just ONE FALSE teaching can lead to many other false teachings by Christians ASSUMING that all of what the Orthodox church teaches are all sound Biblical teachings. Here are a few more passages of Scripture that clearly teach us that Jesus did NOT sin AFTER his baptism and being ANOINTED with the Holy Spirit and power. 1 John 3:3-11. “And every man that has this hope in him purifies himself, even as he is PURE. (The Bible teaches us that Jesus SANCTIFIED himself so that we could be sanctified in him or because of his RIGHTEOUSNESS. In other words, AFTER his baptism Jesus obeyed all of his God and Father's will to NOT sin) 4. Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. (Again, the law is NOT referring to the Law of Moses. But rather, the law is referring to the law of the Spirit to obey the leading of the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit will NOT lead us to obey what Jesus ABOLISHED on the cross, according to Ephesians 2:5-15. So the WORKS that do NOT save us are the WORKS of the Law of Moses contained in ORDINANCES. Please read the study “WHAT DOES CONTAINED IN ORDINANCES TRULY MEAN?”) 5. And you know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is NO sin. 6. Whosoever abides in him sins not: whosoever sins has not seen him, neither has known him. 7. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. (BUT) 8. He that commits sin is of the devil; for the devil sins from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9. Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin; for his seed remains in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. (This verse does NOT mean that when we disobey the MORAL commandments of God that we are not sinning so it is alright to break any and all of the moral commandments as some WRONGLY teach. But rather, it means that to REMAIN IN Jesus we OBEY his commandments under the New covenant written in the New Testament because we understand that we cannot sin and receive eternal life in the world to come unless we repent and confess our sins) 10. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: (You shall know them BY their fruits. And thus, if a Christian is living in a lifestyle of sin claiming that it is NOT sin then they have gone astray to be servants of the Devil and they will be judged as children of the Devil until they REPENT and confess their sins. So then) whosoever does NOT righteousness is NOT of God, neither he that loves not his brother. 11. For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” So again, this passage of Scripture clearly teaches us that Jesus did NOT sin AFTER his baptism and being anointed by God with the Holy Spirit and power. Jesus was pure and RIGHTEOUS and we are called to also be PURE and RIGHTEOUS if we want to remain the children of God to become the eternal children of God at the resurrection. Hebrews 4:14,15. “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet WITHOUT sin.” So again, we see that Jesus was TEMPTED just like we are TEMPTED, but Jesus did NOT give into any of those temptations to DISOBEY the leading of the Father DWELLING IN him. Everything that Jesus did or said was the Father telling Jesus what to do and what to say. So if one interprets ANY verse of Scripture to mean that Jesus sinned AFTER his baptism then they are actually saying that Almighty God the Father Himself SINNED or TEMPTED Jesus to sin because Almighty God the Father TOLD Jesus what to do and what to say. And Jesus simply OBEYED what his God and Father COMMANDED him to do. Hebrews 7:26-28. “For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; 27. Who needs not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. (In other words, Jesus did not die on the cross for his OWN sins, but rather, Jesus died for OUR sins. And not only for our sins who have already believed, but Jesus died for the sins of the WHOLE world so that WHOSOEVER of any person in the whole world who BELIEVES in Jesus as their Lord and Savior shall be saved) 28. For the law makes men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, (Or the word of PROMISE made by Almighty God) which was since the law, makes the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.” So then, the Bible ITSELF makes it blatantly clear that Jesus is NOT sin, not even one single sin AFTER his baptism. But what about BEFORE the baptism of Jesus, did Jesus SIN as a CHILD? Did Jesus SIN as a grown adult after the age of accountability but BEFORE his baptism and his being ANOINTED by his God and Father with the Holy Spirit and power? Again, I say, so what IF he did, for even IF Jesus sinned before his baptism it did not matter to Almighty God Himself. For you see, Almighty God cannot LIE and it would be a LIE for Almighty God to say that He is WELL PLEASED with His Son who SINNED. Yes, God LOVED us WHILE we were YET sinners but that does NOT mean that God is WELL PLEASED with us while we SIN. Please read Matthew 3:13-17. “Then came Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 14. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of you, and come you to me? 15. And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becomes us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. 16. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17. And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am WELL PLEASED.” Now, I realize that verse 17 is AFTER the baptism of Jesus. And thus, it cannot be used to PROVE that Jesus did NOT sin before his baptism. But verse 15 gives us the understanding that Almighty God was WELL PLEASED with His human Son BEFORE his baptism. It appears that Jesus did not need to be baptized to wash away his sins. But rather, Jesus needed to be baptized to FULFILL all RIGHTEOUSNESS. So again, Jesus was OBEYING his God and Father BEFORE his baptism by obeying the TEACHING of the Holy Spirit to BE BAPTIZED for the remission of sins. For you see, John was called by Almighty God to preach the baptism in water FOR the REMISSIONS of SINS. And it appears that God required the baptism of John the baptist UNTIL the shed blood of Jesus could be made at the cross FOR the remission of sins under the New Covenant. Please read Mark 1:2-4. “As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before your face, which shall prepare your way before you. (In other words, the WAY to salvation needed to be PREPARED and made STRAIGHT or made TRUE in order for Jesus to become the WAY, the truth and the life. In other words, this was when God called His Son to WALK in RIGHTEOUSNESS. And BEFORE the baptism of Jesus, God VISITED the Son of MAN morning by morning to TEACH him. We will cover that verse in a moment) 3. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare you the WAY of the Lord, make his paths straight. (So John the Baptist yielded his will to obey God’s will in order to PREPARE Jesus, the WAY of Yahweh’s salvation, by obeying Almighty God the Father to baptize His Son, Jesus, in water FOR the remission of sins. This interpretation does NOT contradict any of the verses that clearly teach us that Jesus did NOT sin AFTER his baptism by John the Baptist. It would be just like us, where God does NOT hold ANY sin against us BEFORE we were saved. God prepared us to WALK in the WAY when we first believe by first CLEANSING us from all our PAST sin so that His Holy Spirit could DWELL IN us. And thus, we did not NEED to be baptized in water to wash away our sins, but we OUGHT to OBEY God’s word to be baptized in water to FULFILL ALL righteousness the same as Jesus OBEYED God to be baptized in water to fulfill all righteousness. So we cannot demand that Matthew 3:15 means that Jesus did not sin BEFORE his baptism based on all the verses that are clearly referring to AFTER his baptism that Jesus did NO sin) 4. John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance FOR the remission of sins.”
Now, Jesus is the WAY to the Father, the truth, and the life, according to John 14:6, and Mark 1:3 above says, make his paths STRAIGHT or TRUE speaking of the WAY being made straight. And Jesus is the WAY. And thus, it might be that God SANCTIFIED His human Son, Jesus, through the OBEDIENCE of Jesus being baptized in water of REPENTANCE for the REMISSION of sins. After all, does not the Bible itself teach us that Jesus LEARNED obedience? These are questions that I myself ALSO pondered long before I ever heard that some Christians actually teach that Jesus SINNED. So by showing you these QUESTIONS you can see HOW one could WRONGLY interpret them to mean that Jesus SINNED. Now to ME, all of the verses of Scripture that are used to TRY and prove that Jesus sinned are ALL speaking of Jesus AFTER his baptism. And we know that they can NOT mean that Jesus sinned after his baptism because that INTERPRETATION would contradict many other CLEAR verses of Scripture. The ONLY thing that the Bible ITSELF states about Jesus before his baptism is when he was a 12 year old CHILD. And we will cover that passage of Scripture shortly. Hebrews 5:8,9. “Though he were a Son, yet LEARNED he obedience by the things which he suffered; 9. And being MADE PERFECT, he BECAME the author of eternal salvation unto all them that OBEY him;” Philippians 2:8 teaches us that Jesus BECAME obedient unto death, even to death on the cross. And that could mean that BEFORE the baptism of Jesus, the son of MAN who was not yet ANOINTED might had sinned. And Isaiah teaches us that God visited the Son of MAN, Jesus, morning by morning. Now EVEN IF the Son of man, Jesus, sinned before his baptism God did NOT count any sin against him. Think of it this way, Jesus is like a FIGHTER being TRAINED for a fight with Satan his adversary. So while Jesus was in TRAINING against his adversary for the REAL fight to decide who is the VICTOR to be CROWNED the champion, those fights while TRAINING did not COUNT. Please understand that I myself am NOT saying that Jesus sinned before his baptism or at any time during his whole life. But rather, I am saying that even IF Jesus did sin before his baptism, Almighty God Himself did NOT count or hold any sin against Jesus IF he did sin before his baptism. All I am doing is that I am just trying to show you THEIR line of reasoning who claim that Jesus sinned. Please read Isaiah 50:4-11. “The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakens morning by morning, he wakens my ear to hear as the learned. 5. The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. (And obviously, we can see that God opened the ear of Jesus to hear as young as age 12 when Jesus told his mother that he must be about his Father’s business. But we can NOT dogmatically demand that Jesus did not disobey God by disobeying his parents by interpreting these words to mean that Jesus was never rebellious before his baptism. For you see, the context is speaking of Jesus AFTER his baptism) 6. I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. 7. For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore, shall I not be confounded: therefore, have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. 8. He is near that justifies me; who will contend with me? Let us stand together: who is my adversary? Let him come near to me. (Or who is it that tries to CONVINCE me of SIN?) 9. Behold, the Lord GOD will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? Lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up. 10. Who is among you that fears the LORD, that obeys the voice of his servant, that walks in darkness, and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God. 11. Behold, all you that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that you have kindled. This shall you have of mine hand; you shall lie down in sorrow.” This is a WARNING to NOT invent FALSE doctrines that MAKE Jesus to be a SINNER. So what is it to you IF Jesus did indeed SIN BEFORE his baptism? Almighty God Himself LOVED us WHILE we were yet SINNERS. So what POINT are you trying to make by INTERPRETING a few verses out of their context to make it seem as if Jesus was a SINNER the same as us BEFORE his baptism or at any time in his life? If your intention is to DEFAME Jesus as NOT being a WORTHY sacrifice for our sins, then be WARNED that you shall lie down in SORROW on the Day of Judgment unless you REPENT. Now, the only other verse of Scripture that could be INTERPRETED to mean that Jesus sinned before his baptism is Isaiah 7:13-16 which teaches us that BEFORE the child shall KNOW to refuse the evil and choose the good the land shall be forsaken of both her kings. Isaiah 7:14-16. “Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (So this is definitely speaking about Jesus) 15. Butter and honey shall he eat, THAT (Or SO THAT, or IN ORDER THAT) he may KNOW to refuse the evil, and choose the good. 16. For before the child shall KNOW to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that you abhor shall be forsaken of both her kings.” Now, almost all Christians agree that this is a prophecy of Jesus. And to me, verse 16 means that BOTH the king of the northern kingdom of Israel and the king of the southern kingdom of Judah will be stripped of their kings and have only the ONE kingdom of the Roman Empire over them. And this will happen BEFORE the CHILD or before the Messiah shall be born of a virgin and the CHILD shall KNOW to refuse the evil and choose the good. So then, some Christians use this passage of Scripture in Isaiah 7:13-16 along with the account of the 12 year old child, Jesus, as one of their so-called proof texts that Jesus SINNED as a child. And to that argument, I say, so what. For you see, in the eyes of Almighty God, ALL the little children are INNOCENT before God until the age of accountability. So even if MAN interprets the CHILD Jesus as SINNING by simply OBEYING his God and Father, Almighty God Himself does NOT hold the INNOCENT children guilty of sinning. Please read Luke 2:40-52. “And the child grew, and waxed (Or GREW) strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. 41. Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. 42. And when he was twelve years old, (Which is before the age of accountability to God) they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. 43. And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. 44. But they, supposing him to have been in the company, (Now, to ME, it is the PARENTS responsibility to keep track of their children. So if anyone “missed the mark” in my opinion, it was Mary and Joseph) went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances. 45. And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, (Another day’s journey back to Jerusalem) seeking him. 46. And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, (So it took them a whole day once they traveled back to Jerusalem to find their 12 year old CHILD in the big city of Jerusalem) sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. (They did not find Jesus doing anything “bad”, they found him in the Temple of God. We should be so blessed to find our children LOVING to go into the house of God) 47. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. 48. And when they saw him, they were amazed: (Even Mary and Joseph were amazed when they saw their 12 year old CHILD sitting in the temple teaching the TEACHERS about God’s word) and his mother said unto him, Son, why have you thus dealt with us? Behold, your father and I have sought you sorrowing. (To me, I do not see this as Mary and Joseph PUNISHING Jesus for disobeying, but rather, Mary was TEACHING her 12 year old child that not staying close by his mother and Joseph caused them both to WORRY about his safety) 49. And he said unto them, How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be about my Father's business? 50. And they understood not the saying which he spoke unto them. 51. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. 52. And Jesus INCREASED in wisdom and stature, and (Increased) in FAVOR with God and man.” So then, we learn that from the age of 12 onward, Jesus INCREASED in wisdom to now KNOW to obey God AND to obey his parents to be SUBJECT unto them WHILE being subject unto his God and Father. So Jesus increased in FAVOR with God and with his parents. So, I myself, must conclude that Jesus did NOT sin in the EYES of Almighty God the Father BEFORE his baptism. And God was WELL PLEASED with His Son Jesus having FAITH in him that he was now READY to be CALLED to walk in RIGHTEOUS. For you see, it was God Himself who CHOSE to use a MAN to JUDGE the world BY the MAN whom He ORDAINED and raised from the dead, according to Acts17:29-31. Again, think of Jesus LEARNING obedience as being like a FIGHTER in TRAINING and if a fighter in training loses some fights it does not matter because he is LEARNING from his mistakes. It is only the fight for the CHAMPIONSHIP that matters. And thus, it only matters what Jesus did AFTER his baptism when his TRAINING ended and the TRUE FIGHT began. If you disagree then I caution you to heed the WARNING in Isaiah 50:8-11. Judge NOT lest YOU be JUDGED by the measure that you judge others. Isaiah 50:8-11. “He is near that justifies me; who will contend with me? Let us stand together: who is my adversary? Let him come near to me. (Or who is it that tries to CONVINCE me of SIN?) 9. Behold, the Lord GOD will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? Lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up. 10. Who is among you that fears the LORD, that obeys the voice of his servant, that walks in darkness, and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God. 11. Behold, all you that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that you have kindled. This shall you have of mine hand; you shall lie down in sorrow.” There is one more verse that I have not covered yet which some “INTERPRET” to mean that God made Jesus HOLY at his baptism before God SENT him INTO the world. Please read John 10:36. “Say you of him, whom the Father has SANCTIFIED, and SENT INTO the world, You blaspheme; because I said, I am the SON OF God?” Now, obviously, IF the doctrine of the Trinity were true, then you as a Trinitarian Christian would have to ask yourself the question, “Why would an already HOLY God the Son need to be SANCTIFIED before God SENT him INTO the world?” This is something to think about. But when this verse is speaking about God’s HUMAN Son being SANCTIFIED at his baptism then it could be “INTERPRETED” to mean that God made His human Son, Jesus, HOLY before filling Jesus with the Holy Spirit and power and then SENT His ANOINTED Son into the world. So I myself have pondered this verse off and on for a long time wondering what it truly means. Yes, it could possibly mean that God CLEANSED the human vessel of FLESH of Jesus so that God could then DWELL IN His human Son Jesus. But after doing this study in God’s word, I now see that the Greek word translated as “SANCTIFIED” also means “CONSECRATE”. And the word, consecrate means to DECLARE Holy. So in the EYES of his God and Father, Yahweh the Father DECLARED his human Son to be Holy when the Father said, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am WELL PLEASED”. And God is NOT PLEASED when we have NOT confessed and repented of SIN in our life. But if we CONFESS our sin then God is well pleased. So I conclude that the ACTUAL TEST to see if Jesus would obey ALL of the will of His God and Father BEGAN at the baptism of Jesus and what ever happened BEFORE the baptism of Jesus is NOT an issue of SALVATION. So for ME, I am HEEDING the WARNING in Isaiah 50:7-11 and to not JUDGE Jesus as being a SINNER before his baptism because I do not want to be judged for my sins before I came to believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior at the age of 23, actually a few months right before I turned 23. Now, some may argue and say, what about the OTHER gospels that are NOT in the Bible which seem to teach that Jesus was an ornery BRAT cursing other little boys and those boys ended up dying? First, of all there is a good reason for why those other gospels are NOT IN the Bible. I believe that God chose the 66 books that ARE in the Bible to be more than enough to know and believe to be saved and to receive eternal life in the world to come. There were forgeries of the gospels as well to try and lead people away from following Jesus. John teaches us in John 20:30,31 that much more could be said about Jesus but these things were written so THAT we would BELIEVE that Jesus is the CHRIST, the SON OF the living God. And that by believing this truth we might have ETERNAL LIFE. So even IF those other gospels that are NOT IN the Bible contain any truth, they still do not change the FACT that the CHILD Jesus was yet LEARNING to REFUSE the evil and to CHOOSE the good. And all children are INNOCENT before God until the age of accountability. So if you want God to JUDGE YOU for all the evil things that YOU did as a child then keep on defaming Jesus to make him be a SINNER and not WORTHY to be our Lord and Savior. Thanks for reading and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God as you learn to correctly interpret the Scriptures in the LIGHT of every verse in the Bible. Your brother in our Lord Jesus Christ, Brother Mark. RETURN TO HOMEPAGE AT |
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