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I. The Mystery of the Incarnation
The humanity of the Son of God is everything to us. It is
the golden chain that binds our souls to Christ, and through Christ to God. This
is to be our study. Christ was a real man; He gave proof of His humility
in becoming a man. Yet He was God in the flesh. When we approach this
subject, we would do well to heed the words spoken by Christ to Moses at the
burning bush, "Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place where on
thou standest is holy ground." We should come to this study with the
humility of a learner, with a contrite heart. And the study of the incarnation
of Christ is a fruitful field, which will repay the searcher who digs deep for
hidden truth.—The Youth's Instructor, Oct. 13, 1898.
The only plan that could be devised to save the human race was that which
called for the incarnation, humiliation, and crucifixion of the Son of
God, the Majesty of heaven. After the plan of salvation was devised, Satan could
have no ground upon which to found his suggestion that God, because so great,
could care nothing for so insignificant a creature as man.—The Signs of the
Times, Jan. 20, 1890.
In contemplating the incarnation of Christ in humanity, we stand
baffled before an unfathomable mystery, that the human mind cannot
comprehend. The more we reflect upon it, the more amazing does it appear. How
wide is the contrast between the divinity of Christ and the helpless infant in
Bethlehem's manger! How can we span the distance between the mighty God and a
helpless child? And yet the Creator of worlds, He in whom was the fullness of
the Godhead bodily, was manifest in the helpless babe in the manger. Far higher
than any of the angels, equal with the Father in dignity and glory, and yet
wearing the garb of humanity! Divinity and humanity were mysteriously
combined, and man and God became one. It is in this union that we find the
_______
Note.—The italicizing of key expressions throughout this
compilation is to enable the eye to catch at a glance the pertinent point of
each paragraph.—Editors.
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hope of our fallen race. Looking upon Christ in humanity, we look upon God, and
see in Him the brightness of His glory, the express image of His person.—The
Signs of the Times, July 30, 1896.
As the worker studies the life of Christ, and the character of His mission is
dwelt upon, each fresh search will reveal something more deeply interesting than
has yet been unfolded. The subject is inexhaustible. The study of the
incarnation of Christ, His atoning sacrifice and mediatorial work, will
employ the mind of the diligent student as long as time shall last.—Gospel
Workers,
p. 251.
That God should thus be manifest in the flesh is indeed a mystery; and
without the help of the Holy Spirit we cannot hope to comprehend this subject.
The most humbling lesson that man has to learn is the nothingness of human
wisdom, and the folly of trying, by his own unaided efforts, to find out God.—The
Review and Herald, April 5, 1906.
Was the human nature of the Son of Mary changed into the divine nature of the
Son of God? No; the two natures were mysteriously blended in one person—the
man Christ Jesus. In Him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. . . .
This is a great mystery, a mystery that will not be fully, completely
understood in all its greatness until the translation of the redeemed shall
take place. Then the power and greatness and efficacy of the gift of God to man
will be understood. But the enemy is determined that this gift shall be so
mystified that it will become as nothingness.—The SDA Bible Commentary,
vol. 5, p. 1113.
We cannot explain the great mystery of the plan of redemption. Jesus took upon
Himself humanity, that He might reach humanity; but we cannot explain how
divinity was clothed with humanity. An angel would not have known how to
sympathize with fallen man, but Christ came to the world and suffered all our
temptations, and carried all our griefs.—The Review and Herald, Oct. 1,
1889.
II. Miraculous Union of Human and Divine
Laying aside His royal robe and kingly crown, Christ clothed His
divinity with humanity, that human beings might be raised from their degradation
and placed on vantage-ground. Christ could not have come to this earth with the
glory that He had in
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the heavenly courts. Sinful human beings could not have borne the sight. He
veiled His divinity with the garb of humanity, but He did not part with His
divinity. A divine-human Saviour, He came to stand at the head of the fallen
race, to share in their experience from childhood to manhood. That human beings
might be partakers of the divine nature, He came to this earth, and lived a life
of perfect obedience.—Ibid., June 15, 1905.
In Christ, divinity and humanity were combined. Divinity was not degraded to
humanity; divinity held its place, but humanity by being united to divinity,
withstood the fiercest test of temptation in the wilderness. The prince of this
world came to Christ after His long fast, when He was anhungered, and suggested
to Him to command the stones to become bread. But the plan of God, devised for
the salvation of man, provided that Christ should know hunger, and poverty, and
every phase of man's experience.—Ibid., Feb. 18, 1890.
The more we think about Christ's becoming a babe here on earth, the more
wonderful it appears. How can it be that the helpless babe in Bethlehem's manger
is still the divine Son of God? Though we cannot understand it, we can believe
that lie who made the worlds, for our sakes became a helpless babe. Though
higher than any of the angels, though as great as the Father on the throne of
heaven He became one with us. In Him God and man became one, and it is in this
fact that we find the hope of our fallen race. Looking upon Christ in the flesh,
we look upon God in humanity, and see in Him the brightness of divine glory, the
express image of God the Father.—The Youth's Instructor, Nov. 21, 1895.
No one, looking upon the childlike countenance, shining with animation, could
say that Christ was just like other children. He was God in human flesh. When
urged by His companions to do wrong, divinity flashed through humanity, and He
refused decidedly. In a moment He distinguished between right and wrong, and
placed sin in the light of God's commands, holding up the law as a mirror which
reflected light upon wrong.—Ibid., Sept. 8, 1898.
As a member of the human family He was mortal, but as a God He was the fountain
of life to the world. He could, in His divine person, ever have withstood the
advances of death, and refused to come under its dominion; but He voluntarily
laid down His life, that in so doing He might give life and bring
650 immortality to light. . . . What humility was this! It amazed angels. The tongue can
never describe it; the imagination cannot take it in. The eternal Word consented
to be made flesh! God became man!—The Review and Herald, July 5, 1887.
The apostle would call our attention from ourselves to the Author of our
salvation. He presents before us His two natures, divine and human. . . . He
voluntarily assumed human nature. It was His own act, and by His own consent.
He clothed His divinity with humanity. He was all the while as God, but He did not
appear as God. He veiled the demonstrations of Deity which had commanded the
homage, and called forth the admiration of the universe of God. He was God while
upon earth, but He divested Himself of the form of God, and in its stead took
the form and fashion of a man. He walked the earth as a man. For our sakes He
became poor, that we through His poverty might be made rich. He laid aside His
glory and His majesty. He was God, but the glories of the form of God He for
awhile relinquished. . . . He bore the sins of the world, and endured the
penalty which rolled like a mountain upon His divine soul. He yielded up His
life a sacrifice, that man should not eternally die. He died, not through being
compelled to die, but by His own free will.—Ibid.
Was the human nature of the Son of Mary changed into the divine nature of the
Son of God? No; the two natures were mysteriously blended in one person—the
man Christ Jesus. In Him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. When
Christ was crucified, it was His human, nature that died. Deity did not sink and
die; that would have been impossible.—The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, p.
1113.
III. Took Sinless Human Nature
Christ came to the earth, taking humanity and standing as man's
representative, to show in the controversy with Satan that man, as God created
him, connected with the Father and the Son, could obey every divine
requirement.—The Signs of the Times, June 9, 1898.
Christ is called the second Adam. In purity and holiness, connected with God and
beloved by God, He began where the first Adam began. Willingly He passed over
the ground where Adam fell, and redeemed Adam's failure.—The Youth's
Instructor, June 2, 1898.
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In the fullness of time He was to be revealed in human form. He was to take His
position at the head of humanity by taking the nature but not the sinfulness of
man. In heaven was heard the voice, "The Redeemer shall come to Zion, and
unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord."—The
Signs of the Times, May 29, 1901.
When Christ bowed His head and died, He bore the pillars of Satan's kingdom with
Him to the earth. He vanquished Satan in the same nature over which in Eden
Satan obtained the victory. The enemy was overcome by Christ in His human
nature. The power of the Saviour's Godhead was hidden. He overcame in human
nature, relying upon God for power.—The Youth's Instructor, April 25, 1901.
In taking upon Himself man's nature in its fallen condition, Christ did not in
the least participate in its sin. He was subject to the infirmities and
weaknesses by which man is encompassed, "that it might be fulfilled which
was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare
our sicknesses." He was touched with the feeling of our infirmities, and
was in all points tempted like as we are. And yet He "knew no sin." He
was the Lamb "without blemish and without spot." Could Satan in the
least particular have tempted Christ to sin, he would have bruised the Saviour's
head. As it was, he could only touch His heel. Had the head of Christ been
touched, the hope of the human race would have perished. Divine wrath would have
come upon Christ as it came upon Adam. . . . We should have no misgivings in regard
to the perfect sinlessness of the human nature of Christ.—The SDA Bible
Commentary, vol. 5, p. 1181.
Be careful, exceedingly careful as to how you dwell upon the human nature of
Christ. Do not set Him before the people as a man with the propensities of sin.
He is the second Adam. The first Adam was created a pure, sinless being, without
a taint of sin upon him; he was in the image of God. He could fall, and he did
fall through transgressing. Because of sin his posterity was born with inherent
propensities of disobedience. But Jesus Christ was the only begotten Son of God.
He took upon Himself human nature, and was tempted in all points as human nature
is tempted. He could have sinned; He could have fallen, but not for one moment
was there in Him an evil propensity. He was assailed with temptations in the
wilderness, as Adam was assailed with temptations in Eden.—Ibid., p. 1128.
652
The Son of God humbled Himself and took man's nature after the race had wandered
four thousand years from Eden, and from their original state of purity and
uprightness. Sin had been making its terrible marks upon the race for ages; and
physical, mental, and moral degeneracy prevailed throughout the human family.
When Adam was assailed by the tempter in Eden he was without the taint of sin. .
. . Christ, in the wilderness of temptation, stood in Adam's place to bear
the test he failed to endure.—The Review and Herald, July 28, 1874.
Avoid every question in relation to the humanity of Christ which is liable to be
misunderstood. Truth lies close to the track of presumption. In treating upon
the humanity of Christ, you need to guard strenuously every assertion, lest your
words be taken to mean more than they imply, and thus you lose or dim the clear
perceptions of His humanity as combined with divinity. His birth was a miracle
of God. . . . Never, in any way, leave the slightest impression upon human minds
that a taint of, or inclination to, corruption rested upon Christ, or that He in
any way yielded to corruption. He was tempted in all points like as man is
tempted, yet He is called "that holy thing." It is a mystery that is
left unexplained to mortals that Christ could be tempted in all points like as
we are, and yet be without sin. The incarnation of Christ has ever been, and
will ever remain, a mystery. That which is revealed, is for us and for our
children, but let every human being be warned from the ground of making Christ
altogether human, such an one as ourselves; for it cannot be.—The SDA Bible
Commentary, vol. 5, pp. 1128, 1129.
What opposites meet and are revealed in the person of Christ! The mighty God,
yet a helpless child! The Creator of all the world, yet, in a world of His
creating, often hungry and weary, and without a place to lay His head! The Son
of man, yet infinitely higher than the angels! Equal with the Father, yet His
divinity clothed with humanity, standing at the head of the fallen race, that
human beings might be placed on vantage-ground! Possessing eternal riches, yet
living the life of a poor man! One with the Father in dignity and power, yet in
His humanity tempted in all points like as we are tempted! In the very moment of
His dying agony on the cross, a Conqueror, answering the request of the
repentant sinner to be remembered by Him when He came into His kingdom.—The
Signs of the Times, April 26, 1905
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IV. Assumed Liabilities of Human Nature
The doctrine of the incarnation of Christ in human flesh is a
mystery, "even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from
generations." It is the great and profound mystery of godliness. . . .
Christ did not make believe take human nature; He did verily take it. He did in
reality possess human nature. "As the children are partakers of flesh and
blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same." He was the son of
Mary; He was of the seed of David according to human descent.—The Review and
Herald, April 5, 1906.
He came to this world in human form, to live a man amongst men. He assumed the
liabilities of human nature, to be proved and tried. In His humanity He was a
partaker of the divine nature. In His incarnation He gained in a new sense the
title of the Son of God.—The Signs of the Times, Aug. 2, 1905.
But our Saviour took humanity, with all its liabilities. He took the nature of
man, with the possibility of yielding to temptation. We have nothing to bear
which He has not endured.—The Desire of Ages, p. 117.
Christ bore the sins and infirmities of the race as they existed when He came to
the earth to help man. In behalf of the race, with the weaknesses of fallen man
upon Him, He was to stand the temptations of Satan upon all points wherewith man
would be assailed.—The Review and Herald, July 28, 1874.
Jesus was in all things made like unto His brethren. He became flesh, even as we
are. He was hungry and thirsty and weary. He was sustained by food and refreshed
by sleep. He shared the lot of man; yet He was the blameless Son of God. He was
God in the flesh. His character is to be ours.—The Desire of Ages, p. 311.
The human nature of Christ is likened to ours, and suffering was more keenly
felt by Him; for His spiritual nature was free from every taint of sin.
Therefore His desire for the removal of suffering was stronger than human beings
can experience. . . .
The Son of God endured the wrath of God against sin. All the accumulated sin of
the world was laid upon the Sin-bearer, the One who was innocent, the One who
alone could be the propitiation for sin, because He Himself was obedient. He was
One with God. Not a taint of corruption was upon Him.—The Signs of the Times,
Dec. 9, 1897.
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As one with us, He must bear the burden of our guilt and woe. The Sinless one
must feel the shame of sin. . . . Every sin, every discord, every defiling lust
that transgression had brought, was torture to His spirit.—The Desire of Ages,
p. 111.
The weight of the sins of the world was pressing His soul, and His countenance
expressed unutterable sorrow, a depth of anguish that fallen man had never
realized. He felt the overwhelming tide of woe that deluged the world. He
realized the strength of indulged appetite and of unholy passion that controlled
the world.—The Review and Herald, Aug. 4, 1874.
Entire justice was done in the atonement. In the place of the sinner, the
spotless Son of God received the penalty, and the sinner goes free as long as he
receives and holds Christ as his personal Saviour. Though guilty, he is looked
upon as innocent. Christ fulfilled every requirement demanded by justice.—The
Youth's Instructor, April 25, 1901.
Guiltless, He bore the punishment of the guilty. Innocent, yet offering Himself
as a substitute for the transgressor. The guilt of every sin pressed its weight
upon the divine soul of the world's Redeemer.—The Signs of the Times, Dec. 5,
1892.
He took upon His sinless nature our sinful nature, that He might know how to
succor those that are tempted.—Medical Ministry, p. 181
V. Tempted on All Points
Christ alone had experience in all the sorrows and temptations
that befall human beings. Never another of woman born was so fiercely beset by
temptation; never another bore so heavy a burden of the world's sin and pain.
Never was there another whose sympathies were so broad or so tender. A sharer in
all the experiences of humanity, He could feel not only for, but with, every
burdened and tempted and struggling one.—Education, p. 78.
God was in Christ in human form, and endured all the temptations wherewith man
was beset; in our behalf He participated in the suffering and trials of
sorrowful human nature.—The Watchman, Dec. 10, 1907.
He "was in all points tempted like as we are." Satan stood ready to
assail Him at every step, hurling at Him his fiercest temptations; yet He
"did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth." "He . . .
suffered being tempted," suffered in proportion
to the perfection of His holiness. But the prince of darkness
found nothing in Him; not a single thought or feeling responded to
temptation.—Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 422.
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Would that we could comprehend the significance of the words, "Christ
suffered, being tempted." While He was free from the taint of sin, the
refined sensibilities of His holy nature rendered contact with evil unspeakably
painful to Him. Yet with human nature upon Him, He met the arch-apostate face to
face, and single-handed withstood the foe of His throne. Not even by a
thought could Christ be brought to yield to the power of temptation. Satan finds in
human hearts some point where he can gain a foot-hold; some sinful desire is
cherished, by means of which his temptations assert their power. But Christ
declared of Himself, "The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in
Me." The storms of temptation burst upon Him, but they could not cause Him
to swerve from His allegiance to God.—The Review and Herald, Nov. 8, 1887.
I perceive that there is danger in approaching subjects which dwell on the
humanity of the Son of the infinite God. He did humble Himself when He saw He
was in fashion as a man, that He might understand the force of all temptations
wherewith man is beset. . . . On not one occasion was there a response to his
manifold temptations. Not once did Christ step on Satan's ground, to give him
any advantage. Satan found nothing in Him to encourage his advances.—The SDA
Bible Commentary, vol. 5, p. 1129.
Many claim that it was impossible for Christ to be overcome by temptation. Then
He could not have been placed in Adam's position; He could not have gained the
victory that Adam failed to gain. If we have in any sense a more trying conflict
than had Christ, then He would not be able to succor us. But our Saviour took
humanity, with all its liabilities. He took the nature of man, with the
possibility of yielding to temptation. We have nothing to bear which He has not
endured. . . . In man's behalf, Christ conquered by enduring the severest test.
For our sake He exercised a self-control stronger than hunger or death.—The
Desire of Ages, p. 117.
VI. Bore the Imputed Sin and Guilt of the World
Christ bore the guilt of the sins of the world. Our sufficiency
is found only in the incarnation and death of the Son of God. He could suffer,
because sustained by divinity. He could endure, because He was without
one taint of disloyalty or sin.—The Youth's Instructor, Aug. 4, 1898.
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He [Christ] took human nature, and bore the infirmities and degeneracy of the
race.—The Review and Herald, July 28, 1874.
It would have been an almost infinite humiliation for the Son of God to take
man's nature, even when Adam stood in his innocence in Eden. But Jesus accepted
humanity when the race had been weakened by four thousand years of sin. Like
every child of Adam He accepted the results of the working of the great law of
heredity. What these results were is shown in the history of His earthly
ancestors. He came with such a heredity to share our sorrows and temptations,
and to give us the example of a sinless life.
Satan in heaven had hated Christ for His position in the courts of God. He hated
Him the more when he himself was dethroned. He hated Him who pledged Himself to
redeem a race of sinners. Yet into the world where Satan claimed dominion God
permitted His Son to come, a helpless babe, subject to the weakness of humanity.
He permitted Him to meet life's peril in common with every human soul, to fight
the battle as every child of humanity must fight it, at the risk of failure and
eternal loss.—The Desire of Ages, p. 49.
Wondrous combination of man and God! He might have helped His human nature to
withstand the inroads of disease by pouring from His divine nature vitality and
undecaying vigor to the human. But He humbled Himself to man's nature. . . . God
became man!—The Review and Herald, Sept. 4, 1900.
In our humanity, Christ was to redeem Adam's failure. But when Adam was assailed
by the tempter, none of the effects of sin were upon him. He stood in the
strength of perfect manhood, possessing the full vigor of mind and body. He was
surrounded with the glories of Eden, and was in daily communion with heavenly
beings. It was not thus with Jesus when He entered the wilderness to cope with
Satan. For four thousand years the race had been decreasing in physical
strength, in mental power, and in moral worth; and Christ took upon Him the
infirmities of degenerate humanity. Only thus could He rescue man from the
lowest depths of his degradation.—The Desire of Ages, p. 117.
Clad in the vestments of humanity, the Son of God came down to the level of
those He wished to save. In Him was no guile or sinfulness; He was ever pure and
undefiled; yet He took
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upon Him our sinful nature. Clothing His divinity with humanity, that He might
associate with fallen humanity, He sought to regain for man that which, by
disobedience, Adam had lost for himself and for the world. In His own character
He displayed to the world the character of God.—The Review and Herald, Dec.
15, 1896.
He for our sakes laid aside His royal robe, stepped down from the throne in
heaven, and condescended to clothe His divinity with humility, and became like
one of us except in sin, that His life and character should be a pattern for all
to copy, that they might have the precious gift of eternal life.—The Youth's
Instructor, Oct. 20, 1886.
He was born without a taint of sin, but came into the world in like manner as
the human family.—Letter 97, 1898.
Harmless and undefiled, He walked among the
thoughtless, the rude, the uncourteous.—The Desire of Ages, p. 90.
Christ, who knew not the least taint of sin or defilement, took our nature in
its deteriorated condition. This was humiliation greater than finite man can
comprehend. God was manifest in the flesh. He humbled Himself. What a subject
for thought, for deep, earnest contemplation! So infinitely great that He was
the Majesty of heaven, and yet He stooped so low, without losing one atom of His
dignity and glory! He stooped to poverty and to the deepest abasement among
men.—The Signs of the Times, June 9, 1898.
Notwithstanding that the sins of a guilty world were laid upon Christ,
notwithstanding the humiliation of taking upon Himself our fallen nature, the
voice from heaven declared Him to be the Son of the Eternal.—The Desire of
Ages, p. 112.
Though He had no taint of sin upon His character, yet He condescended to connect
our fallen human nature with His divinity. By thus taking humanity, He honored
humanity. Having taken our fallen nature, He showed what it might become, by
accepting the ample provision He has made for it, and by becoming partaker of
the divine nature.—Special Instruction Relating to the Review and Herald
Office, and the Work in Battle Creek, May 26, 1896, p. 13.
He [Paul] directs the mind first to the position which Christ occupied in
heaven, in the bosom of His Father; he reveals Him afterward as laying off His
glory, voluntarily subjecting Himself to all the humbling conditions of man's
nature, assuming the
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responsibilities of a servant, and becoming obedient unto death, and that death
the most ignominious and revolting, the most shameful, the most agonizing—the
death of the cross.—Testimonies, vol. 4, p. 458.
The angels prostrated themselves before Him. They offered their lives. Jesus
said to them that He would by His death save many, that the life of an angel
could not pay the debt. His life alone could be accepted of His Father as a
ransom for man. Jesus also told them that they would have a part to act, to be
with Him and at different times strengthen Him; that He would take man's fallen
nature, and His strength would not be even equal with theirs; that they would be
witnesses of His humiliation and great sufferings.—Early Writings, p. 150.
Amid impurity, Christ maintained His Purity. Satan could not stain or corrupt
it. His character revealed a perfect hatred for sin. It was His holiness that
stirred against Him all the passion of a profligate world; for by His perfect
life He threw upon the world a perpetual reproach, and made manifest the
contrast between transgression and the pure spotless righteousness of One that
knew no sin.—The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, p. 1142.
VII. Perfect Sinlessness of Christ's Human Nature
We should have no misgivings in regard to the perfect
sinlessness of the human nature of Christ. Our faith must be an intelligent
faith, looking unto Jesus in perfect confidence, in full and entire faith in the
atoning sacrifice. This is essential that the soul may not be enshrouded in
darkness. This holy substitute is able to save to the uttermost; for He
presented to the wondering universe perfect and complete humility in His human
character, and perfect obedience to all the requirements of God.—The Signs of
the Times, June 9, 1898.
With His human arm, Christ encircled the race, while with His divine arm, He
grasped the throne of the Infinite, uniting finite man with the infinite God. He
bridged the gulf that sin had made, and connected earth with heaven. In His
human nature He maintained the purity of His divine character.—The Youth's
Instructor, June 2, 1898.
He was unsullied with corruption, a stranger to sin; yet He prayed, and that
often with strong crying and tears. He prayed for His disciples and for Himself,
thus identifying Himself with our needs, our weaknesses, and our failings, which
are so common
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with humanity. He was a mighty petitioner, not possessing the passions of our
human, fallen natures, but compassed with like infirmities, tempted in all
points like as we are. Jesus endured agony which required help and support from
His Father.—Testimonies, vol. 2, p. 508.
He is a brother in our infirmities, but not in possessing like passions. As the
sinless One, His nature recoiled from evil. He endured struggles and torture of
soul in a world of sin. His humanity made prayer a necessity and privilege. He
required all the stronger divine support and comfort which His Father was ready
to impart to Him, to Him who had, for the benefit of man, left the joys of
heaven and chosen His home in a cold and thankless world.—Ibid., p. 202.
His doctrine dropped as the rain; His speech distilled as the dew. In the
character of Christ was blended such majesty as God had never before displayed
to fallen man, and such meekness as man had never developed. Never before had
there walked among men one so noble, so pure, so benevolent, so conscious of His
godlike nature; yet so simple, so full of plans and purposes to do good to
humanity. While abhorring sin, He wept with compassion over the sinner. He
pleased not Himself. The Majesty of heaven clothed Himself with the humility of
a child. This is the character of Christ.—Ibid., vol. 5, p. 422.
The life of Jesus was a life in harmony with God. While He was a child, He
thought and spoke as a child; but no trace of sin marred the image of God within
Him. Yet He was not exempt from temptation. . . . Jesus was placed where His
character would be tested. It was necessary for Him to be constantly on guard in
order to preserve His purity. He was subject to all the conflicts which we have
to meet, that He might be an example to us in childhood, youth, and
manhood.—The Desire of Ages, p. 71.
In taking upon Himself man's nature in its fallen condition, Christ did not in
the, least participate in its sin. He was subject to the infirmities and
weaknesses by which man is encompassed, "that it might be fulfilled which
was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare
our sicknesses." He was touched with the feeling of our infirmities, and
was in all points tempted like as we are. And yet He "knew no sin."
He
was the Lamb "without blemish and without spot." . . . We should have
no misgivings in regard to the perfect sinlessness of the human nature of
Christ.—The Signs of the Times, June 9, 1898.
660
Christ alone could open the way, by making an offering equal to the demands of
the divine law. He was perfect, and undefiled by sin. He was without spot or
blemish. The extent of the terrible consequences of sin could never have been
known, had not the remedy provided been of infinite value. The salvation of
fallen man was procured at such an immense cost that angels marveled, and could
not fully comprehend the divine mystery that the Majesty of Heaven, equal with
God, should die for the rebellious race.—The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 2, pp.
11, 12.
Thus it is with the leprosy of sin,—deep-rooted, deadly, and impossible to be
cleansed by human power. "The whole head is sick, and the whole heart
faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it;
but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores." Isa. 1:5, 6. But Jesus,
coming to dwell in humanity, receives no pollution. His presence has healing
virtue for the sinner.—The Desire of Ages, p. 266.
Jesus looked for a moment upon the scene,—the trembling victim in her shame,
the hard-faced dignitaries, devoid of even human pity. His spirit of stainless
purity shrank from the spectacle. Well He knew for what purpose this case had
been brought to Him. He read the heart, and knew the character and life history
of everyone in His presence. . . . The accusers had been defeated. Now, their robe
of pretended holiness torn from them, they stood, guilty and condemned, in the
presence of Infinite Purity.—Ibid., p. 461.
VIII. Christ Retains Human Nature Forever
In stooping to take upon Himself humanity, Christ revealed a
character the opposite of the character of Satan. . . . In taking our nature, the
Saviour has bound Himself to humanity by a tie that is never to be broken.
Through the eternal ages He is linked with us. "God so loved the world,
that He gave His only-begotten Son." John 3:16. He gave Him not only to
bear our sins, and to die as our sacrifice; He gave Him to the fallen race. To
assure us of His immutable counsel of peace, God gave His only-begotten Son to
become one of the human family, forever to retain His human nature. This is the
pledge that God will fulfill His word. "Unto us a child is born, unto
us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder." God has
adopted human nature in the person of His Son, and has carried the same into the
highest heaven.—Ibid., p. 25.
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