A
Augustine3
Guest
Could Jesus have sinned in His human nature?
- Status
T
thistle
Guest
Jesus was fully man and so could have but he didn’t.
If he couldn’t have sinned then he would not be fully man and the devil would not have wasted his time trying to tempt him.
A
Augustine3
Guest
That’s what I was thinking until I heard one of Fr Corapi’s (even though he left the priesthood I still respect him) homilies. Fr Corapi said Jesus couldn’t have sinned because He enjoyed the beatific vision hence grace and sin cannot mix.
God bless,
God bless,
T
thistle
Guest
Jesus was fully God and fully man.
I agree that fully God he could not sin but as fully man he could have but did not. However I’m interested in what others might think.
B
Bohm_Bawerk
Guest
This is a good question. This is what I think.
No, Jesus could not sin. This is because to have the tendency to sin (concupiscence) presupposes that you were born with the stain of Original Sin. Jesus was not born with this stain and therefore was not capable of sinning. The only reason why we sin is because we are born with the stain of Original Sin: “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander” (Matthew 15:19). When Adam and Eve fell, they lost all holiness and justice, and subsequently, their descendants inherited this as well: “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). Jesus was preserved from this stain, firstly by definition (He is God), and secondly, by being born of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who by an act of singular grace, was immune from the stain of Original Sin.
Now, some may ask, if Jesus couldn’t sin, why was he tempted by Satan? Two reasons. Firstly, temptation does not denote committing a sin. Jesus was tempted, but was not able to sin. Satan tempted Jesus out of pride. Satan believed he could make God sin. Look at the silliness of such an endeavour. This is actually an interesting phenomenon when you look at it more deeply, because from it, we find “in reverse” that Satan was thrown out of Heaven because of pride. Only pride makes a person believe they can cause perfection to be imperfect; it’s like trying to make 1 + 1 = 3.
Secondly, Jesus was open to temptation to show Humanity how to live. He came into the world to “set the standards” so to speak, and the only way this was capable was by himself being open to temptation. We therefore find that there is much truth in St. Thomas Aquinas’ claim that God can bring good out of evil, for we find from Scripture that God is bringing an ultimate good out of the existence of Satan. This also bolsters Jesus’ humanity, because it shows that even though he wasn’t capable of sinning, he still had to face the consequences of sin. Indeed, “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust”.
In short, Jesus could not sin, but he was open to temptation nonetheless. He was open to temptation because Satan is a prideful character, and we know that pride leads to folly and shortsigtedness. Jesus was also open to temptation to show Humanity how to live, as well as to participate in what Humans have to deal with on a day-to-day basis.
S
Sean_O_Duggan
Guest
This is an interesting question. Jesus was fully human so he suffered temptation like all humans. He did not sin and before He began His public ministry He went to the river Jordan and was baptised by John when the Spirit descended on him. He could foresee the horrific and painful difficulties that lay ahead and His need for divine support and inspiration. By that He showed us that by our baptism we have the support of the Holy Spirit to live with pure hearts, in truth, in humility and in love. Of course He was the son of God but in His humanity he did not use His divinity to help Him. He prayed constantly to the Father and invoked the help of the Holy Spirit.
T
tee_eff_em
Guest
Natures don’t sin; Persons sin – *Sin is a personal act *(CCC 1868).
*Sin is an offense against God *(CCC 1850). Could Jesus, the Divine Person, God, *act against God *(ie himself)? I can’t see how?
tee
D
divinefaith
Guest
But if he was free from original sin, then he wouldnt be too prone to sin. right? 
T
tee_eff_em
Guest
Were not our first parents, Adam and Eve, free from original sin?
tee
tee
D
divinefaith
Guest
My bad. You’re right
W
WarriorSheep
Guest
I like your response Bohm. I’ve heard another possible explanation for why Satan tempted Jesus, which conflicts with yours a bit. It was that Satan did understand that God could not sin, but was unsure that Jesus, this supposed God incarnate messiah, was in fact God. So he tempted him to try to prove to himself that Jesus either was the real deal, or not. Whether or not that is accurate, it makes sense to me that if he wasn’t sure, he’d want to make sure. Though morally backwards, Satan is supposed to be quite intelligent, right?
B
Bohm_Bawerk
Guest
Interesting point of view, but you also have to take into consideration that Herod wanted to kill Jesus. In fact, Jesus narrowly missed being killed. It begs the question of who exactly prompted Herod to kill Jesus? The sufficient answer would be Satan. When Jesus was born, three wise men went to visit him. This was because from astronomy, they knew that Jesus was the “anointed one”. So if even mere men knew Jesus was the chosen one, how much more would Satan have known that Jesus was God?
I think Satan knew Jesus was God when he was tempting him. But because he is so full of pride, Satan was probably thinking “if I get God to sin, what bigger prize can I get than that?” LOL
.
W
WarriorSheep
Guest
That makes sense, but both Satan and Herod may have wanted to kill the “new king” even if they weren’t sure the child was actually the Son of God, just out of being cautious. Somehow I don’t think either Satan or Herod would have hesitated to take innocent lives, even if they weren’t certain the wisemen were right.Interesting point of view, but you also have to take into consideration that Herod wanted to kill Jesus. In fact, Jesus narrowly missed being killed. It begs the question of who exactly prompted Herod to kill Jesus? The sufficient answer would be Satan. When Jesus was born, three wise men went to visit him. This was because from astronomy, they knew that Jesus was the “anointed one”. So if even mere men knew Jesus was the chosen one, how much more would Satan have known that Jesus was God?
I think Satan knew Jesus was God when he was tempting him. But because he is so full of pride, Satan was probably thinking “if I get God to sin, what bigger prize can I get than that?” LOL
That said, it dawns on me that these points of view are not mutually exclusive. Maybe Satan did think as you suggest and know that Jesus was the Son of God, and simultaneously actively lie to himself to convince himself that he was wrong. His ways are twisted, and that sounds like an awfully muddled thought process to me, that the intelligent, and extremely prideful King of Lies might have had.
R
rcjones
Guest
Adam was made with out the original stain of sin yet he sinned…
W
WarriorSheep
Guest
True. Jesus was not stained with original sin and did not have concupiscence, which to me means he was without sin when he took human form, and was able to choose not to sin thereafter, but this by itself doesn’t mean he couldn’t sin.
I would argue that it is his divine nature that prevents Him from sinning. Jesus, being God, is perfectly loving, and shares so much love with His Father that the Holy Spirit proceeds from Them. I think that for this and similar reasons, sin is contrary to His nature. So no, He can’t sin.
R
runningdude
Guest
I agree with you both here to an extent. I think that Jesus needed to be able to feel true temptation, and with that was a need to be truly capable of sin. However because Jesus had such an intimate relationship with God (you know… BEING God and all
). He was protected by His own grace from fulfilling this capacity to sin.Now, one of the things I’ve always found striking about Jesus’ tempting by Satan was that, being Truly God, Jesus could have fulfilled all of Satan’s obnoxious request. God, being omnipotent, could have turned a stone to bread, or had angels rescue him from falling. He could have even become the Earthly ruler of every kingdom on Earth - why die at all when you could order them not to sin as their prince?
These were options available to our Lord. Instead, He chose a path that demonstrated Humility, so that we might freely choose to love Him, not merely obey.
- Status