Download a PDF of the excerpt - Crossway
Download a PDF of the excerpt - Crossway Download a PDF of the excerpt - Crossway
4Could JesusHave Sinned?I “know” sin. I say this not because I can define sin, although Ican. I say this not because I can identify sin when I see it, althoughI can also do that. I say it because I am a sinner. I “know”sin because I commit it, sadly, on a daily basis. My acquaintancewith sin, therefore, does not come from associating with others whotransgress or from reading a book on hamartiology (the technical,theological term for the study of sin). I “know” sin, as I said, becauseI, like David, wasbrought forth in iniquity,and in sin did my mother conceive me. (Ps. 51:5)I “know” sin because I sin.Jesus, on the other hand, “knew no sin” (2 Cor. 5:21). Again, theapostle Paul doesn’t mean by this that Jesus was unaware of theexistence of sin or that he lived in isolation from those who committedsin. He was not intellectually ignorant of sin or unacquaintedwith its devastating consequences. He “knew no sin” in the sensethat he never personally committed one. He was sinless.
68 Tough TopicsHow often do we pause and give thanks for the sinlessnessof Christ? Were he not sinless, the entire scheme of reconciliationthat Paul outlines in 2 Corinthians 5:18–21 would fall flaton its face. The glorious and gracious work of God in reconcilingthe world to himself hinges on God “not counting” our trespassesagainst us because he has counted our trespasses against Christ.But this would be to no avail if Christ himself had committed trespassesthat ought to have been “counted” against him. The reckoningor imputing of our guilt to Jesus, for which he then sufferedthe wrath of God in our stead, is only redemptive if he was himselfpersonally guilt free.The New Testament is crystal clear on this point. Although2 Corinthians 5:21 is the only explicit affirmation of Christ’s sinlessnessin Paul’s writings, we should also take note of his referenceto the “obedience” of the Son in both Romans 5:19 andPhilippians 2:8.Jesus gave the religious leaders of his day every opportunityto identify some sin in his life. “Which one of you convicts me ofsin?” he asked them in public (John 8:46). The author of Hebrewsreminds us that “we do not have a high priest who is unable tosympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respecthas been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). Jesus, helater tells us, was “holy, innocent, [and] unstained” (Heb. 7:26). Hewas “a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Pet. 1:19) and “committedno sin” (1 Pet. 2:22).The Main QuestionThat he didn’t sin is a settled and undeniable fact. But couldhe have sinned? Was it in any way a possibility for him to havesinned, or was it in every way impossible that he should ever havetransgressed? Or, to use theological terms, was Jesus impeccable(incapable of sinning), or peccable (capable of sinning, althoughremaining sinless)?I intentionally avoid technical theological language, but bearwith me for a moment as I appeal to four Latin phrases that shedlight on this issue. The first is non posse non peccare, which means
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4Could JesusHave Sinned?I “know” sin. I say this not because I can define sin, although Ican. I say this not because I can identify sin when I see it, althoughI can also do that. I say it because I am a sinner. I “know”sin because I commit it, sadly, on a daily basis. My acquaintancewith sin, <strong>the</strong>refore, does not come from associating with o<strong>the</strong>rs whotransgress or from reading a book on hamartiology (<strong>the</strong> technical,<strong>the</strong>ological term for <strong>the</strong> study <strong>of</strong> sin). I “know” sin, as I said, becauseI, like David, wasbrought forth in iniquity,and in sin did my mo<strong>the</strong>r conceive me. (Ps. 51:5)I “know” sin because I sin.Jesus, on <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r hand, “knew no sin” (2 Cor. 5:21). Again, <strong>the</strong>apostle Paul doesn’t mean by this that Jesus was unaware <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>existence <strong>of</strong> sin or that he lived in isolation from those who committedsin. He was not intellectually ignorant <strong>of</strong> sin or unacquaintedwith its devastating consequences. He “knew no sin” in <strong>the</strong> sensethat he never personally committed one. He was sinless.
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