The Golden Chain - Robert J. Wieland

Again, the fundamental problem is the lurking
idea that temptation is automatically sin. It is
assumed that because Adam did not have an inner
conflict, then no conflict existed in the nature of
Christ. But the nature which He took or assumed
was a nature that required painful self-denial—
something unknown to the sinless Adam. Jesus
chose to say "No!" to what self naturally wanted,
and to say "Yes" to the Father's will. Of course, we
can call that choice His "will" because He willed to
make the choice; but it involved the complete
denial of "I" or "self." The Greek word thelema
used in Ephesians 2:3 of "the desires of the flesh"
is the same as that "will of My own" that Jesus says
He denied (John 5:30; 6:38). Indeed, Jesus was
"unlike us" in this respect—we have "fulfilled"
those "desires of the flesh." He denied them. The
real issue boils down to one simple question: was
that self-denial easy for Him, or did it involve a
continual cross that led Him at last to that lonely
hill called Calvary?
Once that question is answered, every sinner in
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