Christ's Sinlessness INTRODUCTION:
-- The BIBLE provides several lines of evidence for the COMPLETE sinlessness of Jesus Christ.
-- Sin defined. . . 'any failure to conform perfectly to the Holy Character & Will of God.'
I. PROPHECY
A. As a "prophet", King David foretold that the Messiah would be God's "Holy One" (Psalm 16:10)
-- 1000 yrs later the Apostles Peter & Paul indicated that, in this prophecy, David was speaking of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:25-32; 13:34-37)
B. Angel Gabriel declared that the child who would be born of the virgin Mary would be "holy" (Luke 1:35)
-- A significant aspect of holiness is the ABSENCE of sin.
-- David & Gabriel were foretelling the sinlessness of Christ.
II. JESUS CHRIST claimed that He was sinless.
A. To His opponents He threw the challenge, "Which of you convinceth me of sin?" (John 8:46)
-- Jesus was challenging His opponents to prove Him guilty of sin & that such a challenge 'would have been impossible for anyone to utter. No human being could risk making that challenge w/o many flaws in his character being made known. . .Had Jesus not been sinless, someone in the hostile crowd would eagerly have charged him with at least 1 sin'.
B. "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" (I John 1:5)
-- Christ asserted that He was "the light of the world" in the midst of moral & spiritual darkness (John 8:12; 9:5; 12:35-36).
-- He also signified that because He radiated the light of sinless moral perfection, He would be hated & rejected by sinful men (John 3:19-20; 15:22-24).
III. OTHER PEOPLE indicated that Jesus Christ was sinless.
A. Apostle John asserted that Jesus was "the true Light," lighting people in the midst of moral & spiritual darkness (John 1:4-5,9)
-- John also wrote concerning Christ, "in him is no sin" (I John 3:5).
John was saying that Jesus did NOT have the disposition of enmity against God (the sin nature) inside of Him.
B. Apostle Peter declared that Jesus "did no sin" (I Peter 2:22)
-- "sin" here refers to 'an individual act of sin'
Peter was saying that Christ NEVER committed an act of sin.
-- Peter also stated that Christ was like "a lamb without blemish & without spot" (I Peter 1:19).
"without blemish" = 'One who is w/o reproach'
'The O.T. demand that sacrifices be w/o physical blemish find its N.T. fulfillment in the perfect moral blamelessness (Hebrews 4:15; 7:26) of the Redeemer who sacrifices Himself' See Lev. 22:21.
"without spot" presents 'the thought of the sinlessness of Jesus'
C. Apostle Paul asserted that Christ "knew no sin" (II Corinthians 5:21)
-- Paul meant that Christ did NOT know sin in the sense of having experienced it thru personal practice.
-- Christ 'was w/o any acquaintance with sin that might have come thru his ever having a sinful ATTITUDE or doing a sinful ACT. Both INWARDLY & OUTWARDLY He was impeccable'
D. Writer of Hebrews
1. Christ "was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15)
-- 'the content of temptation is the seduction into disobedience';
it places a person 'in a situation of open CHOICE between SURRENDER TO God's will & REVOLT AGAINST it'-- Christ remained sinless throughout His life on earth.
2. Jesus Christ, as High Priest, is "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners" (Hebrews 7:26)
"holy" refers to a person committed to obedience to God & His requirements
"harmless" = 'one who has done NO evil'
"undefiled" describes a person who is NOT defiled by inner apostasy that prompts one to treat God's requirements with contempt & to get involved with the pollutions of the world CONTRARY to God's holy will
-- 'In MIND & CONDUCT He PERFECTLY fulfills the divine requirements' to be mankind's 'PERFECT High-priest. . .Hence, as one who is wholly free from sin, He does NOT need to bring an atoning offering for Himself, like imperfect priests of the O.T.'
E. One of the thieves who was crucified with Jesus declared that He had "done nothing amiss" (Luke 23:41)
Jesus had done nothing 'morally evil, wrong, improper' (Lexicon)
F. MISC.:
Pilate -> Mt. 27:24 "righteous", "just person"
Pilate's wife -> Mt. 27:19 "just man"
Roman centurion who observed the crucifixion -> Luke 23:47 "righteous man"
Stephen -> Act 7:52 "the Just One"
Ananias -> Acts 22:14 "that Just One"CONCLUSION:
-- Jesus Christ was TOTALLY sinless.
-- He NEVER failed to be conformed perfectly to the Holy CHARACTER & WILL of God
-- NEVER committed a wrong ACT
-- NEVER had a wrong THOUGHT, ATTITUDE, INTENT or IMPULSE
-- The Lord Jesus Christ truly went about doing good at ALL times (Acts 10:38).