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Ask FGBC #13: Is there a difference between our temptations and what Jesus faced?

Jim Butler · 2024-10-15 · 1,077 words · 7 min

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Now, the next question, it's 
a big one, and I think it's got a lot of historical contours. Wim made a notation, it's long, 
it needs to be a bit edited. So I think we'll save that one 
for next time. So Jim, is there a difference 
between the temptations that we face, since we've just spoken 
about heaven, let's really change directions now. Is there a difference 
between the temptations that we face and the temptations that 
our Lord Jesus Christ faced? Well, I suppose it depends on 
what is intended by the word difference. He endured the same 
temptations that we do, not in the same way that we do, because 
there was no sin in his heart by which they could lay hold 
of who he was in his soul and cause him to sin. Nor does it 
mean that he faced every single temptation that potentially we 
could face, but rather that his encounters with temptation were 
real, and he was able, by the Word of God, by the Spirit of 
God, to turn them away. So I'm not sure what is meant 
by that word difference. If it's meant to say, were they 
somehow different because he was the Son of God and because 
he was a sinless human, I want to say, well, he endured what 
we endure. Good. Yes. Yeah, I would think 
true humanity means the temptations that are unique or common to 
true humanity. Exactly. If it's not, then whatever 
is not, you know, assumed is not redeemed. So, Ten Commandment 
violations, Ten Commandment temptations, that's how I would understand 
it. Yeah, well, when you look at 
the devil coming to him in the wilderness and the Three Temptations, 
they are all in categories that we can easily relate to, right? 
We can easily relate to, yes. Food, power, yeah. There's all those consistent 
things. Yeah, for sure. I thought, just to make a book 
plug, it's always good to make plugs, Stephen Duby's book, Jesus 
and the God of Classical Theism, I thought he dealt with impeccability 
in a really good way. I can't sing that book's praises. He denied that our Lord assumed 
a fallen human nature. He did, yeah. I'm so glad. When 
you think about our Lord as the last Adam, questions come up 
like, okay, the nature assumed by the Son of God, was it, can 
we liken it more unto Adam in his fallen state or us in our 
fallen, Adam in his pre-fall state, created state, or us in 
our fallen state? And our scripture and our confession 
acknowledges He assumed a nature like ours with infirmities. Yep, common infirmities. Except 
essential properties and common... So in one sense, he kind of overlaps 
the two ages because I think he did assume a sinless human, 
no original sin in our Lord. So he has different... apparati 
to work with than us in one sense. But he assumed that this side 
of the fallen into sin with everything going on horizontally attacking 
him and then of course I think his chief enemy was the devil 
and more times than once. So it's the same. Adam could 
be tempted before he fell as a sinless son of God in the image 
of God. Jesus could be tempted, but doesn't 
mean he's a sinner. But Jesus was tempted in a world 
not like Adam's world. So it's harder for our Lord. Way harder, you know. The fall 
into sin, Adam's fall into sin, is just ridiculous. It's like, 
you're in paradise. What are you doing? This is a 
no-brainer. That's easy for us. It was a 
great fall. He fell fast, hard, and I think 
Which all this kind of connects with the previous question. You've 
got Adam in the paradise. You've got Israel in a wilderness. 
You've got Jesus in a wilderness. In a wilderness, yeah. When you 
look at the temptation... Oh, that's all connected, yes. And he invokes the same message. Luke calls Adam the son of God 
in Luke 3.38. And then chapter 4 is on... Temptations. He's driven out 40 days. Wilderness. opposite of Adam. Adam was driven 
out, but after he sinned, but Israel and 40 and, you know, 
it's, there's a lot, there's more. Same with Matthew. Oh yeah. My firstborn passes through the 
waters of baptism. There you go, the waters of baptism. All that. There's a lot. I've 
told my students, I said, there's more connections than we're going 
to ever figure out. And most of us aren't going to 
feel comfortable with all the connections that are actually 
there if we do figure at least more out. Yeah, it's one of those 
realities that Adam had all of the blessings, the easy road. 
Jesus had all of the difficulties, the difficult road. He overcame, 
Adam failed. That's right, yeah. I was reading 
somebody, was it, could have been Tureton, that's probably 
a guy, I think it was Augustine, where he said, we more applaud 
somebody's obedience in a difficult situation, this side of the fall 
into sin, than we depreciate or appreciate the 
magnitude of the fall. In perfect conditions. And he 
said, we need to go back there and say, wait a minute, he didn't 
have, you know, what Abraham had with Isaac on the mountain. 
There was a lot of pressures on Abraham. What in the world? 
And he had his own heart and his own, you know, his family 
domestic problems. And the son he loved. And the 
son he loved. Where's the sacrifice, dad? Yeah, 
that's a tough scene. Yeah, I think it was Augustine 
that was saying we need to go back and look at the fall of 
Adam and call it what it was. Yeah, what it was. It was a tragedy. The biggest tragedy of man's 
making. And you know who's behind it? 
The serpent. Who is the serpent? the devil, 
the liar from the beginning. By the way, the liar from the 
beginning, not that he was created as a liar, but from the beginning 
of man's experience with him, all he does is lie. Now go back 
and read Genesis 3 and keep that in your head. These are lies. 
He's lying. This is not what God said. And 
it changes the way you, anyway. I was going to say, apparati. 
You must read big books with lots of footnotes. That was pretty 
impressive. Apparati.