So, did Jesus have a desire to do evil things?

Was Jesus tempted in the same way the unregenerate are temped?


No, not the same, as the part I emphasized should show. You have fallen for the bait and switch.

Arnold, please consider the following insights and observations:

1. His human nature was created; it did not even possess the angelic powers. It was human, identical with our own. (6 MR 111) He took upon His sinless nature our sinful nature, that He might know how to succor those that are tempted. (MM 181) He was not only made flesh, but He was made in the likeness of sinful flesh. (5BC 1124) It was in the order of God that Christ should take upon himself the form and nature of fallen man, that he might be made perfect through suffering, and endure himself the strength of Satan's temptations, that he might the better know how to succor those who should be tempted. (4aSG 115)

You seem to think Jesus' humanity was identical to ours in form but not in fallen nature.

2. Unless there is a possibility of yielding, temptation is no temptation. Temptation is resisted when man is powerfully influenced to do a wrong action; and, knowing that he can do it, resists, by faith, with a firm hold upon divine power. This was the ordeal through which Christ passed. (3SM 132)

You seem to think Jesus could not be powerfully tempted or influenced to do a wrong a action.

3. He assumed human nature, with its infirmities, its liabilities, its temptations. (3SM 132) He endured all the temptations wherewith man is beset. (4 BC 1147) He realized the strength of indulged appetite and of unholy passion that controlled the world. (7A 450)

You seem to think Jesus was not tempted from within by fallen flesh nature, by its temptations, its unholy appetites and passions.

4. Adam was tempted by the enemy, and he fell. It was not indwelling sin which caused him to yield, for God made him pure and upright in His own image. He was as faultless as the angels before the throne. There were in him no corrupt principles, no tendencies to evil. But when Christ came to meet with temptations of Satan, He bore the “likeness of sinful flesh. (ST 10-17-1900)

You seem to compare Jesus to Adam before the Fall, whereas, Ellen contrasts the two by saying Jesus bore the likeness of our sinful flesh with its indwelling sin, corrupt principles, and evil tendencies.

Arnold, please address 139,152 and 153 (just a few posts ago). Thank you.

That depends on what you include in the "nature" Jesus had. Fallen flesh, yes. Sinful mind, no. His finite nature was perfect.


He was powerfully tempted to do a wrong action. But I cannot deny the His nature recoiled from evil.


You seem to say that Jesus, in His heart, was attracted to sin. I reject that. He had fallen flesh, but not a sinful mind or a corrupt heart.


Are you saying that in Jesus were corrupt principles and evil tendencies?

I will, but I have to finish my seminar. It's about to start.

From James:



Both Jones and Waggoner applies this passage to Christ as evidence in favor of their views regarding Christ's having taken our human nature and how we are tempted. We have good counsel from the SOP that we should be very careful in regards to how we put things dealing with Christ's having taken our human nature. I wouldn't say things along the lines as you have framed your question because I think that would not be following the counsel, as it is rather vague and could be very easily misunderstood.

As God, Christ could not be tempted at all. As man, Christ was tempted as men are tempted.



He was tempted as human beings are tempted. Human beings are tempted as described by James, and I have also put this in my own words, regarding having to make a moral choice involving things one considers to be morally right and morally wrong. As I stated previously, unregenerate human beings also make these moral decisions.

Perhaps you could explain where you're coming from, or what your idea is. I'm not sure why you're repeating questions I just answered. You may feel the answer is unsatisfactory in some way, or is not addressing the issue, but if you simply repeat the question without explaining why you're repeating it, it makes it difficult to know how to respond, apart from simply repeating the response.

Reading between the lines, perhaps you have may some theory in regards to unregenerate human beings being tempted differently than regenerate human beings, since you've repeated the question involving the unregenerate. To my way of thinking, human beings, whether regenerate or not, are tempted when they believe that morally they should do one thing, but they have a desire to do another, which induces a conflict. I believe Christ met and conquered this conflict, which obtained victory for the human race.



As far as I can tell, the points and arguments you are making are the same as those who opposed Jones and Waggoner on this point in the past, and the same as arguments being made today by those who oppose them now. If you perceive some difference between you own objections and those that others have, please clarify what you perceive that difference to be.

You said "recently reborn believers" are "tempted to smoke, drink, overeat, curse, steal, cheat, hate, etc the same as unbelievers are." Are these "recently reborn believers" regenerate?

But you said the "serious" ones are "tempted by fewer of their former favorite sins." How do they relate to those former favorite sins which no longer tempt them? Do they still want to do them? Or do they no longer desire those things?

Was Jesus tempted by more "favorite sins" than these "serious" ones, or fewer?

Didn't you say, in the post I just replied to, that the reborn believer is tempted by the same things as the unbeliever? But here you are saying that his nature is new. Is the new nature tempted by the same things as the unbeliever?


I don't think I understand what you're saying here. You may be referring to threads which I have not read.

In any case, my idea of overcoming as Jesus overcame is fairly simple. He faithfully followed God's word, in spite of any and every opposition. We should be as faithful.

However, full acceleration in a Model T does not yield identical results to full acceleration in a Mustang.

I know you don't like being misrepresented (and I share the dislike), so I'm trying to avoid misstating your view. I asked a couple of questions that could have been answered Yes/No, but you gave long responses with neither Yes nor No. I don't want to misinterpret what you mean.

But since you feel you have answered already, I'll give you what I think you said.

asygo: So, did Jesus have a desire to do evil things?
Tom: Yes

asygo: Was Jesus tempted in the same way the unregenerate are tempted?
Tom: Yes

Did I understand you correctly? Is this what you believe?


I must admit that I do not know what arguments are being made today by those who oppose J&W. Neither do I know exactly what arguments were being made against J&W in the late 1800's.

However, I do know that those who EGW opposed in the late 1800's argued that it was not possible for Jesus to yield to temptation. Hence, she countered, "If it were not possible for Him to yield to temptation, He could not be our helper." In contrast, I have never said that Jesus could not yield to temptation.

To my knowledge, the people who come closest to that allegation today are people like Priebe and Paulson. They do not teach that Jesus could not have yielded to temptation. However, they also teach that if Jesus had a human nature like Adam before the Fall, He could not have sinned. It is this false premise that leads them to teach that Jesus could not have had Adam's pre-Fall nature.

He blended two natures - human and divine. The precise same thing happens when we experience rebirth. "Through being partakers of the divine nature we may stand pure and holy and undefiled. The Godhead was not made human, and the human was not deified by the blending together of the two natures. Christ did not possess the same sinful, corrupt, fallen disloyalty we possess, for then He could not be a perfect offering." {3SM 131.1}


How was He tempted? And, what were some of the wrong actions He was tempted to do?


Please understand that I do not believe Jesus desired to sin. He hated sin. But His fallen flesh tempted Him from within to sin. Ellen clearly wrote - "He assumed human nature, with its . . . temptations." It is not a sin to be tempted.


Yes, Ellen said so in the passages posted above. The sinful, human nature He took upon His sinless, divine nature is what tempted Him from within to sin. The following passage describes the human nature Jesus took upon Himself:


The fallen flesh Jesus took upon Himself could not "act contrary to the will of God". Nevertheless, it could, and most certainly did, tempt Him from within with "corrupt thoughts" and unholy "affections and lusts". Jesus resolutely resisted them. He reined in His "lower, corrupt nature." It was "subjected to the higher powers of the soul."