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Re: Was Jesus born without sin?
[Re: Green Cochoa]
#152761
06/01/13 08:25 AM
06/01/13 08:25 AM
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SDA Active Member 2021
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 7,003
The Orient
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The concept that "sin is in the genes" is not far off from its companion concept that "God is in the genes." The latter is pantheistic. We are told that pantheism in various forms will enter the church again in the last days. We are not far away. Please read the following statement carefully. Today there are coming into educational institutions and into the churches everywhere spiritualistic teachings that undermine faith in God and in His word. The theory that God is an essence pervading all nature is received by many who profess to believe the Scriptures; but, however beautifully clothed, this theory is a most dangerous deception. It misrepresents God and is a dishonor to His greatness and majesty. And it surely tends not only to mislead, but to debase men. Darkness is its element, sensuality its sphere. The result of accepting it is separation from God. And to fallen human nature this means ruin. {MH 428.2} Our condition through sin is unnatural, and the power that restores us must be supernatural, else it has no value. There is but one power that can break the hold of evil from the hearts of men, and that is the power of God in Jesus Christ. Only through the blood of the Crucified One is there cleansing from sin. His grace alone can enable us to resist and subdue the tendencies of our fallen nature. The spiritualistic theories concerning God make His grace of no effect. If God is an essence pervading all nature, then He dwells in all men; and in order to attain holiness, man has only to develop the power within him. {MH 428.3} These theories, followed to their logical conclusion, sweep away the whole Christian economy. They do away with the necessity for the atonement and make man his own savior. These theories regarding God make His word of no effect, and those who accept them are in great danger of being led finally to look upon the whole Bible as a fiction. They may regard virtue as better than vice; but, having shut out God from His rightful position of sovereignty, they place their dependence upon human power, which, without God, is worthless. The unaided human will has no real power to resist and overcome evil. The defenses of the soul are broken down. Man has no barrier against sin. When once the restraints of God's word and His Spirit are rejected, we know not to what depths one may sink.
"Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him. Add thou not unto His words, Lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar."
"His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, And he shall be holden with the cords of his sins." Proverbs 30:5, 6; 5:22. {MH 428.4} In that quote, Mrs. White says, as bolded above, "Our condition through sin is unnatural, and the power that restores us must be supernatural, else it has no value." The attempts to ascribe all transfers of sin and its condition to DNA is but a masked attempt to present our condition through sin as a natural one, in direct opposition to Mrs. White's words. DNA cannot describe our condition through sin. Jesus had sinful DNA. But Jesus was not a sinner. Therefore, DNA cannot be pointed to as the sole source of sin. I would have to say, from my own understanding, that DNA has very little to do with the transmittal of sin. Influence, including the prenatal influence, has much to do with it--if not nearly everything excepting one's free choice in the face of some inviting temptation. Blessings, Green Cochoa.
We can receive of heaven's light only as we are willing to be emptied of self. We can discern the character of God, and accept Christ by faith, only as we consent to the bringing into captivity of every thought to the obedience of Christ. And to all who do this, the Holy Spirit is given without measure. In Christ "dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him." [Colossians 2:9, 10.] {GW 57.1} -- Ellen White.
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Re: Was Jesus born without sin?
[Re: Green Cochoa]
#152764
06/01/13 11:24 AM
06/01/13 11:24 AM
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SDA Active Member 2020
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Green - how does "prenatal influence" work? You are a scientist, please give me the mechanism. There is prenatal influence. And most of it is via epigenetics. The switching on and off of gene expression. Oops, it is genetics again.
You attempt to class genetics with pantheism fails. God is not in the genes. Maybe you view it that way, but I certain do not. In fact, we can know the power of God by what He has made. Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:. This includes all life. But all life has been corrupted. How? But sin. How has it been corrupted? By one who chose to alter the law of how what God has made works.
If we can identify what is wrong in the DNA, sin as it were, can we fix it, we humans, repair the damage, without God? NO. In fact, the problem is that much of the information has been lost. The only way is for supernatural restoration. Read John 3, it tells you how this "new birth", (interesting term don't you think?) happens via the Holy Spirit, and faith in the one who over came this problem for us.
Free choice, the only reason we have free choice is because God stepped in in the beginning and put a block against what Satan had done. Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; it shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. "seed", interesting term, don't you think?
I'm surprised you don't think what I am saying is equivalent to the Holy Flesh movement. I would refer you to 2SM 31 and following. Excerpts: The teaching given in regard to what is termed "holy flesh" is an error. All may now obtain holy hearts, but it is not correct to claim in this life to have holy flesh.... If those who speak so freely of perfection in the flesh, could see things in the true light, they would recoil with horror from their presumptuous ideas. ... The Scriptures teach us to seek for the sanctification to God of body, soul, and spirit. In this work we are to be laborers together with God. Much may be done to restore the moral image of God in man, to improve the physical, mental, and moral capabilities. Great changes can be made in the physical system by obeying the laws of God and bringing into the body nothing that defiles. And while we cannot claim perfection of the flesh, we may have Christian perfection of the soul. ... When human beings receive holy flesh, they will not remain on the earth, but will be taken to heaven. While sin is forgiven in this life, its results are not now wholly removed. It is at His coming that Christ is to "change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body" (Philippians 3:21). . . . {2SM 33.3}
Presumptuous ideas - could see things in the true light? We have the science now to understand these statements. We can see in the genome, our flesh, the problem and I can say with a hearty AMEN that horror that is "us". This is not pantheism. This is corruption of what God has made. This is sin. I have not even presented 1% of what is now known of this problem. The pushback is too strong. Why is that? Who wants most to obscure the real nature of sin? Satan. EGW was so far ahead of her time when she spoke of the hereditary nature of sin. It is sin that causes all disease and suffering, not God. It is sin that kills, not God. Salvation is a healing process, not a legal process. All this has been obscured by the lies of Satan. We are not condemned for believing lies. We are condemned for not believing the truth. (PP 55.2)
Oh, that men might open their minds to know God as he is revealed in his Son! {ST, January 20, 1890}
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Re: Was Jesus born without sin?
[Re: Green Cochoa]
#152766
06/01/13 11:32 AM
06/01/13 11:32 AM
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The concept that "sin is in the genes" is not far off from its companion concept that "God is in the genes." The latter is pantheistic. We are told that pantheism in various forms will enter the church again in the last days. We are not far away. Please read the following statement carefully. Today there are coming into educational institutions and into the churches everywhere spiritualistic teachings that undermine faith in God and in His word. The theory that God is an essence pervading all nature is received by many who profess to believe the Scriptures; but, however beautifully clothed, this theory is a most dangerous deception. It misrepresents God and is a dishonor to His greatness and majesty. And it surely tends not only to mislead, but to debase men. Darkness is its element, sensuality its sphere. The result of accepting it is separation from God. And to fallen human nature this means ruin. {MH 428.2} Our condition through sin is unnatural, and the power that restores us must be supernatural, else it has no value. There is but one power that can break the hold of evil from the hearts of men, and that is the power of God in Jesus Christ. Only through the blood of the Crucified One is there cleansing from sin. His grace alone can enable us to resist and subdue the tendencies of our fallen nature. The spiritualistic theories concerning God make His grace of no effect. If God is an essence pervading all nature, then He dwells in all men; and in order to attain holiness, man has only to develop the power within him. {MH 428.3} These theories, followed to their logical conclusion, sweep away the whole Christian economy. They do away with the necessity for the atonement and make man his own savior. These theories regarding God make His word of no effect, and those who accept them are in great danger of being led finally to look upon the whole Bible as a fiction. They may regard virtue as better than vice; but, having shut out God from His rightful position of sovereignty, they place their dependence upon human power, which, without God, is worthless. The unaided human will has no real power to resist and overcome evil. The defenses of the soul are broken down. Man has no barrier against sin. When once the restraints of God's word and His Spirit are rejected, we know not to what depths one may sink.
"Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him. Add thou not unto His words, Lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar."
"His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, And he shall be holden with the cords of his sins." Proverbs 30:5, 6; 5:22. {MH 428.4} In that quote, Mrs. White says, as bolded above, "Our condition through sin is unnatural, and the power that restores us must be supernatural, else it has no value." The attempts to ascribe all transfers of sin and its condition to DNA is but a masked attempt to present our condition through sin as a natural one, in direct opposition to Mrs. White's words. DNA cannot describe our condition through sin. Jesus had sinful DNA. But Jesus was not a sinner. Therefore, DNA cannot be pointed to as the sole source of sin. I would have to say, from my own understanding, that DNA has very little to do with the transmittal of sin. Influence, including the prenatal influence, has much to do with it--if not nearly everything excepting one's free choice in the face of some inviting temptation. Blessings, Green Cochoa. GH, building on that quote from Ellen White, where she says "subdue the tendencies of our fallen nature" we look at the following: Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. The Holy Ghost/power of the Highest came upon and overshadowed Mary and then it says "that holy thing" which in I would say to be equal to "sanctified" shall be born of thee. Ellen White is clear that Christ was without the propensity to sin even from birth, or sin was subdued by the power of God from the womb. "Be careful, exceedingly careful as to how you dwell upon the human nature of Christ. Do not set Him before the people as a man with the propensities of sin. He is the second Adam. The first Adam was created a pure, sinless being, without a taint of sin upon him; he was in the image of God. He could fall, and he did fall through transgressing. Because of sin his posterity was born with inherent propensities of disobedience. But Jesus Christ was the only begotten Son of God. He took upon Himself human nature, and was tempted in all points as human nature is tempted. He could have sinned; He could have fallen, but not for one moment was there in Him an evil propensity. He was assailed with temptations in the wilderness, as Adam was assailed with temptations in Eden. Bro. _____, avoid every question in relation to the humanity of Christ which is liable to be misunderstood. Truth lies close to the track of presumption. In treating upon the humanity of Christ, you need to guard strenuously every assertion, lest your words be taken to mean more than they imply, and thus you lose or dim the clear perceptions of His humanity as combined with divinity. His birth was a miracle of God; for, said the angel, “Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” These words do not refer to any human being, except to the Son of the infinite God. Never, in any way, leave the slightest impression upon human minds that a taint of, or inclination to, corruption rested upon Christ, or that He in any way yielded to corruption. He was tempted in all points like as man is tempted, yet He is called “that holy thing.” It is a mystery that is left unexplained to mortals that Christ could be tempted in all points like as we are, and yet be without sin. The incarnation of Christ has ever been, and will ever remain a mystery. That which is revealed, is for us and for our children, but let every human being be warned from the ground of making Christ altogether human, such an one as ourselves; for it cannot be. The exact time when humanity blended with divinity, it is not necessary for us to know. We are to keep our feet on the Rock Christ Jesus, as God revealed in humanity." I would say to have Christ in us and we in Christ when we are reborn and transformed by the Holy Spirit brings us to that level as it dwells in us. Now since all have sinned and fallen short, Christ through grace bridges the gap and we come before God cleansed from sin by His blood not our own merits.
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Re: Was Jesus born without sin?
[Re: Rick H]
#152818
06/03/13 10:49 PM
06/03/13 10:49 PM
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To answer the question of this topic. Yes Jesus was born without sin. If He was not He could never die for our sins. This verse would then apply to Him. Eze 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness (repent) of the wicked shall be upon him. 21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
These verses do not apply to us, we can't die for another's sins but Jesus the sinless one could bear our sins. If He had sinned He would not be able to bear ours and would not be our savior. He'd be a sinner like us.
No one can make you upset unless you choose to be, otherwise you're a slave to all and everything that makes me mad
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Re: Was Jesus born without sin?
[Re: Green Cochoa]
#152900
06/05/13 07:09 PM
06/05/13 07:09 PM
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Midland
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I happened to have done a research paper for a college course titled "Marine Phycology" upon a particular type of seaweed that lives in the intertidal zone called a "fucus." It is a common seaweed that many people will see who visit the coast. But it has a special ability to rehydrate after looking to be apparently totally dehydrated in the hot sun for hours between tides. Not all of the seaweeds have this ability. But, did the tides have something to do with its DNA? Do you suppose that tides existed before the Flood? What if they didn't? Where would the "DNA" have come from for the fucus? If tides existed from before the flood, did such "DNA" come from Adam's sin? And why would "sin" have caused something of benefit for the fucus?
While I understand what you are attempting to do here, one must not make incorrect statements to do it. "Not all of the seaweeds have this ability", should tell you something about making blanket conclusions. The holdfasts of the seaweeds (I know, I know, I should be calling them "marine algae"), attach to rocks. The fucus attaches itself to visible rocks in the intertidal zone. But Mrs. White informs us that at the time of Creation, no rocks were visible on the surface of the earth.
Show us the statements, please. What I've come across "kind of" says that, but it doesn't say what you are attempting to make it say. Maybe you are aware of statements I am not and can bring light to this. Do all fucus attach to rocks only? Do other seaweed attach to things other than rocks? I don't know. But I do spot a potential problem when you mean all and only. And was there seaweed? This tells me that the fucus' ability to attach to rocks and remain in the intertidal zone came after sin.
Invalid conclusion. You are talking about its inherit ability. It may have come after the flood. It may not have. It's present ability does not imply a time frame of when it initially had this ability. Seaweed may have had the ability to grow in saltwater before sin, but it may not have used that ability.
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Re: Was Jesus born without sin?
[Re: Rick H]
#196055
07/19/23 10:10 PM
07/19/23 10:10 PM
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I have not read the entire thread so I don't know if anyone has addressed this point. Jesus was not born in rebellion against His Father or He could not have lived a sinless childhood. We have many comments on the nature of Christ in volume 7a of the SDA Commentaries which are all comments made by Ellen White. There is an entire section on the nature of Christ. I'll quote a few of her comments here. In taking upon Himself man?s nature in its fallen condition, Christ did not in the least participate in its sin. He was subject to the infirmities and weaknesses by which man is encompassed, ?that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.? He was touched with the feeling of our infirmities, and was in all points tempted like as we are. And yet He ?knew no sin.? He was the Lamb ?without blemish and without spot.? Could Satan in the least particular have tempted Christ to sin, he would have bruised the Saviour?s head. As it was, he could only touch His heel. Had the head of Christ been touched, the hope of the human race would have perished. Divine wrath would have come upon Christ as it came upon Adam.... We Be careful, exceedingly careful as to how you dwell upon the human nature of Christ. Do not set Him before the people as a man with the propensities of sin. He is the second Adam. The first Adam was created a pure, sinless being, without a taint of sin upon him; he was in the image of God. He could fall, and he did fall through transgressing. Because of sin his posterity was born with inherent propensities of disobedience. But Jesus Christ was the only begotten Son of God. He took upon Himself human nature, and was tempted in all points as human nature is tempted. He could have sinned; He could have fallen, but not for one moment was there in Him an evil propensity. He was assailed with temptations in the wilderness, as Adam was assailed with temptations in Eden.?The S.D.A. Bible Commentary 5:1128. Avoid every question in relation to the humanity of Christ which is liable to be misunderstood. Truth lies close to the track of presumption. In treating upon the humanity of Christ, you need to guard strenuously every assertion, lest your words be taken to mean more than they imply, and thus you lose or dim the clear perceptions of His humanity as combined with divinity. His birth was a miracle of God.... Never, in any way, leave the slightest impression upon human minds that a taint of, or inclination to, corruption rested upon Christ, or that He in any way yielded to corruption. He was tempted in all points like as man is tempted, yet He is called ?that holy thing.? It is a mystery that is left unexplained to mortals that Christ could be tempted in all points like as we are, and yet be without sin. The incarnation of Christ has ever been, and will ever remain, a mystery. That which is revealed, is for us and for our children, but let every human being be warned from the ground of making Christ altogether human, such an one as ourselves; for it cannot be.?The S.D.A. Bible Commentary 5:1128, 1129. There are more quotes but I think this is enough to demonstrate what Ellen White says on the subject. I was around thirty when I first heard the above put forth by a SS teacher. I was positive he was speaking heresy and set out to prove him wrong. It took me decades but I proved to myself a few years ago when I first downloaded and read 7a of the commentaries that I was the one who was wrong.
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