"The Editor's Private Corner. Compassed with Infirmity" The Present Truth 19, 6.

E. J. Waggoner

"As a student of the Lord's word, and very desirous to ascertain the truth upon all essential points of Christian faith, I should be glad of your reasons for applying Hebrews 5:2 to our Saviour. I have always understood the text to teach that the Jewish priest, while called of God to offer an offering for sins on behalf of the worshippers, had likewise to offer for himself a similar offering; and the words in Hebrews 5:3, 'by reason hereof he ought' are based upon the fact stated in Hebrews 5:2, that like the ones he ministers for, he himself is compassed with infirmity (imperfection). Our High Priest did not in any way partake of the fallen human nature, like the Jewish priests. He came in the likeness of sinful flesh, but not in sinful flesh, or flesh full of sins. My real thought is, 'that the Word (Logos) was made flesh' before sin entered, or otherwise how could He have been a ransom price for Adam, and the race condemned in him?" {February 5, 1903 EJW, PTUK 84.1}

Your question opens up the heart of the Gospel; but although many pages would not suffice to give an exhaustive statement, a very little consideration of the word will make it plain. {February 5, 1903 EJW, PTUK 84.2}

If we take up the last part of your question first, we shall get at it in the most logical manner. Your "real thought" that the Word was made flesh before sin entered, is correct; for even as it was by the Word of the Lord that the heavens were made, so it was by that same Word, that man was brought into being. The Word that was made flesh, is the word that was in the beginning with God, and was God, without which not one thing was made. The perfect man is the man who shares the fulness which is bestowed freely upon all without God man is incomplete; it takes God in man to make a whole man. Everybody will see this who recognises the identity of the words, wholeness, and holiness. A holy man is simply a whole man, a man who is made complete in Christ. Adam was a complete, perfect man; because, in him the Word of life that was from the beginning, was fully manifested. {February 5, 1903 EJW, PTUK 84.3}

But Adam fell, he deliberately cast off his allegiance to God; yet God did not forsake him, the Word still dwelt among men, although not in its fulness of grace and truth, because held down in unrighteousness. Thus it is that the word of truth is the Gospel of our salvation. You ask how the Word could have been a ransom price for Adam and the race condemned in him, if is were not made flesh before sin entered? I ask how it could have been a ransom for the race if it had not remained among men after sin entered? The love of God toward men is shown in that He has not forsaken us in our fallen condition. If it were not so, we should not be alive to tell the tale. He is our life. He who would raise fallen man, must come where he is. He is made what we are, in order that we may be made what He is. He comes into us, suffering the death which He did not deserve, in order that we may enjoy the life that we did not deserve. And this He does, not arbitrarily, but because from the very fact of our existence He is one with us. {February 5, 1903 EJW, PTUK 84.4}

Your statement that our High Priest did not in any way partake of the fallen human nature, like the Jewish priest, is an unsupported assertion, and contrary to the Scripture. Read the words of the Lord to Moses: "I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren like unto thee, and will put My words in His mouth; and He shall speak unto them all that I shall command him." Deuteronomy 18:18. So we read the words of the Lord in Psalms 89:19; "I have laid help upon One that is mighty; I have exalted One chosen out of the people." Now mark well, this does not say that Jesus was sinful. His everlasting glory is, that from the height of heaven He stooped and came down and took upon Himself man's sinfulness, and yet remained sinless. {February 5, 1903 EJW, PTUK 84.5}

Read the testimony in Isaiah 53:4; Isaiah 53:6 : "He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows:" or, as quoted in Matthew 8:17, "Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses." "The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all," or, as given in the margin, "has made the iniquity of us all to meet on Him." This is not a mere figure of speech; it is a statement of an actual fact, a reality. He is the Lamb of God who bears the sin of the world. John 1:29 (margin). The sin of the world is the sin that is common in the world. He had it all on Him in fullest measure, yet never once did He yield to it in the slightest degree. This is our hope, our victory; it is our only hope, and the only basis on which we can have any hope. For if there were a gulf between Him and us, if He were at a distance from us, if He occupied the "I-am-holier-than-thou" position, standing off in faith that knows nothing of our weakness, and the conflicts; that we have to wage, there would be no hope for us. We should have laid upon us the impossible task of lifting ourselves up to His level, before we could be united in Him, but it is not so. He that ascended up far above all heavens, is the One who first descended into the lower parts of the earth. He went down to the depths to which man had fallen, in order that man may be raised to the height of His glorious righteousness. And because this marvel of righteousness was manifested in Jesus of Nazareth, a man born of woman, born of the seed of Abraham according to the flesh, every man born of woman may, if he believes, have that same perfect righteousness, perfect deliverance from sin. {February 5, 1903 EJW, PTUK 84.6}

I know the play that is commonly made upon the word "likeness," in the text which says that, "Christ was made in the likeness of sinful flesh." I do not mean to indicate by the word play, that there is any intentional trifling with the Scripture. But a reference to the same word in Romans 5:14 will help us to see that it does not mean something like, yet not like. Thus in the text just referred to we read that "death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned after the similitude [likeness] of Adam's transgression." This, it is evident, is not intended to convey the idea, that the sin of Adam is different from the sin of the rest of mankind, for we all are sharers in his sin. Still more evident is this in the sixth of Romans, where we read "If we have been planted together in the likeness of His death; we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection." Comparing this with the third verse, which says that "we are baptized into His death," with the sixth verse, which says that "our old man is crucified with Him," and with the eighth verse which says that "we are dead with Christ," we see that this expression "in the likeness of His death," means identity. We share His death, that we may share His life. {February 5, 1903 EJW, PTUK 84.7}

Still more plainly does this appear from the second chapter of Hebrews, verses eleven and fourteen. (Hebrews 2:11; Hebrews 2:14) "Both He that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all of one, for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren." "Forasmuch as the children are partakers of flesh and blood He also Himself likewise took part of the same." Nothing could be more emphatic than this: He partakes of the same flesh and blood that the children have, whom He came to save. He took upon Him the seed of Abraham. He is the Seed of the woman, and in order to make this central truth of the Gospel emphatic, and to keep it ever before the minds of mankind, He always spoke of Himself as the Son of man. {February 5, 1903 EJW, PTUK 84.8}

If there were a difference between the nature of Christ, and that of man, that which we read in Hebrews 5:7, would be but a farce. "In the days of His flesh, He offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death." He did not do this for nothing: He did not do this merely as an example to show us what we ought to do. But He did it through the eternal Spirit, that by that same Spirit He might be the Author of eternal salvation to all that trust Him. And how about Him at the present time? He is our High Priest in the heavenly places at the right hand of God, yet He is on earth in our flesh, even in our sinful flesh. "For the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, say not in thine heart, who shall ascend into heaven? (that is to bring up Christ again from the dead). But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart; that is, the Word of faith which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Romans 10:6-9. If He were not still on earth (by the Spirit of course) among us, dwelling in us, there would be no hope of salvation to any human being; but our hope, our only hops, our all sufficiency hope, is this, that every weakness which would cause us to stumble and fall is upon Him, and if we but see and confess this continually, allowing Him to do that for which He is in the flesh, He is abundantly able to keep us from falling. Although in the heavens, He is still compassed with infirmity, even with our infirmity. Our great High Priest that is passed into the heavens is still touched with the feeling of our infirmity. This is why we can come with boldness to the throne of grace, assured that we shall find mercy and grace to help in time of need. {February 5, 1903 EJW, PTUK 85.1}

There seems to be the idea that it is derogatory to Christ's character, to say that He has come in sinful flesh. I have heard a professed Christian express the same thing to me, saying that the idea that Christ was born of woman was repugnant to him; he felt that it was debasing to Christ. What a false conception! It is in the highest degree honourable to Him that He can be compassed with infirmity, yet not fall, that He can have all the sin of the world upon Him, yet not be defiled. It is this that makes Him the gloriously complete Saviour; this will be His glory to all eternity. {February 5, 1903 EJW, PTUK 85.2}

Aside from all this, my reason for applying Hebrews 5:2 to Christ, is that He is the subject of the discourse. That which is stated in that verse is said to apply to every high priest taken from among men, who is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, and this to emphatically true of Christ. All this, however, will receive fuller consideration, as we proceed in our study of Hebrews in the Bible class. {February 5, 1903 EJW, PTUK 85.3} f

You say did not inherit low qualities. What exactly did He then inherit?

You quote the Baker letter, but do not include the context. You also might want to observe what others at the same time as Baker were saying and what did EGW writing against them for their writings? Nothing.

Born-again believers are reborn with a new nature, a new mind, a new heart, new motives, new tastes, new thoughts, new tendencies, new attributes, new traits of character. Their old man traits, habits, and tendencies are crucified. They are dead to sin and awake to righteousness. As they abide in Jesus, as they walk in the Spirit and mind of the new man, as they partake of the divine nature - they are empowered to use their new, sanctified faculties of mind and body to grow in grace and to mature in the fruits of the Spirit "more and more unto the perfect day." Nevertheless, they retain sinful flesh. It continues to tempt them from within to be unlike Jesus. While abiding in Jesus they are empowered to resist the unholy lusts, desires, cravings, clamorings, affections sinful flesh communicates. The following passages are pertinent:


Jesus came in the likeness of a born-again believer - free of selfishness, free of defective traits of character, free of sinful propensities. He never sinned. He developed a perfect character. You asked - "We are born with a carnal mind, full of sinful tendencies, full of sinful traits of character; Jesus was born with a holy mind, free of sinful tendencies and sinful traits of character. Are you in agreement, MM?" Yes, I agree.

You also asked - "Where are sinful tendencies/traits of character located? In the body or in the mind?" Character is the fruit of repetitious choices. It is a compilation of the traits of character we cultivate. 1) Character and 2) traits of character are, therefore, two separate but related aspects of human nature. Character is part of the higher powers, which includes the will, mind, reason, intellect, and conscience.

Sinful tendencies, inclinations, propensities are inherited and tied to specific traits of character. Sinful tendencies, inclinations, propensities are fortified and strengthened as people cultivate corresponding traits of character which, in turn, are (sinful traits and tendencies, not character) passed onto to their children. Sinful tendencies, inclinations, propensities are part of the lower powers, which includes the appetites, passions, and sinful flesh.

Although the old man traits, habits, and tendencies are crucified when people experience rebirth in God's appointed way they, nonetheless, retain the sinful flesh they fortified and strengthened as they cultivated sinful traits and habits of character. It is the sinful tendencies associated with sinful flesh, not sinful character, that remain to tempt and annoy born-again believers as they abide in Jesus, as they walk in the Spirit and mind of the new man, as they partake of the divine nature. Again, Jesus came in the likeness of a born-again believer.

Summing it up: Christ's humanity was different from ours in one aspect: "He had ... taken on Him... humanity, perfectly identical with our own nature, except without the taint of sin," that is, without the "sinful, corrupt propensities" that man has.

I disagree that the body communicates unholy lusts, desires, cravings, clamorings, and affections.

The problem is that "the old man traits, habits and tendencies" remain on the recesses of the mind . . . and they can be the object of a temptation.

I also disagree that character and character traits are separate. Character is the total sum of the character traits. When character traits are transmitted to children, character is transmitted. Parents transmit to children a stamp of character. Character is the way you think, the way you view things.

Mental ability and genius are not character, for these are often possessed by those who have the very opposite of a good character. Reputation is not character. True character is a quality of the soul, revealing itself in the conduct. {CG 161.2}

But character is not inherited. {PP 223.1}

The character is revealed, not by occasional good deeds and occasional misdeeds, but by the tendency of the habitual words and acts. (SC 57)

Any one act, either good or evil, does not form the character; but thoughts and feelings indulged prepare the way for acts and deeds of the same kind. (CG 199)

It is not through one act that the character is formed, but by a repetition of acts that habits are established and character confirmed. (ST 4-30-1894)

Character does not come by chance. It is not determined by one outburst of temper, one step in the wrong direction. It is the repetition of the act that causes it to become habit, and molds the character either for good or for evil. (CG 164)

A well-balanced character is formed by single acts well performed. (FLB 44)

The completeness of Christian character is attained when the impulse to help and bless others springs constantly from within.

By the life we live through the grace of Christ, the character is formed. The original loveliness begins to be restored to the soul. The attributes of the character of Christ are imparted, and the image of the Divine begins to shine forth. {AH 535.2}

New thoughts, new feelings, new motives, are implanted. . . We are endowed with traits of character that enable us to do service for God. {COL 98.3}

We need to understand that imperfection of character is sin. All righteous attributes of character dwell in God as a perfect, harmonious whole, and every one who receives Christ as a personal Saviour is privileged to possess these attributes. {COL 330.2}

But character is not transferable. No man can believe for another. No man can receive the Spirit for another. No man can impart to another the character which is the fruit of the Spirit's working. {COL 411.2}

It is sinful flesh, not the body

A body like ours, not a mind like ours. With this even Jones, who you quote so much, agrees.

"The body is not made up of flesh????"

EXACTLY! That has been my point all along.

M: "The lower passions have their seat in the body and work through it." It is sinful flesh, not the body, that tempts us from within. The "flesh of itself cannot act contrary to the will of God."

A: Huh? The body is not made up of flesh????

The lower passions have their seat in the body and work through it. The words "flesh" or "fleshly" or "carnal lusts" embrace the lower, corrupt nature; the flesh of itself cannot act contrary to the will of God. We are commanded to crucify the flesh, with the affections and lusts. How shall we do it? Shall we inflict pain on the body? No; but put to death the temptation to sin. The corrupt thought is to be expelled. Every thought is to be brought into captivity to Jesus Christ. All animal propensities are to be subjected to the higher powers of the soul. The love of God must reign supreme; Christ must occupy an undivided throne. Our bodies are to be regarded as His purchased possession. The members of the body are to become the instruments of righteousness. {AH 127.2}