But if I may, now, in this light, whether accepted or rejected, re-approach the subject of this thread; "Jesus denied self like a born-again believer". The title of the topic is flawed not in that it cannot be made to fit in righteousness, because Jesus did deny His heavenly self to come here in the first place, and He denied Himself as a man in personal comforts and defense, meek and lowly. But the title and responses revealed the error of the faith of the one presenting the topic in error. I hope the teacher is now willing to learn.

I would approach the subject this way and in this light...

"Jesus as a man denied the selfishness of mankind by the same power that a born again believer may attain through faith in His perfect character."

The character of the Son of God and man was perfect from birth. He was not fallen, but came in the likeness of fallen flesh. This character combined with the same Holy Spirit available to every man, empowered Him to overcome every sin that the defective characters of fallen men fall to. We are born selfish, He was not.

His character was that of His Father from birth and this was His only earthly advantage. He did not use His divinity, but He was born with an innate hatred of sin, so His character was free of every taint of sin unlike those He came to save. He is the beam of light from heaven that wiped the slate of the corrupted nature of man clean, so we might hold on to HIS character and be pulled out of this ugly world.

(I am using the liberty of the Spirit to put in my own words that He had the advantage of Character, but it is still not a contradiction even when Mrs White was inspired that He had no advantage, she still supports the fact that His character was perfect from birth and to me that is a wonderful advantage that we are not born with. His advantage of character and denial of personal comfort is our salvation.)

This is the greatest blessing to me in my faith and it does not contradict anything in scripture or the Spirit of Prophecy. When He revealed Himself to me in the Garden of Gethsemane vision He showed me that this was the whole foundation of our faith. He (God) denied Himself by becoming man and walking into hell to save us from sin.

So yes Jesus denied self, every personal comfort; as God, leaving the glory of heaven, as man, giving everything He had for us, but He never denied the longing for lust because He had no lust. He never denied the carnal nature because His nature (character) was not carnal. So he did not deny the lust of the flesh from within like fallen men must overcome, He hated lust from birth. He was born with a hatred of every kind of sin.

The title of this thread revealed this flaw within the presenters faith. God put this on my heart to address and challenge every point of the errors made by the presenter.

I hope this conversation has resolved this issue. May God bless those who see the Spirit in this.

It's difficult to believe Jesus was not tempted like a born-again believer.

With each wrong act the old selfish nature is gaining strength. – {COL 48.2}

Sobering. Cause to fight the good fight of faith.

These refer to born-again believers.

[1 Corinthians 9:26, 27 quoted.] Paul was ever on the watch lest evil propensities should get the better of him. He guarded well his appetites and passions and evil propensities (Letter 27, 1906). {6BC 1089.8}

When the Spirit of God controls mind and heart, the converted soul breaks forth into a new song; for he realizes that in his experience the promise of God has been fulfilled, that his transgression has been forgiven, his sin covered. He has exercised repentance toward God for the violation of the divine law, and faith toward Christ, who died for man's justification. "Being justified by faith," he has "peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 5:1. {AA 476.2}

But because this experience is his, the Christian is not therefore to fold his hands, content with that which has been accomplished for him. He who has determined to enter the spiritual kingdom will find that all the powers and passions of unregenerate nature, backed by the forces of the kingdom of darkness, are arrayed against him. Each day he must renew his consecration, each day do battle with evil. Old habits, hereditary tendencies to wrong, will strive for the mastery, and against these he is to be ever on guard, striving in Christ's strength for victory. {AA 476.3}

Great quotes. I have posted them many times (and many others like them). Somehow I suspect you believe they disprove what I have been advocating, namely, people who experience conversion in God's appointed way do not, and cannot, practice the sinful habits they cultivated prior to completing the long, patient, protracted process of conversion. They subdue, control, and reign them in. They do not cherish or act out in thought, word, or deed the unholy clamorings of sinful flesh. While abiding in Jesus, while walking in the Spirit and mind of the new man, while partaking of the divine nature - they daily renew their conversion, they daily grow in grace, they daily mature in the fruits of the Spirit.

No, that's a different thread. I put them here because if Jesus went through these like a born-again believer, then He had evil propensities, the passions of unregenerate nature, old habits, and hereditary tendencies to wrong.

Oh, right. So, yeah, Jesus had to fight the greatest battle ever fought the same as born again believers. He had to resist, subdue, control, reign in the same sinful flesh temptations, the same unholy clamorings, the same evil tendencies, inclinations, propensities. He was dead to sin, self, and Satan. He was free from sin. He never cultivated hereditary sinful traits of character.

I don't believe that Jesus had "old habits" to battle. Do you?

What did Christ have to overcome? Do we have inherited tendencies to evil? Did Christ share our heredity or not?

The story of Bethlehem is an exhaustless theme. In it is hidden "the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God." Romans 11:33. We marvel at the Saviour's sacrifice in exchanging the throne of heaven for the manger, and the companionship of adoring angels for the beasts of the stall. Human pride and self-sufficiency stand rebuked in His presence. Yet this was but the beginning of His wonderful condescension. It would have been an almost infinite humiliation for the Son of God to take man's nature, even when Adam stood in his innocence in Eden. But Jesus accepted humanity when the race had been weakened by four thousand years of sin. Like every child of Adam He accepted the results of the working of the great law of heredity. What these results were is shown in the history of His earthly ancestors. He came with such a heredity to share our sorrows and temptations, and to give us the example of a sinless life. {DA 48.5}