“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
Hebrews 4:15
This study will be on a very sacred, very emotional subject. Religion has an emotional aspect that is unavoidable. So we will study this emotional aspect as well as the spiritual and intellectual aspects of religion.
Hebrews 4:15 is a familiar and favorite text for many Christians. It tells us some wonderful things about the nature of our great High Priest in heaven. Mrs. White says that Jesus’ work as our great High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary is just as necessary to our salvation as His death on the cross. Today, the majority of the Christian world knows that Jesus died for our sins, but they do not understand that He is now ministering in heaven, and that without His ministration we would be lost even though He died on the cross.
The Baker Letter
Mrs. White addressed this text in a letter she wrote to Elder W. L. H. Baker and his wife in 1895. In Adventist circles, it is simply referred to as the Baker letter. One sentence from this letter reads: “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.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 13, 19
Mrs. White is very clear that how Christ can be tempted like we are and yet be without sin is a mystery, intentionally left unexplained to mortals. There are things in the Bible that we don’t understand all the time. We may understand a small amount of it, but there remains much that we do not understand.
Since it is this statement from the Baker letter that has led me in the past not to preach on Hebrews 4:15, perhaps it is most appropriate that I provide some background regarding Elder Baker. Elder Baker was a mid-westerner and a Seventh-day Adventist minister. He was a missionary, along with his wife, to Australia evangelizing throughout Australia and Tasmania and while there, he became president of a number of conferences in Australia. Later in life, he returned to the U.S. until his death in 1933. However, at the time Mrs. White’s letter was written, the Bakers had become discouraged in their evangelistic work. Mrs. White wrote the Baker letter, in part, to encourage them. God knows every detail about every discouragement that we may be going through, and at just the right time He sends encouragement to His children. But along with the encouragement, He may also send correction.
The Baker letter has become so well-known and equally controversial because it contains plain, explicit, and strong statements regarding the nature of Christ, and these statements completely contradict and destroy the theological position of many conservative Seventh-day Adventist ministers and teachers.
When I first read the Baker letter, the statements on the nature of Christ were no problem for me. I had already read the following in Testimonies, Vol. 2, 201, 202:
“In Christ were united the human and the divine. His mission was to reconcile God and man, to unite the finite with the infinite. This was the only way in which fallen men could be exalted through the merits of the blood of Christ to be partakers of the divine nature. Taking human nature fitted Christ to understand man’s trials and sorrows, and all the temptations wherewith he is beset. … Christ condescended to take man’s nature and was tempted in all points like as we, that He might know how to succor all who should be tempted. …
“Our Saviour identifies Himself with our needs and weaknesses, in that He became a suppliant, a nightly petitioner, seeking from His Father fresh supplies of strength, to come forth invigorated and refreshed, braced for duty and trial. He is our example in all things. He is a brother in our infirmities, but not in possessing like passions. As the sinless One, His nature recoiled from evil. He endured struggles and torture of soul in a world of sin. His humanity made prayer a necessity and privilege. He required all the stronger divine support and comfort which His Father was ready to impart to Him, to Him who had, for the benefit of man, left the joys of heaven and chosen His home in a cold and thankless world.”
However, that is not the case for almost everyone around me. Through the years I have listened and read and watched many times as Seventh-day Adventist ministers and theologians have attempted to explain away the Baker letter. To accept it would destroy their theology regarding the nature of Christ. All manner of methods have been devised to try to explain it away.
One explanation for why Mrs. White wrote the Baker letter was that Elder Baker might have believed in Adoptionism—an early Christian nontrinitarian theological doctrine most popular in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd centuries, which holds that Jesus was adopted as the Son of God at His baptism, His resurrection, or His ascension, denying the eternal pre-existence of Christ—and the letter was Mrs. White’s attempt at correcting this misconception. And that could easily be true. However, if that is all we get from the Baker letter, then we have completely missed other significant points.
My brother Marshall learned of the Baker letter at the Seventh-day Adventist seminary from certain conservative professors. In brief, they taught that we should not use just one private letter to establish doctrine. But that is a most interesting explanation since these very same ministers have used and would use a single private letter written to a prominent Seventh-day Adventist minister if it supported something that they agreed on, accepting the letter without question.
If you accept the Baker letter at face value, you will realize immediately that it completely destroys the positions on the nature of Christ held by a host of conservative Adventist ministers, theologians, and teachers, many of whom are and have been friends of mine for many years.
When I was young, the Baker letter was not available in its entirety. Excerpts could be found back then, but today, the entire letter is printed in Manuscript Releases, Vol. 13, 14–30, prefaced by an explanation about the letter.
Tempted in All Points as We Are, yet Without Sin
Let’s now go back to Hebrews 4:15, the text that no human being can understand, and see if there is any element of the verse that we can understand. “We do not have a High Priest who cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” This Bible text is used by many today as proof that Jesus had all the same natural tendencies and propensities to sin that fallen men have, which is what the Baker letter strongly and repeatedly contradicts.
Inspiration teaches that our tendency to wrong doing is an imperfection of character and that imperfection of character is sin, but Paul says that even though Jesus was tempted just like as we are, He was without sin. So, if we cannot fully understand this text—remember, Mrs. White said, “It is a mystery that is left unexplained to mortals”—is there anything in the text that we can understand?
I believe there is.
“The Elder Brother of our race is by the eternal throne. He looks upon every soul who is turning his face toward Him as the Saviour. He knows by experience what are the weaknesses of humanity, what are our wants, and where lies the strength of our temptations … .” The Desire of Ages, 329. He knows why my temptations are so difficult for me to overcome, and why I feel like I just can’t overcome them. He understands, and that should give all of us confidence in Him because He promised that He would deliver us and make us victors over all sinful temptations.
Jesus knows our wants, He knows by experience the weaknesses of humanity, and He knows and understands just how strong our temptations are. How? Because He was tempted just like we are, though without sin.
The dictionary defines a want as “something that is desired, but not possessed.” Why do I want it? I desire something either because I need it, or because I derive pleasure from it. So a want is something that is desired, whether it be a desire for something needed or a desire for pleasure. So the weaknesses of humanity lie in the desire for life’s necessities and pleasures. David wrote about the wants of man in Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want … .”
Touched with Our Infirmities
What does it mean for Jesus to be touched with our infirmities and feelings?
A little background on how the Baker letter became so well known. For 88 years, it was just a letter among many that Mrs. White wrote during her lifetime, though unavailable in her published works. But in the early 1980s, the letter was released and published.
We as individuals do not always think the same way. Our experiences in life, our culture, even our gender can be filters through which we process, see, and understand things, but in different ways. That doesn’t mean that one person’s mind is inferior to another’s; it is simply that we think differently, but with the ability to arrive at the truth of an issue from different directions.
Christ was tempted in a way that we cannot imagine. For years I’ve wanted to know how He could be tempted as I am.
Touched means that He feels sympathy. It is comforting to know that we have someone in heaven, who has all power, and who is touched with our feelings standing at the throne of God. Jesus is able to sympathize with our problems so we can feel free to come to Him and talk to Him about any problem that befalls us. We need not go through life trying to bear our problems and burdens alone. So Paul says we need to come with confidence to the throne of grace because we will find there the mercy and grace to help in time of need.
How does Jesus know by experience what the weaknesses and wants of humanity are? Manuscript Releases, Vol. 16, 182, states “A man of our flesh, He was compassed with the weakness of humanity. The circumstances of His life were of that character that He was exposed to all the inconveniences that belong to men, not in wealth, not in ease, but in poverty and want and humiliation.” It says He was surrounded by these things. He personally experienced poverty, want, humiliation. “We know that the Lord Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are, and He knows how to succor [help] all who shall be tempted.” Ibid., Vol. 14, 334. We need to understand that when we are tempted, no matter what the temptation is, that Jesus knows how to help us. When we’re tempted and it seems like there is no way out—we’re never going to win—it is time, of all times, that we need to cry out to the Lord for the deliverance He has promised.
As human beings, our minds seem to think that helping us means that the temptation is taken away. Lord, we say, just deliver me from this temptation. Sadly, very often it just doesn’t work that way. Sometimes the Lord says that He will take a temptation away. I have known people who have smoked for many years, many packs of cigarettes per day. They have tried to quit smoking many times, but they just can’t do it. They cry out to the Lord for help, and help is supplied and they are freed from the addiction of cigarettes and no longer have any desire to smoke. It is true that sometimes the Lord takes the temptation away, but more often the Lord does not take it away. It is His will for you and for me not to yield to temptation, calling upon Him for the help needed to resist it.
Let’s take a short look at the three Hebrew worthies. They had this exact experience. They said our God is able to deliver us from you, King Nebuchadnezzar, but if He does not, then let it be known that we will not worship your image. The king was so angry that he had the furnace stoked until it was seven times hotter than it was before, and into the fire Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were tossed. It was so hot that the soldiers who threw them into the furnace died instantly. Imagine it: their hands and feet are bound, and they are thrown into the flames like bundles of dried grass, but these young men were willing to die rather than to disobey God’s commandment not to worship idols.
It’s one thing to be able to walk around with the Lord. We likely think that He will prevent all the bad things from happening. But then, there you are, standing in front of a fiery furnace stoked seven times hotter than before and God doesn’t keep you from being thrown into the fire. Instead He joins you in the flames.
As we draw closer to the end of the world, it will appear that all of God’s children will be killed while standing firm in their faith. The Bible says it will happen. But if I am to be one of God’s children at the end of time, I must be His child right now—believing in Him, obeying His law, and worshiping no other god or idol. Then God will send the help I need to remain firm in my faith in Him.
We may be weak, hungry, and thirsty. We may experience sorrow and grief, pain and suffering. Jesus, our Creator, is the source of all strength and power. He holds up the universe and all the heavenly bodies it contains. So, friend, you can be sure that He can sustain you. He left all of it behind to become a man so that he could suffer as we suffer, and thereby be able to offer aid. Jesus experienced physical suffering, poverty, and humiliation so that He could understand us.
“In His humanity, He suffered physical weariness and weakness, hunger, thirst, and sadness.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 14, 334
“By experiencing in Himself the strength of Satan’s temptation, and of human sufferings and infirmities, He would know how to succor [aid] those who should put forth efforts to help themselves.” The Review and Herald, March 18, 1875
In our human nature alone, the power of temptation is too great for us to bear. “Feeling the terrible power of temptation, the drawing of desire that leads to indulgence, many a man cries in despair, ‘I cannot resist evil.’ ” The Ministry of Healing, 174
Sadly, a person with this mindset is fertile territory for a preacher preaching that you don’t need to overcome sin. This type of theology is so popular because that is man’s experience. A man may try a hundred, a thousand times, and still be unable to resist the temptation that his natural, sinful self drives him to desire, until he finally yields.
Desire is a power of the mind. The terrible power of temptation lies in the wants, the desires of man (James 1:13–15). Keep in mind that infirmities are related to either a weakness of the body or a weakness of the mind. There is an intimate relationship between the weaknesses of humanity and the power of temptation. The greater the desire the more powerful is the temptation.
“God requires every soul to be pure and holy. We have hereditary tendencies to wrong. This is a part of self that no one need carry about. It is a weakness of humanity to pet selfishness, because it is a natural trait of character. But unless all selfishness is put away, unless self is crucified, we can never be holy as God is holy.” The Faith I Live By, 140
Paul writes in Romans 6 about crucifying the old man. The crucifixion of the old man is the putting to death of our natural selfishness. Selfishness is a natural trait of character, and we desire, by nature, to hold it close, but the Bible says that we must crucify the old man and be reborn as a new man if we are to be one of God’s children.
A superficial reading of these passages by people who have permitted their minds to become clouded regarding what constitutes sin can lead to the gross error of attributing to the humanity of Christ the same tendencies to wrong that we inherited from Adam. “The sowing of seeds of selfishness in the human heart was the first result of the entrance of sin into the world.” The Workers’ Bulletin, September 9, 1902. On the very day that Adam and Eve sinned, the seeds of selfishness were sown in their hearts, and have been passed down in the hearts of all of Adam’s posterity since. It is crucial that we understand that our natural, sinful humanity is selfish, but the humanity of Christ had not one thread of selfishness.
What is selfishness? “All selfishness is covetousness, and is, therefore, idolatry.” The Review and Herald, May 23, 1907. Idolatry is the breaking of the second commandment and covetousness is the breaking of the tenth commandment. If all selfishness is covetousness and idolatry, then all selfishness is sin and sin is the transgression of the law in whatever form or fashion it is found. “The law requires righteousness—a righteous life, a perfect character; and this man has not to give.” The Desire of Ages, 762
By nature, we are not righteous, and we cannot be made righteous by anything that we do. It is only by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit and our complete surrender to this transforming power in our hearts that we are able to be made righteous.
How does Jesus know what the weakness of humanity is like?
“For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.” Hebrews 2:18
“For we have not a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15
“Thank God we have a High Priest who is touched with the feelings of our infirmities, for He was in all points tempted as we are.” Christ Triumphant, 218. In that sentence, the word for means “because.” Jesus was touched with the feeling of our infirmities because He was tempted and suffered in all points like as we are.
What caused Jesus to suffer?
“The human nature of Christ was like unto ours, and suffering was more keenly felt by Him; for His spiritual nature was free from every taint of sin. Therefore, His desire for the removal of suffering was stronger than human beings can experience.” The Signs of the Times, December 9, 1897
“Christ hates sin. From Him evil met with stern rebuke. But while He hates sin, He loves the sinner. Laying aside His riches and glory, He came to this earth to seek for us, sinful, erring, unhappy, that He might lead us to heaven. He humbled Himself, and took upon Him our nature, that He might make us like Himself, pure and upright, free from defilement. He suffered more than any of you will ever be called to suffer. He gave His all for you. What have you given for Him?” Ibid., July 9, 1902
“Christ made His soul an offering for sin. Thus He made it possible for man to hate sin—that which requires such an offering, such a sacrifice, to rescue the sinner from its terrible influence.” Pacific Union Recorder, July 3, 1902
Why did Jesus have to experience suffering to such a degree? All I know is that He had to go through it to save us. Because His spiritual nature hated sin, His desire for the removal of the suffering of His human body and mind was so much stronger than what you or I will ever experience that it made His temptation all the greater.
“Jesus was not insensible to ignominy [deep humiliation and disgrace]. He felt the disgrace of sin as much more keenly than it is possible for man to feel it, as His divine and sinless nature was exalted above the nature of man. We should never entertain the thought that the Majesty of Heaven, so holy and undefiled, was not acutely sensitive to scorn and mockery, abuse and pain.” The Signs of the Times, January 6, 1881
He came to endure temptation as we do so that He would know how we feel. He lived His human life so that we could know that there is no temptation so great that it cannot be rejected when we look to Jesus for help. His life was a perfect combination of divinity and humanity. “He … took upon Him our nature, that He might make us like Himself, pure and upright, free from defilement.” Ibid., July 9, 1902
“He is a brother in our infirmities, ‘in all points tempted like as we are’; but as the sinless one His nature recoiled from evil; He endured struggles and torture of soul in a world of sin.” A Call to Stand Apart, 26
Jesus endured struggles and torture of soul because His sinless nature was acutely sensitive to scorn, mockery, abuse, and pain. He went through all of this because He wanted to save you.
Do you understand how serious God is about saving you? It doesn’t matter what your past is. It doesn’t matter what other people think about you. Do you understand that if you surrender your life to Him, He will save you, not in, but from your sin?
“We say we do believe that Jesus Christ died, but is He your personal Saviour? Here is the faith part of it. … Do you grasp Him by the living hand of faith? Do you reach out your hand to Him and say, as did Peter, ‘Save, Lord, or I perish’? He will save you.” Reflecting Christ, 356
Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at 316-788-5559.