To ensure a full understanding of this article, I want to start with several dictionary definitions. It is important that an understanding of the following terms be agreed upon so that the reader can achieve a full comprehension of the themes I am attempting to present.
Sinful: “Tainted with sin, wicked, iniquitous, criminal, unholy.” “Containing sin or consisting in sin; contrary to the law of God.”
Tainted: “Impregnated with something noxious, disagreeable to the senses or poisonous, infected, corrupted, stained.”
Propensity: “A bent of mind, a natural or acquired inclination in a moral sense, a disposition to anything good or evil, particularly to evil as a propensity to sin.” “A natural tendency.”
Tendency: “An inclination toward a particular characteristic or type of behavior.”
Our sinful nature involves the affections of the mind, the natural bent or tendency of our desires, inclinations, and propensities. This bent or tendency to sin proceeds from a selfish heart. However, many believe that—in spite of our sinful nature—a tendency, propensity, or bent toward sin is only an inclination toward doing or a desire to do something and, therefore, is not sin, and I am not a sinner because no actual act was committed.
A simple example: A man is born in the United States of two native-born German parents. Their ancestors were German. He does not have to like the Germans, speak German, or live in Germany to be German. He is German.
Mrs. White states that selfishness is sin (The Signs of the Times, April 13, 1891) and that man possesses a selfish nature. Selfishness is embedded within our central nervous system. It is in our DNA. For us, sin is not just action; it is an actual state of being. My thoughts, desires, and actions are the outworking of my selfish nature, and are, therefore, sinful. I am born selfish, a sinner long before I commit a sinful act, because of my inherent sinful condition. Sin originates from a selfish heart, so my sinful acts originate from my selfish heart (James 1:13–15).
Any propensity toward sin results in an imperfect character which is sin (The Signs of the Times, September 3, 1902). A person who possesses, inside, even one propensity toward sin will fall short of a perfected character.
Christ had a human mother. His “father” was the Holy Spirit. Inspiration, as well as Scripture (Luke 1:35), tells us that He was fully human and fully divine. Two natures, one Man. Inspiration also tells us that we must be careful not to make Christ too human (the Baker Letter, Manuscript Releases, Vol. 13, 18). Many too often fall into the trap of making Christ too much like us. They believe He possesses all the tendencies and propensities that are part of our nature. If Jesus’ nature had any tendency or propensity toward sin, then it would follow that He was born with a selfish heart from which sin originates, resulting in an imperfect character—rendering Christ unfit to offer Himself as an unblemished lamb, and the Saviour of mankind.
The seriousness of attributing a sinful nature to Christ, the importance of having a correct understanding of “sinful nature,” “evil propensity,” and what constitutes an imperfect character, can clearly be seen.
The emphasis on the combination of the divine and human in Christ’s nature is not meant to show how like us Jesus is, but rather, how like Him we can become. Yes, He had to be human in body and mind so that He could be tempted and able to die to pay the ransom for mankind, but Christ did not give up His divinity. He cloaked it with our humanity so that He could carry our sins and guilt to the cross. In His humanity, Jesus came to draw us up to become partakers of the divine nature. He presented before us the perfect example of what we can become, how we can live here until the day He appears in the clouds to take us home—a former sinner, a redeemed saint.
“Human nature will continue to be human nature, but it can be elevated and ennobled by union with the divine nature. It is by partaking of the divine nature that men and women escape the corruption that is in the world through lust.” This Day With God, 70
Just as Jesus bore our sins, “We must put on Christ; we must be Christlike in every word and action. Thus we shall be partakers of the divine nature. Only by partaking of the divine nature can we live the Christ-life.” Peter’s Counsel to Parents, 27. He offers us His spotless white robe of righteousness. Will we take it?
So, What About Me?
Because there is plenty in man that responds to the devil’s prodding, how can we ever hope to be like Jesus?
When I was young, the devil tried me with temptations that today are no longer temptations to me. I once liked a particular type of worldly music. But as I matured physically and mentally, I also matured spiritually. And today, I no longer have the desire to listen to that kind of music, therefore, the devil doesn’t tempt me to listen to it. This is the process of sanctification. I started out as my wicked, sinful self, but as I responded to the leading of the Holy Spirit, as I committed my life to Jesus Christ, and turned my back on the things of the world, I am changed—set apart, made holy for God’s purpose.
But there is something more involved in this change. I have inherited propensities in my body. I carry in my central nervous system an exact record of every sin that I have ever committed. Those sins must be removed, and if I fully surrender to the in-working of the Holy Spirit, they will be removed. Then my will is united with God’s holy will. Only then will I be pure and holy as Jesus is and able to stand in the presence of a holy God without a mediator.
“It is in this life that we are to separate sin from us, through faith in the atoning blood of Christ. Our precious Saviour invites us to join ourselves to Him, to unite our weakness to His strength, our ignorance to His wisdom, our unworthiness to His merits. God’s providence is the school in which we are to learn the meekness and lowliness of Jesus. The Lord is ever setting before us, not the way we would choose, which seems easier and pleasanter to us, but the true aims of life. It rests with us to cooperate with the agencies which heaven employs in the work of conforming our characters to the divine model. None can neglect or defer this work but at the most fearful peril to their souls.” The Great Controversy, 623
“We need not retain one sinful propensity. … As we partake of the divine nature, hereditary and cultivated tendencies to wrong are cut away from the character, and we are made a living power for good. Ever learning of the divine Teacher, daily partaking of His nature, we cooperate with God in overcoming Satan’s temptations.
“How this is accomplished, Christ has shown us. By what means did He overcome in the conflict with Satan? By the word of God. Only by the word could He resist temptation. ‘It is written,’ He said. And unto us are given “exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature. …” Every promise in God’s word is ours. … When assailed by temptation, look not to circumstances or to the weakness of self, but to the power of the Word. All its strength is yours.
“Grasp His promises as leaves from the tree of life: ‘Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.’ John 6:37. As you come to Him, believe that He accepts you, because He has promised. You can never perish while you do this—never.” The Faith I Live By, 23
“The example of Christ is authoritative for every son and daughter of Adam. His life was the law of God lived and exemplified, a perfect pattern for all humanity, showing what man may become by partaking of the divine nature. Representing as he did the character of God, he was a perfect standard of moral excellence in humanity.” The Signs of the Times, November 12, 1896
“When the truth is received into the heart, the habits and customs are conformed to Christ. The learner feels bound to uplift the Saviour. The truth works by love and purifies his soul, and he regards God’s commands, not as being abrogated, but as unchangeable truth, given to the world from the beginning. He presents the treasures of God’s word in a fresh and agreeable way, because the truth has taken possession of his mind, his heart, his entire being.” Ibid., March 1, 1899
Friends, time is passing quickly to the close of Earth’s history, when all decisions will be made—obedience or rebellion. Jesus didn’t come to show the universe what a God could do, but what we can do when united with Him through faith in the promise of His power and grace to overcome every temptation. He has bridged the gulf that sin made, connecting earth and heaven—finite man with the infinite God. Jesus kept God’s law in the same way that we can keep it. And once we have turned away from this world, committing our hearts and lives to Him, when we have escaped the corrupting power of the world, then we are changed. By continually focusing on Jesus and His character, we are changed, becoming a new man or woman, with a renewed heart (Lift Him Up, 251; Sons and Daughters of God, 337)—selfishness gone, sins forgiven and cast into the depths of the sea. Man is once more righteous and holy in character (Manuscript Releases, Vol. 6, 342).
“The transforming power of Christ’s grace molds the one who gives himself to God’s service. Imbued with the Spirit of the Redeemer, he is ready to deny self, ready to take up the cross, ready to make any sacrifice for the Master. … He has been created anew in Christ, and self-serving has no place in his life. He realizes that every part of his being belongs to Christ, who has redeemed him from the slavery of sin; that every moment of his future has been bought with the precious lifeblood of God’s only-begotten Son.
“Christ is our pattern, and those who follow Christ will not walk in darkness, for they will not seek their own pleasure. To glorify God will be the continual aim of their life. Christ represented the character of God to the world. The Lord Jesus so conducted His life that men were compelled to acknowledge that He had done all things well. The world’s Redeemer was the light of the world, for His character was without fault.” God’s Amazing Grace, 236
“A character formed according to the divine likeness is the only treasure that we can take from this world to the next. Those who are under the instruction of Christ in this world will take every divine attainment with them to the heavenly mansions. And in heaven we are continually to improve. How important, then, is the development of character in this life.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 333
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.