For the majority of my adult life, I believed and stridently argued that Jesus had to have a nature just like mine in order to be of use to me as a Saviour. If He was to be tempted just like me, then He had to have the inherent tendencies toward sin that I lived with and battled every moment. I used Jacob’s ladder as my example for this.
“There he [Jacob] dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” Genesis 28:12 [Emphasis supplied.]
“Wearied with his journey, the wanderer [Jacob] lay down upon the ground, with a stone for his pillow. And while he slept, the Lord gave him a vision. He beheld a ladder, bright and shining, whose base rested upon earth while the top reached to heaven. …
“The ladder represents Jesus, the appointed medium of communication. …
“In His conversation with Nathanael, Jesus referred to this mystic ladder on which Jacob gazed with pleased wonder. Said He, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.’ ” The Signs of the Times, July 31, 1884 [Emphasis supplied.]
I diligently studied the subject of the nature of Christ. I read the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy and all the other material I could find that supported my belief about His nature. Genesis 28 says the feet of the ladder rested upon earth while the top reached heaven. How could I not understand this to mean that if Christ wasn’t fully like me (resting upon earth), then how could He be my Saviour? How could He possibly be tempted like me if He wasn’t truly like me? It was settled for me: Christ had the fallen nature, just like me.
Then my husband died and I moved back to Kansas and began attending the Prairie Meadows Free Seventh-day Adventist Church and working at Steps to Life Ministry. My first Sabbath at church, Pastor Grosboll was already several sermons into a series on the nature of Christ. I listened to what he presented that first Sabbath with my eyebrow cocked the whole time. For those who don’t know me, the cocked eyebrow means I strongly question what I’m hearing. After the service, I confronted Pastor Grosboll.
I have known Pastor John Grosboll for nearly 40 years. I have the utmost respect for him and his brother Pastor Marshall, and I believe that they both have preached truth as they understood it. I crafted that sentence the way I did because there was a difference of belief between Pastor John and Pastor Marshall on this subject. However, while they agreed to disagree on Christ’s actual nature as a man, they absolutely agreed on Christ’s purpose in coming as a man. Yes, He came to pay sin’s penalty so that man, should he choose it, would have the opportunity to be transformed and restored to the nature God gave him in Eden. Yes, because of His death on the cross, He offers forgiveness to every man, woman, and child who comes to Him on bended knee asking with contrition of heart. He promises that their sins would be washed away and their names would be written in the Lamb’s book of life. But perhaps most important, Christ was and is the perfect example, the Pattern Man, of the divine united with humanity. Jesus was the living example of what we are and what we can become if our will is surrendered to Him. In essence then, He had both the unfallen and fallen natures.
As I continued to listen to Pastor John’s series, I asked the Holy Spirit to help me keep an open mind and heart to what was being presented. I wanted very much to know the truth, even if it meant that I had been wrong for decades. Well, you’ve heard that you should be prepared when you ask God for something. He answered my prayer in two texts and a spiritual knock on the noggin. The answer came in the phrase “pleased God.”
A Little Clarification
Before I continue, let me say, this article is not meant to be a treatise on the nature of Christ. If you are interested in that, please go to the Steps to Life website and pull up the LandMarks Series articles titled The Mystery of Godliness from 2023 and 2024. I use the subject of the nature of Christ here as an example of my true intent for the article, because it has been an actual subject of controversy here in Kansas. Sides have been drawn, long-standing friendships have been harmed, some lost, and now there is division among God’s people.
So, as we continue, keep these two questions in the forefront of your mind: Why do we argue over the things that lack spiritual significance, and neglect those of far more significance? And how do we tell the difference?
We Must Please God – First Verse
We have learned in countless issues of LandMarks that the words sinful, flesh(ly), and carnal mean the same thing and are used interchangeably in the Bible. So, let’s look at what the Bible says about those who have a carnal, fleshly, sinful nature.
“For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” Romans 8:3–8
Those who are in the flesh (carnal, sinful), who have a selfish nature cannot please God. Remember, Paul is talking about nature in these particular verses of Romans 8, not the physical. By his very nature, man is sinful. Sin is so much a part of man’s nature that it is something he just is; a consequence of Adam and Eve’s sin passed down generation after generation, until his nature has almost completely beaten down his will to know and do what is right.
“Selfishness is the want [lack] of Christlike humility, and its existence is the bane of human happiness, the cause of human guilt, and it leads those who cherish it to make shipwreck of faith.” Mind, Character, and Personality, Vol. 1, 271, 272
Sin is the disease that will destroy the world and all who live in it. Man’s selfish nature causes:
- pridefulness
- jealousy
- double standards
- ingratitude
- him to judge others
- him to be critical of others, but unwilling to see his own defects of character
- him to care about himself and his own needs, disregarding those around him, their feelings and well-being
- him to refuse to share
- him to cherish and spread evil thoughts and words against those around him, even his friends and family in Christ
- him to believe he is entitled to the things he desires over the needs and desires of others
- him to manipulate circumstances at the expense of others
- him to act without regard for the consequences to others
- him to grab the limelight, showing little to no interest in what others have to say
- him to take credit for the work of others
- him to make decisions that affect others without asking for their input and regardless of the effect on them
- him to rarely feel guilt or remorse for his actions, even when those actions hurt someone
“We must not hamper the soul and cripple its powers by the indulgence of selfishness. Selfishness is sin, and it grieves away the Spirit of Christ. When we cherish unkind thoughts, and harbor suspicions against our brethren, we are cutting ourselves off from the channel of God’s light and love. Jealousy is as cruel as the grave, and should never be cherished in the heart, much less expressed in the actions. How cruel it is to cherish evil surmising against those who are members of Christ’s body! Accusation, condemnation, and revenge are all of Satanic origin, and evil thoughts of others should be at once rejected from the mind, for these things repulse, and separate the hearts of brethren. Satan rejoices when he can create division in the church of God; for weakness follows, and the things that remain are ready to die.” The Signs of the Times, April 13, 1891
However, praise God, Jesus Christ is the cure for the disease of sin. He lived and died so that mankind could once again live in oneness with God.
“As a remedy for the terrible consequences into which selfishness led the human race, God gave His only begotten Son to die for mankind. How could He have given more? In this gift He gave Himself. ‘I and My Father are one,’ said Christ. By the gift of His Son, God has made it possible for man to be redeemed and restored to oneness with Him. ‘God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ Love is the great principle that actuates unfallen beings. … The combined power of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost is pledged to uplift man from his fallen state. Every attribute, every power of divinity has been placed at the command of those who unite with the Saviour in winning men to God. O, that all would appreciate the truth as it is in Jesus. O, that all would love God in return for the love wherewith He has loved them.” The Workers’ Bulletin, September 9, 1902
We Must Please God – Second Verse
The second verse, there are actually two, that convinced me of the sufficiency of Christ’s human nature is found in Matthew 3:17 and 2 Peter 1:17, 18.
“And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ ”
“For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ ”
If the Bible tells us that a man, because of his sinful, fleshly, carnal nature, cannot please God, then Christ who did please God, must have had a human nature free of sin to begin with. Christ’s outward nature was like ours in every respect, but His inward nature was what the nature of man—after his journey of sanctification, after his transformation, after he has taken on the character of Christ possessing both a divine and sanctified human nature—would become. It is in this nature that man will ultimately face, as did Christ, Satan’s greatest temptations, and yet never yield, because he has now overcome, by the power and grace of God, his own inward sinfulness.
First—Overcoming
I know two things for certain.
Revelation 2 and 3 tell us seven times we must overcome. That is what Christ’s life and death were all about. His death paid the price required by sin, but His life showed us how to be like Him.
“We can overcome. Yes; fully, entirely. Jesus died to make a way of escape for us, that we might overcome every fault, resist every temptation, and sit down at last with Him in His throne.” Our High Calling, 353
“You can overcome evil—evil thoughts, evil desires—by the blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony. We cannot afford to sin. It costs too much.” Sermons and Talks, Vol. 2, 336
“No requirement is laid upon man that Christ has not obeyed. We can overcome as He overcame, if we will avail ourselves of the help of the three great powers of heaven, who are waiting to answer the demand made upon Them by God’s people for power to defeat satanic agencies.
“ ‘Sanctify them through Thy truth; Thy Word is truth.’ Christ’s teachings are truth. Those who surrender their wills to the divine guidance will be protected from Satan’s snares. Draw nigh to God in your helplessness, and He will draw nigh to you. He will lift up for you a standard against the enemy.” Notebook Leaflets from the Elmshaven Library, Vol. 1, 124
“Earnest, persevering effort will place you on the vantage-ground of victory; for he who strives to overcome in and through the grace of Christ, will have divine enlightenment, and will understand how great truths can be brought into little things, and religion can be carried into the little as well as into the large concerns of life.
“Let no one say, ‘I cannot overcome my defects of character’; for if this is your decision, then you cannot have eternal life. The impossibility is all in your will. If you will not, that constitutes the cannot.
“The real difficulty is the corruption of an unsanctified heart, and an unwillingness to submit to the will of God. When there is a determined purpose born in your heart to overcome, you will have a disposition to overcome, and will cultivate those traits of character that are desirable, and will engage in the conflict with steady, persevering effort. You will exercise a ceaseless watchfulness over your defects of character, and will cultivate right practices in little things. The difficulty of overcoming will be lessened in proportion as the heart is sanctified by the grace of Christ.” Sons and Daughters of God, 114, 115
“What a victory you will gain when you learn to follow the opening providences of God with a grateful heart and a determination to live with an eye single to His glory, in sickness or health, in abundance or want. Self is alive and quivering at every touch. Self must be crucified before you can overcome in the name of Jesus and receive the reward of the faithful.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 4, 221
“Not all the power of earth or hell could force Him [Jesus] in the slightest degree to depart from the will of His Father.” The Desire of Ages, 125
Second—Christ’s Nature Was Sufficient
I am convinced that Christ’s human nature was sufficient to save me even if I don’t fully understand just how He was both divine and human, and that as a man, He did not possess the kind of sinfulness that is inherent in our nature.
Friend, arguing over whether Christ had the unfallen or fallen nature, and how it all worked out, is pointless—a distraction, a diversion by the devil to keep us occupied and away from what matters most. The Bible and Inspiration are clear that Christ was fully human and fully divine, and they are equally as clear that this unity of divinity and humanity in His nature is the same nature we can and must have as well.
The Bible and Spirit of Prophecy are also clear that Jesus’ human nature is a mystery—not just a mystery, but the mystery of all mysteries—and will remain so for eternity. While we will learn more during eternity, we will never fully understand it.
“And to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 3:9
“The incarnation of Christ is a mystery. The union of divinity with humanity is a mystery indeed, hidden with God, ‘even the mystery which hath been hid from ages.’ It was kept in eternal silence by Jehovah, and was first revealed in Eden, by the prophecy that the Seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head, and that he should bruise His heel.
“To present to the world this mystery that God kept in silence for eternal ages before the world was created, before man was created, was the part that Christ was to act in the work He entered upon when He came to this earth. And this wonderful mystery, the incarnation of Christ and the atonement that He made, must be declared to every son and daughter of Adam. … His sufferings perfectly fulfilled the claims of the law of God.
“The incarnation of Christ is the mystery of all mysteries.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 6, 1082
“It is a mystery that One equal with the eternal Father should so abase Himself as to suffer the cruel death of the cross to ransom man; and it is a mystery that God so loved the world as to permit His Son to make this great sacrifice.” The Signs of the Times, October 24, 1906
So, why will Christ’s nature be a mystery to us for eternity? Because God says what He means and means what He says. He says Christ’s nature will be a mystery forever, so why are we expending so much time, energy, and hard feelings toward one another over an issue that we were never meant to fully understand from the start?
The real point of Jesus becoming a man was to show us how to live like Him and to develop a character like His. Christ was the living, breathing, walking, talking embodiment of the law of God, God’s own character. And what He did in His human nature here, He promises we can also do using the power and grace of God just as He did. What did Jesus do? He kept the law in every detail. He sought always to do His Father’s will. And He has opened the way for us to do the same.
“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” John 6:38
“The life of Christ was distinguished from the generality of children. His strength of moral character and His firmness ever led Him to be true to His sense of duty and to adhere to the principles of right, from which no motive, however powerful, could move Him. Money or pleasure, applause or censure, could not purchase or flatter Him to consent to a wrong action. He was strong to resist temptation, wise to discover evil, and firm to abide faithful to His convictions.
“The wicked and unprincipled would flatter and portray the pleasures of sinful indulgences, but His strength of principle was strong to resist the suggestions of Satan. His penetration had been cultivated, that He could discern the voice of the tempter. He would not swerve from duty to obtain the favor of any. He would not sell His principles for human praise or to avoid reproach and the envy and hatred of those who were enemies of righteousness and true goodness.
“He took pleasure in discharging His obligations to His parents and to society, without yielding His principles or being contaminated with the impure influence surrounding Him at Nazareth.
“Never did Christ deviate from loyalty to the principles of God’s law. Never did He do anything contrary to the will of His Father. …
“His principles are the only steadfast things our world knows.” My Life Today, 74
Salvation doesn’t depend on how Christ had man’s nature; it depended on how He lived in man’s human nature so that He could show us how to do it, too.
It Is Satan’s Purpose
Friend, I have said before that Satan hates mankind. Why? Because God loves us. It is Satan’s purpose to destroy us and, sadly, one of the ways he uses quite successfully is to have us at each other’s throats over issues that themselves may not be necessary for salvation. The importance of the human nature of Christ lies in it leading us to understand that we must be overcomers, and that we can rely upon His promise to give to us everything that was available to Him as a man to achieve that goal in our own lives.
“Jesus does not, after giving us general directions, leave us to guess the way amid bypaths and dangerous passes. He leads us in a straight path, and while we follow Him our footsteps will not slide.
“Each soul must live in hourly communion with Christ; for He says, ‘Without Me ye can do nothing.’ His principles are to be our principles; for these principles are the everlasting truth, proclaimed in righteousness, goodness, mercy, and love.” Ibid.
Satan is a master manipulator, the father and king of deception and lies, and he is completely devoid of sympathy, compassion, and love. He is a magician extraordinaire with the ability to make us see, hear, and believe whatever he puts in our minds and hearts, and he doesn’t even have to use smoke and mirrors because our innate, fallen nature responds willingly to his sophistry. Well, it responds to him unless we are willing to yield to the power of the One who long ago conquered him for us.
“You cannot control your impulses, your emotions, as you may desire, but you can control the will, and you can make an entire change in your life. By yielding up your will to Christ, your life will be hid with Christ in God, and allied to the power which is above all principalities and powers. You will have strength from God that will hold you fast to His strength; and a new light, even the light of living faith, will be possible to you. … There will be in you a power, an earnestness, and a simplicity that will make you a polished instrument in the hands of God.” Sons and Daughters of God, 115
“We can overcome only by believing in every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God. We must know what is written in order that we may not be defeated by the sophistry and enchantments of Satan. … If we have been ensnared by his enchanting power, let us in the name of Jesus rebuke his power, and break with Satan without delay. …
“Our only safety is in receiving the whole Bible, not taking merely detached portions, but believing the whole truth. … Let everyone study the Bible, knowing that the word of God is as enduring as the eternal throne. … And if you cherish the precepts of truth, they will be to you as a wall of fire against the temptations, delusions, and enchantments of Satan. …
“The word of God is able to save your souls, to make you wise unto salvation. The psalmist says, ‘Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not, sin against thee.’ Then let us hide the word of God in our hearts, that we may ‘be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’ Ephesians 6:13.” Our High Calling, 210
“Those who put their trust in Christ are not to be enslaved by any hereditary or cultivated habit or tendency. Instead of being held in bondage to the lower nature, they are to rule every appetite and passion. God has not left us to battle with evil in our own finite strength. Whatever may be our inherited or cultivated tendencies to wrong, we can overcome through the power that He is ready to impart. …
“Through the right exercise of the will an entire change may be made in the life. By yielding up the will to Christ, we ally ourselves with divine power. We receive strength from above to hold us steadfast. A pure and noble life, a life of victory over appetite and lust, is possible to everyone who will unite his weak, wavering human will to the omnipotent, unwavering will of God. …
“For every soul struggling to rise from a life of sin to a life of purity, the great element of power abides in the only ‘name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved.’ ‘If any man thirst,’ for restful hope, for deliverance from sinful propensities … . The only remedy for vice is the grace and power of Christ.” Counsels on Health, 440
In No Wise To The Injury Of Souls
“Contention in the church is always attended with a dearth of spirituality. The Lord cannot be glorified by a contentious church. ‘All ye are brethren.’ Cultivate the grace of God. Lift up your hearts in prayer to Him for His keeping power. Avoid all contention among yourselves. Use every means within your reach to restrain the unsanctified words that are ever upon the tongue—words that would cast a reflection upon others. Be true to one another. We are bought with a price; therefore, in word and act we should glorify God.
“When the members of God’s church see eye to eye, they will constantly guard the tongue, in order that they may not misuse the talent of speech. This talent is a precious gift. Let us study our words with care, and be a blessing to mankind by refusing to bring reproach upon one of our brethren by passing on to others some evil report that we may hear. If we speak evil of another, reproach will lie at our door. When we all love our neighbor as ourselves, idle, mischievous whisperings will cease. May the Lord by His converting power sanctify our talent of speech, that we may use it to His glory, and in no wise to the injury of souls.” The Review and Herald, January 6, 1903
“We are not to manifest a selfish or contentious spirit. Our work is to reveal to the world that God’s children love one another. …
“To the church at Ephesus Paul wrote: ‘For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.’
“Here are brought to view the possibilities of the Christian life. How far short of reaching this standard falls the church of today! Strife, discord, selfish pride of opinion, self-exaltation—self, self, self—all this is manifest in those who claim to be followers of the meek and lowly Jesus. When shall we awake? When shall we meet the expectations of Christ?” The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 1793–1795
It is a sad thought that people who claim to be Christians often find it so easy to malign, smear, and even vilify their brothers and sisters; and worse, they do it in the name of the Lord. Our words and actions tell the world around us whether we are God’s children or not. What were the two great commandments given by Jesus to the rich, young, ruler? Love God supremely and your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39). We should consider how we would feel if we heard the words we say about others used to describe ourselves.
“Let every word you speak bless and elevate.” The Voice in Speech and Song, 145
There Must Be Unity
God’s church must be united in doctrine, in faith, in brotherhood. If we cannot love, encourage, and strengthen each other, if pride and selfishness lead us to speak terrible things about our brethren, then the Holy Spirit is not dwelling in our hearts. Differences of opinion and in doctrine should not be allowed to divide God’s people, but to bring them together to study His word and to allow the Holy Spirit to guide them as one to discern truth, whatever it is, and no matter whose belief or opinion has to be changed. Remember, if what we believe does not agree with God, something has to change, and it isn’t God.
This is what the founding fathers of the Adventist church did in 1844. We might not have learned the truth regarding the investigative judgment if they had argued and fought until they couldn’t stand to be in each other’s presence any longer. Instead, they knelt together and asked the Holy Spirit to guide them to all truth (John 16:13).
“In these last days of the world’s history, when self-indulgence and pleasure seem to be the objects for which men live, the followers of Christ must strive to become like Him in character, that they may not be ashamed to meet their record in the books of heaven, when every man will be rewarded according to his deeds. ‘To them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life: but unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile: for there is no respect of persons with God.’
“There are a large number of professed Christians who would feel surprised and deeply injured if they were shown the light in which God regards them. They are spiritually dead, while professing to live. They are false lights—signs that point in the wrong direction. To these I would lift my voice in warning. Study your Bibles, analyze your motives and principles, before it is too late. When you repent and become converted, you will see and appreciate the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. The half-hearted, pleasure-loving professor of religion is the very best agent Satan has to allure souls away from the straight gate and from the narrow path. Such have proved the ruin of souls they might have saved had they walked in the footprints of the Light of life.
“And yet these persons think that because they have a form of godliness, they are accepted of God. But God does not receive such as His sons and daughters. In that great day when He shall render to every man according as his works have been, they will realize the truth of the words, ‘Not everyone that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.’ ” The Review and Herald, October 27, 1896
“Let all God’s workers study the plan of salvation, and think what the working out of that plan cost. Calvary speaks with all its agony of suffering. There the Son of God died to secure eternal life for those who receive Him. No one but Christ can make man a partaker of the divine nature. Only His human hand pierced on Calvary’s cross, can lay hold of fallen man, and uplift him.” Battle Creek Letters, 18
Friend, there will be no Unfallen Street or Fallen Street in heaven. There will be no King James Bible Road or New King James Bible Road. There will be no Messiah Avenue or Just a Good Man Avenue. And there will be no Trinitarian Boulevard, Arian Boulevard, or Oneness of God Boulevard in heaven either. There are so many unnecessary arguments and they need to stop, because in heaven, God’s people will live together in complete unity and harmony to His law. His people will love Him supremely and their brothers and sisters as they would want to be loved themselves. Unity of spirit, thought, and doctrine must be accomplished here and now or we will not be going there.
Judy Rebarchek is the managing editor of LandMarks magazine. She can be reached at judyrebarchek@stepstolife.org or by phone at 316-788-5559.