SEMESTER 3
137 – The Impeccability of Christ
BIBLE INSTITUTE OF CORRESPONDENCE
COURSE: THEOLOGY III LESSON # 37
THE IMPECCABILITY OF CHRIST
Read James 1:13-17
, Heb. 4:15 and Jn. 14:30
INTRODUCTION:
1. The impeccability of Christ is such a simple and basic doctrine, no difficulty should exist.
2. Yet even among apparently sound men there is controversy and outright doubt of this doctrine.
III: Richard Dehaan’s denial of it some years ago. (Hear on tape.)
3. It seems to me, the reason for the controversy all lies in a misunderstanding of two Bible revelations:
i. The essence of sin.
ii. The basic nature of man.
I. DEFINITION OF THE TERM
1. By impeccability one is basically saying sinlessness.
2. However, the discussion on this point is the hypothetical ability of Christ to sin.
3. It is basically agreed that Christ did not commit sin.
4. The issue before us here is: Could He have done so?
i. The one side contends that if He could not have, then there is no victory in that He did not.
ii. The other side perceives that if He could have, it is even as He did.
II. THE ESSENCE OF SIN
1. I expect there are only two, basic theories of human conduct.
i. That we are what we do, i.e., action is the cause, and character is the effect.
ii. That we do what we are, i.e., character is the cause and action is the effect.
2. The Bible establishes the latter concept emphatically. (Mat. 12:34-35, Mat. 15:18-19)
3. We are not sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners. (Jn. 8:42-44)
4. A humbling effect upon every sane man is that whatever evil we have not done, we could have and thus, would have under given circumstances.
5. Would we attribute this nature and inherent weakness to Christ? No!
III. WHAT OF CHRIST’S TEMPTATION?
1. We must see Christ’s and our temptation from two prospective.
i. Objective: That is one being the object of Satan’s efforts to lead Him to sin. (Mat. 4:1-11, Luke 4:1-13)
ii. Subjective: This is the nature to subject ourselves to that leading, because of its appeal to us. (James 1:13-17)
2. It is quite obvious that in the case of Christ we saw one of these displayed and the other disproved.
i. All of Satan’s evil appeals were leveled at Christ.
ii. He was not subjectively tempted, because He did not have within Him the “lust” by which He could be drawn away. “God cannot be tempted.”
IV. THE STATEMENT OF THIS DOCTRINE
1. It is not that Christ did not have the opportunities, or the invitation before Him to sin. (He did.)
2. It is that He did not have the disposition to do so.
3. It was not lack of power to do it that prevented Him, it was perfect holiness.
4. This is illustrated in reverse by the statement of John 6:44. (Hear the illustration on tape.)