Christ knew no sin. Christ knew OF sin, but sinned not. Christ abhors sin to the uttermost. Christ willingly took on flesh with ALL its tendencies toward sin. Christ COULD be tempted to sin. If there had been a hedge erected around Christ so that it was impossible for Him to sin, then Satan would NEVER have bothered to even try to tempt Him and he would have been crying foul very, very loudly. If Christ did NOT really sacrifice anything, if He came to earth protected in a way that we cannot be protected why bother coming here at all? Christ was GOD put into flesh, OUR flesh. Christ never sinned but being born into sinful flesh, death was the penalty for that flesh.
Christ was not given supernatural access to God - access we are not allowed to possess. Just imagine how Satan would use any sort of super power to say Christ didn't prove anything. Christ proved human flesh was capable of being sinless beyond the inherited sin tendencies. Christ proved the possibility by His complete and full choice to rely upon God the Father for ALL things always.
We all know how various sports/contests and the like strive to make things as fair as possible during the events. We've outlawed strength enhancing drugs, we have many weight classes so that the fights are as fair as possible. We try not to give any one team/player unfair advantages over another so that the winning is warranted fairly not because another has a greater advantage over the other. No winner wants to win based on unfair advantages, no winner that has any self-respect that is. What good does it do to say I won that race when I was so much more muscled, and my body was pumped full of artificial strength? I would know I didn't win fairly, I cheated.
Christ could NOT cheat and earn us salvation it would NOT work that way, it couldn't work that way! He did NOT have unfair advantage, He did NOT have anything that we are not able to avail ourselves of because He did NOT cheat.
Let's get one thing straight before we continue- Christ did not come so we would be able to resist sin ON OUR OWN.
Christ did NOT resist sin on His own. He kept connected to God the Father.
Where Adam and Eve chose to break the connection they had with God, and sinned, Christ never broke His connection with the Father.
Having kept His connection with the Father perfectly Christ still had to pay the penalty for sin- and He did that FOR US. Christ had to face what all who will face that are not forgiven and saved by Christ. Christ faced a complete cut off from His Father having done NOTHING to deserve such a horrific fate! The sacrifice was of such enormous impact we can scarcely even imagine it at all! We live our lives able to choose to have Christ forever with us, never cut off from us, never. Christ cried out at the forsaking of Himself by the Father. We do not ever have to cry out the forsaking of ourselves by Christ not even when we face the first death. Christ is right there with us, with ALL His forever promises! We may suffer unimaginably but that suffering is not done alone. Christ had to go through His death suffering alone. Christ had the hope, the faith in the Father, but not the Father with Him at the very end. We have the hope in Christ, the faith in Christ, and Christ will never leave us, never forsake us, through HIS power we hold fast to the hope found only in HIM. Paul could say though he faced death and torture often that it was joy to him because it was for Christ.
Christ went through the worst of the worst so He could fairly before universes unnumbered, before the Father in Heaven, before all angels- redeem sinful mankind. He paid the awful price necessary to pay in order to give us the hope of a life made new in HIM, a life that will know eternity with Him.
We suffer now, but we are never forsaken.
Php 3:7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Php 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
Php 3:9 And be found in him, NOT HAVING MINE OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Php 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
Php 3:11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
2Co 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2Co 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
1Pe_2:19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
1Ti_4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
2Ti_1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
2Ti_2:9 Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.
2Ti_2:12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us
2Ti_3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
Heb_11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season
1Pe_2:20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
1Pe_3:14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled
1Pe_3:17 For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
1Pe_4:15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.
1Pe_4:16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
1Pe_4:19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
Rev_2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
How then are we to live…
By GRACE.
And GRACE will work in us as we avail ourselves of that grace. We seek to know God's will. We know the law that was transgressed and brought about sin, the same law that came with the hope of grace. The perfect standard impossible for the imperfect to uphold revealing the need for a perfect Redeemer who would uphold the perfect standard.
The Redeemer who becomes our Redeemer and lives in us, works in us, fills our lives and in that presence we know of our imperfection and we rely upon Him to save us from those imperfections. As we fall short, we turn to Him for forgiveness. We never stop recognizing the perfect standard for what it will always be. We never excuse our short comings, we acknowledge them and in acknowledging them our remorse for our imperfection has us to cling ever tighter to our Redeemer, our hope. We are NOT our own hope! Christ is our hope, Christ is EVER our hope.
I sin because I am a sinner. I desire NOT to sin because I know that any and all sin is a separating of me from God. I repent and seek forgiveness so I can be covered in the Righteousness of the One who sinned not, the Perfect One, Jesus Christ Our Savior. I rest in HIS righteousness, not at any time in my ability to seemingly overcome any sin. If I happen to stop sinning a particularly besetting sin it will only be by the power of Christ. I will have not stopped of my own accord. All the glory goes to Christ, all the glory goes to God! As I continue to sin under those sins that easily beset me, the almost deliberate sins I seemingly fear I'll never give up, I MUST keep within me the HOPE of their ultimate end as a part of my life! The battle rages on and my victory is found in CHRIST. I trust that every single sin that is a part of my life will ultimately be forsaken. I trust that all that separates me from God will be gone! I claim the blood of Jesus Christ, I have my filthy robes washed white in HIS blood! I trust in HIM. I BELIEVE in HIM. He helps my unbelief! He gives me the faith I need to have the faith! The Holy Spirit is promised to me now, to live in me to guide me along this wicked world's roads, protecting me!
CHRIST IS MY RIGHTEOUSNESS! I am not and will never be my own righteousness!
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