Primary Importance
The Apostle Paul identified two of Jesus’ triumphs as of first (primary) gospel importance:
(1) That Christ died for our sins
(2) That He rose again (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
Necessary Truths
To save us, Jesus had to be God and man, sent by the Father, and achieve eternal redemption so He could save us by faith alone. However, besides those truths of primary importance, other factors were necessary, or Jesus couldn’t save us. The following are examples; He had to:
Be born of a virgin (Matthew 1:22-23; Luke 1:27; 34).
Be descended from Adam and therefore related to everyone who has, does, and will live (Luke 3:23-38).
Live a sinless life (defeat the devil and temptation) (Hebrews 2:14-15; 4:15).
Bring the new birth and eternal life (John 3:1-18).
Jesus Lived a Sinless Life
Before Jesus was Born
“The angel of the Lord appeared to him (Joseph, Jesus’ stepfather) in a dream saying … “Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife…. She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Without Blemish
Jesus was born to save us from our sins. In the Old Testament, sacrifices were animals without spots or blemishes. These defects symbolize the effects of sin. To save us, Jesus needed to live a holy and sinless life.
To redeem us, Jesus served as the New Testament sacrifice that fulfilled the requirements of the sacrificial system. He had to be without sin: “You were not redeemed with perishable things, like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19).
Jesus faced the temptations of sin like every human does
At the beginning of His ministry, Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness for forty days.
“Then Jesus was led up into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil” (Matthew 4:1).
Defeated Satan
Jesus endured the forty days without sinning, defeating Satan’s temptations by quoting God’s word:
“Then Jesus said to him (the devil), “Get away from here, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve. Then the devil left Him” (Matthew 4:10-11).
Despite Satan’s temptations, Jesus “committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth” (1 Peter 2:22).
Our Helper
The Bible teaches that Jesus’ temptations enable Him to minister to us in our suffering because He endured temptation without sin. The Scriptures tell us that…
“We do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who was in every sense tempted like we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
Our Invitation
Many of us feel unworthy to approach Jesus in prayer when we face temptation. However, it’s important to remember that being tempted is not a sin. The Bible encourages us to “come with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (when tempted)’ (Hebrews 4:16).
Doing Good
Jesus did not only live a life free from evil; He also brought goodness with Him and shared it with others.
“God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him” (Acts 10:38).
Summary
“You know that He (Jesus) was revealed to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin” (1 John 3:5).
“God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
