For believers only please...

[lorene]

Did Jesus have flesh? Of course He had a body and in that regard flesh, but I am meaning flesh like did He have to war with His flesh or rather sin in His flesh?(Could He have sin in the flesh and still be sinless?)

could the first temptation be a sign of His fleshly warfare?

[lorene]

31 views and no responses...nevermind then..sheesh...(Moving along).

[cnorman18]

Did Jesus have flesh? Of course He had a body and in that regard flesh, but I am meaning flesh like did He have to war with His flesh or rather sin in His flesh?(Could He have sin in the flesh and still be sinless?)

could the first temptation be a sign of His fleshly warfare?

You are getting no replies because your question only concerns a relatively small group of members here, very conservative Christians. To others, including atheists, Jews like myself, and more liberal Christians, the question is a non sequitur.

To put on my 40-years-discarded preacher's hat, I would have said, when I was a Methodist pastor, that of COURSE Jesus had to struggle with the temptations of the flesh. Part of the miracle of the Incarnation is that God became a man, and thus shared all the trials and tribulations, pains and triumphs, that human flesh is heir to; as in the song, "God was one of us." If he was just God wearing a man-suit, then the Incarnation was pointless; indeed, the idea that Jesus only appeared to be human was one of the first Christian heresies, and was collectively discarded by Christianity more than a thousand years ago. The Nicene Creed speaks of Jesus being "wholly God and wholly man," and that phrase was included specifically to counter that heresy. How is someone "wholly man" if he doesn't feel temptation?

Now, to put my yarmulke (Jew-hat) back on; since I regard Jesus, if he existed at all, as nothing more than an ordinary human, the question seems a bit pointless.

[danus]

Did Jesus have flesh? Of course He had a body and in that regard flesh, but I am meaning flesh like did He have to war with His flesh or rather sin in His flesh?(Could He have sin in the flesh and still be sinless?)

could the first temptation be a sign of His fleshly warfare?

You are getting no replies because your question only concerns a relatively small group of members here, very conservative Christians. To others, including atheists, Jews like myself, and more liberal Christians, the question is a non sequitur.

To put on my 40-years-discarded preacher's hat, I would have said, when I was a Methodist pastor, that of COURSE Jesus had to struggle with the temptations of the flesh. Part of the miracle of the Incarnation is that God became a man, and thus shared all the trials and tribulations, pains and triumphs, that human flesh is heir to; as in the song, "God was one of us." If he was just God wearing a man-suit, then the Incarnation was pointless; indeed, the idea that Jesus only appeared to be human was one of the first Christian heresies, and was collectively discarded by Christianity more than a thousand years ago. The Nicene Creed speaks of Jesus being "wholly God and wholly man," and that phrase was included specifically to counter that heresy. How is someone "wholly man" if he doesn't feel temptation?

Now, to put my yarmulke (Jew-hat) back on; since I regard Jesus, if he existed at all, as nothing more than an ordinary human, the question seems a bit pointless.

Answered as far as Christianity is concerned.

I would add that while he struggled with the sin of the flesh he did not give into the temptation of giving up the struggle.

[Alethos]

Did Jesus have flesh? Of course He had a body and in that regard flesh, but I am meaning flesh like did He have to war with His flesh or rather sin in His flesh?(Could He have sin in the flesh and still be sinless?)

could the first temptation be a sign of His fleshly warfare?

Hi lorene,

Jesus was born of Mary ~ His body developed within her just as our bodies developed within our mothers. The difference is that He did not have a physical father as we did.

Scripture tells us that He was tempted by all the things that we are but did not sin so the answer to your question (for me) would be "Yes" He was tempted and did not sin.

You asked if He could have sin in His flesh and still not sin. Being born of Mary means that He was born with the same inclinations as we are but turned His back to the temptation that being a physical human brings. I think this is a part of it being said that He was "son of man". He showed us the most excellent example of what it is to walk the straight and narrow path that leads us toward and to God, His Father. We are to follow Him.

[slashreborn06]

Did Jesus have flesh? Of course He had a body and in that regard flesh, but I am meaning flesh like did He have to war with His flesh or rather sin in His flesh?(Could He have sin in the flesh and still be sinless?)

could the first temptation be a sign of His fleshly warfare?

Jesus as he was on earth in human form I believe felt pain, all human emotions and was tempted, just like we were tempted. His being tempted was part of the reason he was here. He specifically goes out into the desert to be tempted by the Devil. He is tempted with the rule of the entire world.

Could Jesus have sinned in the flesh? I think yes, it was possible. Did he. I don't believe he did. He died totally sinless, and pure. The only man who ever lived who did not sin. That is what made him a suitable sacrifice, taking on all our sins for us. That is what makes his sacrifice so amazing. He was beaten, abused, whipped, cursed at, pierced, given a crown of thorns, mocked, betrayed. And through all of this at no point did he curse any of his persecutors. Just the Opposite. on the cross he say "Father forgive them for they know not what they have done."

[Slopeshoulder]

Seems pretty fair to say that Jesus woke up with erections like the (male) rest of us.

So, did he masturbate? That depends on whether or not he thought it was a sin. I wonder about this because. 1. the ancient world might not have been so victorian in their mindset as what we have inherited and project back 2000 years, and 2. God might not think it's a sin; he may know better than those then and now who do think it is. Or not.

Did he satisfy his desire? That would depend on whether he thought pre-marital sex was sinful, or if he (and God) thought that respectful, consensual sex with another single person on non-ovulating days is not sinful. I know conservative Christians think it is, but God might think otherwise. Or not.

Of course, he might have been a widower before he turned 30 and started preaching (the story doesn't say, but it would be unusual to be 30, jewish, and unmarried at the time), so in current Christian understanding, sin wouldn't have entered into it if he had been married previously as some scholars suggest Paul was also.

So the issue is, what exactly might he have stuggled with? I think he struggled, like the rest of us, to control a primal human urge toward indiscriminate sex in favor of ethical sex, or perhaps celibacy. That's hard, but Jesus may have valued it and chosen it and stuck to it. If anyone could have, he could have. I wonder how much celibacy was practiced at the time. Weren't the Essenes said to be celibate?

Note that in none of these circumstances can Jesus be said to have sinned if it's possible that God feels differently than conservative Christians do about what is and isn't a sin. This of course would require conservative Christians to give up the arrogance that they have God all figured out. That might be a sin worth overcoming.

[melissa]

I am one of the minority of conservative Christians and this is an interesting question. What did it mean for Jesus to be tempted, since he was without sin and unable to sin? Was the struggle real or only external? How much did he want to do things that were contrary to His Father's will such as fast during the 40 days in the wilderness? I don't think we can know for sure since scripture is not explicit, but I believe that since it is stated that Jesus was tempted in every way, yet without sin, there was real suffering in denying himself, while there was not any possibility that he would indulge his flesh sinfully, since he is God in human flesh. I don't have a real handle on the answer, but thanks for asking it.

[Adstar]

I believe attempts where made to tempt Jesus. But Jesus was never under any temptation to give into temptation because He was sinless and was not fleshly in that aspect.

To state that Jesus was tempted as we are tempted, that is He had to struggle or engage in a war of conscience to resist an impure desire. Is pretty much a denial of the divine nature of Jesus.


All Praise The Ancient Of Days

[melissa]

I believe attempts where made to tempt Jesus. But Jesus was never under any temptation to give into temptation because He was sinless and was not fleshly in that aspect.

To state that Jesus was tempted as we are tempted, that is He had to struggle or engage in a war of conscience to resist an impure desire. Is pretty much a denial of the divine nature of Jesus.


All Praise The Ancient Of Days

Thank you! I stand corrected.