8: Jesus is Worthy

How was Jesus able to be a perfect sacrifice for the world? How did he have the strength to accomplish what he did on the cross?

1.     David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14, Act 13:22).

Unlike in the life of Adam, we see in the life of David the foundations of the kind of man who could be Christ: one who sought the Lord with all of his heart, repented when confronted with sin (Psalm 51), and desired God above all else (Psalm 27:4). David loved and worshipped God (2 Samuel 6:14-15). David was fully dependent on God. This is seen throughout the Psalms as David writes out his prayers, crying out to God consistently throughout his life. David loved God’s Word (Psalm 19:7). 

While David was far from perfect and sinned seriously against God through adultery and murder, he fully repented, and God forgave him. No one can look at the life of David and not be amazed at his devotion for God. David was like Christ in many ways.

2.     David defeated sin (to some extent) at its root.

^“Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. ¹⁴ But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. ¹⁵ Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” James 1:13-15

The root of sin is evil desire. Evil human desire give birth to sin, and sin gives birth to death. Desire in and of itself is of course not evil, so James here is referring to evil desires that tempt, lure, and entice people.

“One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord    all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord    and to seek him in his temple.”

Psalm 27:4

One of the reasons David was called a man after God’s own heart was because, despite his struggles and sin, he earnestly sought after God and declared that God was ultimately His “one thing”: his one desire. Psalm 27:4 reveals that David “only” sought God and his “one desire” was God Himself. Jesus said, “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Luke 6:45). David’s heart was full of a desire to seek God and gaze at God. He desired God over all.

Now, you may be thinking, don’t give David too much credit: he seriously sinned in committing adultery and murder. While there is no excuse for his sin, he fully repented (Psalm 51). Paul talks about genuine Christians who struggle with their sin in Romans 7:14-20, affirming it does not define them: ^“We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. ¹⁵ I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. ¹⁶ And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷ As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. ¹⁸ For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.”  David sinned. He also loved God. Such is the story of all Christians. When we are tempted to judge David and others who have sinned in “greater ways” than us we should remember Jesus’ words that equate looking at someone lustfully as adultery (Matthew 5:28) and John’s words that hating someone in our heart is murder (1 John 3:15). 

David, though, despite his sin, is unique among many in the Bible in his single-hearted desire for God. This desire for God is what James 1:14 says is vital for defeating sin at its root, as sin is caused by evil desire. David's single-hearted desire for God as the "one thing" he desired (Psalm 27:4) helped him to be Christ.

3.     Jesus’ victorious life was a product of his sinless birth and his amazing love, obedience, and single-hearted desire for God.

No human is immune to the impact of sin from the moment of our conception. Psalm 51:5 says, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.” Ephesians 2:1-3 describes the human condition, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.” Paul indicates in these verses that humans deserve wrath “by nature” and that we are “dead” in transgressions and sin. This is our natural state apart from Christ. Romans 5:12 underlines this, “Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned.” Sin entered the world because of Adam, and all men die because all sin (“men” in this translation refer to all people including women). No person has ever lived a sinless life (apart from Christ), as by nature we are sinners, we sin, and we die. Proverbs 22:15 makes clear that children are not exempt from this sentence: “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child.” Genesis 8:21 agrees, “the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” Jeremiah 17:9 describes the heart condition of all people apart from God, “the heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” Ecclesiastes 9:3 affirms this, “the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil, and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives”. In Adam, humans have no hope and are born corrupt and sinful. In Christ, there is hope – but how could such a hope arise from someone who sinned gravely himself?

In my discussions with Trinitarian Christians, I have heard the argument again and again that no one can save us but God. Only an infinite God could atone for sin against an infinite God. But is that what Scripture says or are words being added to God’s Word? Biblical unitarians maintain that Jesus was born in Bethlehem with no past lives, lived a sinless life, and saved us. What would they think of a Jesus who had a sinful past? Would they think that Jesus could save us?

Only God and His Word clearly show who Jesus is, how he was able to save us, and God’s stamp of approval on Jesus’ finished work on the cross. We may think that only God could save us – but does the Bible say that? God loves to use His children for His purposes. We may think that if Jesus really was Adam and David – so, truly like us, as a sinner – that God could not possibly use him to save the world, but does the Bible say that? We may think that is foolish, but 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 describes God’s wisdom as shown on the cross:

^18 “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹ For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;    the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

²⁰ Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? ²¹ For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. ²² Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³ but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, ²⁴ but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

²⁶ Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him. ³⁰ It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. ³¹ Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” 

Our God choose the lowly things of this world, and the despise things, and uses them. I think these verses make much more sense when read believing Jesus was Adam and David than read believing Jesus was somehow Almighty God. As an aside, the way Jesus and God are presented and described in this passage by Paul clearly shows Jesus is not God. God can use Adam to save the world after Adam failed – and isn’t there beauty in that? God does not give up on us. He uses us in our brokenness, and in our failure, and makes something beautiful out of us. What better person for God to use to save the world than Adam? Again, mercy triumphs over judgment. God’s mercy and grace in Adam’s life resulted in Adam becoming Jesus, who God used to save the world.

Certainly, going back to the argument that only God could save us, Jesus could never have accomplished what he did without being uniquely empowered by God. For one, while he had to be made like us in every respect to be our high priest (Hebrews 2:17), he was unlike us in respect to sin. He was born without the sinful nature supernaturally by the virgin birth. Romans 5:19 says that, “For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners…” and Romans 5:12 says that, “just as through one man sin entered into the world.” Sin came through Adam. While the Bible does not explicitly say God orchestrated Jesus’ virgin birth, which took place apart from a man and was the work of the Holy Spirit, so that Jesus would not have a sin nature, it is implicit. God has purpose in everything he does, and Jesus was, somehow, born without the sin nature. It seems the virgin birth was part of what made this possible, particularly given that sin was passed through a man, and Jesus’ birth took place without a man. What is more, because Jesus was born sinless, God was uniquely able to fill him in a way He could fill no one else in history because every other human has had sin. Colossians 2:9 says that Jesus was filled with all the fullness of God. If Jesus had had sin, a holy God could not have filled him and enabled him to accomplish what he did. So, Jesus’ strong character and pure heart, as seen in the life of David, combined with God’s supernatural empowerment of him through the virgin birth and being completely filled with all the fullness of God, enabled Jesus to be who he was and accomplish what he did.

God sent His Son in the “likeness of sinful flesh” (Romans 8:3), but not literally IN sinful flesh like the rest of humanity. Like Adam in Genesis, Jesus was created pure, undefiled from sin. 1 John 3:5 is clear that “in him is no sin”, though the verses cited earlier demonstrate that this is not the reality of any other human. This does not contradict Hebrews 2:17, which states Jesus was made fully human in every way. Of course, Jesus could not have been made like us in our sin, or he could not have been our savior. In every OTHER way, he was made like us by God. 

It is important to note that Jesus was sinless because the virgin birth bypassed any sin Jesus would have inherited naturally from his parents, but Jesus did not have any advantage beyond that. Again, God purified Jesus as David. Jesus was born with a pure heart and soul because he fully repented and obeyed and sought God as David. All Christians are called to do the same, and Jesus’ life shows this is indeed possible: being like Christ. Jesus’ sinless, obedient life was a product of his amazing character and heart for God, and God protecting him from the impact his parents’ sin would have had on him without the supernatural virgin birth.

Jesus is worthy of our great respect, praise, and honor. As a man without sin, he had to obey God flawlessly and die for us on a cross. While him being born without the sin nature via the virgin birth was necessary for him to accomplish what he did and certainly made being fully obedient to God possible, this lack of the sin nature had both advantages and disadvantages for Jesus. It is decidedly easier to live in a sinful world if you are a sinner than if you are righteous. Jesus must have experienced great loneliness throughout his life, for who could truly understand him? Who could he fully relate with? No one besides God Himself. We often think of Jesus’ crucifixion as his suffering, and it is. But his whole life was an offering to God that took tremendous courage and devotion.

Again, Jesus’ ability to live a sinless life, while made possible by his sinless birth and God’s empowerment of him, was only possible because of his strong character. Jesus, as shown in the life of David, already loved God and worshipped Him. In this way, Jesus is completely different than Adam, who was also created without sinful flesh and sinned anyway. In contrast, Jesus is born without sinful flesh, like Adam, but with a completely transformed heart, as the Bible shows us in the person of David. God could miraculously orchestrate Jesus’ sinless birth, but it was Jesus, in his love for God, that decided to choose and obey God faithfully his whole life and endure the horror of the cross for the world. We are not robots, and Jesus could have chosen differently, but he did not out of love for us. He is worthy of great praise, honor, and glory. He is worthy of our surrender – to him and to God, for the sake of God’s kingdom.

Jesus deserves tremendous respect and honor. Jesus, as a true human, not God, went through a colossal amount of pressure during his life. He knew he was Adam (John 17:5), as he knew he had glory with God before the world existed, and he had to bear that, knowing that, as God told him in the garden, his death and sinlessness was the only way for the world to be saved. The strength it must have took to bear that, lead his disciples, and face the antagonism against him is incredible. His family when he started his ministry thought he was insane (Mark 3:20-21). While he certainly was friends with his disciples, they did not truly understand him or his purpose, and that is evident throughout the gospels. Jesus must have been among one of the loneliest people in history, but he stayed devoted to his Father throughout it all.

He also had to bear, as fully human, not God, that he would have to die for the world. He knew he would be raised in three 3 days, but can you imagine the agony of living with, for at least 3 years, the inevitable crucifixion, undoubtedly one of the most painful ways to die? As Adam, he probably also bore significant guilt for the state of the world, knowing he was responsible for the fall (Romans 5:12). All these pressures plagued him, and yet he persevered with amazing courage and love.

It should also be noted that while Jesus did sin in his past lives as Adam and David, he did not deserve the cross. The cross was God’s wrath on the world’s sin. Jesus experienced the wrath of God on the entire world’s sin – every sin of every person – for 6 excruciating hours, because he loved us, and God, so much. God’s judgment on the world was what Jesus endured – Jesus shows us the grace of God, and the grace of Christ himself, in demonstrating the deepest form of love known to man: dying for others. As 1 John 2:2 says, “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”

The implications of this for Christians are amazing, as Jesus is far more like us than we could have imagined. Christians can be like Christ. Think of who Jesus was: Adam and David. As I explain in section 3 of my blog, "Universal Salvation", in my post "What is salvation according to the Bible?", the sanctification part of salvation is a combination of both God's miraculous intervention in the human heart and our own effort, particularly in God changing us to desire Him alone and not evil. Psalm 27:4 says, “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”  Holiness comes from making God our “one thing” and loving Him above all, which includes, of course truly loving our neighbor. As James 1:13-15 and 2 Peter 1:4 reveal, evil desire is the root and cause of sin. Full sanctification is both possible and God’s promise for every Christian. Not only can Christians be like Christ, but we will be just like Christ – his image (Romans 8:29) – so, God’s image (Colossians 1:15). As Philippians 1:6 says, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”