The life of Christ was meant to be irrefutable proof that the gospel “...works for you just as it did for Christ....” (1 John 2:8, The Living Bible) The example of Christ is obscured for those who do not understand that the bodily difference between the Lord and us is a result of his decision to remain sinless as he developed the mental capacity necessary to sin. Because he maintained sinlessness, he retained power over his own life and could therefore atone for the sins of the world by enduring pain beyond what would kill anyone else. Everything else he did was through power available to anyone willing to choose to live as he did.
What Jesus became, he became through the same faith we have access to. His ability to exercise faith was through the same power of choice available to us, not through some magic power the Father uniquely gave to Jesus. No matter how advanced his spirit was, he did not arrive with any special privileges compared to anyone else. Just like you, Jesus was born as a baby, and grew spiritually through time—just as he grew physically—until he attained the full stature of the Father, just as we can grow into the full stature of the Son.5 His whole life is a testament to what is possible for you to achieve through faith, not an exposition of what can only be done through exclusive and unattainable gifts of God given to Jesus alone.
The value of the Lord’s example is severely restricted when instead of seeing him as being made a little lower than angels,6 we insist that His mortal sojourn was somehow free from everything that makes mortality a trial. As plainly attested to by those who would know the best, Jesus endured a life more difficult than any of ours, with fewer privileges than any of us enjoy, and still managed to learn and live the fullness of the character of the Father against greater opposition than any of us will face.
False traditions about how and when Jesus learned who he was, received knowledge and power from the Father, and suffered all he did place artificial distance between us and the example he demonstrated. Christians can pay lip-service to Jesus as the author and finisher of our faith, but while they believe he was endowed with magic powers from birth, couldn’t possibly sin, wasn’t tempted to do so, and knew everything about himself and the Father from birth, his example provides no help to any of us in knowing how to follow it or believe that we can. By learning the truth about the progression of Jesus throughout his life, any person can grow closer to him no matter how far from him they may currently be through following the same exact patterns he did.
We should temper our assumptions about the life of Jesus by the fact that it was necessary for Jesus to face greater challenges than anyone else. Understand that any special privilege possessed by the Lord would render his sacrifice for our sins null and void. Of what worth is a sacrifice for sins by someone who is not tempted by sin?
Footnotes
- 1. My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined. (Job 23:11) ↩
- 2. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself, even as he is pure. (1 John 3:2-3) ↩
- 3. And fulfilling his potential, he became the example of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; (Hebrews 5:9, Author’s Reflection) ↩
- 4. And as it has been written that the first Adam came as a living soul, the last Adam will come as a life-giving spirit. The first Adam came by breathing God’s spirit into himself, the last Adam will come breathing God’s spirit into others. The first Adam came from an eternal life to receive a mortal life, the second Adam will come from a mortal life to lead all to an eternal life. The first man was brought down to earth, and though his soul came down from heaven, his body was made of the dust. The second man will ascend to heaven, and though his body be born in flesh as any other mortal, it will be quickened by a fullness of God’s spirit. Those who remain of the earth do so by following the example of the first Adam, choosing to rebel against God. Those who will become the sons of God will do so by following the example of the second Adam, completely subjecting themselves to God. And as we have taken upon ourselves the image of the earthy through birth, we must also take upon ourselves the image of the heavenly through repentance and sanctification. (1 Corinthians 15:45-49, Author’s Reflection) ↩
- 5. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: (Ephesians 4:13-15) ↩
- 6. Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. (Hebrews 2:7-8) ↩