Page 57 - Christology - Student Textbook

Section 13: The Impeccability of Jesus Christ

13.1. Connect.

Impeccable. That’s a big word but has a simple meaning. A means “faultless or spotless.” In
theology, it means not liable to sin. Applied to Jesus Christ, it means that Jesus Christ, being
God, was not capable of sinning. His holiness would not allow for Him to fall into temptation.
If that is true, then as man, we must ask the question, “Would Jesus’ humanity permit Him to
sin?” And if the answer is no, then why was Jesus led into the wilderness to be tempted by
Satan described in Luke 4? Seems like a rather fruitless trip to the Judean desert to be tempted
when He could not be tempted to sin. So why did the Spirit of God lead Him into the wilderness for
forty days to be tempted?

Let’s see if we can answer some of these questions in today’s lesson….

13.2. Objectives.

1. The student should be able to state the definition of impeccability.

2. The student should be able to cite some passages in the Bible that describe the
impeccability of Jesus Christ.

3. The student should be able to apply some of the concepts we learn about Christ to our personal
lives of holiness.

13.3. Impossibility and Implausibility for Jesus Christ to have Sinned

Again, in theology, absolute impeccability means that Jesus was incapable of sinning. This is a
highly debated area of Christology. Arguments have been presented on both sides, some
saying He could have sinned but didn’t, others saying that it was impossible for Him to sin. The
point of agreement between the debaters is that Jesus did not sin but could be tempted. All
positions declare that Jesus did not have a sin nature to make the temptation attractive.

Definition
Peccability is the view point which states that Christ could sin. We need to consider the answer to
three questions:
1) Can an impeccable person be tempted?
2) Doesn’t the full humanity of Jesus make it possible for Jesus Christ to have sinned?
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3) If it was impossible for Jesus to have sinned, what implications can be drawn from that?

Can an Impeccable person be tempted?
The answer to this question should be a resounding “yes.” This is so because our Lord Jesus Christ
was tempted in every way just like any fallible human being and yet, He did not sin (Heb. 4:15).
Charles Hodge notes:

This sinlessness of our Lord, however, does not amount to absolute impeccability. It was not a non
protest peccare. If He was a true man, He must have been capable of sinning. That He did not sin

141 Walvoord, Jesus Christ our Lord, 145-46.

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