Did Jesus Have an Advantage over Pre-Fall Adam During the Incarnation?

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.

Burn1986

Active member
Mar 4, 2024
918
212
43
#61
I'm not asking if Jesus is better than us but did He have an advantage in living His earthly life. Iow. Was it easier for Jesus to obey the Father than it was for Adam?
Of course we should all say no, but He was God. He had a pretty heavy task though.
 

sawdust

Active member
Feb 12, 2024
940
194
43
67
Australia
#62
Well, Jesus is God's Son and made everything. I think he genuinely might not want to sin. Comparing yourself to Jesus would be like comparing yourself to your friend in terms of his relationship with his Dad, it's not the same thing.
I'm not comparing the Deity of Christ, it goes without saying if Christ relied on His own Deity while on Earth He would most definitely have the advantage (to put it mildly ;) ) as God cannot be tempted.

Jesus had to function as a man only in order to qualify for the Cross. He couldn't have something inherent that Adam didn't have as a man but in spite of that, did He have an advantage?
 

CS1

Well-known member
May 23, 2012
13,067
4,349
113
#63
I'm not comparing the Deity of Christ, it goes without saying if Christ relied on His own Deity while on Earth He would most definitely have the advantage (to put it mildly ;) ) as God cannot be tempted.

Jesus had to function as a man only in order to qualify for the Cross. He couldn't have something inherent that Adam didn't have as a man but in spite of that, did He have an advantage?
Jesus emptied Himself, known as Kenosis. He fully relied on the Holy Spirit while in His earthly Ministry.
 

sawdust

Active member
Feb 12, 2024
940
194
43
67
Australia
#64
Jesus emptied Himself, known as Kenosis. He fully relied on the Holy Spirit while in His earthly Ministry.
So you are advocating Christ did not have an advantage?
 

ewq1938

Well-known member
Oct 18, 2018
5,020
1,268
113
#67
One might argue Adam walked face to face with the Lord. Maybe that was a greater advantage?

I don't recall any face to face language but it is written that Adam spoke with God, mostly a lecture about the rules rather than friends chatting.
 

sawdust

Active member
Feb 12, 2024
940
194
43
67
Australia
#68
I don't recall any face to face language but it is written that Adam spoke with God, mostly a lecture about the rules rather than friends chatting.
It's intimated in Gen.3:8 as they recognised the sound/voice of the Lord walking in the Garden.

Gen3:8
And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
 

ewq1938

Well-known member
Oct 18, 2018
5,020
1,268
113
#69
It's intimated in Gen.3:8 as they recognised the sound/voice of the Lord walking in the Garden.

Gen3:8
And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Yes they heard him walking. Still nothing about face to face. It is not clear they ever saw God but we are told they heard God whether by voice/words or his walking.
 
Mar 7, 2024
837
63
28
#70
I have discussed this a couple of times with others, never coming to any consensus. I thought I would open the discussion here. Some say because He is God, He did have an advantage, others have been unsure.

What say you?
The Bible is quite clear that Jesus did have a huge advantage over Adam before he fell. Jesus was fully man and fully God at the same time, so He could use His divine powers when He needed to perform miracles. But then He could also act in His capacity as a man to feel pain and sorrow etc.

It's extremely hard for us to get our head around, the fact the He had two natures coexisting at the same time. It's even harder to grasp the Holy Trinity where three distinct Persons make the One Godhead and all three are equally God.
 

sawdust

Active member
Feb 12, 2024
940
194
43
67
Australia
#72
Yes they heard him walking. Still nothing about face to face. It is not clear they ever saw God but we are told they heard God whether by voice/words or his walking.
There is also nothing about not having friendly chats but that doesn't mean the relationship was strictly business. Luke does refer to Adam as a son of God and the writer of Hebrews reminds us that God treats His children with love. Considering all scripture is God breathed, I doubt the words used are coincidental.

As to face to face, the fact that "walking" is referenced is odd if Adam's relationship was purely in the form of a disembodied voice. It is not without precedent that the Lord literally walked with Adam in the Garden and spoke face to face when we consider the story of Abraham leading up to the Sodom incident. Gen.18
 

sawdust

Active member
Feb 12, 2024
940
194
43
67
Australia
#73
He could use His divine powers when He needed to perform miracles.
Could He?

John 5:19
Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

I would argue it was the Holy Spirit working through Christ which is why Jesus would say we will do greater things as we rely on the power of the Spirit just as He did.

John 14:12
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
 

sawdust

Active member
Feb 12, 2024
940
194
43
67
Australia
#74
No, he had the advantage He had the Holy Spirit :)
I had to think about this one as I agree Jesus (and even us now) have the Holy Spirit in a way Adam did not. Yet if the purpose of the Spirit is to keep us from sin, then He isn't doing a great job from our perspective. I would argue having the Spirit doesn't make it any easier to obey God so I'm not sure that is truly an advantage in respect to making it easier to live for God the Father.
 
Mar 7, 2024
837
63
28
#75
Could He?

John 5:19
Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

I would argue it was the Holy Spirit working through Christ which is why Jesus would say we will do greater things as we rely on the power of the Spirit just as He did.

John 14:12
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
Nah, those verses don't apply here. The fact is Jesus is the Lord God Jehovah, who created all things which exist. So that kind of makes Him God and as such He has all power over His creation, this would include the elements if you believe that God is almighty.

So for Jesus to perform miracles was child's play for Him. He mentions His Father in he context that He is doing everything according to His Fathers will. That suggests that some things He had to suffer as a man and other things He done as God Almighty.

For example, He couldn't use His divinity to numb the pain He felt on the cross, as that would void paying the penalty for sin in full and providing the atonement
 

sawdust

Active member
Feb 12, 2024
940
194
43
67
Australia
#76
Nah, those verses don't apply here. The fact is Jesus is the Lord God Jehovah, who created all things which exist. So that kind of makes Him God and as such He has all power over His creation, this would include the elements if you believe that God is almighty.

So for Jesus to perform miracles was child's play for Him. He mentions His Father in he context that He is doing everything according to His Fathers will. That suggests that some things He had to suffer as a man and other things He done as God Almighty.

For example, He couldn't use His divinity to numb the pain He felt on the cross, as that would void paying the penalty for sin in full and providing the atonement
Huh??

Of course they apply. My question in the OP was regarding the Incarnation which is the period of Christ on Earth, roughly a 30 year period. Why do you think Satan tempted Jesus to use His divine powers? Satan knew Jesus as the Son of God, knew that if he could get Jesus to act as God then He would be disqualified as living as a man. The sin of a man got us into this mess, the righteousness of a man had to get us out.
 
Mar 7, 2024
837
63
28
#77
Huh??

Of course they apply. My question in the OP was regarding the Incarnation which is the period of Christ on Earth, roughly a 30 year period. Why do you think Satan tempted Jesus to use His divine powers? Satan knew Jesus as the Son of God, knew that if he could get Jesus to act as God then He would be disqualified as living as a man. The sin of a man got us into this mess, the righteousness of a man had to get us out.
Nah, not at all. That's another incoherent exposition of scripture. Satan offered the whole world to Jesus because Satan is the Prince of this world to this day. Satan's mission was to get the Lord to bow down to Satan and worship Him. Asking Him to turn the stones to bread was just a lead into His main goal of getting the Lord to blaspheme.

The Lord had to use His divinity to resist the temptation of Satan, because every single person who has ever lived to this day has not been able to resist becoming enslaved to Satan, so everyone remains under His control unless God saves them from His power and takes them to be His salves instead.
 
Dec 18, 2023
6,402
406
83
#78
Nah, not at all. That's another incoherent exposition of scripture. Satan offered the whole world to Jesus because Satan is the Prince of this world to this day. Satan's mission was to get the Lord to bow down to Satan and worship Him. Asking Him to turn the stones to bread was just a lead into His main goal of getting the Lord to blaspheme.

The Lord had to use His divinity to resist the temptation of Satan, because every single person who has ever lived to this day has not been able to resist becoming enslaved to Satan, so everyone remains under His control unless God saves them from His power and takes them to be His salves instead.
this is also depraving

Evidently God said to Cain you can rule over sin

Cain was in a fallen state
 

Webers.Home

Well-known member
May 28, 2018
5,828
1,073
113
Oregon
cfbac.org
#79
.
The sin of a man got us into this mess, the righteousness of a man had to get us out.

There's a bit of a technicality.

The two men's actions are limited to their posterity, viz: were we not Adam's
paternal descendants, the consequences of his actions would have no effect
upon us.

The same goes for Christ. The Bible portrays him as a second Adam, so to
speak. So then as all in Adam are reckoned guilty and therefore destined to
die, so all in Christ are reckoned innocent and therefore destined to be
immortal.

Now this is very curious because Isaiah predicted Christ would die leaving
behind no posterity, yet the same prophet also predicted the very opposite.

"And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of
the living; (Isa 53:8)

"He will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of Yahweh will
prosper in his hand." (Isa 53:10, cf. Heb 2:13-14)
_
 

ewq1938

Well-known member
Oct 18, 2018
5,020
1,268
113
#80
Huh??

Of course they apply. My question in the OP was regarding the Incarnation which is the period of Christ on Earth, roughly a 30 year period. Why do you think Satan tempted Jesus to use His divine powers? Satan knew Jesus as the Son of God, knew that if he could get Jesus to act as God then He would be disqualified as living as a man.

Acting as God was not the issue. satan was trying to deceive Christ by tricking him into doing something satan claimed was ok but wasn't like how he twisted scripture to make it seem like Jesus could jump off a cliff and be saved by angels. Christ knew that was not what the scripture spoke about plus if he jumped and wasn't saved, he likely would die and not fulfill the prophecies like the Cross.