Tuesday, September 28, 2010

WAS JESUS PREDESTINED?

At my brother Bobby Grow's blog "Christianly" Here:
http://recreatedinchrist.wordpress.com/2010/09/25/inerrancy-an-american-phenomenon/
a commenter replied that Jesus could have understandably had errors in knowledge as a man, and prophet, and as such the scriptures also could have errors in  things that the redemptive engine does not directly hinge upon. 
The commenter also mentioned Jesus'  "inability to sin".  This is my chief complaint.  It is not the first, nor second time I've heard this concept.  If true, the implication is that Jesus really had no struggle to complete His mission: He was compelled along, all on the right paths.  He could have run headlong down live's paths like a horse galloping through a forest at night.  He would not fall into any pits, or  be clotheslined by any low limbs.   Not a care in the world.
 Here is my reply to that implication:



Hi Bobby and [commenter's name withheld]


Two things:

I imagine that Jesus, as a child would have been perfectly teachable, and as this is the Holy posture, would have retained this throughout His mission. He would have withheld judgement unless or until He had inerrant knowledge. We have learned often now to say, “I don’t know, I can give my best guess, but don’t hold me to that”. Is He not the perfect Judge? Sometimes, when Jesus was healing, He would say something like, “Your sins are forgiven, go and sin no more.” He must have had revelation from the Holy Spirit in most of these cases.

Speaking of the Holy Spirit: I have come to believe that Jesus as Son of Man was absolutely dependent moment to moment, upon the Holy Spirit, to successfully complete His mission, just as we would be if we would perfectly complete our misson.

Ken, I object to your words of Jesus’ “inability to sin”. It sounds deterministic, as if His life travelled a key way in a lockset, in which it is physically impossible for the key to vary to the left or the right. The key does not have to depend upon the operator to follow the key ways to complete it’s mission, as long as it is propelled forward. Jesus, in all ways tempted as are we, yet without sin, was capable moment to moment of “forgetting” His mission, or more accurately, overthrowing His mission, to have His own way. I surmise the instant this happened, Satan would have won. Jesus in some way always knew this, and so for the Love of God and for the Love of creation, knew He Had to be in the Spirit every single moment. When I reflect on this, it strikes me as, not deterministic, but impossible: impossible that He could complete His mission entirely without sin or error. But with God, all things are possible.

Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.