Tempted, But Without Sin

Q.  We all know that Jesus was born of a virgin so that He would not be born in sin, like the rest of us. My question is this, If Jesus was not capable of sinning, why does the Bible say that, “He was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin?” It also says, Jesus is our example. But He was not able to sin. And if this is true, why did the devil bother tempting Him?

A.  These are good questions.  First, it is true that Jesus didn’t have a sin nature.  But that doesn’t make a person incapable of sinning.  Remember, Adam and Eve didn’t have a sin nature either, and yet they sinned.  Second, James 1:15 says sin begins with desire.  Therefore, temptation becomes a sin when we consciously consider yielding to it.   In His human nature Jesus faced all the temptations common to man, but He never once considered acting on them (Hebrews 4:15).

In Matt. 4:1-11 the devil was trying to get Jesus to consider acting on the temptations presented to Him, knowing if Jesus did He would become a sinner and would be disqualified as our redeemer. The example He was setting was in choosing not to yield to the temptation.