t5 moved from us that He was "Christ...took our nature "Therefore, He had to be completely beyond the reach in its deteriorated condition." made like His brethren in all of sin—He could not sin. Selected Messages (SM), bk. things, that He might Others, like the late 1:256. (Emphasis supplied.) become a merciful and Adventist theologian, M.L. He "accepted humanity faithful high priest... " Andreasen, believe that when the race had been But there is, in fact, Christ was exactly like us in weakened by four thousand another side to the picture, all respects. Said Andreasen: years of sin." Desire of Ages equally as crucial, and we "If Christ had been (DA) 48. "Christ bore the dare not ignore it if we wish exempt from passions, he sins and infirmities of the to arrive at the complete would have been unable to race as they existed when truth. understand or help He came to the earth to With a different emphasis mankind. ...One who had help man." (SM), bk. 1:267, now, Ellen G. White makes never struggled with 268. the following statements: passions could have no Statements like the above He [Christ] was to take His Roy Adams understanding of their appear to distance Christ position at the head of Editor power, nor has he ever had from Adam and establish an humanity by taking the nature but not the sinfulness the joy of overcoming absolute affinity with us. of man. Signs of the Times, them." "Without passions," Hear her again: May 29, 1901. Andreasen contended, Jesus It would have been an In identifying Himself "had nothing to overcome." almost infinite humiliation with our needs, our ("Letters to the Churches," for the Son of God to take weaknesses and our feel- man's nature, even when ings. He was a mighty Series A, No. 1:7, 8.) petitioner, not possessing the Andreason's burden was to Adam stood in his innocence in Eden. But Jesus accepted passions of our human fallen stress that Christ was our humanity when the race had nature. Testimonies 2:508, 509. Like Adam or Example.' been weakened by four thou- (Emphasis supplied.) The problem we face here sand years of sin. Like every He took upon Himself is similar to that which child of Adam He accepted the human nature, and was tempted in all points as Like Us? confronted our Christian results of the working of the great law of heredity. What human nature is tempted. pioneers in the early these results were is shown He could have sinned; He The Mystery centuries—the lack of any in the history of His earthly could have fallen, but not for definitive statement in ancestors. He came with one moment was there in Him Scripture. This is one reason such a heredity to share our an evil propensity. SDA Bible Commentary 1:1128 (Em- of the why Adventists have leaned sorrows and temptations, and to give us the example phasis supplied.) so heavily on the writings of of a sinless life. The Faith I And there is more! Incarnation Ellen G. White on this Live By, p. 48. (Emphasis Supplied) Part II 1 question. On the face of it, the two And there is more! sets of affirmations from Ellen G. White on The conclusion is Mrs. White seem WOULD HAZARD a the Human Nature inescapable that for Ellen G. contradictory. If "evil guess that all Adventists White there was a vast propensity," for example, accept the phrase from of Christ difference between Adam means an innate or inherent the Creed of Chalcedon, Ellen G. White made no and Christ, resulting from tendency toward sin, a which we highlighted in bones about it. "Christ did the fact that the human favourable disposition Part I of this editorial: "In not make-believe take family, with "every toward it, a leaning or bias all things like us, sin only human nature," she said. successive generation," has in that direction, how can excepted." "He did verily take it. He been drifting further and one say that Christ took But how should we did in reality possess further "from the original human nature after 4000 understand this affirmation? human nature." SDA Bible purity, wisdom and years of degeneration, and What does it mean? Does it Commentary 5:1130. "He knowledge which Adam yet remained un-infected by suK est that Jesus never became bone of our bone possessed in Eden." SM, Bk. this malady, this cancer, this committed an act of sin? and flesh of our 1:267. virus, which has certainly Certainly. On this point flesh. ...Divinity and For many Adventists, the infected all of us, and from we're all agreed. But is that humanity were mysteriously case closes at this point. which we all need all it su:4:ests? No. And combined, and God and Surely, the evidence is deliverance? herein lies the debate. man became one." The Faith conclusive, especially when A plausible explanation of There are those who see I Live By, 48. we add to it the strong this apparent dilemma has Jesus as being so far re- She went even further: affirmation of Heb. 2:17: recently been su:4:ested by 2 MESSENGER/MAY 1988 Cover photo—"Mountain Blue Irrd," by Glen Pearson, Bentley Alberta Tim Poirier of the White reigned," and "through one came in a letter to a Pastor Then follows her strongest Estate. He found in the man's disobedience the W.L.H. Baker, in 1896. warning in the letter: writings of Henry Melvill, many were made sinners." Speaking about the It is a mystery that is left one of the authors carefully (Rom. 5:17, 19.) transmission of sin, she unexplained to mortals that read by Mrs. White as she Historically, this is what wrote: "These dear children Christ could be tempted in prepared her material on the theologians have in mind received from Adam an in- all points like as we are, and yet without sin. The in- Incarnation, a sermon when they talk about heritance of disobedience, of carnation of Christ has ever entitled 'The Humiliation of original sin. Admittedly, it is guilt and death." But did been and will ever remain, the Man Christ Jesus." In not an altogether happy ex- Christ share the same ex- a mystery. That which is this sermon, Melvill made pression. However, some perience? Her response was revealed, is for us and for the point that the fall had Adventists have denigrated strong and emphatic: our children, but let every human being be warned from two basic consequences: (1) it without careful analysis of Be careful, exceedingly the ground of making Christ "innocent infirmities," and its meaning. Fundamentally, careful as to how you dwell altogether human, such an one (2) "sinful propensities!' it says that on account of upon the human nature of as ourselves; for it cannot be. Poirier says: Adam's fall, the entire Christ. Do not set Him (Letter 8, 1895; SDA Bible before the people as a man By "innocent infirmities" human race has been in- Commentary 5:1128-29. (Em- with the propensities of phasis supplied.) Melvin understands such fected with sin, and that, sin. He is the second characteristics as hunger, therefore, the entire world, Adam. The first Adam was And the reason for this is pain, weakness, sorrow, and including infants, stands in created a pure, sinless be- simple. He came not merely death. There are conse- ing, without a taint of sin quences on guilt which are need of a Saviour. to set us an EXAMPLE, but upon him; he was in the to be our SAVIOUR. If He perfectly guiltless. Sin in- Without using the expres- image of God. He could troduces pain, but pain itself sion "original sin" (and fall, and he did fall through were altogether like us, if is not sin. By "sinful propen- perhaps fortunately so), transgressing. Because of sin He had shared in exactly sities," Melvin refers to the Ellen G. White refers, his posterity was born with in- the same way the in- proneness or tendency to herent propensities of disobe- sin. In his summary of the nevertheless, to the same heritance of sin and guilt dience. But Jesus Christ was we all received from Adam, discussion, Melvin makes it human predicament de- the only begotten Son of clear that, in his view, Adam scribed by the apostle and God. He took upon then He would have been had neither "innocent infir- by theologians across the Himself human nature, crippled as a Saviour. But mities" nor "sinful propen- and was tempted in all more than that, He would sities!' We are born with centuries: points as human nature is Himself have stood in need both, and Christ took the By inheritance and exam- tempted. He could have of a redeemer. first but not the second. ple the sons become par- sinned; He could have (Cited in George Knight, takers of the father's sins. fallen, but not for one mo- So He came amongst us From 1888 to Apostasy, 143. Wrong tendencies, per- ment was there in Him an as a real man, a man in every In other words, the verted appetites, and evil propensity. Letter 8, essential sense of the word, debased morals...are incarnate Christ was neither 1895; SDA Bible Commentary "in all things like unto us, just like Adam before the transmitted as a legacy 5:1128. (Emphasis Supplied) from father to son, to the sin only (experiential and fall, nor was He just like us.