TheNatureofChrist - Amazon S3...The Nature of Christ: Help for a church divided over perfection, by Roy Adams. [1994: Review and Herald Publishing Association, ~

The Nature of ChristA book review by Desmond Ford

A bold new denominational book affirms the importanceof the sinless human nature of Christ. This means that

Christ is first and foremost our Savior. He is ourexample in meekness and love, not in perfection.

The Nature of Christ: Help for a church divided over perfection,by Roy Adams. [1994: Review and Herald Publishing Association,

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Hagerstown, Maryland 21740.143 pages, $9.95.]

<..A t last! Mter a century Lord's spiritual nature was like that important? Because a misunder-and a half, the Seventh- of Adam-without spot or blemish. standing of the nature of Christ can

day Adventist church has published a Still, the denomination's publishing so easily lead to the doctrine of per-book devoted entirely to the vital sub- houses have hesitated to proclaim fectionism.ject of the sinless nature of Christ, our that truth in any publication devoted In fact, it has done exactly thatLord and Savior. wholly to the issue. Fear has re- throughout Adventism for about a

For nearly fifty years, the denomi- strained the publication of scholarly century. If we make the Lord Jesusnation has been rent by divisions over responses that many have longed to Christ one altogether such as our-this issue. make. selves, except that he did not yield

The denomination's major univer- to sin, we are led to only one logicalsity, Andrews University, has for nearly Mistake Leads to Perfectionism conclusion. We should be able to dohalf a century clearly taught that our Why is this doctrinal controversy so as he has done.

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the inner parts" (Psalm 51:6 NIV). Be-cause we fail to see how "exceedinglybroad" are the commandments of God,we remain unaware of the height anddepth and length and breadth of thedivine requirements. God's divine re-quirements call for perfect motives,perfect feelings, perfect words, and per-fect actions in every area of existence(see Psalm 119:96).

The perfect love to God and manas required by the two great command-ments (Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34; Luke 10:25-28) is beyond all of us.Furthermore, it would be too late evenif we could accomplish it now. We haveall continually transgressed the spiritof those commandments in years goneby. The law not only requires perfec-tion of our behavior today, but fromthe moment of our first breath andour first thoughts in infancy.

"Who is sufficient for these things?"(2 Corinthians 2:16 KJV)

This not only brings the heresyof perfectionism but tremendous dis-appointment and depression. We canonly be disappointed and depressedas a result of our inevitable failure tomatch the Pattern.

Opposing Views in AdventismIn Adventism, AT. Jones and M.L.Andreasen are chiefly responsible forthe heresy of the sinful nature ofChrist. Their view still rules in thethinking of perhaps the majority ofSeventh-day Adventists (though only ina minority of its pastors in the West-ern world).

In all their years of teaching, Dr.Edward Heppenstall and Dr. RaoulDederen unhesitatingly asserted in alltheir classes the sinless human natureof Christ.

They taught that Christ is "thatholy thing" (Luke 1:35 KJV), "withoutspot and without blemish" (1 Peter1:19), "without spot, and blameless" (2Peter 3:14), "separate from sinners"(Hebrews 7:26).

They taught that Christ "knew nosin" (2 Corinthians 5:21), that "in himis no sin" (lJohn 3:5), that he was "inall points tempted like as we are, yetwithout sin" (Hebrews 4:15), and came"in the likeness of sinful flesh" (Ro-mans 8:3, my emphasis). This is indeedthe testimony of Scripture.

Sin Not Part of True Human NatureIt has only rarely been understood bythe Adventist in the pew that sin is nopart of true human nature. Christ wastruly human. None of the rest of man-kind is.

Because of the Fall, we are onlyshadows of human beings. We are bornwithout the Holy Spirit. What we des-perately need is to be born again.

It was not so with the One whowas born in Bethlehem twenty centu-ries ago. We are born without the HolySpirit. Our LordJesus was born full ofthe Holy Spirit. Jesus had no need tobe born again.

We need a Savior. If Jesus had anature such as ours, he too would haveneeded a redeemer. Had Jesus been asinner such as I am, he could neverhave made an atonement for the sinsof the world.

Sin Is What We Are as Well as DoAt the root of the sinful nature ofChrist heresy lies ignorance-igno-rance of the fact that the law of Goddemands a perfect nature, not just per-fect behavior.

The Hebrew and Greek words for"sin" have not only to do with actionbut also with the hearts of men. Theworst thing about all of us is nothingwe have done but what we are.

The law requires of us, "truth in

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Christ Is First Our SaviorFor these reasons, the New Testamentsets forth Christ, first of all, as a Sav-ior. Only after that does it set forthChrist as an example in meekness andlove. The New Testament never setsChrist forth as an example in perfec-tion.

When the New Testament uses theword "perfect" as in Matthew 5:48, it isreferring to maturity. (Compare Mat-thew 5:48 with the parallel passage inLuke 6:36. See also 1 Corinthians14:20, where the Greek word for "per-fect" is translated "mature" in the RSV.)

Adams Confronts the IssueRoy Adams has courageously namednames and given examples of the er-ror he is endeavoring to fight. Hetraces the historical background of thesinful human nature of Christ heresywithin Adventism. He also deals withthe various questions implicit in thepolemic of our day.

Roy inquires as to Ellen G. White'sposition on the issue. He concludesthat she agreed with the New Testa-ment picture of our Lord as immacu-late.

(The term "immaculate" simplymeans "spotlessly clean," or "having nostain or blemish." It should never beconfused with the doctrine of the Im-

maculate Conception. This doctrine isRoman Catholic dogma concerning thebirth of Mary, Christ's mother. It is notabout Christ at all.)

Roy points out that because EllenWhite fought antinomianism as well aslegalism, she made strong calls for loy-alty to Christ. Many interpret these callsas teaching perfectionism.

Ellen White and IssueOf course, the truth in this matter ofthe human nature of Christ should notbe based on Ellen White but on Scrip-ture. We are glad that Dr. Adams hasnot endeavored to use Ellen White asthe basis for his position, though hequotes her often.

Pages 62-65 are crucial in Roy'sbook, as they touch upon the basicScriptures concerning Christ's true hu-manity.

For those who draw their theologyfrom Ellen White rather than the Bible,Adams points out that Ellen White, inher statements on Christology, oftenechoed one of her favorite authors,Henry Melvill.

Henry Melvill, in preaching onChrist, distinguished between "inno-cent infirmities" and "sinful propensi-ties," both of which come from the Fall.Melvill taught that Adam, as he wascreated, had neither innocent infirmi-ties nor sinful propensities, but that af-ter the Fall, he had both.

In the Incarnation, Christ took theinnocent infirmities, which are sinless,but not the propensities, which are sin-ful.

Dr. Adams might have added thattheologians in Ellen White's day oftenused the term "sinful nature" for thedeteriorated human nature (or condi-tion), which our Lord took by inherit-ance. They never intended by that term"evil propensities."

While the Holy Spirit was the cre-ator (but not Father) of Christ's hu-man nature (Luke 1:35), he did usethe elements of Mary's womb. Mary (aswith all of us) suffered from the sepa-ration from the Tree of Life. This sepa-ration was brought on by Adam andEve's rebellion when the human racewas in its infancy. Thus, Christ was nei-ther as tall nor as strong as Adam. Nei-ther would he have had the energiesand capacities of the unfallen Adam.

Yet "not for one moment was there inHim a sinful propensity."

Two DisagreementsThere are two points where I wouldpersonally differ with this splendidbook by Dr. Adams.

First, as with many modern theo-logians, Roy does not like to speak ofmankind inheriting guilt from Adam.

I believe that Romans 5:12, 18-19teaches the corporate solidarity of hu-man guilt. This is because all humanssinned in their representative, the firstAdam. Just as surely as we all sinned inour representative Adam, we all suf-fered in our second representative,Christ, the last Adam.

I believe the Scripture teachesclearly in Romans 5 that the sin ofAdam was imputed to the whole hu-man race, for we were in him semi-nally. None can rightly complain of thisas unjust. As surely as all are countedin the first Adam and thereby accrueguilt, so all by the mercy of God arecounted as being in the second Adam,Christ (Romans 5:18-19). We are there-fore justified by his atoning death atCalvary.

As sin and guilt are imputedthrough the first Adam, so righteous-ness and acquittal Uustification) areimputed through the second. The firstnone can avoid. The second is a mat-ter for choice. By faith we chooseChrist's justifying work on our behalf.

Second, Dr. Adams takes the popu-lar Adventist view (found in EllenWhite) that the destiny of the humanrace hung in the balance when Christcame to earth. There was no absolutecertainty that Christ would overcomeand conquer and successfully completethe Atonement. In other words, Christcould have sinned.

It is clear that Christ was absolutelyfree. That much is true. That meanshe had the ability to sin. But Christ isdivine. It was impossible for him as Godto choose evil. Scripture declares thatGod cannot lie. Similarly, God cannotdo anything contrary to his nature, andChrist was God in the flesh.

The salvation of the human racedid not hang in the balance whenChrist came. Success was absolutely cer-tain. Success had been predicted withall assurance-Christ's provision of sal-

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vation would, indeed, eventuate on be-half of the whole human race.

Christ did not come to seek to savethat which was lost. Christ came to seekand save that which was lost. And hedid it. It was never in doubt for a mo-ment.

Let me use a crude illustration.Could I murder my mother? If youmean am I stronger than she is and doI know how to do it, the answer is,"Yes."

If you mean is it possible for me todo it psychologically, the answer is,"No."

Could Christ fail? Because he wasfree, we are forced to answer, "Yes."Because of who Christ is we must say,"No." There was no chance, no possi-bility, no likelihood, no potentiality orprospect, that Christ could fail to ac-complish our salvation.

Final RecommendationI recommend RoyAdams's book whole-heartedly.

It reminds me of Perfect in Christ byHelmut Ott, which was published in1987 by the same publishers. Ott'sbook, which I also heartily recommend,is of the same genre.

However, as mentioned at the be-ginning of this review, Roy Adams's TheNature of Christ is (as far as I know) afirst in Adventist publications. It is thefirst official SDA book to affirm thesinless human nature of Christ, ourLord and Savior. We salute the authorand the publishers. .:.