Christ’s Victory Was Obtained Through Trial in His Humanity

It can be concluded from what is written in Philippians 2:6-8: that the rights and privileges which God has by virtue of the fact that He owns everything fully belong to Christ as the Word of God and the 2nd person of the Trinity. Though He could have retained them, He put those rights and privileges aside in His humanity (yet He did not put aside His divinity itself- He never ceased to be divine; beware of a heresy called Kenosis which says otherwise).

1 Corinthians 15:21 says “For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.”

And then we read in Hebrews 2:9-10: “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”

To make an acceptable atonement for sin and indeed taste death for every person, Christ had to be a perfect sin offering in His humanity. He therefore had to overcome temptation as a man. This necessarily involved living in a human body. When He was tempted in the wilderness by the devil, that is said because it was truly temptation. It’s only logical that Jesus would have had no advantages over Adam in the Garden of Eden in the test He was put under. He actually had it much harder than Adam due to being put in the midst of much more difficult and complicated circumstances.

Jesus never sinned because His perfect character caused Him to choose righteousness at all times- despite much real temptation to do otherwise and much actual suffering involved in making the right choices. He really had to demonstrate, as a man in actual flesh and blood, His utter love of righteousness and utter hatred of sin, in order to be the captain of salvation (see Hebrews 1:8-9 and Hebrews 2:14). His cry “It is finished” in virtually His final moment was no mockery. He had an excruciatingly difficult task in completing the ministry on earth which He was sent for. Since this is so, it can truly be said that He overcame. Victory in a trial is the very definition of overcoming- while the concept of overcoming in a trial without an actual struggle is a joke.

Christ also lives now to help those who come to Him on His terms overcome sin and live acceptably to God (see Hebrews 4:14-16). His mercy through the blood He shed on the cross actually is only actually obtained by those in line with this objective. The Bible constantly relates the race Christ ran to make an atonement for our sins with our need to be faithful in running our own race of faith through Him to actualize His purpose in us of purifying a people and making them fit for His kingdom.

Revelation 3:20: “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” Is this speaking of salvation? It sure is.

Hebrews 5:7-9: “Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect (my note- that is, obeying to the end and going to the cross to be made an acceptable sin offering), he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.”

Revelation 2:11: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.”