Doesn’t Believe Jesus Was Sinless
A friend of mine doesn’t believe Jesus was sinless. He told me this recently in a business setting. My friend is a professing Christian. I believe he attends a weak theological church and I pray for my friend and his family to truly repent and surrender their lives to Jesus. So even though I have suspected for a long time that my friend may not really be saved, I was still shocked when he told me that he doesn’t believe Jesus was sinless.
Even though my friend stunned me, I replied that if Jesus wasn’t sinless, then He couldn’t be the perfect, sinless sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God. As I was trying to explain more about Jesus’ perfect sacrifice for guilty sinners, my friend cut me off and changed the subject. Since we were in a business setting, I didn’t press the issue at that time.
But the truth still stands, a sinful savior couldn’t save anyone from a Holy and righteous God. The shed blood of a sinful savior wouldn’t be any better than the blood of goats or bulls. In fact, it would be worse. It would be an abomination to God. When the Israelites sacrificed animals in the Old Testament, the animals had to be without blemish in order for God to accept them. You shall not offer anything that has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable for you (Leviticus 22:20).
Unblemished Animal
An unblemished animal was required for sacrifice because this pointed to the future sacrifice of the sinless Son of God, Jesus Christ when He suffered, bled and died on the cross for guilty sinners who repent and put their trust in Him. A blemished animal was not acceptable to God, so a sinful savior most definitely would not wash away the sins of repentant men and women.
Also when the Israelites sacrificed animals, they had to do so frequently for their sins. The high priest had to sacrifice once a year for the sins of the nation. In other words, these sacrifices were not permanent, not once and for all. The blood of bulls and goats cannot take away your sins. The blood of a sinful savior also could not cleanse you from your sins.
For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins?
Impossible For The Blood Of Bulls And Goats To Take Away Sins
But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’” (Hebrews 10:1-10).
When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
A Sinful Savior Can’t Save You
So a sinful savior couldn’t take away our sins. Jesus was not sinful. No, He never sinned, not one time. Yes the Bible says that Jesus hung around with prostitutes and tax collectors. But anyone who thinks this means that Jesus was out partying and carousing with them is dead wrong. People who believe Jesus hung around these types of sinners meant that He joined them in their sins, is again, wrong. Dead wrong. Anyone who goes through life and dies believing that Jesus sinned, will find themselves in Hell after they die. You cannot believe in a god or savior of your making and save you.
Trying to bring Jesus down to man’s nature may make you feel better about your own sins, but it won’t save you. You are merely making an idol. You are wrongly elevating yourself above where you should and you are trying to bring Jesus down to man’s level. Both of these are wrong and purely evil. A sinful Savior cannot save your soul. If you think about this logically, a sinful savior would be no better than yourself.
You Can’t Save Yourself
Do you really think you can save yourself? Unfortunately, some people think that they are good enough to earn their salvation. They think they can do more good than bad and that somehow God is going to accept them on their own merit, on their own works. But this is utter foolishness and nonsense. None of us are righteous, no not one. None of us can save ourselves and a sinful savior can’t save you either.
We all need a perfect Savior and Jesus is that perfect one. Jesus never sinned one time. Never. Not once. No, Jesus was fully God and fully man. He was born of the virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit, lived a perfect, sinless life. Jesus always obeyed God the Father. Unlike you and me, Jesus never lusted, coveted, stole anything and certainly never blasphemed God’s Holy name. Jesus never sinned.
Yet, He willingly went to that cruel cross to give His life as a ransom for many. No one took His life from Him, He willingly laid it down. The Lord Jesus willingly endured the shame, humiliation, mockery, physical beating, the crown of thorns, the 30 lashes across His back and then was nailed to the old rugged cross. The physical pain was excruciating. In fact, crucifixion is where the word excruciating comes from. It was horrible, horrendous, slow, torture.
Jesus Endured Unimaginable Pain
But Jesus endured that unimaginable pain to save His people from their sins. As horrible as the physical pain was, the pain of God the Father pouring out His wrath over sin upon His own precious Son was even worse. Jesus cried out, My God, my God, why have you forsaken Me? Jesus endured this overwhelming physical pain at the same time He suffered the full wrath of God over the sins of His people. No one ever suffered like Jesus.
A sinful man dying in your place could not save you. A sinful man could not wipe out your sins. But Jesus, the sinless One, did die for His creatures -the ones who repent and trust Him for their salvation. His shed blood does wipe out the sins of His followers. God casts your sins as far as the East is from the West when you cast your faith on the risen Lord.
You see, Jesus died on that cross and was buried, but He didn’t stay there. No, because He is the sinless Son of God, He rose victoriously from the grave three days later. Jesus defeated sin, death, Hell and Satan. God offers eternal life to each and every person that repents from their sins and surrenders their life fully and completely to Jesus. The Lord Jesus saves. Jesus saves, Jesus saves, Jesus saves!
A Sinful Person Cannot Save You
A sinful person couldn’t defeat sin, death, Hell and Satan. No, a sinner couldn’t defeat a single one of these, let alone all of them together at the same time. Oh, it took a perfect sacrifice to pay my sin debt. I’m grateful, thankful and eternally grateful to Jesus for saving a wretch like me. I would never put my trust in a sinner. No, I put my trust in Christ Jesus alone.
Oh, I’m pleading with you tonight, don’t foolishly put your trust in a sinner. Don’t foolishly make a little g god of your own mind. Any god you create cannot save you. Yes, you can try to make yourself feel better over your sins by trying to say everyone sins (including Jesus), but this false Jesus you create, is not the Jesus of the Bible. Elevating yourself higher and trying to bring Jesus lower to man’s standard does not work.
This false Jesus couldn’t save you from one little white lie, let alone all of your sins. Your sinful Jesus of your own making cannot wipe out your sins. He cannot clear your guilty conscience. A Jesus you create is not Lord and Master of the universe and putting your faith in this false deity will not keep you from splitting Hell wide open when you die.
Trust In The Real Jesus
Oh tonight, recognize that you are sinner. Confess and forsake your sins. Cry out for God to have mercy on you. Repent from your sins and put your trust in Jesus Christ. Trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ, the real Jesus, the one who never sinned. The real Jesus that took the punishment that He didn’t deserve in order to save those He came to save.
Oh, do you hear the Savior calling? Is God convicting you over your sins? If so, do not reject such a great salvation. There is no other Savior. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). Jesus is the only one who can take your sins upon Himself and give you His righteousness.
He is the only Savior because He is the sinless Son of God. Oh, if you are like my friend who believes that Jesus sinned because He hung out with sinners, I plead with you to repent. Turn from your blasphemous idea of Jesus and surrender to the sinless Lord. Come to Jesus, the real Jesus, the Jesus of the Bible. The only one who walked this earth and never sinned. Today is the day of salvation. Do not harden your heart. Repent and put your faith in Jesus, the risen Lord, the sinless Son of the living God.
(This message was lifted up in downtown Springfield, MO on April 5, 2019)