Now, the next question, it's
a big one, and I think it's got a lot of historical contours. Wim made a notation, it's long,
it needs to be a bit edited. So I think we'll save that one
for next time. So Jim, is there a difference
between the temptations that we face, since we've just spoken
about heaven, let's really change directions now. Is there a difference
between the temptations that we face and the temptations that
our Lord Jesus Christ faced? Well, I suppose it depends on
what is intended by the word difference. He endured the same
temptations that we do, not in the same way that we do, because
there was no sin in his heart by which they could lay hold
of who he was in his soul and cause him to sin. Nor does it
mean that he faced every single temptation that potentially we
could face, but rather that his encounters with temptation were
real, and he was able, by the Word of God, by the Spirit of
God, to turn them away. So I'm not sure what is meant
by that word difference. If it's meant to say, were they
somehow different because he was the Son of God and because
he was a sinless human, I want to say, well, he endured what
we endure. Good. Yes. Yeah, I would think
true humanity means the temptations that are unique or common to
true humanity. Exactly. If it's not, then whatever
is not, you know, assumed is not redeemed. So, Ten Commandment
violations, Ten Commandment temptations, that's how I would understand
it. Yeah, well, when you look at
the devil coming to him in the wilderness and the Three Temptations,
they are all in categories that we can easily relate to, right?
We can easily relate to, yes. Food, power, yeah. There's all those consistent
things. Yeah, for sure. I thought, just to make a book
plug, it's always good to make plugs, Stephen Duby's book, Jesus
and the God of Classical Theism, I thought he dealt with impeccability
in a really good way. I can't sing that book's praises. He denied that our Lord assumed
a fallen human nature. He did, yeah. I'm so glad. When
you think about our Lord as the last Adam, questions come up
like, okay, the nature assumed by the Son of God, was it, can
we liken it more unto Adam in his fallen state or us in our
fallen, Adam in his pre-fall state, created state, or us in
our fallen state? And our scripture and our confession
acknowledges He assumed a nature like ours with infirmities. Yep, common infirmities. Except
essential properties and common... So in one sense, he kind of overlaps
the two ages because I think he did assume a sinless human,
no original sin in our Lord. So he has different... apparati
to work with than us in one sense. But he assumed that this side
of the fallen into sin with everything going on horizontally attacking
him and then of course I think his chief enemy was the devil
and more times than once. So it's the same. Adam could
be tempted before he fell as a sinless son of God in the image
of God. Jesus could be tempted, but doesn't
mean he's a sinner. But Jesus was tempted in a world
not like Adam's world. So it's harder for our Lord. Way harder, you know. The fall
into sin, Adam's fall into sin, is just ridiculous. It's like,
you're in paradise. What are you doing? This is a
no-brainer. That's easy for us. It was a
great fall. He fell fast, hard, and I think
Which all this kind of connects with the previous question. You've
got Adam in the paradise. You've got Israel in a wilderness.
You've got Jesus in a wilderness. In a wilderness, yeah. When you
look at the temptation... Oh, that's all connected, yes. And he invokes the same message. Luke calls Adam the son of God
in Luke 3.38. And then chapter 4 is on... Temptations. He's driven out 40 days. Wilderness. opposite of Adam. Adam was driven
out, but after he sinned, but Israel and 40 and, you know,
it's, there's a lot, there's more. Same with Matthew. Oh yeah. My firstborn passes through the
waters of baptism. There you go, the waters of baptism. All that. There's a lot. I've
told my students, I said, there's more connections than we're going
to ever figure out. And most of us aren't going to
feel comfortable with all the connections that are actually
there if we do figure at least more out. Yeah, it's one of those
realities that Adam had all of the blessings, the easy road.
Jesus had all of the difficulties, the difficult road. He overcame,
Adam failed. That's right, yeah. I was reading
somebody, was it, could have been Tureton, that's probably
a guy, I think it was Augustine, where he said, we more applaud
somebody's obedience in a difficult situation, this side of the fall
into sin, than we depreciate or appreciate the
magnitude of the fall. In perfect conditions. And he
said, we need to go back there and say, wait a minute, he didn't
have, you know, what Abraham had with Isaac on the mountain.
There was a lot of pressures on Abraham. What in the world?
And he had his own heart and his own, you know, his family
domestic problems. And the son he loved. And the
son he loved. Where's the sacrifice, dad? Yeah,
that's a tough scene. Yeah, I think it was Augustine
that was saying we need to go back and look at the fall of
Adam and call it what it was. Yeah, what it was. It was a tragedy. The biggest tragedy of man's
making. And you know who's behind it?
The serpent. Who is the serpent? the devil,
the liar from the beginning. By the way, the liar from the
beginning, not that he was created as a liar, but from the beginning
of man's experience with him, all he does is lie. Now go back
and read Genesis 3 and keep that in your head. These are lies.
He's lying. This is not what God said. And
it changes the way you, anyway. I was going to say, apparati.
You must read big books with lots of footnotes. That was pretty
impressive. Apparati.