"Christ: Incarnate" Series

The efficacy of the incarnation is that by becoming a Man Christ was able to act as merciful and faithful High Priest serving in the giving of His own life in sacrifice, to stand between men and God and reconcile them once more. He was merciful to sinners, while remaining faithful to the Father.

Now there is something to be made clear about the phrase, ‘For since He Himself was tempted in that which He suffered’.

We know that Jesus never sinned. He said to His disciples in John 14:30, “…the ruler of this world is coming and he has nothing in Me”. What He meant by saying that on the last night He and His disciples were together, was that the Devil was coming to carry out through evil men what God had planned and ordained, that being the crucifixion of His Son. But in saying ‘he has nothing in Me’, Jesus was saying that Satan had no valid charge against Him because He had done no sin, and also that Satan had no power to tempt Him to sin since Jesus had no sin nature to appeal to.

So in our text when it says He was tempted in that which He suffered, it is a reference to His humanity and all the suffering that comes with being human. He faced the trials of physical life, He underwent the discomforts of physical life, He suffered the ordeal of walking in a sin-affected world, He suffered rejection and torture and the pain of death.

The incarnation was necessary for Him to undergo these temptations; these sufferings. But because of His suffering God’s power was demonstrated in and through Him to provide atonement and eternal life for all who believe. Because of His temptations and suffering the fear of death is going down the road in the rearview mirror for all who believe. His suffering was efficacious to provide a sympathizer, a comforter, an advocate for all who are His, since He is able to identify with them in every way apart from the guilt of sin.

And Christian, I want you to know today that when the writer says “He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted”, he means something that should give us the greatest and surest assurances of help.

He is able to come to our aid when we suffer the daily pangs of life in that we have a Comforter who understands.

He is able to come to our aid when we are rejected or lied to or disdainfully treated in that the Suffering Servant who bore our stripes and our nails has Himself suffered at the hands of men.

He is able to come to our aid when we are tempted to sin in that He faced the evil one in the wilderness when He was hungry and tired and alone and answered all his barbs with Scripture and won the day – and He now lives in us to help us answer the evil one and He lives at the Father’s right hand to be our Advocate.

Christian, this is why the writer tells us to consider Him. Look at chapter 3 verse 1 and remember that these divisions are not divine, they are put there by men. The writer said all these things about the incarnate Christ and then he said, “Therefore”.

Therefore, you who are sanctified and made holy by the atoning work of our merciful and faithful High Priest…