The Mystery of Christ’s Temptation: True God, Truly Tempted
If God cannot be tempted, and Jesus is God, then how could Jesus be tempted? James 1:13 states very clearly that “God cannot be tempted with evil”, but Jesus, being God, was tempted three times by Satan in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13) and the book of Hebrews says that Christ is was tempted as we are:
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with out weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb. 4:15).
The Bible affirms in many places and in many different ways that Jesus Christ is God (John 1:1-14; 5:18; 10:30; Col. 1:15-20), namely, the Son of God (John 1:18). Because of this there seems to be a contradiction. If God cannot be tempted, yet Jesus, being God, was tempted, isn’t that a contradiction?
I want to explain why this is not a contradiction. In fact, the untemptability of God and the temptability of Christ helps to explain the wonder of the incarnation of the Son of God. As a pastor I am often asked about this seeming contradiction, and I have great joy explaining it. I have written this article to try and show show how Christ’s temptation functions to radiate his glory, how God’s inability to be tempted is utterly beautiful, and how both truths can simultaneously be true. I will do this first by discussing the twofold nature of temptation, then explain God’s absolute untemptability, and finally show how Christ could in fact be tempted even though he is the divine Son of God.
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with out weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb. 4:15).
The Bible affirms in many places and in many different ways that Jesus Christ is God (John 1:1-14; 5:18; 10:30; Col. 1:15-20), namely, the Son of God (John 1:18). Because of this there seems to be a contradiction. If God cannot be tempted, yet Jesus, being God, was tempted, isn’t that a contradiction?
I want to explain why this is not a contradiction. In fact, the untemptability of God and the temptability of Christ helps to explain the wonder of the incarnation of the Son of God. As a pastor I am often asked about this seeming contradiction, and I have great joy explaining it. I have written this article to try and show show how Christ’s temptation functions to radiate his glory, how God’s inability to be tempted is utterly beautiful, and how both truths can simultaneously be true. I will do this first by discussing the twofold nature of temptation, then explain God’s absolute untemptability, and finally show how Christ could in fact be tempted even though he is the divine Son of God.
The Two Temptations
All human beings possess a fallen human nature as a result of the original sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. We all inherit the effects of Adam’s sin in the “Fall” (Genesis 3). Possessing a fallen human nature does not simply mean that we sin sometimes. It is far worse. It means that our very nature, the way we think, desire, and relate to God and others is affected. The Bible describes human beings as having sinful “flesh” (Rom. 7:18; Gal. 5:17). Because of this, we tend to suppress the truth of God and are more easily led by selfish desires than by God’s guidance. Our affections, therefore, are greater toward created things than toward God our Creator.
By possessing a fallen human nature, we are tempted in two ways:
1. Outward Temptation
2. Inward Temptation
Outward temptation refers to external pressures, situations, or influences that provoke our desire to sin. Imagine a married man being offered a one-night stand with a physically attractive woman, being guaranteed the promise of secrecy and confidentiality. No will ever find out, no one will ever know, especially not his wife. She offers physical beauty, intimacy, sexual pleasure, and the fulfilment sexual fantasies.
For a brief moment, a testosterone-filled man may immediately associate the offer with the pleasure of sexual gratification and the attraction of physical beauty (albeit lust). He may value the persuasiveness of secrecy, reasoning that it would not directly hurt his wife if she never finds out. These are realities that he perhaps recognises for a moment—even if only as a passing thought—because it is true that men are attracted to physical beauty, desire sexual gratification, and do not wish to harm their wives. But even in the face of these fleshly impulses and the offer placed before him, his love and desire for his wife is far greater than the temptation to commit adultery in secret. More than that, his desire to remain faithful to God far outweighs the temptation to lustfully sleep with another woman. He therefore resists obediently. That is outward temptation.
Inward temptation, however, comes from within ourselves. Our own desires, cravings, and inclinations. It is not something external like pressure from others, but rather, the heart itself stirring us toward sin. Inward temptation is exasperated by past experiences because we remember the temporal enjoyment of past sins. To use a similar illustration, a man could be sat on the couch minding his own business just watching the television when suddenly a thought comes to his mind that he could watch pornography or masturbate in secret for self-gratification. There could be a number of reasons for this. He may be sexually frustrated, tired, bored, feels neglected, or some other reason. The memory of past sinful pleasure floods his mind and produces the desire to experience it again. This is inward temptation.
Yet he suddenly remembers the gospel and the freedom he has in Christ—that to give into this inward temptation would enslave him to sin once again. He would relinquish his freedom for a time, “submitting again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1). By the grace of God and the help of the Spirit (1 Cor. 10:13), he refuses the temptation because his desire to obey God is greater than his sinful desires.
James 1:14 explains this clearly: “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” The “luring” refers to outward temptation, while being “enticed by his own desire” refers to inward temptation.
Neither outward nor inward temptation is sinful in itself, however. Both are simply opportunities to sin. It is only sinful to enact upon those temptations. Adam and Eve saw the beauty of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. That in itself was not sinful. They also understood the argument presented by the serpent that the fruit is good for food. That also in itself, was not sinful. They were outward temptations which led to sin, but sin had not yet occurred. They recognised the potential the fruit offered to make them to be like God, and it became desirable to them. But even then, they had not yet sinned, for they could still have resisted. The sin occurred when they believed the offer of the serpent’s word over God’s command for them not to eat the fruit. As a result, they reached out, took the fruit, and ate. Nothing was ever the same. From that moment, by possessing a fallen human nature, they would always be tempted inwardly (and outwardly) to return to the gratification they felt when eating that fruit.
By possessing a fallen human nature, we are tempted in two ways:
1. Outward Temptation
2. Inward Temptation
Outward temptation refers to external pressures, situations, or influences that provoke our desire to sin. Imagine a married man being offered a one-night stand with a physically attractive woman, being guaranteed the promise of secrecy and confidentiality. No will ever find out, no one will ever know, especially not his wife. She offers physical beauty, intimacy, sexual pleasure, and the fulfilment sexual fantasies.
For a brief moment, a testosterone-filled man may immediately associate the offer with the pleasure of sexual gratification and the attraction of physical beauty (albeit lust). He may value the persuasiveness of secrecy, reasoning that it would not directly hurt his wife if she never finds out. These are realities that he perhaps recognises for a moment—even if only as a passing thought—because it is true that men are attracted to physical beauty, desire sexual gratification, and do not wish to harm their wives. But even in the face of these fleshly impulses and the offer placed before him, his love and desire for his wife is far greater than the temptation to commit adultery in secret. More than that, his desire to remain faithful to God far outweighs the temptation to lustfully sleep with another woman. He therefore resists obediently. That is outward temptation.
Inward temptation, however, comes from within ourselves. Our own desires, cravings, and inclinations. It is not something external like pressure from others, but rather, the heart itself stirring us toward sin. Inward temptation is exasperated by past experiences because we remember the temporal enjoyment of past sins. To use a similar illustration, a man could be sat on the couch minding his own business just watching the television when suddenly a thought comes to his mind that he could watch pornography or masturbate in secret for self-gratification. There could be a number of reasons for this. He may be sexually frustrated, tired, bored, feels neglected, or some other reason. The memory of past sinful pleasure floods his mind and produces the desire to experience it again. This is inward temptation.
Yet he suddenly remembers the gospel and the freedom he has in Christ—that to give into this inward temptation would enslave him to sin once again. He would relinquish his freedom for a time, “submitting again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1). By the grace of God and the help of the Spirit (1 Cor. 10:13), he refuses the temptation because his desire to obey God is greater than his sinful desires.
James 1:14 explains this clearly: “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” The “luring” refers to outward temptation, while being “enticed by his own desire” refers to inward temptation.
Neither outward nor inward temptation is sinful in itself, however. Both are simply opportunities to sin. It is only sinful to enact upon those temptations. Adam and Eve saw the beauty of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. That in itself was not sinful. They also understood the argument presented by the serpent that the fruit is good for food. That also in itself, was not sinful. They were outward temptations which led to sin, but sin had not yet occurred. They recognised the potential the fruit offered to make them to be like God, and it became desirable to them. But even then, they had not yet sinned, for they could still have resisted. The sin occurred when they believed the offer of the serpent’s word over God’s command for them not to eat the fruit. As a result, they reached out, took the fruit, and ate. Nothing was ever the same. From that moment, by possessing a fallen human nature, they would always be tempted inwardly (and outwardly) to return to the gratification they felt when eating that fruit.
God Cannot Be Tempted
There are several reasons why God cannot be tempted (James 1:13). I will mention the two most important here.
First, God cannot be tempted at all because of His holiness. His holiness means that “in him [there is] no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). God’s holiness does not refer to His moral goodness. It means He is utterly set apart, perfectly good, incorruptible, and unchangeable in His nature. Holiness is not something God has. Rather, holiness is what God is.
Second, God cannot be tempted at all because it is incompatible with, and contradictory to, His nature. Nothing can offer God greater joy or satisfaction than what He already possesses within Himself as the triune God. Creation is simply an expression of His beauty and goodness. Nothing in all creation can offer Him anything greater than that which already exists in Himself which is infinitely greater.
To illustrate: why would I be tempted to drink from a pool of muddy water while holding a nice cold glass of orange juice? I cannot be tempted by what is inferior when I already possess something far better. This analogy is limited, of course, because I might easily be tempted to choose from a strong black americano over an orange juice because I just prefer coffee. Being finite means there will always be something greater outside of me that can tempt me away from what I already possess. But because God is infinitely holy and is Himself the source of all good things, He cannot be tempted, for all good things are only finite expressions of His infinite beauty and goodness.
When we hear that God cannot do something we can do—namely, sin— we are tempted (excuse the pun) to think this limits Him somehow; that we obtain a quality that He does not. But this is mistaken. Possessing the “ability” to sin would not add to God’s nature, it would diminish it. We naturally associate “ability” with value. But it is not so in this case. Possessing the ability to sin is not a quality which increases our worth. It decreases it. God’s inability to sin proclaims the fullness and perfection of his divine nature and holiness.
First, God cannot be tempted at all because of His holiness. His holiness means that “in him [there is] no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). God’s holiness does not refer to His moral goodness. It means He is utterly set apart, perfectly good, incorruptible, and unchangeable in His nature. Holiness is not something God has. Rather, holiness is what God is.
Second, God cannot be tempted at all because it is incompatible with, and contradictory to, His nature. Nothing can offer God greater joy or satisfaction than what He already possesses within Himself as the triune God. Creation is simply an expression of His beauty and goodness. Nothing in all creation can offer Him anything greater than that which already exists in Himself which is infinitely greater.
To illustrate: why would I be tempted to drink from a pool of muddy water while holding a nice cold glass of orange juice? I cannot be tempted by what is inferior when I already possess something far better. This analogy is limited, of course, because I might easily be tempted to choose from a strong black americano over an orange juice because I just prefer coffee. Being finite means there will always be something greater outside of me that can tempt me away from what I already possess. But because God is infinitely holy and is Himself the source of all good things, He cannot be tempted, for all good things are only finite expressions of His infinite beauty and goodness.
When we hear that God cannot do something we can do—namely, sin— we are tempted (excuse the pun) to think this limits Him somehow; that we obtain a quality that He does not. But this is mistaken. Possessing the “ability” to sin would not add to God’s nature, it would diminish it. We naturally associate “ability” with value. But it is not so in this case. Possessing the ability to sin is not a quality which increases our worth. It decreases it. God’s inability to sin proclaims the fullness and perfection of his divine nature and holiness.
The Temptability of Christ
Having addressed the twofold nature of temptation and the untemptability of God, we are now prepared to address the question at hand: How was Jesus tempted if He is God and God cannot be tempted?
The answer is fairly simple. Christ could not be tempted inwardly, only outwardly. But before we can get into this, we must first consider Christ’s human nature in comparison to our own human nature.
The Bible teaches that Jesus possesses a fully divine nature. He is the Son of God (John 1:18), fully divine (John 1:1-14; 10:30), eternal (Col 1:15-20), of one substance with the Father (John 10:30; Col. 2:9; Heb.1:3), yet distinct in his person (John 1:1-2). The Son is begotten by the Father (Ps. 2:7; John 3:16) which means He is uncreated and eternally proceeds from the Father eternally. He possesses all the attributes of God.
In the incarnation—the coming of the Son of God into this world—He took to Himself a human nature. This was not a transformation of His divinity into humanity, nor did he become a hybrid. Rather, he assumed a complete human nature like ours: body, soul, mind, and emotions, while remaining fully God. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, says the Gospel of John.
Theologically, the union of the divine and human natures is termed the hypostatic union. This comes from the Greek hypostasis, meaning “person”, or “personal being”. Thus hypostatic union means the union of two natures in one Person. Jesus is one Person, not two separate people, and he possesses two distinct natures. Each nature retains its own properties in that his divinity is unchangeable and his humanity experiences limitation.
Understanding this helps to make sense of Hebrews 4:15 which we mentioned earlier:
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with out weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
By becoming human, He truly sympathises with everything we face and endure, including our temptations, yet remains sinless.
Although Christ assumed a human nature like ours, there is a subtle yet crucial difference between his human nature and ours in that He did not possess a fallen human nature as we do. By taking on a human nature, He subjected himself to his own creation and humbly lived according under its laws. He had to eat, drink, go to the toilet, learn, grow, endure pain and suffering, and experience grief and sadness.
With this came the capacity for temptation, yet His temptation was only outward, not inward. By virtue of his human nature which was not fallen, He was not susceptible to temptation from inward desires. On account of his divine nature, he maintained the attribute of impeccability, which means he was not capable of sinning. It’s not that he refrains from sin, but that sin is impossible for him. If Christ could sin internally like we do, then his obedience would be uncertain, his sacrifice would be risky, and redemption would be a gamble. But if Christ cannot sin (impeccable), and yet truly faces temptation, then his obedience is not fragile. It’s triumphant. He doesn’t just avoid failure, he establishes righteousness. This is why Paul could say that Jesus is the last Adam. Christ stands unshakeable where Adam fell under temptation, not because the test was fake but because the Saviour is truly righteous.
By divine providence, the triune God predestined that the Son would face outward temptations and overcome them. To accomplish this, He lived live under the law—His own law—and obeyed it perfectly. In doing so, He is our Great High Priest, not offering an animal, but Himself, the Lamb of God, as an acceptable sacrifice in our place.
Like us, Christ appreciated the beauty and pleasures of this world and fully understood the offers presented by Satan in the wilderness, just as Adam and Eve understood the serpent’s offer in Garden of Eden. But unlike our ancient ancestors, He refused the offer. He knew what it was to enjoy God’s good gifts. Yet He resisted every temptation to pursue those earthly pleasures in a sinful way.
The answer is fairly simple. Christ could not be tempted inwardly, only outwardly. But before we can get into this, we must first consider Christ’s human nature in comparison to our own human nature.
The Bible teaches that Jesus possesses a fully divine nature. He is the Son of God (John 1:18), fully divine (John 1:1-14; 10:30), eternal (Col 1:15-20), of one substance with the Father (John 10:30; Col. 2:9; Heb.1:3), yet distinct in his person (John 1:1-2). The Son is begotten by the Father (Ps. 2:7; John 3:16) which means He is uncreated and eternally proceeds from the Father eternally. He possesses all the attributes of God.
In the incarnation—the coming of the Son of God into this world—He took to Himself a human nature. This was not a transformation of His divinity into humanity, nor did he become a hybrid. Rather, he assumed a complete human nature like ours: body, soul, mind, and emotions, while remaining fully God. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, says the Gospel of John.
Theologically, the union of the divine and human natures is termed the hypostatic union. This comes from the Greek hypostasis, meaning “person”, or “personal being”. Thus hypostatic union means the union of two natures in one Person. Jesus is one Person, not two separate people, and he possesses two distinct natures. Each nature retains its own properties in that his divinity is unchangeable and his humanity experiences limitation.
Understanding this helps to make sense of Hebrews 4:15 which we mentioned earlier:
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with out weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
By becoming human, He truly sympathises with everything we face and endure, including our temptations, yet remains sinless.
Although Christ assumed a human nature like ours, there is a subtle yet crucial difference between his human nature and ours in that He did not possess a fallen human nature as we do. By taking on a human nature, He subjected himself to his own creation and humbly lived according under its laws. He had to eat, drink, go to the toilet, learn, grow, endure pain and suffering, and experience grief and sadness.
With this came the capacity for temptation, yet His temptation was only outward, not inward. By virtue of his human nature which was not fallen, He was not susceptible to temptation from inward desires. On account of his divine nature, he maintained the attribute of impeccability, which means he was not capable of sinning. It’s not that he refrains from sin, but that sin is impossible for him. If Christ could sin internally like we do, then his obedience would be uncertain, his sacrifice would be risky, and redemption would be a gamble. But if Christ cannot sin (impeccable), and yet truly faces temptation, then his obedience is not fragile. It’s triumphant. He doesn’t just avoid failure, he establishes righteousness. This is why Paul could say that Jesus is the last Adam. Christ stands unshakeable where Adam fell under temptation, not because the test was fake but because the Saviour is truly righteous.
By divine providence, the triune God predestined that the Son would face outward temptations and overcome them. To accomplish this, He lived live under the law—His own law—and obeyed it perfectly. In doing so, He is our Great High Priest, not offering an animal, but Himself, the Lamb of God, as an acceptable sacrifice in our place.
Like us, Christ appreciated the beauty and pleasures of this world and fully understood the offers presented by Satan in the wilderness, just as Adam and Eve understood the serpent’s offer in Garden of Eden. But unlike our ancient ancestors, He refused the offer. He knew what it was to enjoy God’s good gifts. Yet He resisted every temptation to pursue those earthly pleasures in a sinful way.
Why This Matters
It matters because it safeguards the heart of the gospel and the meaning of Christ for people. If God could be tempted then God would be changeable, needy, incomplete, and insecure. He would be capable of being affected by something outside of Himself. God would therefore not be the highest good. He would not be self-sufficient, and actually not worthy of worship. If God could be tempted, then he could fall. And if that was the case, then everything else falls with it.
Yet at the same time, the temptability of Christ in human flesh, and his inability to sin, tells us that the Son of God did not pretend to be human. He entered fully into our human condition without ceasing to be God. That is the wonder, that God remains untemptable in his divine nature, but that God becomes temptable in Christ’s human experience. Without this distinction, the incarnation becomes either God shrinking into something less than God, or Jesus just acting human without truly sharing our condition. Both destroy the gospel.
If the reality of God’s untemptability and Christ’s temptability were a contradiction, Christianity would collapse into mythology. Instead, Christianity holds together two truths that only God could hold together: absolute holiness and real human struggle. Not a paradox for the sake of it, but the only way sinners could be saved. It matters because God is truly God and Christ is truly human. The cross is truly sufficient and our salvation is truly secure. Our suffering is truly understood and our hope is truly unshakeable. This is not a footnote doctrine, this is the architecture of redemption.
Yet at the same time, the temptability of Christ in human flesh, and his inability to sin, tells us that the Son of God did not pretend to be human. He entered fully into our human condition without ceasing to be God. That is the wonder, that God remains untemptable in his divine nature, but that God becomes temptable in Christ’s human experience. Without this distinction, the incarnation becomes either God shrinking into something less than God, or Jesus just acting human without truly sharing our condition. Both destroy the gospel.
If the reality of God’s untemptability and Christ’s temptability were a contradiction, Christianity would collapse into mythology. Instead, Christianity holds together two truths that only God could hold together: absolute holiness and real human struggle. Not a paradox for the sake of it, but the only way sinners could be saved. It matters because God is truly God and Christ is truly human. The cross is truly sufficient and our salvation is truly secure. Our suffering is truly understood and our hope is truly unshakeable. This is not a footnote doctrine, this is the architecture of redemption.
Written by: Pastor Gwydion Emlyn
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There's a relevant book called Knowing Christ published by Banner Of Truth. Highly recommended!