Unique Qualities of Christ: His Perfection

No Other Man

The things which qualified Jesus to be the promised Messiah are those qualities that no other man could possibly have. We will continue our look at these unique qualities by examining Jesus’ perfection.

Defining Perfection

There are many different aspects that define perfection. In regard to the perfect nature of Christ as Deity, this would include perfect creative power, perfect decision making, and perfect moral character. It is the last aspect in regard to morality that is of the greatest importance when considering Jesus Christ during His life on this earth.

Moral perfection requires making correct choices in every possible scenario. Such moral perfection is the very nature of Deity, but when Jesus came in the flesh, He faced the human challenge of temptation. Such temptation can lead to sin which destroys all moral perfection.

It is common when considering Jesus and temptation to refer to Matt. 4 and Luke 4, where Jesus is formally tempted three times by Satan. The purpose of these temptations was not just to test Jesus, but to provide Jesus in the most grueling of circumstances. It is important to remember that for the temptation to be real there had to be something of at least temporal value to what was offered.

Perfection Tested

In His first temptation, Jesus was offered bread after being at the very edge of hunger (Matt. 4:3). Few can imagine the desire for sustenance after spending so many days fasting. In His second temptation, Jesus was offered the opportunity to prove He was truly God’s Son through a useless exercise (Matt. 4:5, 6). Knowing how the people would regard Him in the future, such a demonstration would hold the desire of proving others wrong. In His third temptation, Jesus was offered the entire world at the cost of serving Satan (Matt. 4:9). This seems an odd offer, as one would question whether Satan had such authority, but it did have the benefit of avoiding a certain, painful, torturous, death.

No Weakness

We cannot fully appreciate the pressure brought upon Jesus during these temptations and the appeal they must had to His human aspects. He overcame them perfectly – as He overcame every single other temptation that is common to man (Heb. 4:15). Satan brought his strongest weapons to bear upon Jesus and Jesus remained perfect. Satan assaulted Jesus His entire life and Jesus remained perfect. Jesus never succumbed to a single moment of weakness. Who else could ever make such a claim?