In His Steps

I don't remember any of the specifics of the conversation other than it was on some kind of media and an individual claiming to be a Christian was defending his giving in to temptation instead of taking the higher road like Jesus would have by saying, "Well, he is the Son of God and I'm not."

His defense failed in two critical points: 1) Actually, despite his protest and our propensity to give in to sin, Christians are God's sons and daughters: "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" (1 Jn 3:1).

And, 2) Despite the fact that Jesus is the "One and only from the Father" (Jn 1:14), he faced life with the same human condition as ourselves: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are---yet he did not sin" (Heb 4:15).

Jesus did not come into the world to show us how to live if only we had the divine ability to do so like himself.  "Rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death---even death on a cross" (Phil 2:7-8).

He became like us in the flesh, calling us to become like him in the Spirit, allowing God to "...to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" (Eph 3:20) - even resist temptation.

Mark Twain once quipped, "I can resist anything except temptation."  And we often side with him saying, "I just couldn't help myself" or "I just couldn't resist."  The truth is, despite the challenge and the fact that we will give in at times ("for all have sinned and fall short of God's glory" Rom 3:23), we really can resist, taking the higher road following in the path of Jesus.

No, it won't be easy and yes we will fail at times but our calling as disciples (followers) of Jesus is precisely that, to follow in his steps: "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps" (1 Pet 2:21). Jus' Say'n