Jesus took on human nature in its fallen condition to redeem humanity. While subject to human weaknesses and infirmities, He was without sin. Satan believed he could overcome Jesus by tempting Him through the senses, as he had overcome others. However, Jesus overcame every temptation by quoting Scripture. God desires to demonstrate His power to live a sinless life even in fallen human nature, before translating believers to heaven. A few in every generation, like Enoch and Elijah, represented what is possible through faith in Christ. All who obey God by faith will reach the sinless condition of Adam before the Fall.

1. Fallen nature
Jesus also told them that they would have a part to act, to be with Him
and at different times strengthen Him; that He would take man's fallen
nature, and His strength would not be even equal with theirs; that they
would be witnesses of His humiliation and great sufferings; and that as
they would witness His sufferings, and the hatred of men toward Him,
they would be stirred with the deepest emotion, and through their love
for Him would wish to rescue and deliver Him from His murderers; but
that they must not interfere to prevent anything they should behold;
and that they should act a part in His resurrection; that the plan of
salvation was devised, and His Father had accepted the plan. {EW
150.1}

2. Fallen Nature
• By taking upon Himself man's nature in its fallen condition, Christ did
not in the least participate in its sin. He was subject to the infirmities
and weaknesses of the flesh with which humanity is encompassed,
"that it might be fulfilled that was spoken by the prophet Esaias,
Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses." He was touched
with the feeling of our infirmities, and was in all points tempted like
as we are. And yet He was without a spot. {16MR 116.3}

3. Fallen Nature
It would have been an almost infinite humiliation for the Son of God to
take man's nature, even when Adam stood in his innocence in Eden.
But Jesus accepted humanity when the race had been weakened by
four thousand years of sin. Like every child of Adam He accepted the
results of the working of the great law of heredity. What these results
were is shown in the history of His earthly ancestors. He came with
such a heredity to share our sorrows and temptations, and to give us
the example of a sinless life. {FLB 48.6}

4. What Satan thought.
• Satan had been at war with the government of God, since he first rebelled. His success
in tempting Adam and Eve in Eden, and introducing sin into the world, had emboldened
this arch foe, and he had proudly boasted to the heavenly angels that when Christ should
appear, taking man's nature, He would be weaker than himself, and he would overcome
Him by his power. He exulted that Adam and Eve in Eden could not resist his insinuations
when he appealed to their appetite. The inhabitants of the old world he overcame in the
same manner, through the indulgence of lustful appetite and corrupt passions. Through
the gratification of appetite he had overthrown the Israelites. He boasted that the Son of
God Himself who was with Moses and Joshua was not able to resist his power, and lead
the favored people of His choice to Canaan; for nearly all who left Egypt died in the
wilderness. Also the meek man, Moses, he had tempted to take to himself glory which
God claimed. David and Solomon, who had been especially favored of God, he had
induced, through the indulgence of appetite and passion, to incur God's displeasure. And
he boasted that he could yet succeed in thwarting the purpose of God in the salvation of
man through Jesus Christ. {1SM 268.5}

5. Our Fallen Human Nature Connected With Christ's
Divinity
Though He had no taint of sin upon His character, yet He condescended
to connect our fallen human nature with His divinity. By thus taking
humanity, He honored humanity. Having taken our fallen nature, he
showed what it might become, by accepting the ample provision He
has made for it, and by becoming partaker of the divine nature.--Letter
81, 1896. {3SM 134.2}

6. The Saviour took upon Himself the infirmities of humanity and lived a sinless
life, that men might have no fear that because of the weakness of human
nature they could not overcome. Christ came to make us "partakers of the
divine nature," and His life declares that humanity, combined with divinity,
does not commit sin. {MH 180.5}
The Saviour overcame to show man how he may overcome. All the
temptations of Satan, Christ met with the word of God. By trusting in God's
promises, He received power to obey God's commandments, and the
tempter could gain no advantage. To every temptation His answer was, "It is
written." So God has given us His word wherewith to resist evil. Exceeding
great and precious promises are ours, that by these we "might be partakers
of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world
through lust." 2 Peter 1:4. {MH 181.1}

7. • There is where the Lord will show the power of his life. That is simply the power
that conquered death; the power that overcame the lusts of the flesh; the power
that raises the dead to life. It is the power of the resurrection. Now what we must
learn is that the same power that will be manifested during the seven last plagues
will be manifested during the plagues now in the earth, before those come, in
which is filled up the wrath of God. Otherwise, there would be no witness. If this
power could not be manifested before probation ends, there would be no
witness to the people; it would not be a testimony to them. But before probation
ends, there will be a people so complete in him that in spite of their sinful flesh,
they will live sinless lives. They will live sinless, lives in mortal flesh, because he
who has demonstrated that he has power over all flesh lives in them,-lives a
sinless life in sinful flesh, and a healthful life in mortal flesh, and that will be a
testimony that can not be gainsaid,-a witness than which no greater can be given.
Then the end will come. This will be the kingdom of God manifested to all nations
for a witness to God's power. "The kingdom of God is within you." {April 9, 1901
EJW, GCB 147.1}

8. Before this corruptible body is made incorruptible, and the natural, sinful
body is exchanged for the spiritual, sinless body, God will demonstrate what
He can do in spite of corruption and mortality. He has condemned sin in the
flesh, showing that even in sinful flesh He can live a sinless life. His perfect
life will be manifested in mortal flesh, so that all will see it. {May 9, 1901
EJW, PTUK 304.3}
When God has given this witness to the world of His power to save to the
uttermost, to save sinful beings, and to live a perfect life in sinful flesh, then
He will remove the disabilities and give us better circumstances in which to
live. But first of all this wonder must be worked out in sinful man, not simply
in the person of Jesus Christ, but in Jesus Christ reproduced and multiplied in
the thousands of His followers. {May 9, 1901 EJW, PTUK 304.4}

9. • Some few in every generation from Adam resisted his every artifice and
stood forth as noble representatives of what it was in the power of man to
do and to be--Christ working with human efforts, helping man in
overcoming the power of Satan. Enoch and Elijah are the correct
representatives of what the race might be through faith in Jesus Christ if
they chose to be. Satan was greatly disturbed because these noble, holy
men stood untainted amid the moral pollution surrounding them,
perfected righteous characters, and were accounted worthy for translation
to heaven. As they had stood forth in moral power in noble uprightness,
overcoming Satan's temptations, he could not bring them under the
dominion of death. He triumphed that he had power to overcome Moses
with his temptations, and that he could mar his illustrious character and
lead him to the sin of taking glory to himself before the people which
belonged to God.--The Review and Herald, March 3, 1874. {3SM 146.5}

10. The promise
Everyone who by faith obeys God's commandments, will reach the
condition of sinlessness in which Adam lived before his transgression.
{Mar 224.5}