Abstract

It seems that the teachings of orthodox Christian doctrine may actually suggest that Jesus' life does not provide a useful moral example for the rest of us. The traditional doctrine of the Incarnation states that Jesus was fully human and fully God. The Bible says that Jesus was "tempted in every way that we are, yet without sin." But someone who is "fully God" cannot possibly sin, since one of God's attributes is necessary moral perfection. And yet to say that someone was tempted to sin seems to imply, in a commonsensical way, that it was possible for that person to sin. I call this the "Temptation Problem". ;A number of philosophers and theologians have considered this problem or problems very much like it. I consider the proposed solutions to this apparent difficulty of Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, R. L. Sturch, and Thomas V. Morris. Each of their solutions fails, I argue, although each of them presents an interesting way of dealing with the seemingly incompatible human and divine attributes of Jesus