In today’s economy, many people find themselves having financial problems. If you find yourself among this group, you may wish to take a seminar entitled “How to Live Within Your Income.” It’s being taught by John D. Rockefeller. Are you interested?

For students, how about a class called “Homework Made Easy.” The teacher has an IQ of 200. Or do you prefer something in the field of sports? How about a class in Sky Diving–taught by the angel Gabriel?

If Jesus came to be our Saviour only, then it might not be so important how He lived His life. But if He came to be our example, to show us how to live, then He must live life as we have to live it.

Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to profit by His example.

The Desire of Ages, page 24, says:

“If we had to bear anything which Jesus did not endure, then upon this point Satan would represent the power of God as insufficient for us.”

In all of the discussion and debate concerning the nature of Christ, two major points bring most of the disagreement: the question of what it means that Jesus was tempted in all points like we are, yet without sin (see Hebrews 4) and how Jesus could be born sinless of human parentage.

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” – Hebrews 4:15

Neither of these questions has direct application to our lives, and both are questions which we have been told are mysteries that we shouldn’t spend a lot of time trying to figure out. See Ellen G. White Comments, S.D.A. Bible Commentary, vol. 5, pp. 1128, 1129.

On the other hand, almost everyone seems to agree on two other major points in this subject: that Jesus had no advantage over us in overcoming temptation and that He overcame sin in the same way in which we can overcome. These are practical points on which we have much inspired information.

Not even by a thought did Jesus yield to temptation – and the same victory may be ours as well. See The Desire of Ages, p. 123.

Revelation 3:21 says that we can overcome in the same way in which Jesus overcame.

“To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.”

“Through the victory of Christ the same advantages that he had are provided for man; for he may be a partaker of a power out of and above himself, even a partaker of the divine nature, by which he may overcome the corruption that is in the world through lust.” – Ellen G. White, Signs of the Times, January 16, 1896.

So Jesus had no advantage over us in overcoming sin; therefore He is qualified to show us how to live. He came and experienced the needs and weaknesses of humanity so He could offer assistance to those who must live within the limits of humanity.

No doubt Jesus possessed all kinds of advantages over us, for He was God as surely as He was man. But He never used the advantages with which He was born, and as long as He did not use them, those very advantages gave Him an equal or greater disadvantage compared to us.

For instance, Jesus had a real advantage when it came to behavior, because having never sinned, He could never be tempted to continue in sin–and the momentum of transgression is one of our greatest downward pulls. On the other hand, He had a disadvantage when it came to relationship with His Father, for He had the inherent power to live life apart from dependence upon His Father–and we don’t. Who has the greater temptation to live independently? The one who has the power to do so, or the one who does not?

The Ellen G. White Comments, S.D.A. Bible Commentary, volume 7, page 930, says:

“It was a difficult task for the Prince of life to carry out the plan which He had undertaken for the salvation of man, in clothing His divinity with humanity. He had received honor in the heavenly courts, and was familiar with absolute power. It was as difficult for Him to keep the level of humanity as for men to rise above the low level of their depraved natures, and be partakers of the divide nature.”

So when it came to the basic issue in sin and temptation– separation from a relationship with God–not only did Christ have no advantage over us, He actually had a disadvantage.

“Man is not able to save himself, but the Son of God fights his battles for him, and places him on vantage-ground by giving him his divine attributes.” – Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, February 8, 1898.

The life of Jesus is our assurance that we can overcome temptation. As He gained the victory through dependence upon His Father, so we may gain the victory through dependence upon Him.

We can be on “vantage-ground” today.