Prelapsarian or postlapsarian.

What position should the Seventh-day Adventist church take regarding the
human nature of Christ?
In your answer, include a brief overview of the meaning of each view, then take a position. Please provide
biblical, historical, and theological support for your position.
Instructions:
Please research and provide a response to the discussion question. You are expected to cite sources for
your answer. Your response is to be no less than 350 words.
Besides your initial response, you are also expected to comment on at least two (2) of your classmates’
initial responses. Your comment should be at least 100 words. In your comment, you are giving feedback
on your classmates’ post by either agreeing, disagreeing, or explaining your position.
Please note that your initial post is due on January 29, 2023. Your responses should not be on the same
day as your initial post.
Besides posting on the discussion forum, you will also upload a copy of your initial response to the portal
provided on the Aeorion.

Biblical: relating to or contained in the Bible:

"historical evidence" (of the study of a subject) based on an analysis of its development over a
period:
"for the Darwinians, biogeography became a historical science"

Theological: relating to the study of the nature of God and religious belief:

"theological and pastoral training" · "theological writings" · "a reworking of the past that was partly
theological"

The topic of the nature, Prelapsarian or Postlapsarian, of Jesus Christ, is vital to theology. I will seek to
answer the question of which nature the Seventh-day Adventist Church by examining four (4) important
Bible passages.
 
Firstly, David said in Psalm 51:5, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived
me.” Here David acknowledged himself as a sinner even before he knew right from wrong. Here David
realised that the moment he came forth from his mother’s womb, he had Postlapsarian nature, a nature
tainted by sin and his need for the Saviour. When commenting on Psalm 51:5, the Adventist Bible
Commentary posits, “David recognized that children inherit natures with propensities to evil.”[i]
 
Secondly, the Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:21 that Jesus knew no sin. The Greek word used by
Paul for “knew” is γνόντα, which primarily translated to know, especially through personal experience.
[ii] The NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible postulates, “Christ “had no sin” both inwardly and
outwardly.”[iii] Thus, Christ was without sin, both inwardly, i.e. tendencies or propensity towards sin, and
externally, i.e., committing any act that is contrary to the will of God. 
 
Thirdly, when commenting on the death of Jesus Christ and the salvation which it brought, Peter said in 1
Peter 1:18-19, For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were
redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious
blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect(emphasis added). One aspect of the Greek
word ἀμώμου is spiritually blameless.[iv] This points to the truth that Jesus was still in tune with the
Father on a spiritual level through His earthly upon until He took upon Himself the sins of humanity.
 
Finally, the uniqueness of Jesus Christ is seen in the well-known passage of John 3:16. While most Bible
translations translate the Greek word μονογενῆ as only begotten, a more appropriate translation is
unique. μονογενῆ is a composite Greek word, which is comprised of μόνος meaning “one of a
class”, and γένος meaning “the only of its kind”.[v] When discussing the uniqueness of Jesus Christ,
Benjamin Rand said, “His unique birth consisted not only in how He was born (without human father) but
in what nature He was born (without human sin).”[vi]
 
To conclude, the Bible clearly teaches that Jesus had a Prelapsarian nature. Jesus replaced the first
Adam by starting where the first Adam started, walked the path where the first Adam walked but fell, and
replaced the first Adam as the head of the human race.

[i] Francis D. Nichol, Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Volume 3, Psalms, (Takoma Park, MD:
Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1980), 135
[ii] Strong's greek: 1097. γινώσκω (ginóskó) -- to come to know, recognize, perceive, accessed January
22, 2023, https://biblehub.com/greek/1097.htm.
[iii] Donald A. Carson, NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018), 12554.
[iv] Strong's greek: 299. ἄμωμος (AMOMOS) -- blameless, accessed January 23,
2023, https://biblehub.com/greek/299.htm.
[v] Strong's Greek: 3439. μονογενής (Monogenés) -- only begotten, accessed January 23,
2023, https://biblehub.com/greek/3439.htm.
[vi] “Unfallen What Human Nature Did Jesus Take?,” accessed January 23,
2023, https://www.adventistbiblicalresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/humannaturechristunfallen.pdf.

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Re: Prelapsarian or postlapsarian. What position should the Seventh-
day Adventist church take regarding the human nature of Christ?
by Ziggario Richards - Tuesday, 24 January 2023, 3:08 PM
Excellent exposition Byron your approach was very systematic and I like the support provided to aid your
view. I agree that Christ had no propensity to sin, meaning there was no sinful desire in Him that grave for
that which is carnal. Your uses of Greek also shed light on the subject under review. David was born with
a fallen nature with the propensity to do evil, however, if we posit that Christ has a fallen nature, not with
the propensity to do evil but to identify with all humanity does this change anything about Him in a
negative light? The background of my question stems from the fact that if Christ had an unfallen nature
would He be truly able to identify with the condition of humanity? With the first peer certainly! but would
He be able to identify with us with a fallen nature? And if He had a fallen nature wouldn't that so how
giving him an advantage over us thus giving us an excuse that we couldn't attain righteousness because
of our example JESUS had an advantage over us? These are my concern from a prelapsarian view.
However, I think you did exceptionally well and you have given me food for thought.
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