That's the proverbial answer in a nutshell.
The sin nature isn't a material thing to be passed along genetically like brown hair or Huntington's disease.
Jesus inherited Mary's DNA. He had to. One cannot survive without mitochondrial DNA from the mother. I used to tell my science students that mtDNA is like the energy source for the cell - the battery if you will.
Without this genetic code, a organism from conception .... would never grow or develop. It would be like trying to bake cookies in the oven, but the oven won't come on. Or like trying to blow dry your hair without plugging the device in. No mtDNA - no life. Perhaps this is why Eve was called the mother of "all" the living. She isn't my mother or your mother, but her mtDNA lives in us all today (with mutations of course).
Men have mtDNA, too, obviously or they wouldn't be alive. They just don't pass it on to offspring. What negligible amount is contained in the sperm cell is found in the tail and is used for "swimming". There's some debate about whether the tail is dead when broken off or when absorbed if the tail is earmarked for destruction by the egg cell because it's not needed anymore. Answers for this are not 100% agreed upon.
I'm digressing.
Jesus came from the "seed" of Mary, just as foretold. I believe that Jesus, on this earth, was 100% human and 100% God simultaneously. If so, his human body would not function without Mary's mtDNA.
And as Aaron said, the purpose of this Virgin Birth was for a miraculous sign.
Since Jesus inherited Mary's DNA, the sin nature of a human cannot be passed along genetically.
Jesus had no sin nature - else He would have been born with a defect. He was tempted, yes. And He did not sin. Adam didn't have a sin nature either to begin with - else he would have been created with a defect. He was tempted and failed and lost his life (eventually) because of it. Jesus is called the second Adam. Jesus was tempted and was victorious.
The Bible says that through Adam sin entered the world. It has been born "into" every descendant of his - which is everybody - including Mary. How did Jesus escape the sin nature then?
Some believe that the sin nature comes from the father and because Jesus had no earthly father, he conveniently avoided it.
I can't go there. It completely "excuses" (for lack of a better notion) Mary's own grievous state of sin. She was a filthy sinner just like the rest of us - in desperate need of a Savior. I know that Catholics believe in the Immaculate Conception - Mary's being conceived without sin and her being sinless, but we all know that doesn't hold water.
Have you all ever thought that maybe we hold on to the idea that we get our sin nature from our biological dads as a defense against the Catholic teaching that Mary was sinless? I mean if Mary was a sinner (which she was) then sin being passed down biologically speaking from from ONLY our dads would solve that problem of falsely making her sinless. Sort of like this:
Catholic: "Mary was sinless."
Protestant: "No, she wasn't. She sinned like all of us."
Catholic: "Then how did Jesus escape inheriting a sin nature?"
Protestant: (Thinking really hard!!!) "Well, since Adam is responsible for the human race being tainted by sin we must inherit a sin nature from our dads. So... since Jesus didn't have a dad, he's sinless. Yeah, that's it!!"
God held Adam accountable for the fallen nature of mankind. But it doesn't meant that Adam's own personal sin corrupted his children and Eve's did not.
I was not born a sinner because my father sins. I was born a sinner because Adam sinned and Eve sinned and God held Adam responsible for the human race being tainted. My own father's sins have nothing to do with mine being in existence. I was tainted with sin when I was conceived. I am a sinner because of Adam, not my dad (who while a great man, IS a sinner, too).
Jesus was not corrupted by a sin nature.
He couldn't be. It would have been impossible even if God had Jesus ushered into this life via the normal way of having babies.
Jesus is God's Son. Jesus is also GOD. God cannot sin. Ergo, Jesus - no matter form He chooses to exist in - cannot sin.
The miracle was not only that Jesus was born of a virgin, but that He, as God's Son and as God, bypassed the corruption of sin in a fleshly body because of His supernatural and miraculous perfection and holiness.
This was a great post, even if I don't agree with it 100%. :tongue3:
Jesus got his "flesh" from Mary. God does not have flesh, God is spirit.
Jesus's flesh tempted him just like our flesh tempts us. This is what many folks call the sin nature.
Being tempted is not sinful. It is when a person chooses to obey the flesh when it trangresses God's law that a person becomes sinful.
Eve had the three worldly lusts BEFORE she sinned.
Gen 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Eve saw the tree of knowledge was good for food, this is the lust of the flesh.
She saw it was pleasant to the eyes, this is the lust of the eyes.
She saw it was desired to make one wise, this is the pride of life.
These are the three kinds of lust shown in 1 John 2:16;
1 Jhn 2:16 For all that is in the world,
the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Eve had these worldly lusts BEFORE she sinned. Was she sinful at this point? NO! Eve was not sinful until she actually took the forbidden fruit and ate it. Sin is something you DO. Sin is a CHOICE.
If Eve had walked away, she would not have been a sinner.
Jesus was tempted in ALL POINTS as we are, but he never obeyed these fleshly lusts.
Heb 4:15 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.
Jesus came in our exact same flesh;
Heb 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Jesus did not come in some special flesh, he came in the same flesh we all are born with, and he was subject to our same weaknesses and lusts.
Jesus had our same nature;
Heb 2:16 For verily he took not on him the
nature of angels; but he took on him
the seed of Abraham.
17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.
Jesus did not have the nature of Adam, he had the nature of Abraham who was born after the fall. He was made like his brethren (the Jews) in ALL THINGS.
So, if Jesus had a sin nature (I deny this), then we are born with a sin nature too.
Jesus was also the "fruit" of David's loins;
Acts 2:30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him,
that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
Jesus was "made" of the "seed" of David according to the "flesh".
Rom 1:3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord,
which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
You are correct, Jesus got DNA from his mother Mary, and Mary's DNA contained DNA from David. So if sin is passed down genetically, Jesus would have been born a sinner just like all of us.
This is why I don't believe anyone is BORN a sinner. We become sinners when we willfully and knowingly choose to sin. Sin is not inherited.