Sinlessness of Christ
The one who shared our temptations and yet never sinned
This is the teaching that Christ, in his earthly life, was wholly without sin, affirmed in passages such as Hebrews 4:15 and 2 Corinthians 5:21. His sinlessness itself is not in dispute among Christians. What is debated is whether he was merely free of sin or strictly incapable of sinning — the stronger claim called impeccability — but that further question does not unsettle the shared conviction of his sinlessness.
How it traveled
- HebrewsRome · c. 67 CEexplains
- MarkRome · c. 68 CEexplains
- MatthewAntioch · c. 80 CEexplains
- LukeRome · c. 84 CEexplains
- JohnEphesus · c. 100 CEapplies
- The Gospel of Nicodemus; Part I.--The Acts of Pilate: Latin Form.— · c. 220 CEexplains
- The Gospel of Nicodemus; Part I.--The Acts of Pilate: Second Greek Form.— · c. 220 CEexplains
- The Gospel of Nicodemus; Part I.--The Acts of Pilate: First Greek Form.— · c. 220 CEexplains
- The Church History of EusebiusCaesarea · c. 339 CEexplains
- Against the Arians. (Orationes contra Arianos IV.)Alexandria · c. 373 CEexplains
- Ephraim Syrus: The Nisibene HymnsEdessa · c. 373 CEexplains
- Select Orations of Saint Gregory NazianzenNazianzus · c. 390 CEexplains
- Against EunomiusNyssa · c. 395 CEexplains
- The Great CatechismNyssa · c. 395 CEexplains
- On the Holy SpiritMilan · c. 397 CEexplains
- The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. JohnConstantinople (Istanbul) · c. 407 CEexplains
- The Homilies of St. John ChrysostomConstantinople (Istanbul) · c. 407 CEexplains
- The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the HebrewsConstantinople (Istanbul) · c. 407 CEexplains
- Homilies on First CorinthiansConstantinople (Istanbul) · c. 407 CEexplains
- The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the RomansConstantinople (Istanbul) · c. 407 CEexplains
- Against the PelagiansBethlehem · c. 420 CEexplains
- Expositions on the Book of PsalmsHippo Regius · c. 430 CEexplains
- Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. JohnHippo Regius · c. 430 CEexplains
- A Treatise on the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of InfantsHippo Regius · c. 430 CEexplains
- A Treatise on Nature and GraceHippo Regius · c. 430 CEexplains
- A Treatise Concerning Man’s Perfection in RighteousnessHippo Regius · c. 430 CEexplains
- City of GodHippo Regius · c. 430 CEexplains
- The EnchiridionHippo Regius · c. 430 CEexplains
- Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New TestamentHippo Regius · c. 430 CEexplains
- A Treatise Against Two Letters of the PelagiansHippo Regius · c. 430 CEexplains
- The Harmony of the GospelsHippo Regius · c. 430 CEexplains
- The Ecclesiastical History, Dialogues, and Letters of TheodoretCyrrhus · c. 458 CEexplains
- The Letters and Sermons of Leo the GreatRome · c. 461 CEexplains
- Anselm's Cur Deus HomoCanterbury · c. 1109 CEexplains
- Treatise on the Incarnation (qq[1]-59)Paris · c. 1274 CEexplains
- Book Second. of the Knowledge of God the Redeemer, in Christ, as First Manifested to the Fathers, Under the Law, and Thereafter to Us Under the GospelGeneva · c. 1564 CEexplains
- Seventeen Occasional SermonsNorthampton, Massachusetts · c. 1758 CEexplains
- a careful and strict inquiry into the prevailing notions of the freedom of willNorthampton, Massachusetts · c. 1758 CEexplains
- A History of the Work of RedemptionNorthampton, Massachusetts · c. 1758 CEexplains
- XIV Five discourses on the soul's eternal salvationNorthampton, Massachusetts · c. 1758 CEexplains
Key passages(20)
Each passage is tagged by what it does with the idea: explains it, applies it in practice, redefines it with a new meaning, or challenges it. Relevance shows how directly the passage is about this idea.
The Letters and Sermons of Leo the Great · Pope Leo the Great
Sermon XXII. On the Feast of the Nativity, II. I. The mystery of the Incarnation demands our joy. Let us be glad in the Lord, dearly-beloved, and rejoice with spiritual joy that there has dawned fo
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Treatise on the Incarnation (qq[1]-59) · Thomas Aquinas
We must now consider the defects pertaining to the soul; and under this head there are ten points of inquiry: (1) Whether there was sin in Christ? (2) Whether there was the "fomes" of sin in Him? (
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The Enchiridion · Augustine of Hippo
Chapter 41.—Christ, Who Was Himself Free from Sin, Was Made Sin for Us, that We Might Be Reconciled to God. Begotten and conceived, then, without any indulgence of carnal lust, and therefore bringing
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a careful and strict inquiry into the prevailing notions of the freedom of will · Jonathan Edwards
4. All the promises, which were made to the church of old, of the Messiah as a future Saviour, from that made to our first parents in paradise, to that which was delivered by the prophet Malachi show
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A Treatise Against Two Letters of the Pelagians · Augustine of Hippo
Chapter 16 [VI.]—Misrepresentation Concerning Sin in Christ. They have not a righteous advocate, who are (even if that were the only difference) distinguished absolutely and widely from the righteous
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Anselm's Cur Deus Homo · Anselm of Canterbury
How this man dies not of debt; and in what sense he can or cannot sin; and how neither he nor an angel deserves praise for their holiness, if it is impossible for them to sin. Anselm. We ought not to
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Expositions on the Book of Psalms · Augustine of Hippo
8. But yet what is to be done? “Without a cause have they hid for me the corruption of their trap.” What meaneth, “Without a cause”? I have done them no evil, I have hurt them not at all. “Vainly have
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For we don’t have a high priest who can’t be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin.
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For such a high priest was fitting for us: holy, guiltless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
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On the Flesh of Christ. · Anti-marcion
Chapter XVI.—Christ’s Flesh in Nature, the Same as Ours, Only Sinless. The Difference Between Carnem Peccati and Peccatum Carnis: It is the Latter Which Christ Abolished. The Flesh of the First Adam,
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Treatise on the Incarnation (qq[1]-59) · Thomas Aquinas
We have now to consider Christ's temptation, concerning which there are four points of inquiry: (1) Whether it was becoming that Christ should be tempted? (2) Of the place; (3) Of the time; (4) Of
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XIV Five discourses on the soul's eternal salvation · Jonathan Edwards
4. There are conjoined in the person of Christ infinite worthiness of good, and the greatest patience under sufferings of evil. He was perfectly innocent, and deserved no suffering. He deserved nothin
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a careful and strict inquiry into the prevailing notions of the freedom of will · Jonathan Edwards
The Acts of the Will of the human soul of Jesus Christ, necessarily holy, yet truly virtuous, praise-worthy, rewardable, &c. I have already considered how Dr. Whitby insists upon it, that a freedom,
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a careful and strict inquiry into the prevailing notions of the freedom of will · Jonathan Edwards
2. The same thing is evident from all the promises which God made to the Messiah, of his future glory, kingdom, and success, in his office and character of a Mediator: which glory could not have been
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a careful and strict inquiry into the prevailing notions of the freedom of will · Jonathan Edwards
7. That it should have been possible that Christ should sin, and so fail in the work of our redemption, does not consist with the eternal purpose and decree of God, revealed in the Scriptures, that he
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Treatise on the Incarnation (qq[1]-59) · Thomas Aquinas
On the contrary, Augustine says (Gen. ad lit. x) that in whatever way Christ was in Adam and Abraham, other men were there also; but not conversely. But other men were not in Adam and Abraham by way o
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Against the Arians. (Orationes contra Arianos IV.) · Athanasius of Alexandria
42. And so too the words ‘gave Him’ are not written because of the Word Himself; for even before He became man He was worshipped, as we have said, by the Angels and the whole creation in virtue of bei
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Commentary on Galatians · Martin Luther
This passage furthermore declares that Christ’s purpose in coming was the abolition of the Law, not with the intention of laying down new laws, but “to redeem them that were under the law.” Christ him
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Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John · Augustine of Hippo
10. “These things were done in Bethany, beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day John saw Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God; behold Him who taketh away the sin of t
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The Conferences of John Cassian. Part I. Containing Conferences I-X · John Cassian
Our arrival at Abbot Serapion’s cell, and inquiry on the different kinds of faults and the way to overcome them. In that assembly of Ancients and Elders was a man named Serapion, Serapion when young
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