Did Jesus have a sin nature?

[Becca]

I had a student ask an interesting question recently. After hearing James 1:14 "but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed," a student asked if Jesus had evil desires (since he was tempted in the desert). So...did he? It seems wrong to say that Jesus had evil desires...but he was fully human and tempted in every way (Heb. 4:15). I guess the question I am asking is: Did Jesus have a sin nature?

[Mike Miller]

Jesus did not have a sin nature, but He did have a human nature. The difference is that He also had a divine nature. He was a human who was righteous and holy and morally perfect. Notice that when Paul is talking about Jesus becoming human, he does not say that He took on "sinful flesh," but that He was "in the likeness of sinful flesh" (Romans 8:3). Hebrews 7:26 says that He is "holy, blameless, unstained, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens." His nature, therefore, was human, but as the human nature was meant to be--without sin.

Now, when we are tempted, our desires are evil, for we actually desire to sin. Jesus, however, was tempted and resisted. He did not desire to sin, but He desired to please God. He was the perfect man with the perfect desires that we are intended to have, but we do not because we are fallen.