Impeccability

Impeccability the state of a person who cannot sin, or who, by grace, is delivered from the possibility of sinning. Some speculations have appeared in the world upon the supposed peccability of the human nature of Christ, founded chiefly on certain expressions in the Epistle to the Hebrews (Heb 4:15) and elsewhere, asserting that Christ was "in all points tempted like as we are." It is argued, on, the other hand, that as the Scripture has been silent on this point, it is both needless and presumptuous to attempt to draw any inferences from such expressions as that above cited; and that we should acquiesce in, and be satisfied with, the declaration that "in him is no sin" (1Jo 3:5). See Art. 15 of Church of England, "Of Christ alone without sin." Impeccability, or, at least, sinless perfection, has also been claimed for every true child of God upon the authority of 1Jo 3:9, though improperly, the word "cannot" requiring to be taken (as in many other passages of Scripture) in such a latitude as to express, not an absolute impossibility of sinning, but "a strong disinclination," in the renewed nature, to sin "in such a manner and to such a degree as others." — Eden, Theol. Dict. s.v.; Ullmann, Sinlessness of Jesus (Edinb. 1858,12mo), p. 46; Haag, Hist. des Dogmas Chret. (see Index). SEE CHRIST, SINLESSNESS OF; SEE PERFECTION; SEE SANCTIFICATION.