Enduring Temptation

Some individuals may have the mistaken notion that being tempted is equal to committing sin.  The Bible plainly teaches otherwise.  In the letter written by James, it is stated, “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation:  for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.  Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God:  for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin:  and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:12-15).  According to these verses, temptation is a part of the process that leads to sin, but it is not sin itself.

Temptation has always been the method that the devil uses to bring about sin.  From his very first interaction with mankind, the devil utilized this tool effectively.  When placed into the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were given specific instructions to obey.  God told Adam, “…Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it:  for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Gen. 2:16-17).  With this law being given, mankind had the ability of free will to choose whether to obey or disobey.  Sadly, Adam and Eve disobeyed.  They did not endure the temptation, but rather succumbed it.  In the form of the serpent, the devil came to Eve and said, “…Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden” (Gen. 3:1)?  Eve responded, “…We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:  But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die” (Gen. 3:3).  It was then that devil went to work on producing lust and temptation in the heart of Eve.  He said, “…Ye shall not surely die:  For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:4-5).  The serpent made it seem that God was keeping something “good” from Adam and Eve.  In truth, God was allowing the two people to enjoy innocence without shame, but that did not last long.  The temptation to be as “gods” was something that Eve was not going to ignore.  Instead, it is written, “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” (Gen. 3:6).  The fall of man was complete.  Sin had now entered into the world, and it followed the exact pattern that James wrote.  Eve was drawn away of her own lust and enticed, the she allowed her lust to conceive and bring forth sin.  The devil knew exactly what he was doing, and we will do well to remember that.

On another occasion, the devil again is shown to be the tempter of man.  This time was during the earthly life of Jesus.  Matthew recorded, “Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.  And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward and hungred” (Matt. 4:1-2).  Three times, using “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life,” the devil tempted our Lord (Matt. 4:3, 5-6, 8-9; 1 John 2:16).  How did Jesus endure such temptations?  For the Hebrews writer proclaimed, “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” (Heb. 4:15).  The Lord endured temptations without sinning, and He did such because of His knowledge and usage of the Word of God.  After each temptation, Jesus quoted Old Testament Scriptures that were used appropriately.

Each of us is going to go through times of temptation.  Do we know enough of the Bible to be able to endure without sinning?  Yes, we will fail at times (1 John 1:6-2:2).  Hopefully though, each battle with temptation will make us more resolved not to allow ourselves to sin the next time.  For if we endure the temptation not to advance any further, we are blessed indeed.
~ Corey Barnette