Temptation

We are all tempted every day.  But, is temptation sin and does it come from God?  James, speaking of sin,  tells us it’s a progression: 

James 1:13-15 (ESV)
¹³  Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. ¹⁴  But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. ¹⁵  Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

According to James, then, temptation doesn’t come from God, but is the first domino.  If we stop with temptation, we have not sinned.  It’s when we dwell on the temptation, roll it around in our minds, ponder our desire, that it becomes sin.

If God doesn’t tempt us, where does temptation come from?  Satan is called “the tempter” in 1 Thess. 3:5.  Then temptation comes from Satan and his underlings.  But, there is another source for temptation and eventually sin, our own flesh.  Romans 7:21-25 says that our body leads us into sin.  Our body has desires and needs.  Some of those are not to be honored.  We struggle all the time against the desires of the flesh, the desires of our bodies.  But, Scripture says we should not live according to our fleshly desires but according to the spirit, God’s way (Rom. 8:1-8).

Even Jesus was tempted (Matt. 4:1; Heb. 4:15).  So, we have a God Who personally and directly understands the temptations we face (Heb 2:18), yet He did not sin.

Why does God allow us to be tempted?   James talks about that, too:

James 1:2-4 (ESV)
²  Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, ³  for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. ⁴  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Temptation, when it  is resisted, increase our faith and produce steadfastness or endurance.  It makes it easier to resist temptation next time it arises.

1 Cor. 10:13 says we will not be tempted beyond our ability to resist.  It says God will provide a way of escape, and that’s just what we should do at times.  When Joseph was tempted by Potipher’s wife, he ran.  Sometimes, we need to run, too.  There’s no shame in that.

Another technique for dealing with temptation is to memorize Scripture.  I like 1 Cor. 10:13.  It speaks of temptation directly and is long enough that the temptation is often gone by the time I’ve repeated the full verse.

God understands temptation because He has experienced it.  He provides a way out of sin as a result of temptation, and He tells us living by the Spirit of God is the only way that pleases Him.  However, we will fall, we will yield to the flesh or to Satan’s influence.  When that happens, God has provided a way to be forgiven, to be cleansed, through repentance and confession (1 John 1:9)

We must strive to live according to the spirit and not the flesh, but when we fall, God is waiting and anxious to forgive us of our sin.