Dealing with Temptation

One of the shared experiences all Christians face is temptation. First Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.”

As long as we live in this world, we will face temptation. When Jesus concluded His teaching on the model prayer, He taught about how we should pray in regard to temptation. Matthew 6:13 says, “Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Immediately, questions arise. What does this mean, since God does not tempt people? James 1:13-16 says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished it brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.”

Dealing with TemptationJesus Himself was tempted with three powerful and appealing temptations from Satan. Matthew 4:1 says, “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” God led Jesus to the place where He could be tempted, yet the Father never tempted the Son. Satan was the tempter then, and he is now. Matthew 4:3 says, “The tempter came and said to him …” (to Jesus). Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 3:5, “When I could endure it no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you … .”

Temptation appeals to our fallen natures. It is an enticement to sin aimed at harming us and dishonoring the God we serve. Martyn Lloyd-Jones has stated, “We are asking that we should never be led into a situation where we are liable to be tempted by Satan. We must never presume to tell God what He is or is not to do. It means that we should request Him to preserve us from this and not lead us in this way.” He believes this is what Jesus meant in Matthew 26:41 when He instructed His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Keep watching and praying, that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Another way to understand Jesus’ teaching in the model prayer is that He was teaching us not to say, “Lord, do not test me,” but “deliver me from the temptation already around me.” Craig Blomberg notes that when we pray “lead us not into temptation,” Jesus is not implying “don’t bring us to the place of temptation or don’t allow us to be tempted.” Most likely He is saying “don’t let us succumb to temptation” or “don’t abandon us to temptation.”

We are in essence praying for insight and protection regarding the temptations we will encounter. In 1863, Charles Spurgeon said, “A man who carries gunpowder about with him may well ask that he may not be led where the sparks are flying.”

Literally, the verse could be translated: “Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” The devil is the architect of most of the temptations we face. D.A. Carson believes this verse is a “litotes” (a figure of speech that expresses something by negating the contrary). It would be like answering the question, “How many were there?” with “Not a few” (meaning many). Carson said the Lord is saying, “Lead us not into temptation but away from it — into righteousness. We will then be delivered from the evil one.” James 4:7 says, “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Praying the way Jesus taught us is submitting to God. It is asking for the power we do not have in ourselves to overcome the evil one and the temptations he sends to damage and destroy us.

Temptation is something every Christian faces. The Greek word for temptation is peirasmos and it can mean either “temptation” or “test.” Temptations can be stepping stones into confidence and growth — or stumbling blocks into sin. Preparation precedes blessing. Praying the way Jesus taught us prepares us for the potential blessing that trials or temptations can bring.

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