TEMPTATION: A COMMON EXPERIENCE OF BOTH SAINTS AND SINNER
“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” James 1:12 KJV.
INTRODUCTION
Salvation from sin, the blessedness of it, the moral agency of man, the purpose of Satan at thwarting the will of God for the redeemed and the possibility of believers’ spiritual downfall make the subject of temptation a crucial one to consider. To begin with, Satan does not want anyone to be saved from sin. So, he wages war against everyone who is saved from sin to make sure he does not continue in the real experience of salvation, and thus, disqualify him from enjoying the benefits of salvation here and in heaven. But since he cannot force the Christian to sin, he takes advantage of the free moral agency of man to make choices. He coats wrong, sinful practices in living and attractive colours and urges man to choose and damn the consequences which he hides from him.
God, however, urges the Christian who seeks to enjoy abundant life to align his choices with His (Deut. 30:15). This is because in His goodwill, He has ordained that believers be conformed to the image of His dear Son and walk according to the guidance of His all-knowing-seeing-powerful Spirit. Unfortunately, most believers are “blind” and “deaf” in a sense that they do not see and know who is behind some subtle suggestions that appear to be good. “Who is blind, but my servant? Or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? Who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the LORD’s servant?” (Isaiah 42:19 with Job 33:14). Note that temptation is NOT a sin; YIELDING to temptation is! It is when the believer yields to the temptation that he sins.
Temptation is a common experience of ALL men-saints and sinners alike. Even our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ was not spared. Just as it was with the Lord, temptation is an enticement or suggestion (in thought, feeling or action) to sin or do evil. It cuts across age, race, social class, colour, spiritual level or estate in life. No saint lives long enough or grows enough in grace to get rid of it.
Pitiably, however, sinners and backsliders do not have the power and strength with which to overcome temptations. This is because they, by their life styles, are of the devil and controlled by the devil (1 John 3:8; John 8:44; Ephesians 2:2). Sin weakens and robs the sinner of spiritual energy to resist continued indulgence in it. The only way to receive the initial deposit of divine strength with which to live and maintain a righteous life is salvation through Christ. The sinner/backslider must repent of his sins, confess them to God and receive Jesus as Saviour and Lord (John1:12). Although temptations, like the circumstances around them, may differ from one person to another, the believer needs to know the different sources of temptation.
SOURCE OF TEMPTATION
Satan is the source of temptation. He and his spirits or human agents delight in bringing temptations in the pathway of Christians with the purpose of making them fall. God is NEVER the author of temptation or sin. “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” (James 1:13, 14). God can never be blamed for sin though men in their desperate attempt to break loose from responsibility for their actions often heap blame of their failure on God. What then is God’s place in the spectrum of temptations? The Apostle James, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, posits that temptation begins with man’s desire which may be perfectly legitimate by itself, but which leads away from God-appointed goals to baser, inferior and transient ideas. Indeed, the devil tempts the believer with what he is craving for. It, therefore, means that the first and greatest source of temptation is the heart. The enemy within- pride, lust, revenge, envy, etc. – is greater, fiercer, and more ravenous than the enemy without. No wonder the Bible says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). And Christ in the New Testament notes: “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man” (Mark 7:21-23). Temptation comes when one is drawn away of his own lust…” Satan, however, is he who does the drawing away. Satan sees the propensity to sin in the heart and then fans the smouldering coal into a full-blown flame. This is the first source of temptation.
Second, the flesh is another source of temptation. The inordinate cravings of the flesh in the areas of appetite and immoral urge lead men to temptation. Undue closeness between opposite gender especially amongst young people, often spark unholy, carnal feelings of lust and uncleanness. Third, apparently close and indispensable pals like neighbours, relatives or even parents can be sources of temptation. A neighbour can impress some unscriptural idea, practice or sentiments on our mind and evoke the base nature in us. Relatives can craftily edge us out of the counsel of God and set our feet on the quicksand of sin. Non-Christian parents, can lead us into wrong marriages, get us into unscriptural or even sinful work environment, gently blow the breeze of spiritual coldness on our heart and make us lose grip of our consecration.
Fourth, overconfidence or being self-opinionated more often than not, proves a source of temptation. Fifth, looseness during courtship between intending couples leads to temptation. Sixth, the believer’s weakest point, his besetting sin is a sore spot for a source of temptation. Seventh, greed and inordinate ambition are another. The craze to get-rich-quick or is a modern source of temptation a believer must avoid.
The fall of some Bible characters, which flags the teaching of eternal security as false, highlights pitfall believers need to avoid. A quest for new, higher knowledge or spiritual enlightenment and willingness to learn from any source -even Satan- without consultation with her husband made Eve fall. Quest for greener pasture and independence without counting the cost made Lot to pitch his residence near a city doomed to destruction. Willingness to satisfy the appetite at whatever cost was Esau’s undoing. Achan, Gehazi, Balaam, Judas Iscariot and Demas are in the same class with the covetous; their apparently blossoming life and ministry hit the rocks as a natural consequence. David, Ammon, Solomon, Samson all committed immorality because of their lust-filled eyes. For restlessness, wandering carelessly and aimlessly in the company of the ungodly, Dinah was also involved in sexual immorality. Besides, unequal yoke in a marriage made Samson’s fall more terrible.
It is important to note that Satan’s primary purpose for bringing temptations to Christian in all ages is well expressed by the Lord in the Gospel of John: “The thief cometh not, but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…
” Apostle James also tells us that the end result of yielding to temptation is death. “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” Satan’s main purpose in tempting us is to destroy us.
” Apostle James also tells us that the end result of yielding to temptation is death. “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” Satan’s main purpose in tempting us is to destroy us.
watch out for victory over temptation