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Living The Christian Life
Temptation in the Believer's Life
1. Satan and temptation
2. God and temptation
3. Man and temptation
4. Victory in temptation
Temptation arises for the believer when he finds himself in a situation where he simultaneously hears two calls: one which pushes him to transgress the will of God, the other to do what he knows to be the will of God .
Temptation is a test, a test of the believer. In Hebrew and Greek, the same word designates both temptation and trial.
1. Satan and temptation
Satan also bears the name of " tempter " ( 1 Th 3: 5 ; Mt 4: 3 ). Its purpose is to divert the believer from God or from the path of obedience to God ( Acts 5: 3 ; 2 Cor 2:11 ). To this end, he constantly seeks to insinuate doubt and lead to rebellion; he wishes to lead the believer to doubt that the ways of God are good, just and perfect (cf. Ge 3: 1-6 ).
Satan incites man either to do what is contrary to the will of God, or not to do what God asks; he also wants to encourage him to do what God said, at a time that is not that of God (cf. 1 Sam 13: 8-14 where we can distinguish the three elements).
Satan always seeks to push the one he attacks to defeat ( 1 Pi 5: 8 ), and to better achieve this he disguises himself even as an "angel of light" (cf. 2 Cor 11:14 ).
2. God and temptation
The devil can only attempt with God's permission ( Job 1:12 ; Job 2: 6 ; cf. Mt 4: 1 ; Lu 22:31 ).
God allows temptation because it constitutes a test of faith intended to strengthen the believer ( Ja 1: 2-4 , Ja 1:12 ; 1 Pi 1: 6-7 ). But, at the same time, God controls the temptation, measures its intensity ( 1 Cor 10: 13a ; 2 Th 3: 3 ) and gives the possibility of triumphing over it ( 1 Cor 10: 13b ; 2 Pi 2: 9 ) . God therefore does not remove the temptation, but he helps not to fail ( Jn 17:15 ).
The statement of Ja 1:13 makes it clear that God never incites man to commit evil; God never sets a trap for the believer to be caught.
The request " do not lead us into temptation " ( Mt 6:13 ), literally means: " do not introduce us into temptation ", or " do not expose us to temptation " or " preserve us from entering the views of the tempter ".
In the original text, the same term as "to try" is used when God experiences, that is, wants to bring out the secret feelings of men ( Ex 16: 4 ; De 8: 2 ; Ge 22: 1 ; cf . Gal 4: 13-14 ). It is a positive act that leads to purification and sanctification.
3. Man and temptation
All temptation does not come directly from Satan and should not be attributed to him automatically and systematically ( Mk 7: 20-23 ). Because of his sinful nature, there exists in man himself a primer to evil: his lust ( Ja 1:14 ; 1 Pi 2:11 ), that is to say " the bad desires he carries in him, who bait him, seduce him and lead him "( Ja 1:14 Kuen).
• The passage from 1 Jn 2: 15-16 highlights three types of lusts:
• The lust of the flesh, or the evil desires of human nature (cf. Ro 7: 21-23 ; Ga 5: 16-17 ). Examples: Guéhazi in 2 R 5: 20-24 ; Saul in 1 S 28: 4-8 .
• The lust of the eyes, the eager desire to see or to have what we see. Examples: Lot in Ge 13: 10-11 ; David in 2 S 11: 2-4 ; Acan in Jos 7: 19-21 .
• The pride of life, that is, the pursuit and intoxication of power and glory, self-assurance, security placed in earthly things. Examples: Ozias in 2 Ch 26: 14-18 ; the rich man in Lu 12: 16-21 .
Although Adam and Eve were in a special situation because of the absence of a sinful nature, we can see a parallel between 1 Jn 2:16 and the process of their temptation in Ge 3: 5-6 where the expressions " good to eat ", " pleasant to the sight " and " precious to open the intelligence ".
Temptation puts man before a choice that calls for a decision.
Temptation is not sin; it is choosing Satan's proposition that gives birth to sin ( Ja 1:15 ).
If the believer has sinned, God offers him the possibility of a new beginning on the basis of 1 Jn 1: 9 ; 1 Jn 2: 1-2 .
4. Victory in temptation
Christ understands our weaknesses having himself been subjected to temptation, but without ever yielding to it ( Heb 4:15 ; cf. 1 Cor 10:13 ) and he can help those who are tempted ( Heb 2:18 ; Rev 3:10 ) . He brings victories to those in communion with him ( 2 Cor 2:14 ; 1 Jn 5: 4-5 ) as he himself triumphed over Satan ( Col 2:15 ).
To overcome, the believer must resist the devil by having firm faith and submitting to God ( 1 Pi 5: 9 ; Ja 4: 7 ; cf. Heb 11: 24-26 ). God created man free and endowed with will; temptation offers the opportunity to express a choice for which man is responsible.
The word of God is a weapon at the disposal of the believer as it was for Christ ( Mt 4: 4 , Mt 4: 7 , Mt 4:10 ; cf. 1 Jn 2: 14b ).
Prayer and vigilance are two more ways the Lord gives the believer to keep him from falling into temptation ( Mt 26:41 ; 1 Pi 5: 8 ).
When possible, the believer should make the decision to move away or even flee far from the source of the temptation ( Ge 39:12 ; 1 Ti 6:11 ).
See the diagram "Temptation", which shows the interactions between God, the believer and Satan, and how is made the choice between "victory" or "defeat"
Note about the phrase "tempt God"
This expression can only have one meaning, since God can in no way be tempted by evil (cf. Ja 1:13 ). " Tempting God " is:
• ask him to act in a manner not in accordance with his will, or require his intervention as if it were a right ( Mt 4: 5-7 );
• provoke him, challenge him in relation to his attributes, abuse his patience ( Ex 17: 1-2 , Ex 17: 7 ; Ps 78: 18-20 , Ps 78:41 ; Acts 5: 9 ).
The believer must be careful not to tempt God ( 1 Cor 10: 9 ; 6:16 ).