TEMPTATION AND THE VICTORIOUS LIFE
Throughout the years, many Christians have been robbed of their emanant victory on their spiritual journey because they experienced temptation along some line. It may have resulted from some well-meaning friend who told them that, “Christians just don’t have those kinds of thoughts.”
So, since in all honesty they knew that they had experienced such thoughts flitting their way through their minds on occasion, they deducted that there was something wrong with them spiritually. In fact, they may have been so disappointed in themselves for having such thoughts, that they concluded there was no chance of them ever living a victorious Christian life.
Before we move forward, let’s return to the graphic we studied earlier regarding the continuation process of the Christian experience:
The Christian experience is a journey. Life goes on after the Born-Again and Spirit-Filled episodes. In the continuation process you will always experience the confrontation of alternatives.
Alternatives are necessary. We rightly say that the power to choose is the greatest power given to us by God. But, without the presentation of alternatives, we could never exercise that power to choose.
Temptation is the “sales pitch” used to influence you to choose one or the other of the alternatives.
God is glorified through your life when you “on purpose” choose the righteous alternative. It is through the exercising of your power to choose that you select alternatives that determine your moral relationship with God.
Your character is the sum total of all those alternatives you have chosen. True Christian character is built one day at a time through successfully handling confrontation and temptation.
The outcome of temptation will always reveal the true source of your faith and the object of your dependence. The outcome of confrontation and temptation will also reveal your readiness level for your next installment of “insight-opportunity-obedience” that you learned about in the session on OBEDIENCE.
Confrontation, then, assists in your adventure of becoming all that God ever had in mind for you to become. It gives you an opportunity to crystallize your desires and by choice, determine your ultimate destiny.
The old Methodist theologian, John Wesley wrote:
In Him we have peace. In Him we have power!
Preserved by His grace throughout the dark hour.
In all our temptations He keeps us, to prove
His utmost salvation, His fulness of love.
It will be time well spent for us to investigate thoroughly this subject of temptation. For, how we recognize and react to temptation will determine our moral character.
Temptation is not to be taken lightly. For, within each occasion of temptation lies the seeds of potential moral conflict, defeat, and damnation.
DEFINITIONS
Consider the following definitions:
Tempt: (1) to put to trial, to test;
(2) to endeavor to persuade, to induce, incite
Persuade: to argue into an opinion or procedure
Induce: to move by persuasion of influence
Incite: arouse to action
Test: examination; subjection to conditions that show real character
Now, let’s synthesize these ideas into a functional definition of temptation:
TEMPTATION: An endeavor to persuade a person to actively select a certain alternative by means of argument and influence. (This usually carries the connotation of being tempted to do evil)
Confrontation is the presenting and facing of moral alternatives. Then comes an endeavor to persuade, induce, and incite you to choose one of the alternatives, i.e., temptation.
Conflict comes when you recognize that there is something inside you that wants both alternatives. During the process, you begin to identify first with one alternative, then the other alternative. That moral conflict is a clash, a struggle, a battle for mastery of your spiritual control center – your heart.
Be aware of the possibility that the process of confrontation, temptation, and conflict, will also affect your psychical and physical functions as well as your spiritual function. Temptation has a way of affecting every part of your existence.
The exercising or activating of your will is always the prerequisite for gaining peace, when it comes to confrontation, temptation and conflict. You must choose an alternative.
THREE SIGNIFICANT ASPECTS OF TEMPTATION
In this session we will be considering three important facets of temptation:
Temptation is NATURAL
Temptation is NEUTRAL
Temptation is NECESSARYTEMPTATION IS NATURAL
If you had not been born with certain natural desires, there would be no such thing as temptation in your life. Unless there is desire, there is no temptation. The reason that temptation is experienced by every person who has lived, is because every person who has lived has possessed needs and desires which require fulfillment.
Temptation always comes through your natural desires and functions, and you can rest assured that those natural desires and functions are universal and common:
No temptation has overtaken you but such is common to man; (I Cor. 10:13 NASB)
The problem lies in the fact that temptation is aimed at seeing to it that your universal and common need and desire is fulfilled and satisfied in a less-than-legitimate way.
Even if you are the most saintly of Spirit-Filled Christians, you still retain certain susceptibilities to temptation. Every natural, legitimate, lawful function is vulnerable and open to temptation at some point.
It has been stated previously throughout these sessions that, “God is to be glorified by your freely choosing righteousness.” That being the case, it is necessary for there to be a built-in subjection to a probationary position to see if, in fact, you will choose correctly. Temptation is a natural part of that program.
In the everyday situations of life, you are allowed to be exposed to confrontations where you will become aware of both alternatives, i.e., righteousness and evil. You will experience in a very real way the persuasion and convincing appeal of righteousness.
Temptation is a part of the formula, because there is no other way human obedience can be tested and perfected. God has allowed, however, for you to be subjected to this position with the inevitable cost of the possibility that you might choose evil and reject righteousness. But God has also promised that you need not fall to any illegitimate temptation, because for every temptation he has promised a way of escape and the availability of grace and strength sufficient to victoriously overcome any evil:
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. (I Cor. 10:13 NASB)
It is helpful to recognize that even though the experience of temptation is very common and universal, yet each individual temptation is “tailor-made” to your particular situation. Your most likely point of vulnerability will probably not be the same as that of the person next to you.
You are most susceptible at the point of your own affinity, i.e., your personal likes and dislikes, which will largely determine your potential areas of confrontation and temptation. You will usually be tempted in an area where you are most sensitive to a particular type of appeal. For example: You would not be tempted to cheat on your income tax if you had not made enough money that year to be required to fill out a tax form.
Perhaps, the most subtle and most dangerous temptations come when the evil solicitor enters in through little unobservable incidents, which seem to be nothing, yet open your heart to much greater temptations.
You can be sure that every temptation that confronts you comes because it exactly suits your condition. Satan knows you very well. He knows your likes and dislikes. He, therefore, is extremely successful in knowing exactly where and when to temp you. He will naturally use any avenue of moral or amoral desire as an occasion to persuade you to actively select an evil alternative that would pervert the good and take the keen edge off your spiritual relationship with God.
TEMPTATION IS NEUTRAL
Before we proceed with this section, let’s go back and review what we learned in the session on the Born-Again Life regarding our definition of “sin as an act.”
SIN 1. A willful transgression against a known law of God (James 4:17)
AS AN * which brings about *
ACT 2. Separation from God ( Isaiah 59:2)
Temptation, in and of itself, is not sin. Temptation is the “sales pitch” which appeals to the natural desire. The tempter engages persuasion, suggesting that it would be advantageous and enjoyable to pursue the situation. It sets up the opportunity for satisfying the natural desire in an illegitimate manner.
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. (James 1:14-15 NASB)
James is saying here, that when wrong desire has conceived – that is, when man’s free will, his power of choice, has been married to the perverted use of that legitimate desire – when he has consented to it, and joined himself to it, then the child of that marriage (or result) is “SIN.”
Seeing that temptation is not sin has brought liberation to many Christians who have had unwarranted guilt and condemnation imposed upon them due to the misunderstanding of their instincts and desires. Usually, as a consequence, their Christian profession seemed hypocritical to them because they were feeling a secret contradiction to what they were claiming.
If the individual rejects the evil persuasion and is obedient and steadfast in alignment with God’s Will, then, that individual has not sinned. Temptation is neutral, waiting to be acted upon.
Jesus, during his life here on earth, was tempted – just as we are tempted. Yet, He rejected the temptation and chose righteousness and was therefore, without sin.
For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. (Heb. 4:15 NASB)
TEMPTATION IS NECESSARY
Throughout the Scriptures we are not only foretold of the certainty of difficulties and temptations, but we are also instructed as to how we should handle those situations and the attitude expected from us when they become our lot:
Dear brothers, is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So, let it grow, and don’t try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete. (James 1:2-4 TLB)
Temptations met and mastered are the only high road to stabilization of character. For, character is the sum total of all the alternatives which you have chosen. There is no way that spiritual progress can take place without you choosing that alternative which is consistent with the desires and nature of the Holy Spirit:
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials for, we know that they are good for us – they help us to learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more and more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady. Then, when that happens, we are able to hold our heads high no matter what happens and know that all is well, for we know how dearly God loves us, and we feel this warm love everywhere within us because God has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love. (Romans 5:3-5 TLB)
As a Spirit-Filled Christian, you have a real advantage as you live out your spiritual journey. God has promised not only to help you desire what is right for your life by helping you know what He wants, but also, He has promised to be there and help you achieve the desired outcome.
. . . for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good. purpose. (Phil. 2:13 NIV)
You can depend upon God’s love and assistance to help you choose the correct alternative in every situation of temptation. Times of testing are essential to your progress and maturity. Christian maturity will not take place without choice. In order to have choice, there must be at least two alternatives presented. Those alternatives will be based on desires. Desires will ultimately be governed by your basic motivation. Basic motivation stems from your heart.
The heart is controlled by either carnal selfishness, or righteousness, i.e., the Holy Spirit. That is why it is so important for you to have a Spirit-filled and controlled life when it comes to dealing with temptation. The most effective way to combat and neutralize Satan’s “sales pitch” as he persuades you to choose his selected alternative is to be so filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit, that you move swiftly and confidently through the situation to the selection of the righteous alternative, based on the power of the Holy Spirit that is at work inside of you.
As a child of God, don’t expect to be exempt from the program of examination and testing:
I know, my God, that you test men to see if they are good men. (I Chron. 29:17 TLB)
You can, however, count on the fact that He is very aware of when you are going through the testing and has made ample provision for you to come through the situation stronger than ever before and more dependent upon Him for the strength and power to make it successfully through the next trial:
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 KJV)
The existence of temptation and testing in your life must never be allowed to become a point of discouragement. Difficulties are not intruders, but rather, opportunities for spiritual growth and maturation. They give wonderful occasions for worship and praise to God.
What I want from you is your true thanks; I want your promises fulfilled. I want you to trust me in your times of trouble, so I can rescue you, and you can give me glory. (Ps. 50:14-15 TLB)
If you have Christ living in you through the Holy Spirit, you already, potentially, have victory over any given situation. For, “Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.” Christ has already overcome the world and makes that “overcoming power” available to you whenever you have need of it.
I am reminded of the story of the two wrestlers: In the scheduled match, Wrestler “A” thoroughly overpowers Wrestler “B” and wins the victory. But, Wrestler “B” never knows the full strength of Wrestler “A” because he has been overpowered by him. Wrestler “A”, however, knows the full strength of Wrestler “B” because he has met him in competition and fought to the victory over Wrestler “B”.
Satan, the tempter, has no way of knowing the full strength of Christ who is living His life through you and giving you the power necessary in every situation. But Christ, since He has met and fought Satan and overpowered him on every occasion to absolute victory, knows the full strength of Satan.
There is no question as to whether Christ in you, or Satan, has the greatest strength. Christ is more than conqueror in every situation. He has already overcome sin, death, and hell and wants to make that power available to you on every occasion of temptation in your life. He desires that you be more than conqueror in every step of your journey to spiritual maturation and fulfillment.
It should never be a point of confusion as to the origin of the evil “sales pitch.” Never entertain the thought that it might be God who is setting you up to ever participate in evil. Even though God uses times of difficulty and temptation for your spiritual growth and development, yet you can be assured that it is never God who solicits you to do evil:
When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone. . . (James 1:13 NIV)
God has paid a very high price for your redemption and reconciliation and will tax the very sand on the seashore and the stars in the sky to see to it that you are capable of living a victorious Christian life here on earth as you become all that He ever had in mind for you to become.
Next Week: Temptation Part 2: Temptations Target the Physical, Psychical, and Spiritual