Temptation is Real. Let's Admit It And Face it Head-On.
"During this earthly pilgrimage our life cannot be free from temptation, for none of us comes to know ourselves except through the experience of temptation, nor can we be crowned until we have come through victorious, nor be victorious until we have been in battle, nor fight our battles unless we have an enemy and temptations to overcome." - Saint Augustine, AD 418
And yet, do we REALLY believe this? Do we believe that life cannot be free from temptation? I would venture to say that most people reading this would agree with Augustine's statement. But does our conviction about this lead us to be honest about our temptations or to still deny them in the name of creating a false narrative about ourselves? Are we honest about our journeys--honest with God, with others, with ourselves--or are we so consumed with pride and self-preservation that we cannot admit the battle that we face daily?
The apostle Paul reminded the followers of Jesus in Corinth about this in his first letter to them.
No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it. - 1 Corinthians 10.13 (CSB)
Scripture tells us here in 1 Corinthians that temptation is "common" for all of us. Even Jesus made the same point about temptation:
Woe to the world because of offenses. For offenses will inevitably come, but woe to that person by whom the offense comes. - Matthew 18.7 (CSB)
The word for "offenses" here in Matthew 18 means:
trap.
sin, stumbling block, obstacle; that which causes sin.
offense, an obstacle which offends, implying resulting opposition. (Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament)
So Jesus was telling his audience, as well as us today, that "stumbling blocks...which cause sin" are inevitable. They are going to come. They are a constant attack through enticement against our sinful desires. They don't relent. They continually pursue and try to woo us into giving in to things that go against what God wants. James explained it this way:
14 But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire. 15 Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death. - James 1.14-15 (CSB)
And did you see what Scripture, according to James 1.14, attributes our being enticed to?
Our own evil desires.
Yep. This means that the evil that we do begins with the evil desires that we still have and fight against, even though we as Christ-followers have the Holy Spirit of God in us and with us. Desires, feelings, thoughts... these have at their center, a claim toward righteousness or unrighteousness. To claim that so long as we don't do what we're tempted to do then we are ok. But if you look at Jesus' sermon that he preached in Matthew 5, don't we see him giving the proper interpretation of the law as not starting with the action but rather with the evil desire or intent of our souls? Isn't that why Paul addressed this to two different Christian communities when he wrote his epistles to Christians in Rome and Galatia?
14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold as a slave under sin. 15 For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 So now I am no longer the one doing it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. 19 For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one that does it, but it is the sin that lives in me. 21 So I discover this law: When I want to do what is good, evil is present with me. 22 For in my inner self I delight in God’s law, 23 but I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body. - Romans 7.14-23 (CSB, emphasis mine)
16 I say, then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. - Galatians 5.16-18 (CSB, emphasis mine)
And so is it hopeless?
Absolutely not! Look at how Paul ends his honest confession at the end of Romans 7.
24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself am serving the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin. - Romans 7.24-25 (CSB)
Confessing our sinful desires as well as our sinful choices driven by those desires actually cause the grace of God to be that much more jaw-dropping and beautiful. Why? Because when I come before God empty-handed and with nothing to offer but my own self, sin and all, I have to rely upon the grace of God. And when I do, I get all that God wants to graciously give me because I have nothing else to fall back on. When I can admit my complete moral depravity, I can fully surrender to the beauty of the grace and mercy of Jesus.
And so what do we do?
Here are a few things that come to mind.
First, recognize that we all have a sin nature that desires things that are contrary to God. We guard our hearts from the arrogance of pride. What do I mean? Paul sums it up this way:
So, whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall. - 1 Corinthians 10.12 (CSB)
We walk humbly before God and others as we live to bring him honor and glory, knowing that all of us are one decision away from screwing up our lives. We fight against our sinful desires with the help of the Holy Spirit. We stand against our sinful desires, admitting and confessing that we have them instead of living in secrecy with them. We look for God's escape hatches as we are tempted in ways that are common to all of humanity.
Cain was warned about this by God in Genesis 4.7, "But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. It's desire is for you, but you must rule over it" (CSB).
Second, we need to recognize that we have an enemy who is powerful, unrelenting, and incredibly effective. I know that some of you may read these words and think that I'm giving him too much credit. But am I? He's been around for thousands and thousands of years, fine-tuning his schemes and tactics, studying us and attacking us with what is most desirous to us. He can get us to question the validity of God's word and to believe lies, all while dressing those lies up in religious jargon that sound morally fine while being unequivocally disobedient to Jesus (see his tactics in Genesis 3.1-7). I understand that we are called to not be afraid and to stand against the enemy, believing that when we do he will flee from us. But standing against the enemy is much different than either pretending like he doesn't exist or living as if because we've surrendered to Jesus and belong to him that we can simply sit around rather that stay on guard and fight.
Third, when we do sin, we need to practice confession and repentance that bring about true freedom from sin and intimacy with God. John words it this way in his first epistle:
8 If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. - 1 John 1.8-9 (CSB)
We bear our souls before God and others. We agree with God about what is sin. We respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit through repentance from sin. We stop making excuses as to why we feel justified to disobey God and run back to humbly walking in obedience to our our Creator and Father.
Fourth, abide in Jesus. We remain in him. We stay close to him. We relate with him. We walk with him. We spend time with him in the word and in prayer. We stay as close to Jesus as possible throughout the day, never leaving our communion with him. And as we do, he promises us that we will remain in us (see John 15.4-5).
And finally, FIGHT! We do not sit by and let temptation after temptation overwhelm us and ravage us, succumbing to it's constant barrage. Rather, we stand our ground against the devil and against our flesh, with the help of the omnipotent Holy Spirit in us. We put on the full armor of God and do battle against our enemy (see Ephesians 6.10-18).
Friends, remember that God is good and great. Remember that God is faithful. He does not relent. He does not leave us to our devices. Rather, he remains with us. Let us apply what God tells us through Peter's first epistle to the dispersed church in the first century:
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you. 8 Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. 9 Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world.
10 The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little while. 11 To him be dominion forever. Amen. - 1 Peter 5.6-11 (CSB)
My prayer over all of us as we stand against our enemy and the desires of our sin nature is this:
"From all the deceytes of the worlde, the fleshe, and the deuill: God lorde deliuer us." - The Book of Common Prayer, AD 1549.
Love you more than you know.
