Temptation

[B-A-C]

One thing I like about TalkJesus, is how many rabbit trails a subject can get into sometimes.
I don't know what the statistics are, but I guess at least 90% of the original subjects diverge into something on vaguely related at best.

Here we go again.

Temptation is not a sin. The Bible says Jesus was tempted.

Heb 2:18 For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.
Heb 4:15; For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

...but even though He was tempted, He was without sin. Jesus never gave in to the temptation.

Sometimes God allows us to be tempted.

Matt 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

The Bible say it was the Holy Spirit which led Jesus out to be tempted.

The Bible says there is no temptation so great that we can't overcome it.

1Cor 10:13 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, so that you will be able to endure it.

There is always a way out of temptation. We never have to sin, we just chose to sometimes. It says God will "not allow" you to be tempted beyond what you are able to bear.

Now while God allows us the tempted, He Himself does not tempt us.

Jas 1:13 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.

The old argument here is, if Jesus was God, how could He be tempted, it says here God can't be tempted. The God part of Jesus couldn't be tempted, but the human part could be.

Jas 1:14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
Jas 1:15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.

Sin is always a progression, temptation comes, then lust, then sin, and finally death.

It seems sometimes God allows Satan to tempt us.

Luke 22:31 "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat;
Luke 22:32 but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."
Luke 22:33 But he said to Him, "Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!"
Luke 22:34 And He said, "I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me."

This is a very interesting passage. Jesus knew that Peter was going to fail the test, but yet He allowed him to be tempted anyway, why?
I believe sometimes the test isn't so God will know the answer, it's so we will know the answer.

Peter said he would never deny Jesus... "I am ready to go both to prison and to death". But yet when the times came. Peter failed.
Some of us might say the same thing, Jesus I love you, Jesus I'll always stand with you, and we even believe that in our hearts, but
yet when the time comes...

Luke 8:13 "Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.

 

[B-A-C]

It seems the first few chapters of Job, are really about God inviting Satan to test Job.

Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.

Job 1:8 The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil."
Job 1:9 Then Satan answered the LORD, "Does Job fear God for nothing?
Job 1:10 "Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
Job 1:11 "But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face."
Job 1:12 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him." So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD.

But Job passed this first test.

Job 1:21 He said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD."
Job 1:22 Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.

So then, God allowed Job to be tested again, with an even harder test.

Job 2:3 The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause."
Job 2:4 Satan answered the LORD and said, "Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.
Job 2:5 "However, put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face."
Job 2:6 So the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life."
Job 2:7 Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
Job 2:8 And he took a potsherd to scrape himself while he was sitting among the ashes.

But Job passed this test also.

Job 2:9 Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!"
Job 2:10 But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

Abraham was tested also.

Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son;
Heb 11:18 it was he to whom it was said, "IN ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS SHALL BE CALLED."
Heb 11:19 He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.

Abraham passed his test as well.
The fact is, if you're a Christian for very long, you will face tests, trials and temptations.

1Pet 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,
1Pet 1:7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

Sometimes we have to go through the fire, sometimes our faith needs to be tested. Not for God's sake, but for ours.

Eccl 3:18 I said to myself concerning the sons of men, "God has surely tested them in order for them to see that they are but beasts."

Exod 16:4 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction.

 

[B-A-C]

Sin always begins in our thoughts, if we can control our thoughts, we can control sin.

2Cor 10:5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,

Sometimes simply thinking about something is a sin. It doesn't always require a physical act to be a sin.

Matt 5:28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Some sins, you can commit in your heart without actually, physically committing the sin.

But every thought is not a sin.

For example, you may think that woman is beautiful. Well, that's OK, that's not a sin to think someone is beautiful.
But then another thought comes, that you would like to get with that woman, and be with her.
If you're not married, even this isn't a sin.
But then you start thinking you want to get intimate with this woman and have sexual relations with her.

Even that isn't a sin. Hear me out. Bear with me here. If this thought enters your mind for a few seconds, it's not a sin.
You can't resist temptation if there is no temptation to resist. You can't take a thought captive, if there is no thought to take captive.

It's when we hold on to those thoughts, and start entertaining them that it becomes a sin. Now it wasn't a passing thought
for a second or two, now I'm day-dreaming about her, and having sexual fantasys about her. Now I've crossed the line from
temptation over to sin, even though I've never actually touched this woman.

It's the thoughts we hold onto that become sin. When a thought becomes the intention of our hearts.

I believe Judas didn't think about killing Jesus for the entire three years. I believe there was a time when Judas truly loved Jesus.
But being a disciple was hard work. You had to give up a lot. So by the third year you start stealing from the money box.
Close to the end of the third year, you are tired, tired of following Jesus, and the Pharisees are offering a fairly good reward.
Thirty pieces of silver. I've read a few articles that say the thirty pieces of silver were about equal to $270.00 or 208.00 sterling pounds
in todays modern economy.

Sometimes we are willing to sin for a low price.

But it wasn't until Judas actually started thinking about betraying Jesus and entertaining the thoughts, planning it out,
agreeing upon the price, agreeing upon the sign of the kiss, agreeing upon the meeting place in the garden. It wasn't until
then that it actually became a sin in his heart. I seriously doubt Judas was planning on betraying Jesus the first year or two they
were together.

 

[B-A-C]

When my daughter was a teenager, we bought her a car. It wasn't a great car, but it was good enough to get her around town.
One day it broke down, and she had to borrow my car to get to school. I took my wife's car to work that day.
My daughter backed into a light pole and dented the back of my car. I wasn't home when my daughter came back home.

My wife called me and told me what happened, I wasn't happy, I told my wife "I'll kill her when I get home".
My wife told my daughter... "Dad's going to kill you when he gets home".

Now my wife didn't call the police and tell them I was going to kill my daughter. In fact my daughter didn't call the police
and get a restraining order against me either. Why not? Because neither of them thought I was actually going to kill my daughter, it
was an expression of speech.

The "killing" consisted of being grounded for 3 days, and not being able to drive for about 3 weeks.
On the other hand, if I really was planning on committing a homicide, buying a gun, planning on where to hide the body,
now it would have became sin.

The point here is, initial thoughts that come for a few seconds, aren't a sin necessarily. It's the ones that linger, that we hold onto.
The thoughts we never take captive. Those are the ones that are sin.

2Cor 13:5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?
2Cor 13:6 But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test.

... oh, and just in case you're worried, my daughter is still alive and well today, and has a daughter of her own.

 

[B-A-C]

The resistance.

Eph 6:13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

Jas 4:7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

1Pet 5:8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
1Pet 5:9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.
1Pet 5:10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.

Heb 12:4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin;

It's funny, there are about half-dozen verses that tell us to "stand firm" and "resist" sin. But when it comes to sexual sin.
God doesn't say stand and fight, in fact He says the opposite.

1Cor 6:18 Flee sexual immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.

2Tim 2:22 Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

 

[B-A-C]

I shared this before, but I will again I think. I was reading a comic in newspapers back when they were still a thing.
This comic was about a girl who was always trying to lose weight.

I remember one comic strip in particular.

She says I'm going for a drive today.
Then she says, I'm going for a drive today, but I'm not going to drive by the store.
Then she says, I'm going to drive by the store, but I'm not going to go in the store.
Then she says, I'm going to go in the store, but I'm not going to buy anything.
Then she says, I'm going to buy some things, but not any candy.
In the final picture, her face is covered with chocolate.

That's how sin is. We think it's sneaking up on us, but it really isn't. We know before we go somewhere why we are going there.
If you have a drinking problem, don't go to the bars. If you have a drug problem, don't go around other people who do.
I know men who look at pornography on their computer and wonder why they can't quit. Quit going on your computer.

We pray to God.. "lead us not into temptation", and then we run to the candy store. Wondering why we can't stop.
Don't start down the road that leads to the "store" and you won't have to worry about buying any candy.

A friend of mine was watching women's beach volleyball. It seems innocent enough, nothing wrong with that.
But then before you know it, he's looking at pictures and movies on girls in bikini's. Well,, OK , I guess maybe that's Ok.
But it's never enough, now his mind is running in a certain direction, he's already in the candy store and he doesn't even know it.
You know what his mind is thinking about looking at next... you already know.

If this is you, maybe you shouldn't even watch the beach volleyball. Don't start down the road to the store.
Break the habits that take you to these place.

Fill your mind with the Word of God. If it's full of that, it won't be hungry for other things.
If you're full of turkey, you won't eat so much pie for dessert.

 

[KingJ]

@B-A-C , what is your definiton of evil?

 

[B-A-C]

@B-A-C , what is your definiton of evil?

Anything that is against God, God's will and God's plan.

Evil doesn't define who God is. God defines what evil is.

 

[KingJ]

Anything that is against God, God's will and God's plan.

Evil doesn't define who God is. God defines what evil is.

Thoughtful reply. But, do you have scripture for that?

How do you explain Gen 3:22 which states that God has given us the ability to, like Him, grasp what is good and evil. That goes 100% against your definition.

Gen 3:22 The Lord God said, 'Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil'

 

[Rhema]

One thing I like about TalkJesus, is how many rabbit trails a subject can get into sometimes.

You tempt me.

 

[B-A-C]

How do you explain Gen 3:22 which states that God has given us the ability to, like Him, grasp what is good and evil. That goes 100% against your definition.

Gen 3:22 The Lord God said, 'Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil'

It would seems to me, that if we are like God because we know the difference between good and evil...
It's because it was already defined by Him. Otherwise everyone would have a different concept of good and evil.

 

[Rhema]

Otherwise everyone would have a different concept of good and evil.

B-A-C... I think they do.

For proof, I submit every episode of the Jerry Springer show, and don't think I need to look further.

I've played around in the Hebrew for this passage for a number of years, and am convinced that "know" actually means "establish."

Humans establish for themselves, each and everyone, individually, what they believe to be right and wrong; good and evil. And they constantly accuse one other of being wrong and evil (or even mentally ill, although sometimes it's obvious) because they, of course, are good.

Another case in point would be the "third rail" of politics - Abortion.

And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to establish good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:​

(Genesis 3:22)

Obviously, then, the Core of Evil is to usurp the sovereign power of God to establish what is good and what is evil.

Blessing,
Rhema
@Charlie24 - is this Twilight Zone enough for you?

 

[Charlie24]

B-A-C... I think they do.

For proof, I submit every episode of the Jerry Springer show, and don't think I need to look further.

I've played around in the Hebrew for this passage for a number of years, and am convinced that "know" actually means "establish."

Humans establish for themselves, each and everyone, individually, what they believe to be right and wrong; good and evil. And they constantly accuse one other of being wrong and evil (or even mentally ill, although sometimes it's obvious) because they, of course, are good.

Another case in point would be the "third rail" of politics - Abortion.

And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to establish good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:​

(Genesis 3:22)

Obviously, then, the Core of Evil is to usurp the sovereign power of God to establish what is good and what is evil.

Blessing,
Rhema
@Charlie24 - is this Twilight Zone enough for you?

Not the type of Twilight Zone I was speaking of.

 

[Rhema]

Not the type of Twilight Zone I was speaking of.

Sorry to disappoint.