Temptation: Everyone’s Common Denominator

When you think about ‘temptation,’ what comes to mind? From the beginning of time, forbidden fruit has had great appeal. It started with Adam and Eve, who decided temptation wasn’t a bad idea and acted upon it. Nothing has changed since then. When children are small, telling them not to do something makes them want to do it all the more. Cookies in the pantry look very enticing, especially if mom or dad says, “No cookies before dinner.”

 

As we move through adolescence, into our teens and then adulthood, temptations may take different forms (the cookie jar remains tempting for many of us) but continue beckoning to us. In the Hollywood mindset, temptation can be a powerful tool. For the film or TV screenwriter, it can provide the basis for compelling story lines. For the film marketing department, temptation can attract many more viewers. After all, temptation is fun to dabble in, even in an imaginary, vicarious sense.

 

Poet, playwright and author Oscar Wilde famously said, “I can resist anything except temptation.” Have you ever felt that way? You’re having a good day, thinking and doing all the right things. Then temptation ambushes you, striking an area of weakness left unprotected.

 

Temptations come in all shapes and sizes. They can be something on your computer you know you shouldn’t be viewing – but you want to look at it anyway. Maybe it’s evening and you’re bored; after watching a parade of tempting food ads on TV, you find yourself staring into the refrigerator or the pantry, even though you’re really not hungry and had vowed to quit snacking to lose those excess pounds.

 

The workplace isn’t a refuge for escaping temptation either. If you’re in sales, it might be to promise more than you can deliver to close an important deal. Or you might be to make excuses for why you couldn’t finish a major project on time. You might find yourself wanting to spend more time with a coworker of the opposite sex than you should. Or you’re tempted to be creative with your expenses after a business trip.

 

Let’s face it. We’re all tempted, even though what tempts you might not be tempting for me. For instance, I’m never tempted to eat liver or Brussels sprouts – because I don’t like them. But crinkly French fries or a piece of cherry pie? That’s a different story. 

 

Being tempted is real and universal. The Bible even says so: “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

 

That means when sorely tempted, we can’t claim the excuse the late comedian Flip Wilson’s “Geraldine” character often used: “The devil made me do it!” The Lord will provide the way of escape – if we’re willing to take it.

 

It’s also important to understand that temptation isn’t the same as sin. Temptation is being presented with an opportunity to sin. It becomes sin when, like Adam and Eve, we decide it’s too appealing to pass up. As the legendary preacher Charles H. Spurgeon wrote in one of his devotional messages, “There is no sin in being tempted, but there is sin in yielding to temptation.”

 

We have no greater example of this than Jesus Christ, who lived a life without ever sinning. That didn’t mean He never faced temptation. Matthew 4 recounts how the devil tempted Him three times, but each time Jesus relied on the powerful Word of God, refusing to submit to the temptations being presented.

 

This is good news, not only for affirming Christ’s purity and perfection, but also in informing us we can call on His strength in dealing with our own temptations. The author of the New Testament book of Hebrews states, “Because [Jesus] Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted” (Hebrews 2:18).

 

Later the writer adds, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet He did not sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16).

 

When confronted with temptation, whether for the first time or the umpteenth time, we can’t complain, “But Lord, You don’t understand.” Because He does understand. As the passage above assures us, He was tempted in every way, just as we are – yet He did not sin. Because of that, He offers the mercy and grace we need to overcome whatever temptation we’re facing.

 

That doesn’t mean it’s okay to hang around situations that tempt us, just as it’s unwise to play with fire. If you struggle with alcohol, steer clear of pubs and open bars at weddings. If you’ve got a weight problem, stay away from all-you-can-eat buffets. But we argue, ‘God said He’ll provide a way out.’ Jesus addressed that while being tempted by Satan when He said, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test” (Luke 4:12). 

Years ago, a friend of mine who was a diabetic admitted he was tempted every time he drove past a popular donut shop. But he clung to the Lord’s promise to provide a way of escaping that temptation – and would continue driving straight rather than turning into the donut shop’s parking lot. 

Nothing More Tempting Than Temptation

When you hear the word, “temptation,” what comes to mind? Hollywood seems to love the word; including it in the title for a movie or TV show promises potential viewers an chance to venture into the realm of things taboo. But it’s hardly a new concept. From the very beginning of Genesis, when Adam and Eve confronted the temptation of the forbidden fruit and then succumbed to it, temptations have been ever-present and relentless.

As someone has said, “I can resist everything except temptation.”

Depending on the individual, being tempted can mean anything from indulging in extra pieces of candy, another alcoholic drink, or heading back to the buffet line, to indulging in purchases one can’t afford or yielding to the urge to spend another session in front of the computer viewing content we wouldn’t want anyone to know about. 

Sometimes we don’t even try to resist. The magnetic pull of things we shouldn’t do seems too strong. We justify our missteps with excuses similar to that of comedian Flip Wilson’s classic character, Geraldine: “The devil made me do it!” But it’s at that point where we make our greatest mistake – the devil can’t make a follower of Jesus to do anything. He can offer an enticing suggestion, and we in turn can decide, “That sounds like a good idea.” Except it’s not.

One of the longest Bible verses I ever learned deals specifically with temptation. To memorize it, I found it best to put it to into practice: “No temptation has overtaken you except what 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” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

When I reflect on this passage, two key truths stand out: First, temptations we face aren’t out of the ordinary; they’re not unique to ourselves. They’re “common to man.” Things that tempt us also trouble many other people. If we feel no one has ever faced temptations such as we’re dealing with, we’re wrong.

The second is there is always a choice. God will provide us with a “way of escape” or, as another translation puts it, “a way out.” Years ago, a friend who was a diabetic talked about one of his greatest temptations – Krispy Kreme donuts. Especially when the red neon light was on signaling a hot, fresh batch was ready for the taking. The Lord’s way of escape for him, he explained, would be to continue driving rather than turning the steering wheel toward the parking lot.

   

Two passages in Hebrews assert that even Jesus confronted temptations, so we can never contend, “Lord, You just don’t understand.” Hebrews 2:18 tells us, “Because (Jesus) himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” Then Hebrews 4:15 expands on that: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin.”

So when we read the apostle Paul’s words, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13), we can apply this promise to overcoming temptations that threaten to defeat us. Knowing Jesus Himself was tempted, but never yielded to sin, assures us that we too can experience victory over temptation – through His strength.

One other thing strikes me when thinking about seductions trying to lure us into sinful behavior. We don’t have to worry about God tempting us, although He will test us at times through a variety of trials. There’s an important difference:

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (James 1:12-15).

The Lord brings testing into our lives as part of His process for molding and shaping us into the people He wants us to be. Much as a bodybuilder uses various weights to strength and tone muscles, God uses tests to strengthen and refine our faith.

As I see it, temptations come when our spiritual enemy presents opportunities for us to fail. Testing comes when God presents us with opportunities to succeed.

Free at Last – Truly Free!

Twice recently I’ve heard radio commentators talk about the initial effects of the Emancipation Proclamation, signed by Abraham Lincoln on Jan. 1, 1863, to abolish slavery and set free more than three million men, women and children. Both speakers observed that ironically, even though the executive order legally emancipated those enslaved, many didn’t take immediate advantage of their freedom.

Two primary reasons for the delay were 1) news of the proclamation traveled slowly in those days, and 2) some slaves either could not believe their good fortune or were so accustomed to living in enslavement, they at first opted to remain as they had been for many years.

The latter circumstance – failure to act on their new freedom – reminded me of a dilemma many of us confront as followers of Jesus Christ. We receive Jesus as Savior, understanding our sins past, present and future are forgiven, yet seem unable to rid ourselves of the bondage of sinful behavior we’ve practiced for so long.

In Jesus Christ, to use the words of
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we are
"free at last"!

If you question the comparison of human servitude to being controlled by sin, consider Galatians 5:1, which asserts, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

Some of us remember the humorous excuse Flip Wilson’s character, “Geraldine,” often offered: “The devil made me do it!” We find ourselves making the same justification, without attempting to be funny. If we believe the Scriptures, however, we find the devil might suggest – but can’t make us do anything. Nearly the entire sixth chapter of Romans addresses this spiritual reality:

“For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin” (Romans 6:6).

“In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires” (Romans 6:11-12).

“For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14).

This wonderful chapter goes on to make an even more explicit correlation:

“Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey – whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness…. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness” (Romans 6:16-18).

“When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness…. But now that you have been set free from sin and have becomes slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:22-23).

I’ve wrestled with anger and anxiety for much of my life. I didn’t always understand that in Christ I’m free from those and other sins. We all have our “besetting sins” – mine might not be yours, and yours might not be mine – but the promise of the Scriptures is that through the life of Jesus Christ in us, we no longer need to be dominated or controlled by them, no matter what they are.

Like the slaves unaware they had been freed, or those for whom slavery had become so familiar they couldn’t comprehend a life of freedom, we too can continue yielding to the ever-present influence of sin. But we don’t have to; one of the wonders of being reconciled to God through Christ is a new freedom –being made free to become all God intends for us to be.

We’re familiar with the famous words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in his speech, “I Have a Dream”: “Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, we are free at last!” What a wonderful goal for all people.

Through Jesus, when confronted with temptation and enduring sinful habits, we no longer must submit to them. Regardless of the color of our skin, gender, age or social standing, we too can truly and wholeheartedly declare that – from sin – we are, “Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, we are free at last!”

The ‘Biblical’ Art of Buck Passing

Have you ever noticed the ways people respond when accused – with ample evidence – of wrongdoing? Actually, there are a variety of options, but here I’ll focus on just two:

Some deny it outright, as we so often see in the political realm, as well as the business world, and other influential segments of our society. “I (we) did nothing wrong. Wrongfully accused! No way, Jose!” Of course, you don’t have to be a high-ranking politicians or corporate executive. Even toddlers, as soon as they can distinguish wrong from right, discover the art of denying wrong, even with crumb-covered hands caught in the proverbial cookie jar.

"Who, me?!" Why did God give us 
fingers, if not to be able 
to point them and blame others?

Another approach is the ever-popular “passing of the buck.” Again, we see elected government officials employing this strategy with great skill, casting blame on someone down the line of authority, insisting they had no personal knowledge of wrongs committed. Business leaders can be equally adept, assigning fault to lower-level execs and managers, all the while pleading, “I had no idea!”

If you think this is a relatively new development, however, think again. It first appeared in the pristine Garden of Eden, where Eve and then Adam defied God – heeding the strong suggestion of Satan instead – and sampled fruit from the one tree in the entire garden the Lord had said was off limits.

When God asked what they had done, first Adam and then Eve deftly passed the buck long before currency had been invented. When asked, “Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” (Genesis 3:11), Adam boldly answered, “The woman You put here with me – she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it” (verse 12).

Isn’t it amazing? Never in the short history of mankind had such a bald-faced lie been uttered, and yet Adam succeeded in such a doozey that no one has topped it in the thousands of years since. First, by implication, he blamed God for his wrongdoing. “You know that woman You put here with me? She told me to do it.” He might just as well have said, “God, it’s Your fault. If you hadn’t given Eve to me, I never would have thought of doing such a thing!”

Eve was hardly innocent in this first deception. When God asked what she had done, the first woman replied, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Genesis 3:13). She didn’t redirect blame toward God, but did the next worst thing: She blamed Satan. Long before comedian Flip Wilson’s “Geraldine” character uttered the words, Eve was telling her Creator, “The devil made me do it!”

The Bible offers many other examples; Moses’ brother Aaron and Israel’s King Saul were world-class perpetrators.

When Moses was long overdue in descending from Mount Sinai where he was meeting with God, Aaron yielded to the demands of the Israelites and fashioned an idol, a golden calf, for them to worship. After Moses had come down from the mountain and confronted his brother, Aaron replied, “You know how prone these people are to evil…they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf” (Exodus 32:19-24). In other words, Aaron said, “Hey, don’t blame it. It’s all their fault!” (Note: He also lied about how the calf came to be. Why stop with one untruth when you can commit two, right?)

Saul did much the same when the prophet Samuel’s arrival was later than expected and the fierce Philistines were approaching. The Scriptures say, “all the troops with him were quaking with fear.” Bowing to the grumbling of the Israelites, Saul performed sacrifices to God, a responsibility reserved exclusively for the Levitical priests.

When Samuel finally showed up, he asked a simple question, “What have you done?” Saul exhibited his buck-passing skills when he replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time…I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering” (1 Samuel 12:7-14). With one ill-considered decision, one he would sadly replicate not long after, the king whose reign had started so well wrote his own a termination notice.

There are more examples, but it’s clear the Bible doesn’t sugarcoat the characters it presents, flawed, sinful individuals that for whatever reason decided denial was a better option than admission of guilt.

As I suggested early on, there are other ways we respond when our own wrongdoing is uncovered. But those will have to wait until next time, along with some thoughts about the pros and cons of “fessin’ up.”

Temptation: The Equal Opportunity Troublemaker

“I can overcome anything – except temptation.” I don’t know who first made this admission, but it was probably Adam and Eve. And we’ve been saying it ever since. Must be “part of our DNA.”

The first biblical couple, of course, had been given everything they needed in the Garden of Eden, and God had provided unlimited access to all but one thing – the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which stood in the middle of the garden. That alone was off limits, out of bounds, verboten. But like little kids told not to touch a hot stove, or to keep their fingers out of the cookie jar, the temptation was too much to withstand.

Just because the flower looks pretty, that
doesn't mean it's not a pesky weed.

They probably didn’t run immediately to the forbidden tree to sample its forbidden fruit. They most likely strolled all around paradise, enraptured by all they saw, tasted, smelled and experienced, but every once in a while would glance at the tree labeled “Don’t Touch.” Eventually, their glances turned to longing and, prodded by the tempter, Adam and Eve started thinking, “Why can’t we eat from that tree? What’s so special about that one? Is its fruit better than all the others we’ve already tried? Why won’t God let us have fruit from that tree? If God is truly a loving God, He’d let us have it too!”

Ultimately the temptation won out. They eased over to the taboo tree, plucked a piece of fruit and took a bite. Hence they engaged in what theologians call “the original sin,” instigating the Fall of Man, and we’ve been wrestling with temptation and sin ever since.

As someone has wisely noted, if sin wasn’t fun, we wouldn’t want to do it. Stuff we don’t like or don’t want to do doesn’t trouble us at all. I’m not tempted to eat liver, or Brussels sprouts – I don’t like them. But hotdogs and French fries, pizza, or an ice cream sundae, those are another matter. I’m not tempted to squander hours watching the craziness of the Kardashians, “The Bachelor” or “Honey Boo-Boo,” but can easily become mesmerized by a marathon of “Twilight Zone” episodes or repeats of “NCIS.”

Being made in the image of a Creator God, we have repaid Him by becoming amazingly creative, even in the types of temptations that captivate us. We’re tempted by greed, gluttony, sexual lust and cravings of other kinds, selfishness, envy, anger, resentment, pride, independence from God, arrogance, even – as one website recently pointed – taking questionable shortcuts to success. Why invest time and struggle and energy if we can achieve our goals the “easy way”?

“I can’t help it!” we offer as justification when temptation gets the best of us and we succumb to sin. “The devil made me do it!” we protest, echoing the excuse of Flip Wilson’s “Geraldine” from TV years ago. “I’m only human!” we explain, essentially implying it’s God’s fault.

But we can’t blame God because the Scriptures assure us He will never tempt us to sin. James 1:13-14 declares, “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone, but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.”

Earlier in this passage it does state God “tests” us: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance…” (James 1:2-4). But there’s great difference between “tempting” and “testing.”

Tempting is being presented with an opportunity to do wrong, to sin. Testing, on the other hand, has the positive goal of presenting us with an opportunity to grow spiritually, to excel in our faith. It’s like the difference between one athlete who, as the big game approaches, elects not to work out and instead spends the day drinking beer and eating potato chips, while another spends several hours in the training room, doing everything necessary for being at his best for the game.

We can play the “Nobody’s perfect” card, a convenient alibi for doing – or not doing – as we know we should. But as an old friend of mine pointed out, “You can’t keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building a nest in your hair.”

Certain temptations vex each one of us, and what tempts me might not faze you. But we all know our own temptations and through diligence we can avoid what James describes: “…after desire is conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (James 1:15).

Fortunately, the Scriptures promise that temptation followed by sin doesn’t have to be our “default setting.” There’s a way out, it says: “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape” (1 Corinthians 10:13). 

For a recovering alcoholic, the “way of escape” can mean not entering the local bar. The person wanting to remain faithful to his or her spouse might need to avoid a compromising setting with an attractive coworker on a business trip. Maybe the “shopaholic” needs to avoid the mall. The embittered family member may need to extend forgiveness, even if undeserved or not requested.

Temptations are all around us, beckoning to us like roadway billboards. But they don’t have to assemble nests in our hair.