Apr 20
Temptation and You
Very good responses to this post. I am impressed once again, though I am sure it is not the last time I will be impressed with what the Lord is doing in and through you.
THOUGHTS AND TEMPTATION
In particular I liked what David said, “Thoughts can turn into temptations,” and if I might be allowed to paraphrase, he went on to state “Especially self righteous thoughts.” Very good, and if I might add, that is why we are warned to take every thought captive. It nips the opportunity for temptation to arise – before it actually comes on the scene.
OUR PERCEPTION OF GOD
Joshua also hit on a key and that is the issue of our perception of God and the resulting lack of the fear of God (the type of fear that is the beginning of wisdom). When we fear God, we not only fear the consequence but we fear the pain it causes Him. (Read Isaiah 63:9 for the text on this)
SURRENDER
Nameless&faceless hit a home run concerning the issue of surrender, that we surrender our wants when we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness – in other words we place God’s wants above our wants. Nameless&faceless went on to insinuate that temptation becomes less of a problem as we grow in this practice. True, but notice the word surrender, which is a higher form of obedience.
You see, we can obey without surrendering. For example, God tells us to “give,” but we grudgingly give. Cheerful giving is surrender; it involves the surrender of our emotions, our will, and/or our intellect for God’s purpose. In the discipline of surrender, our will perfectly aligns with His. I might add that we do not have to even know what His will or purpose is, or in this case why we should give. We simply trust God and know that if He said to give there is a greater reason that we presently know, and the reason is perfect in nature.
TEMPTATION AND SIN
Now, I am going to dig a little deeper in your understanding of the ways of God. Concerning the issue of temptation and sin, I simply ask this, is temptation actually sin or is the sin actually found in the submission to the temptation?
Next, what is sin? Is it harder or easier to understand than we think? Hummmm.
I’ll deal with these matters in my next post. But let’s see what you think.
Blessings,
John Paul
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Sin, Hummmmm is so right. Even Jesus was tempted and He was sinless. However, I have found sin to be somewhat illusive. What is sin to one may not be sin to another. Why? We are in different places in our walk, maturity, and makeup. Yet, there must be a core truth about sin. I have found that a heart that is truly in love with God can “get away” with some serious booboos. When you give God your love, love, love, His eyes seem to get kind of fuzzy and sin gets all blurry. Not that he won’t give you the what-for, but after, he’ll just dump the grace all over you! Experience tells me that it is a matter of the heart, a pure heart, a contrite heart. The condition of your heart defines sin in the eyes of our Father. Your relationship with Him defines His response.
Having just watched a movie on ballroom dancing, I’ll throw out this metaphor: temptation is an invitation to dance. Sin accepts the invitation and follows where temptation leads.
Regarding surrender…does God cut us slack when we’re dense as opposed to rebellious?
Temptation is not sin, as Jesus himself was tempted when he was in the wilderness and he was sinless. So, therefore submitting to temptation would be considered sin. What is sin? Sin is anything that does not agree God’s word. For some people this can be confusing, as to what is considered sin. I believe that we have God’s word which teaches us God’s way and we also have the Holy Spirit which brings conviction and then leads us to repentance. We do need to have a fear of God. There are consequences for our actions, which we can go through for a long time after. This is not because God does not love us or forgive our wrong. He gives us a free will and when we choose our own desires we suffer the consequences. But, I believe that when we experience God’s love, the thought of being separated from him is unbearable. Which is why we need to have a balance between the fear of God and the love of God.
I just thought to add to what I just wrote. I just wanted to clarify what I said about sin. Because I think that sin is more that just going against God’s word. It is also when we do not submit or surrender to the Holy Spirit.
I like this post, John Paul. I’ll try to respond to your last couple of thoughts.
Being tempted to do something is not a sin. The sin begins when you decide to give in to the temptation. Does that mean that a decision to do something contrary to God’s will SEPERATES you from God the same way committing a physical sin does? Well… I’m not sure. But I do know this:
Jesus was tempted by Satan repeatedly, and yet He is perfect, free of all sin. If he weren’t, then he wouldn’t have fulfilled the law and his sacrifice would have been worthless. Praise God that Jesus DID remain perfect for our sake.
Therefore, being tempted is not sinful in and of itself. It’s how you RESPOND to the temptation that determines whether or not it is sin. The sin occurs when you choose to submit to the temptation. What happens afterwards is just a by-product of that decision.
A big misconception that Christians have is that we should resist temptation. But that’s not what the Bible says. The Bible says to FLEE temptation, not resist it. We’re supposed to resist Satan, not temptation. If we try to resist temptation, we are setting ourselves up for a hard battle. The resistance should be in fleeing, not staying and making it hard for yourself.
When Joseph was tempted by his master’s wife, he didn’t stand there and allow himself to continue to be tempted. He ran away. Had he stayed and tried to resist her seduction (and his own carnal desires) he would have eventually lost, and he knew it–so he did the smart thing and fled.
When you’re being tempted, don’t stand there with a target on your back by trying to reason with yourself. Run away from whatever is causing your temptation. The hard part is when our own flesh is that which is tempting us. That’s why we need to learn to control ours minds and hold our thoughts captive. Thoughts turn to actions, actions turn to habits, and habits shape your destiny.
The one question I have is this: if we decide to give into temptation, (and therefore sin) and then repent before the sin is physically committed, are we still held to the spiritual consequences of that sin?
I have a teachable spirit so please correct me if I’m wrong. It is my understanding that temptation in itself is not a sin. James spoke about trials and temptations as being something to help us overcome.
James 1:2-3 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
There’s temptation in itself and then there’s falling into temptation. I believe there is a difference.
Also, Matthew 4:1 talks about how Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. God does not tempt us but through it, we can overcome. In this example, Jesus is without sin and therefore can not fall into temptation. James 1:13
In the Lord’s prayer, it says “Lead us not into temptation”. Our spirit is willing but our flesh is weak. It is better for us not to be faced with temptation, but if we do overcome it then we have the victory and this builds up perserverance.
As for sin, I just thought of a (hopefully appropriate) analogy. A snake in itself is not a killer. It can only kill you if you are bit with its venom. But if we can learn to master the snake, we will not succumb to its desires.
In answer to your question “Is temptation sin?” the answer has to be no. Jesus was tempted (see the temptations in the wilderness) but he didn’t sin - Hebrews 4:15 - 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 - temptation is not sin, sin is when we seccumb (or submit) to that temptation.
Is temptation sin?
Matthew 4:1 “Then Jesus was lead by the Holy Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil”
Hebrews 4:15
“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 this means Jesus was tempted in EVERY WAY, but was without sin. So NO, I dont believe temptation is sin.
What is sin?
To answer this I ended up on Wikipedia’s site. They put it well.
Out of interest I found the following interesting piece there:
(following quote from Wikipedia)
“The Greek word hamartia (ἁμαρτία) is usually translated as sin in the New Testament. In Classical Greek, it means “to miss the mark” or “to miss the target” which was also used in Old English archery.[3] In Koine Greek, which was spoken in the time of the New Testament, however, this translation is not adequate.[4] In other research, this word has been associated with the “hem” of a garment.[citation needed]”
Does anyone know anything about the Koine Greek translation for sin and how it is associated with the hem of a garment?? I am curious about that….
Dear John Paul,
Thank you for having this coffeetalk. Do not temptation and sin co-exist, for without the sin would there not be a temptation?
Is not sin anything that is against the goodness of God as it is written in the Bible? As you see with my answer of question with a question - your knowledge on all these subjects is greatly appreciated. Love that coffee and the depth of all the wisdom I have to gain!! Thanx
You Wrote:
Next, what is sin? Is it harder or easier to understand than we think? Hummmm.
I’ll deal with these matters in my next post. But let’s see what you think.
My Response:
Sin literally means missing the mark. Apply this attribute to our relationship with the Lord, it means missing the mark in obedience to the things of God. Furthermore, applying this to a day in and day out walk in our relationaship to God and man , sin can also mean missing the mark with God and how He wants to use us in our daily lives, especially regarding ministry.
God’s Obedience - We don’t want to miss this!
Please Read:
Please pray for us, because last week the Lord told me and my husband that our place was about ready to turn into a hospital room. You have got to see our place, we would have to move out all the furniture for this to happen. It is so small. It’s only a three bedroom apartment. God has such a sense of humor, ha!
Shortly, after this statement from the Lord, we put God TV on and Todd Bentley is at the Ignited Church in Lakeland, Florida passing out this mega healing anointing that would clean out hospitals, people can feel this anointing 10 miles away and up the whole entire East Coast.
Futhermore, the Lord told Todd to stay on as long as he is willing and that Friday’s will be set aside specifically for Pastor’s, Ministries, etc. who want to bring this to their churches and communities. This was when the Lord told us to go to Florida.
Shortly after, we received this direct word from the Lord my husband gets attacked with another spontaneous bloody nose. This has been happening on and off over the years but this time a non-stop bloody nose. It was actually going on and off for a whole month, we had been keeping and eye on this and praying for healing. The bloody nose seem to have been increasing to every 4 hours within the last 7 days. Well then, we finally decided to go to the emergency room to make sure that there wasn’t anything serious like a hemorrage.
I started to regret this idea about going to the hospital because we need to save money for airfare to go to Florida and why should we pay the bill to the emergency room when we can tithe to a healing ministry instead. After all when we get to Florida, I know that my husband will be healed of not only the bloody nose but the skin cancer as well.
Anyway, I was reluctant because it has been my experience with my kid’s and myself that everytime we need to go to the emergency room for anything, God comes on in there and heals us on the way or shortly thereafter and we still have to pay the bill anyway. But this time, the Lord wanted us to go and off we went to the hospital. By the time we got to be seen, we were in the next room listening to this familiar voice talking to the patients and telling jokes at the same time, it was the Doctor, Dr. Steimetz to be exact.
Then when he came to us, I could not believe what I was seeing and hearing before my eyes and ears….the doctor standing before me looked just like Todd Bentley with a white jacket, no tatoo’s or rings and a complete bald head..he also sounded just like him as well. He had a wierd sense of humor as well. So, he looked at my husbands nose with a scope and he saw alot of scarring in there, it was too scarred to be cauterized, due to all those nosebleeds.
As the Doctor was treating my husband, he cracked a joke about the sensation of what is going into my husbands nose is better than any cocaine he ever snorted and we both said we couldn’t relate to that experience because we are Christians in Ministry and then he said, yes I can see that and he continued to stuff his nose and told my husband to come back in 3 days to be seen by another doctor that he had referred on the slip..at this point I knew in my spirit that he would be healed within 24 hours, because while the doctor was putting packing in my husbands nose, I had a vision that this packing was going to come out on its own before the end of three days. Sunday at about 7:30 p.m. it came out and everything was normal as if there was no hemorraging at all. So, now we are thinking that the scars are also going to be healed up as well, when we go to the follow-up on Tuesday.
So, we would like for you to agree with us in prayer, that we get to Florida within the next 7 days. They have extended this healing revival to May 4th, there is a good chance that it could go on longer. We don’t want to miss the mark. We want to be obedient to what God wants to do in our life. This blog is great!
and God is soooooooo gooooooood!
Blessings!
Shirley C.
In heaven, temptation existed since the angels fell. Yet can i suggest that when the glory comes in, temptation has very little place in us? Therefore it would be a sin of unwise stewardship to be tempted at times. God would hold us guilty for temptation when we fail to “wear protective gear for the job”.
Yet on the flip side of it, we are tempted simply because we live in a fallen world & those times would have been excusable by God. If there is no temptation in heaven, how would worship existed?
Therefore if we do not prepare ourselves for the battle ahead by abiding in glory & we get tempted, God would hold us accountable as the Lord’s prayer also says ,”Lead us not into temptation…” meaning we are responsible to escape a fair share of temptation that would come our way everyday.
Hey JP & others, some thoughts on this:
Sin is worshipping the created rather than the Creator. I believe it is also a value judgement, in saying that the sin is more valuable, is worth more, than God is. We all pretty much know that the English word “worship” actually was originally “worth-ship.” It’s saying the sin is worth more than God is to us. When we sin, we’re worshipping something created, be it our desires, ourselves, another person, an idea, the enemy, the earth, etc. It’s giving it pre-eminence and rule in our lives, instead of God.
Pat Robertson said something years ago that if we are addicted to something, like cigarettes, we are actually being ruled by a plant. That in turn can likely eventually include a spirit of addiction. I’m stepping on my own toes when the issue of coffee comes up. I’m not throwing stones, I know how difficult cigarette addiction is. My mom quit years ago, and she still says every once and a while she gets a craving. She’s done it by will-power (she’s not saved yet)and she knows if she had one, she’d probably get back on that road.
On the issue on addiction, which is another name for habitual sin or bondage (?), I read somewhere years ago that the Israelites’ greatest sin was not believing that God loved them. I believe at its core this is what addiction is, not believing that God loves us at a particular level. I know this is progressive and a growing thing as we come to know Him more.
Also, temptation is not sin. JP, I believe you made the comment about temptation not existing where there was no inclination or possibility for a person to sin in a particular area. In other words, we’re tempted at our weakness. I know the truth is that Jesus lived a sinless life, which also means (and I don’t know the theology on this) that theoretically He could have chosen to sin, but He didn’t. But did that also mean that He had areas of weakness? He did say before His death that the prince of this world had nothing in Him, no trip wire to take Him down. Still, the enemy tried to get Him off course. It’s a mystery that in his humanity, and the lineage of His mom, (and I don’t know how all this works, and I don’t want to go down the heresy line), He may have had physical, bodily propensities, else why when in the garden would he pray for the cup to pass? Was He dealing with crucifying the self-preservation instinct at that time?
It’s definitely a mystery and as a man and seeing what He went through in that sense, puts me in awe of Him and what He did for me. That He chose to do what He did because He loved you and me. Incredible.
Blessings,
Dennis
Well, I think that if we see temptation as in being tempted, then I think that temptation isn’t a sin because one can be tempted and not sin, like Jesus did (as many have pointed out).
But I beleive that if we look at temptation, as to it’s origin, it’s nature, it’s intent, it’s spiritual value, I think temptation is sin…if it wasn’t, then I beleive it wouldn’t be temptation, it would simply be invitation or information but not temptation…
I think that sometimes, we say that we are tempted, but it really isn’t temptation…Sometimes it’s just a figure of speech, the way we talk…
Sin: I would say, it’s failing to do Gods will, failing to cooperate with God, in what He asks of us…
God Bless…
Temptation itself is not a sin but Jesus said there was nothing in Him that could be tempted. Oh…for the day when there is nothing in us that can be tempted. The battlefield of the mind……nip it in the bud, like JP said !!! And for the proud who think they are immune………keep an eye on yourself.
Well, since Jesus was tempted, and he was without sin, we know that the sin doesn’t lie in the temptation. It lies in giving in to the temptation.
As for the definition of sin, I like the one I learned many years ago: “Sin is anything we think, do or say that is offensive to God.”
Blessings to you!
Renae
http://www.renaebrumbaugh.com
Gosh you guys have some really good points.
What about Matthew 5, where it says if a man has looked upon her with lust in his heart….he has already committed adultery?Hmmmm.
Perhaps there is a moments of choice within the temptation, and entertaining it after a particular point becomes sin.
Great discussion.
Tanya
in my thoughts, sin is simply denial of Christ. Sin in and of itself, if seen in the light of the tree of life, is anything that draws us away from Christ and back to the tree of good and evil. Many people sin in their christian walk in all the good they do and other sin in the evil they do. When you do something that is not in the sensation and reality of freedom, that is not connected to Christ, that thing, is virtually the miss mark, a void where we turn off our receptivity to Christ. If you are led by the spirit, you cannot sin because when you walk into that arena of ’sinfulness’ you will hear the holy spirit prompting you to leave. If you do not hear the prompting you have already begun to deny the voice of Christ in your life.
Temptation is not sin. Temptation is the attempts of darkness to seduce you into false light. As long as you are connected to the source of God, the true creative spirit, you will never truly be tempted. Sure, Satan came to ‘tempt’ christ, but his temptations did not phase Christ. Christ was sinless because the temptations were not appealing to him, he had partaken of the divine nature of heaven. This is why it is written that those who partake of the divine nature of heaven and turn to wickedness shall never inherit Gods kingdom, because you cannot taste of the true-ness of Christ and turn back into darkness.
Most of the christian church has NOT experienced this deep place in God (a tangible total salvation as it were..), because if they had, there would be major deaths in the christian world, because when people dabbled back in their wickedness they would have caused the spirit of death and murder to inhabit their body and kill off their spirit-light in the flesh. There is great concequence to tasting the deep places of heaven and then attempting to turn back to the world. Many a man of God has had his life shortened because he tasted of the vine and turned his heart away from God. If there is anything that people need to pursue more than gifts and miracles, it is the ever present relationship of them with God.
So many talk about sin, because they struggle with sin in their flesh, morevso because they don’t want to count the cost of being totally 100% surrendered in Christ, after all, they have a nice american mediocre life to enjoy… why waste that away to go into heavens living light?
“…is temptation actually sin or is the sin actually found in the submission to the temptation?”
Well, no, temptation isn’t sin. Jesus was tempted but remained sinless, so the sin must be found in submitting to the temptation.
But what do we do with out thoughts, when is it that we have crossed the temptation/sin line in our hearts?
I’m heard it said that you can’t keep the birds from flying over head but you can keep them from making a nest in your hair.
A fleeting thought may come but choosing to stop, linger, ponder or leer… well, that’s charged to my account.
Looking forward to the next post…
Z
Temptation isn’t sin. Jesus was tempted, yet he didn’t sin.
Ok, I don’t think that I was very clear when I previously said that temptation is sin…heres my perspective…
James 1:13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
I beleive that God doesn’t tempt, but He does test. I beleive that these are 2 different things. The devil is the tempter.
I beleive that temptation can be a deceptive truth, or a lie. And so the devil being the tempter, when he tempts (decieves with the truth, or lies), he sins. I beleive that the one that engages in the spirit of temptation (tempts others or God) also sins.
One may challenge and not tempt. And one may tempt with a challenge…It all depends in what attitude or spirit it is comes in, the intent, the purpose, the motivation…
Is this the correct perspective?
God Bless!
James 1 lays out a progression:
“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.”
Is temptation actually sin?
The powers of darkness tempt us in areas where they know we might be vulnerable. So temptation might come as a result of sin. Yet Jesus knows that we sometimes have sinful responses to the sins of others against us (an explanation, not an excuse). Knowing us so well, He does not judge… even when others do… but simply continues to lead us into the light.
“One who has been forgiven much loves much.”
“We loved because He first loved us.”
Let me clarify myself in the previous post. Its like this…sometimes i fail to go through my daily does of “walking with God in the glory”, as a result various temptations became very appealing in the day & night.
Suppose God would ask me to walk in the glory & temptation would fade away but i disobeyed Him. Then i find myself in temptations…would i have sinned becuase God’s requirement is to walk the daily routine of the glory and temptation would not be an issue. I guess so.
Sin is therefore disobeying the word that proceeds from God whatever He says for that moment.
I believe sin is an act or rehersal of an act in our mind that is counter to God’s will for our life and our relationship to Him. For instance, if I have the grace to drink alcohol (not get drunk) that’s one thing. But, if the Holy Spirit says “Do not drink that”, either at that particular time or at any time and I do…I am no longer acting in faith if I do; therefore it is sin to me. We also know He will never say we have grace for anything that is condemned as sin in the written Word.
I thought about Jesus who was like us and was tempted like us in every way. If tempted, is it possible that He could also sin, that He too could live out of soul OR spirit like us; and chose always to do what pleased the Father?
John Paul, Jesus did have a human mother who was blessed, but not perfect. Are iniquities carried only through the paternal side? Could Jesus have had generational issues in His flesh and soul even though His Spirit was perfect?
Lastly, I once has a vision of Carl Lewis (5 time gold medal winner in track events). I saw him smashing his own ankles with a sledge hammer. God spoke to me and said that when we continuously sin (disobey or ignore the voice of God) it is as if we are destroying our opportunity to walk in the gifts and destiny He has prepared for us. Basically, sin steps right into the middle of our destiny. But, thank God for His mercy and grace when we repent. Just a few thoughts.
That was great Gary. Thank you for adding that
I have heard a wise saying; “It is one thing to let a bird land on your head, and quite another to let it build a nest there.”
God will not tempt us with sin. Jam 1.13.
I do believe He will allow us to be proven or disciplined. I believe the reason is to allow us to be free of the characteristics in us that are unlike Him.
The temptation often matches what we must be freed from.
If we have a problem with greed, the temptation can come with a monetary shine to it.
If we have a problem with patience, we can find ourselves behind the driver with the perpetual left blinker who is not driving fast enough.
I believe these things pop into our lives to help us realize the need for help. We don’t seek help until we realize we need it, and if we deal with the issue of pride we will seek help.
Grace (divine influence upon the heart) will see us through to the end. God is not a quitter!
Word studies from Strong’s.
As many have pointed out, Jesus was tempted yet He had no sin. Heb 4.15.
Tempted, peirazō, pi-rad’-zo
From G3984; to test (objectively), that is, endeavor, scrutinize, entice, discipline: - assay, examine, go about, prove, tempt (-er), try.
What sin is,
1Jn 5:17a All unrighteousness is sin:
Unrighteousness, adikia, ad-ee-kee’-ah
From G94; (legal) injustice (properly the quality, by implication the act); moral wrongfulness (of charater, life or act): - iniquity, unjust, unrighteousness, wrong.
Sin, hamartia, ham-ar-tee’-ah
From G264; sin (properly abstract): - offence, sin (-ful).
Sin, hamartanō, ham-ar-tan’-o
Perhaps from G1 (as a negative particle) and the base of G3313; properly to miss the mark (and so not share in the prize), that is, (figuratively) to err, especially (morally) to sin: - for your faults, offend, sin, trespass.
God bless you all!
David
Could it be that sin, at its root, is the act (or desire) of exerting our will over God’s will. Could it be that sin is when we play out a scenario in our mind and determine its end? We then judge what is good and evil. I believe so.
“is temptation actually sin or is the sin actually found in the submission to the temptation?
Next, what is sin? Is it harder or easier to understand than we think? Hummmm.”
Temptation is not a sin. If it were then Jesus would have sinned several times over due to him being tempted in all areas that we are today. There is nothing new under the sun.
I have found that it is very simple to know what is sin. It is any action that you take either in your mind or in your physical body that goes against God.
We need to take captive every thought that enters our mind and measure it up to the word. If it doesn’t line up then simply stop thinking about it. This becomes easier to do as you mature in the knowledge of the word.
Also, the intent of the heart has a lot to do with it.
I believe that temptation in and of itself is not sin, but what leads us to temptation is. How often do we provide opportunity for temptation, then find ourselves in a situation where we have to make a choice: turn and run or step in one level deeper. These levels by the way are very thin, the distinctions between them are very subtle. The tempter woos us gently into these prisons of desire. Nobody falls into major sin instantaneously, it’s the sequential outcome from a series of graduating temptations and choices.
So where does temptation end and sin start? I wish I knew. This is why we must guard our hearts,….. I wish I guarded mine more. God’s grace is good.
Gobs of blessings!
So, do different sins have different weights (not consequences: we all know the answer to that one). Blasphemy is said to be the unforgiveable sin, so this would indicate that there are varying degrees. Is a white lie really a “minor infraction” while murder is a heinous crime? In the Old Testament Law, there were varying degrees of punishment, depending on the act. Does this indicate different weights to different sin? If sin is based on the condition of the heart, then simply asking this question might indicate an attitude of “how much can I get away with”; that is not the intent, though. Thoughts??
Temptation? I guess temptation is no sin cuz Jesus was tempted and was without sin. But then I start dwelling on it (the thought) and somewhere down the dwelling-on-it-road my thoughts turn into sin. I confess it’s difficult for me to figure out where one ends and the other starts.
The question about sin… I consider sin everything that seperates me from God in one form or another. Where I do not love Him with everything and my neighbour as myself. Since a lot of people don’t love themself they already have broken the greatest commandent and here we sin. Larry Randolph once said that we live in a society that teaches us to hate ourselves. I so agree. I used to think sin was something I actually do. But it can be something I don’t do (like loving ourselves or helping somebody in need etc.).
Greetings from beautiful Switzerland. Barbara
James 1:14-15 says, “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.”
So, I would say to be temped is not sin, but it is how you handle the temptation that can lead to sin.
As for the question, “What is sin”?
The Scripture says again “Whatever is not from faith is sin” Rom. 14:23 And 1 Cor.10:23-24 “All things are lawful, but not all are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify, let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor”. In Acts15:20 The elders and apostles gave the gentiles coming to the faith these instructions only, “…They abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood”, to “remember the poor..” (Gal. 2:10) and to “fervently love one another” (1 Pet.1:22)
If we allow love to get inside us, love is our guide, compass, and measure. If we fix our eyes on love -not lust, we walk in fellowship with God and sin has no hold on us. There is no temptation to be overcome by. I am not perfected by love yet, but the Scriptures say it is possible, and the apostles walked this way, too.(1 John) It is a process we who are called by His name must go through. If we can remember this, we can be patient, encouraging and cover others who are not as far along in the process as we are.
God bless you John Paul, for all you do and how you love the saints. You are touchable, making time for each one where ever you go. What a great example of love!
I believe tempation has a source, what it that source?
Man/and or satan, probably both, but it is not from God.
James states (1:13) that God does not tempt us but we are tempted away by our own evil desires which when grow fully, is sin.
I believe there are no new temptations known to man.
Some are common but more often then not, there are previous areas of weakness the enemy knows about that he uses to entice us back into captivity. Watering/lingering makes it stronger. It is like the bird flying over your head, do you shoo it away or make it a nest? Making it a nest has moved you into the area of sin in your heart and it will be manifested ultimately in the flesh.
Jesus was more concerned for your heart then the outward appearences.
How often do we say “we are tempted to do a good thing ?” Normally we assocate the word with doing something that we know is wrong/evil. We ae “tempted” becasue we know it is wrong in our heart. If we do not get rid of it immediately, it will ensnare us. The only way to get rid of it is to replace it with the Truth, the Word of God spoken aloud to the situation.
Otherwise, he holds on to the hope that in a moment of weakness he can ensnare you again in that trap. Truth replaces lies. But I feel spoken truth is essential to breaking the power behind it.
Hey John Paul,
Love the Blog.
I once was sitting in a meeting and something about this popped out at me. It was when the speaker said this to a group of us young people. He asked, “Why are we flirting with the line between what is of God and what is of the World? We shouldn’t be trying to see how close we can get to the World without stepping over the line. Indeed, as followers of Jesus Christ we should be striving to not flirt with the line but running as far away from it as we can into God.”
I really liked that. So every time I become aware of being tempted to do something which does not give the Lord the glory then I say, “Hey, I’m too close to the place where the Devil and the world can reach me.” Then I run farther into God in whom the wiles of the Enemy and the world cannot reach me.
I also heard this story from someone who said, “Driving along and seeing an attractive woman in revealing jogging gear is not a sin. If I drive around the block again to take another look, now that’s a sin.” I thought that was an interesting point. Much akin to the dancing analogy used by anne. I refuse to dance or go over those things in my mind and concentrate on God or use it to go further in His direction.
Yours in resistance to temptation,
David C.
Temptation is an “enticement” to do something which is usually wrong, or off the mark for us.
Therefore, we can be surrounded by it in this world, like it or now. It certainly is wise to remove yourselves as quickly as possible from temptations whenever possible.
I believe when we become “tempted by the temptation,” we have set ourselves in agreement with it againist God and that beomes sin. God does not tempt us nor is He tempted by evil.
Even though the great temptor, satan came to Jesus with the written word to entice/tempt Him to do evil (disobey God), Jesus did not ask for details or debate the issues. Instead, He quoted a now and living word right back to him. Jesus is such a hero, an amazing example of what we need to do when temptations come to us in any form.
I think Jesus could have done this all day/night until the devil was exhausted and beaten to a bloody pulp by the now and living Word of God. It didn’t take long to know he had nothing he could throw at Him that He could not handle.
You just can’t “tempt” someone to do evil unless you can find something in the heart to latch on to and build on. Jesus said he has nothing in Me.
I believe this is why we are told to hide the Word in our heart so we can stand firm when these temptations come at us so we do not become tempted by it and sin.
JPJ Blog: “Concerning the issue of temptation and sin, I simply ask this, is temptation actually sin or is the sin actually found in the submission to the temptation? Next, what is sin? Is it harder or easier to understand than we think? Hummmm.”
JPJ your questions bear the grin and wink of a teacher wooing his students into his laboratory of discovery.
It is always best to define ones terms before being drawn into answering a question containing terms that have theological or ethical charged connotations.
Temptation: The better word(s) are peirazo (verb) and peirasmos (noun). I prefer the English translations of these words to be test (or trial). Then we can more easily move to a distinction between:
A: tests that have a beneficial purpose and effect (sent from of permitted by God for our benefit), and
B: tests that have a detrimental purpose and effect leading to wrong doing (from the devil, other people and our own flesh/sin nature).
Now we can add another layer of distinction to the A and B categories of testing:
1. the origination or source of the test (who is testing- the testor),
2. the subject matter of the test (what is being tested – the test),
3. the object of the test (who is being tested – the testee)
4. the taking of the test, and
5. the consequence or outcome of the test.
These distinctions can help provide a framework of the myriad of scriptures which unfortunately use the same English words tempt or temptation without terminological exactitude.
In answer to your simple question:
If you are asking about category A tests:
1. then the act of benevolent testing is not sin for the testor – some call this training, discipling and disciplining
2. then the subject matter of the test is not sin – some call this trials, testing, training and discipline
3. then the rejection of the testor by the testee would be sin,
4. then the repulsion of the test by the testee would be sin
5. then the consideration by the testee, of taking up the test is not sin, for the testee (the consideration of taking up the test reveals a righteous desire or affection for the testor, the test and its consequence)- some call this submission or obedience
6. then the considering an affirmative or positive response to the test or the engaging / starting in the test is not sin – some call this training, or character building, or working out ones salvation
7. then the nature of the testee’s action (mental, emotional, or physical) in the test can be either:
a) righteous or
b) sin
If you are asking about category B tests:
1. then the act of malevolent testing is sin for the testor (whether the source be demonic or human) – some call this tempting
2. then the subject matter of the test is sin – some would call this the temptation
3. then the rejection of the testor by the testee would be righteous
4. then the repulsion of the test by the testee would be righteous,
5. then the consideration by the testee, of taking up the test is sin, for the testee (the consideration of taking up the test reveals an unsanctified desire or affection for the subject matter of the testor or the test)
6. then the considering an affirmative or positive response to the test or the engaging /starting the test is sin for the testee– some call this being tempted
7. then the taking action (mental, emotional, or physical) in agreement with the test is sin
I believe that when Jesus was tested by satan in the wilderness Jesus got to B-3 and B-4 above and as such did not sin.
I believe that Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane was tested by God and went to A-7-a and did not sin.
I believe sin begins much sooner than we appreciate and runs much deeper in us than we admit.
I shall leave the definition of sin to another time. However suffice it to say that anything in man:
a) that is unsanctified (not holy and consistent with the nature and character of God which means not blood washed and not redeemed by Jesus) and
b) not regenerated by the Spirit God in His nature, is either sin nature, or sin.
Levi
I suppose the more our minds are renewed and the greater transformation done in our hearts, the easier it becomes to handle temptation. However Adam and Eve walked closely with God and saw His Glory daily! Yet they did not handle temptation very well … We can never be too sure and secure in ourselves! And yes I believe sin could be hard to understand because just like Candy quoted ‘whatever is not from faith is sin’ what could be sin for me might not be for someone else ..
Blessings
View video clips of the Florida Outpouring:
http://www.seekchristianradiowsciro.org/id76.html
I agree temptation is not sin. Temptation is the test and sin is capitulation. I think sin is trying to ascend to God’s throne by our own means. Its like Adam and Eve in the garden, just eat this fruit and be like God. Or the Tower of Babel, we can just build our way into the heavenlies. What ever it is that we are after; happiness, riches, love, fame, you name it, we end up doing what seems right in our own eyes instead of waiting for God and doing things His way.
The thing is, not only do we feel regret in our hearts afterward but there are also the many consequences that we reap. I personally stuggle with waiting and some times feel like doing what I want to do and skip the dry parts. Isn’t God forgiving…doesn’t He understand our weaknesses? At the time when we are lowest, it sure makes sense to stop the madness and make ourselves feel better. This seems easier than being tested! But tomorrow always comes…
I simply ask this, is temptation actually sin?
temptation a sin? no! but what we make whit temptations can sometimes lead to sin! satan now what weakness or preference we have! i remember for a big man in god that say to satan in weakness: oh satan, thats you? he turn away and do the stuff of god! other mans go in a discussion whit satan, and the beginning of sin is gon…..
Yes it is simple Jesus delt with the temptation and the sin issues He became sin for us. Be about the Fathers business He only did what the Father was doing so we too can be with the Father through the the sacrifice of Jesus doing greater things than He did. The joy of the Lord is our strength go forth in HIs name His Love His Power with the mind of Messiah Shalom