Temptation Is Not Sin

Temptation Is Not Sin

By Apostle Felix

13  When you are tempted don’t ever say, “God is tempting me,” for God is incapable of being tempted by evil and he is never the source of temptation. 
14  Instead it is each person’s own desires and thoughts that drag them into evil and lure them away into darkness.

James 1: 13, 14

Temptation is something that is common to man. Every man is tempted, no matter how spiritual one can be. It is something that one cannot bind, but it can only be resisted. From the first Adam to the last Adam, temptation has been the order of the day. The first Adam was tempted and gave in to temptation. The last Adam was tempted as well, but He resisted and overcame. The last Adam, who is Jesus was tempted but yet without sin. Therefore, temptation is not sin because Jesus was tempted too, but He did not sin.

15  He understands humanity, for as a Man, our magnificent King-Priest was tempted in every way just as we are, and conquered sin.

Hebrews 4: 15

The apostle James said God cannot be tempted with evil, in James 1: 13. Why then was Jesus tempted being God? Jesus was not tempted as God but as man. God became man, so that He could identify with us in weakness. He walked around as a man, that’s why He could sleep, eat, drink and finally be killed. He was a man just like anyone of us, but yet without sin. He decided to lay aside the privileges He had as God. He was no longer omnipresent and omniscient. The Bible says that Jesus did not know the day the world will come to an end. He did not know as man.

32  But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

Mark 13: 32

God decided to limit Himself while He was here on earth, as a man. But when Jesus rose from the dead, He attained all the glory He had laid aside and was God as before.

6  He existed in the form of God, yet he gave no thought to seizing equality with God as his supreme prize.
7  Instead he emptied himself of his outward glory by reducing himself to the form of a lowly servant. He became human!
8  He humbled himself and became vulnerable, choosing to be revealed as a man and was obedient. He was a perfect example, even in his death—a criminal’s death by crucifixion!
9  Because of that obedience, God exalted him and multiplied his greatness! He has now been given the greatest of all names! 

Philippians 2: 6 – 9

Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by the devil. He was not tempted because He had any evil desire in Him. He had been fasting for forty days and nights, so as human He was hungry for food. That was an innocent desire He had but the devil took advantage of the desire and wanted to corrupt His mind using the desire as a bait. The desire oftentimes can be innocent. The desire to own a car is innocent, but the means of getting the car can sometimes be through corrupt means. Jesus resisted the temptation by deciding to stay with the word of God. The devil tempted Him with riches and wealth as well. The only prerequisite was to bow and worship satan. He offered a short cut to glory without the cross. He suggested actually that He did not need to go through pain in order to attain the glory. There is nothing wrong with riches but the manner through which we obtain them can be a problem. Learn to postpone pleasure for later and endure pressure for a season. Avoid short cuts because they can cut short one’s life. 

Temptation also comes in the areas where we are familiar with sin. It is not so common to be tempted with cigarette smoking if you have never smoked in your life. We are normally tempted in the areas we once tested. We are familiar with the practice, therefore it will be easier to fall back into it. Bu what should one do to resist temptation?

3  And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 

Matthew 4: 3, 4

Do what Jesus did. He responded back with the word of God. Normally, temptation comes in the form of thoughts, whether we have been spoken to or enticed visually. But which ever way the temptation comes, thoughts determine whether one will succumb or not. Thoughts are words yet to be expressed. The best way to defeat thoughts of temptation is to speak the word of God. You cannot defeat thoughts with thoughts. Jesus spoke out. Learn the art of speaking out the word of God.

12  And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.

Genesis 39: 12

Do what Joseph did. He ran away. He refused to negotiate with Potiphar’s wife like Samson did with Delilah. Speak the word of God and do not stay in the presence of something you used to practice before you got saved. Your old friends should now be an evangelism field rather than buddies to hang around with. The old places you used to patronize can be visited with one mission in mind – evangelism.