Matthew 4:1-11 records the temptation of Christ in the wilderness. It would be difficult to overstate how absolutely essential this moment is in Jesus’ life. The whole plan of redemption hangs on His response to the intense temptation he faces. If He gave in to temptation and sinned, He would forfeit a life of perfect righteousness and would no longer be qualified to offer His life as an acceptable sacrifice to God for our sin. Jesus was being put to the test, and if He failed the test, not a single human being could be spared of God’s just wrath against sin.
The dissonance of verse 1 reveals an essential insight that we must grasp in order to have a proper understanding of temptation, so as to stand against it. So, let’s take a moment to interrogate vs. 1: “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”
- Who was Jesus led by? The Spirit.
- Where did the Spirit lead Jesus? The wilderness.
- For what purpose did the Spirit lead Jesus to the wilderness? To be tempted.
- Who was Jesus tempted by? The devil (cf. James 1:13-14).
Doesn’t this verse create a little dissonance for you? Why would the Spirit lead Jesus into a situation where He would be tempted by the devil? Didn’t Jesus teach us to pray, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (or the evil one)?
Here’s what we need to understand. The Greek word translated “tempted” here is peirasmos. Its basic meaning is simply to test or to prove. The word itself does not have a negative connotation unless it is in a context in which a person is enticed to evil. When that’s the case it’s translated as “tempted,” but otherwise it’s translated it as “tested.” So, when the Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness, God’s holy and divine purpose is to test Jesus so as to prove His righteousness and loyalty to the Father. Yet in the very same circumstance, Satan’s intent is to entice Jesus to sin and forfeit His righteousness by enticing Him to act independently of the Father. It was an essential part of God’s plan for Jesus to not only be tested but directly tempted by the devil to overcome temptation and demonstrate His righteousness. This would qualify Him to overcome the curse of sin for us by offering His life as an acceptable (righteous) sacrifice on the cross.
We might think of it this way. In every single circumstance 3 things are true:
- God’s will is resolutely set on holy purposes for good.
- Satan’s will is resolutely set on evil purposes for destruction.
- Your will is not resolute. It is torn between sin and righteousness so that you must make a choice. Will you respond to God’s good and holy purposes by persevering, enduring the test by faith, and resisting any temptation you face in the trial? Or will you respond to the devil’s evil and destructive purposes by yielding to temptation and be enticed to sin?
Here’s the point of application for us: Fighting temptation is not just about resisting our sinful cravings. It is also an opportunity to demonstrate our obedience and faithfulness to God—a response of faith. So, when you find yourself in a moment of temptation, Satan’s intent is not for your happiness but for your destruction, to entangle you in sin (even though the sin may be temporarily pleasurable to your flesh). But God’s will for you in that moment is to seize the opportunity to demonstrate obedience and faithfulness to God that will result in your sanctification (growth in godliness) and ultimate joy.
So when we pray, “lead us not into temptation but deliver us form the evil one,” we are praying for God’s grace while under the pressure of testing, to be faithful and obedient to God so as not to succumb to the devil’s enticement to sin. We are not praying for a life free of testing or temptation, but rather to pass the test of obedience and faithfulness to God so that we don’t sin.
Whether the circumstance results in good or evil, spiritual growth or spiritual bondage depends entirely on our response[1] of either revering God with our worship or worshiping something or someone else in His place. The devil can’t make you sin. He can tempt you, but when you resist that temptation and cling to Christ by faith, it results in your good and sanctification.
Yet even when you don’t give into the temptation and sin, the very fact that your heart was enticed by that temptation probably points to a need for even deeper repentance and transformation in your life. James says, “each man is carried away and enticed by his own lust.” Shallow repentance only takes into account the sin committed on the surface. But deep repentance wrestles with the reality that your heart is drawn to love something that God hates, even when you have resisted the temptation. So, we may need to utter two prayers in the same breath: “Lord, thank you for the grace to not give in to that temptation. Yet, oh Lord, how I need Your redeeming power to transform my heart from wanting what you don’t want for me.”
Take your battle against temptation to the next level beyond mere resistance. Fight the fight of faith against temptation by seeing each situation as an opportunity to embrace God’s good purposes of strengthening your resolve, perseverance, character, faith and joy by clinging to Christ for a God-pleasing life.
[1] John MacArthur, MacArthur NT Commentary: 1 Corinthians, pg. 227-228.