Our Temptations

And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. (Luk 4:1-13 KJV)

Parallel Passage is Mat 4:1-11

There are times in our lives when God allows temptations to beset us. When we meet with these times of trouble we should always remember that God’s plan for it is to purify us as silver that’s refined by the fire. In testing us, God does not leave us to our own power, but His Spirit empowers us with the ability to overcome the temptation.

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 he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1Co 10:13)

When we’re tempted to sin, and we give in to it, it’s not because of God’s lack of love and care for us in our time of need. It’s not because God has withdrawn His Spirit from us so that we are without the power to overcome. Rather, we give in to sin because we love it. As Tim Keller has said, to overcome our love for sin we need an even greater love for God. Look at how the Bible puts it…

… each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (Jas 1:14-15)

So we see that there’s a process. Sin starts because we’re enticed by our own desires. The root of the whole problem lies in our heart…we still desire those sins that we’re tempted by.

In this sense, our temptations are different from that of our Lord. Christ never desired to follow Satan; He never had a love for the sins that came before Him as temptations.