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Temptation Is NOT Sin… Temptation is NOT Sin… by David Lee Burris Is temptation a sin? Question: "Is temptation a sin? Is it a sin to be tempted?" Answer: Temptation, by its very nature, feels wrong. God’s moral law is written in the heart of every human being (Romans 1:20), and when a sinful temptation is introduced, our consciences immediately sense danger. However, the temptation itself is not the sin. Jesus was tempted (Mark 1:13; Luke 4:1-13), but He never sinned (Hebrews 4:15). Sin occurs when we mishandle temptation. There are two avenues by which we are tempted: Satan and our own sinful flesh. Acts 5 gives an example of someone tempted by Satan. Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, wanting to appear more spiritual than they really were, lied to the apostles and pretended they were giving as an offering the full price of some property they had sold. Peter confronted them: “How is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?”(verse 3). In this instance, Peter knew that the temptation to lie had come from Satan. Ananias and his wife both gave in to that temptation (verses 7-10). The betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot is also attributed to Satan’s influence (Luke 22:3; John 13:2). Ultimately, since Satan is the "god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4) and the father of lies (John 8:44), all evil originates with him. However, our own selfish nature is an ally of Satan’s. We need no prompting from Satan to entertain sinful ideas. James 1:13-14 says, "When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed." Even though we may desire to do good, we are all tempted. No one is above it, even someone like the apostle Paul. The Apostle Paul shared his own struggle of flesh against spirit when he wrote in Romans 7:22-23, "For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me." Temptation is not of itself sinful. It becomes sin when we allow the temptation to become action, even in our minds. Lust, for example, is sin even though it may never be acted upon (Matthew 5:28). Covetousness, pride, greed, and envy are all sins of the heart; even though they may not be apparent to anyone else, they are still sin (Romans 1:29; Mark 7:21- 22). When we give in to the temptation to entertain such thoughts, they take root in our hearts and defile us (Matthew 15:18–19). When we yield to temptation, we replace the fruit of the Spirit with the fruit of the flesh (Ephesians 5:9; Galatians 5:19-23). And, many times, what was first entertained as a thought becomes action (see James 1:15). The best defense against giving in to temptation is to flee at the first suggestion. Joseph is a great example of someone who did not allow temptation to become sin (Genesis 39:6–12). Although tempted to sin sexually, he did not give the temptation time to take root. He used the legs God gave him and physically fled. Rather than stay in a potentially dangerous situation and try to talk, reason, justify, explain, or otherwise weaken his resolve, Joseph took off. The temptation was not sin for him because he dealt with it in a God-honoring way. It could easily have become sin if Joseph had stayed around and tried to overcome the temptation in his own strength. Romans 13:13-14 (ESV) gives us a guideline for avoiding situations that can lead to temptation. "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires." If we determine to "make no provision for the flesh," we will keep ourselves out of situations that may prove too tempting. When we put ourselves in situations where we know we will be tempted, we are asking for trouble. God promises to provide a "way of escape" when we are tempted (1 Corinthians 10:13), but often that way is to avoid the situation altogether. “Flee the evil desires of youth” (2 Timothy 2:22). Jesus taught us to pray, "Lead us not into temptation" (Luke 11:4), but we have a responsibility to pay attention to the direction God is leading us and avoid temptation whenever we can. – Internet Search Site What Is Lust? By David Weaks The word lust in the New Testament can translate into more than one Greek word. However, the primary word translated lust is epithumia. W.E. Vine says of this word that it is “strong desire of any kind” (707). It can be used of strong desire that is good and strong desire that is evil. When it is used of evil desire the text will specify what is meant, and often the word lust will translate epithumia. Epithumia can be seen in its good sense in a few passages. Jesus said to the apostles, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer . .” (Luke 22:15, NKJV — here and elsewhere the NKJV will be cited unless otherwise indicated). Paul said, “For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better” (Phil. 1:23). On another occasion Paul said, “But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire” (1 Thess. 2:17). In each of these passages the word that is translated as fervent desire, desire, and great desire is the same word, epithumia which is elsewhere translated as lust. Yet, it’s clear that the strong desires in each of these verses is only positive, not negative. However, epithumia is used in an overwhelmingly negative way in the New Testament. Christians are told to avoid worldly lusts which war against the soul (1st Peter 2:11). In this text, the word epithumia is connected with the word “worldly.” This indicates the kind of strong desire under consideration. These worldly desires are not like the positive desires in the above verses. These are the kind of desires that “war against the soul.” Therefore, they must be vanquished and not satisfied. To satisfy them would be to sin. Other verses of Scripture speak similarly of lust. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts (Romans 6:12). But put on the Lord Jesus, and make no provisions for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts (Rom 13:14). I say then: Walk in the Spirit & you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Now the lusts of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:16, 19-21). These and other clear verses of Scripture teach us that fulfillment of certain lusts is sinful. It is important to note that strong desire is not wrong in every case. What is wrong is the fulfillment of these desires contrary to God’s law. THE LUST CONDEMNED IS “UNLAWFUL DESIRE!” What Does the Bible say about Lust? • 1 Corinthians 10:23, “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.” • Ephesians 5:3, “But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.” • 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” • Matthew 5:29, “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.” • 1 John 2:16, "For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world." • 2 Timothy 2:22, "So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart." • Colossians 3:5, "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." • 1 Peter 2:11, "Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Our desires aren't the problem—it's what we do with them. This approach is called "thought suppression." Thought suppression has been studied extensively and is best illustrated by the experiment of trying to stop oneself from thinking about a pink elephant.
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