| |
A temptation is an enticement
to do something wrong. All Christians have temptation. A
solid promise concerning temptation is found in 1 Cor
10:13--There hath no temptation taken you but such as is
common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer
you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with
the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be
able to bear it. So truly born again people have the
power to resist rather than yield to temptations.
Temptation can lead to sin, but temptation alone is not
sin. Heb 4:15 tells us Jesus...was in all points tempted
like we are, yet without sin...James 1:14-15 will teach
us temptation is not sin until it is conceived. It is
only sin when the consent of the will is given to do a
sinful act. That, of course, brings guilt.
A TEMPTATION
EXAMPLE
As an illustration, let's say
someone with financial problems happens to be exposed to
a merchant's open cash register while no one is around.
The thought or suggestion to take some of the money
enters their mind. At this point this thought of
temptation is not a sin. If they resist this impulse,
either walk away or turn their back they have won a
victory over temptation. If however they continue to
dwell on how bad they need money.. etc, their will may
weaken to the point that they decide they will attempt
to steal. At that point they have committed sin, even if
the clerk would appear preventing them from carrying out
the act. Also at this point when sin is committed this
person dies spiritually. For again we point out that sin
separates from God. We surely hope you can see the
seriousness of committing sin. One of the pitfalls of
labeling mistakes and temptation as sin is that it tends
to take away the seriousness of the actual sins. This
weakens one's resistance to temptation.
NIGHTLY
CONFESSIONS
Many are taught to ask
forgiveness of sin each night. If a truly saved person
has not actually sinned, they are like one of
those...ninety and nine just persons, which need no
repentance (Luk 15:7). They need no repentance for they
have not sinned. The harm comes through, if they have
backslidden and are cut off from God and are no longer
saved. This type of act brings guilt (unless done
repeatedly to where the conscience is seared). Now, if
one does backslide, the Bible teaches he can be
reconciled again to God.(1Jn 2:1) He must meet the
requirements again of repentance, of course. But if he
is deceived by this false teaching of sinning more or
less each day, he overrides this quick and outs this
actual transgression in the same category as mistakes
and temptation. He may ask for forgiveness nightly, but
he does not truly repent. He has fallen into that
flesh-pleasing devil's snare, like thousands of others
who are frequently confessing but not forsaking. Then we
come to one other reason people deny sinless living. For
even though we live holy when we are saved there is
still "another experience" that perfects our
holiness and completes our salvation.
|
|
