In Heavenly Places, Chap.
245 - The
"Why" of Temptation
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. 1 Cor.
10:13. {HP 251.1}
What is temptation? It is the means by which those who claim
to be the children of God are tested and tried. We read that God tempted
Abraham, that He tempted the children of
Temptations will
pour in upon us, for by them we are to be tried during our probation. This is
the proving of God, the revelation of our own hearts.
There is no sin in having temptation, but sin comes in when temptation is yielded to
. . . . {HP 251.3}
Abraham certified
his obedience to God when, with Isaac by his side, he journeyed on his way in
response to the command, "Take now thy son, thine
only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into
the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt
offering . . ." (Gen. 22:2). Job was permitted to suffer; he was severely
tempted; but he would not speak one word against God. During Christ's life on
earth the scribes and Pharisees, instigated by Satan, tempted Him in every
possible way. But He never allowed these temptations to lead Him from the path
of obedience. . . . {HP 251.4}
Christ's example
shows us that our only hope of victory is in continual resistance of Satan's
attacks. He who triumphed over the adversary of souls in the conflict with
temptation understands Satan's power over the race, and has conquered in our
behalf. As an overcomer, He has given us the
advantage of His victory, that in our efforts to resist the temptations of
Satan we may unite our weakness to His strength, our worthlessness to His
merits. And sustained by His enduring might, under strong temptation, we may
resist in His all-powerful name and overcome as He overcame. {HP 251.5}
Original Source: Signs of the Times, May 27, 1897
Temptation--What is it?
What is temptation?--It is the means by which those who claim
to be the children of God are tested and tried. We read that God tempted
Abraham, that he tempted the children of
Thus the Lord
determines character. Thus he decides whether we are obedient or disobedient.
He does not do this for his own enlightenment; for he reads all things as an
open book. He does it that the secret motives of men's hearts may be manifest,
that his true witnesses may be strengthened, that others may become intelligent
in regard to the ways and works of God as contrasted with the ways and works of
the enemy. {ST, May 27, 1897 par. 2}
Temptations will
pour in upon us; for by them we are to be tried during our probation. This is
the proving of God, the revelation of our own hearts. There is no sin in having
temptation; but sin comes in when temptation is yielded to. {ST, May 27, 1897 par. 3}
When Jesus was
led into the wilderness to be tempted, he was led by the Spirit of God. By
going into the wilderness, he did not invite temptation. But Satan knew that
the Saviour had gone there, and he thought it the
best time to approach him. {ST, May 27,
1897 par. 4}
Christ went to
the wilderness to be alone, to contemplate his mission and work. He had taken
the steps which every sinner must take, in conversion, repentance, and baptism.
He himself had no sins of which to repent, and therefore he had no sins to wash
away. But he was our example in all things, and therefore he must do that which
he would have us do. Christ fasted and prayed, bracing himself for the
blood-stained path which he must travel. He was the Son
of the eternal God, but as man's surety, he must meet and resist every
temptation with which man is assailed.
{ST, May 27, 1897 par. 5}
When Christ had
fasted for forty days and forty nights, the enemy came, tempting him to make
bread of the stones. Christ knew that he would be
assailed upon appetite, for it was upon this point that Adam and Eve had
failed. And with the terrible weight of the sins of the world upon him, he
withstood the fearful test upon appetite, upon the love of the world, and upon
that love of display that leads to presumption. He endured these temptations,
and overcame in man's behalf, working out for him a righteous character,
because he knew that man could not do this of himself. {ST, May 27, 1897 par. 6}
The world's
Redeemer, the second Adam, by his suffering and death worked out a redemption for the human race. He
was tempted in all points like as we are. He knew that the enemy would
come to every human being, to take advantage of hereditary weakness, and to
ensnare, by his false insinuations, all whose hope and trust is not in Christ.
And by passing over the ground which man must travel, by showing that, through the divine power granted him, man can overcome every
form of temptation, Christ prepared the way for us to gain the
victory. {ST, May 27, 1897 par. 7}
If Satan can
persuade people to follow a course that is contrary to the principles
underlying and running through every enactment of God's law, he has a chance to
work upon their minds. One venturesome step in deceptive practises,
under the specious direction of Satan, leads to a second such step. Those who
follow this course depart from God. The poisonous malaria of worldly principles
is so disguised by the enemy that the actors become willing to work in lines
which are contrary to the will of God. They make use of the world's artifices
in order to gain an advantage over their neighbors. This creates a train of
thought which separates the soul from the Spirit of God. The mind becomes more
and more infatuated, and the power to overcome temptation is destroyed. The
tendencies thus cultivated are transmitted to the offspring, as Adam's
disobedience was transmitted to the human family. {ST, May 27, 1897 par. 8}
Christ came to
our world as man's surety, preparing the way for him to gain the victory by
giving him moral power. It is not his will that man shall be placed at a
disadvantage. He would not have those who are striving
to overcome, intimidated and discouraged by the crafty assaults of the serpent.
"Be of good cheer," he says, "I have overcome the
world." {ST, May 27, 1897 par. 9}
With such a
general to lead us on to victory, we may indeed have joy and courage. He came
as our champion. He takes cognizance of the battle that all who
are at enmity with Satan must fight. He lays before his followers a plan of the
battle, pointing out its peculiarities and severity, and warning them not to
join his army without first counting the cost. He tells them that the vast
confederacy of evil is arrayed against them, and shows them that they are
fighting for an invisible world, and that his army is not composed merely of
human agencies. His soldiers are coworkers with heavenly intelligences, and One higher than angels is in the ranks; for the Holy Spirit,
Christ's representative, is there. {ST,
May 27, 1897 par. 10}
Then Christ
summons every decided follower, every true soldier, to fight for him, assuring
them that there is deliverance for all who will obey his orders. If Christ's
soldiers look faithfully to their Captain for their orders, success will attend
their warfare against the enemy. No matter how they may be beset, in the end
they will be triumphant. Their infirmities may be many, their sins great, their
ignorance seemingly insurmountable; but if they realize their weakness, and
look to Christ for aid, he will be their efficiency. He is ever ready to
enlighten their dullness and overcome their sinfulness. If they avail
themselves of his power, their characters will be transformed; they will be
surrounded with an atmosphere of light and holiness. Through
his merits and imparted power they will be "more than conquerors."
Supernatural help will be given them, enabling them in their weakness to do the
deeds of omnipotence. {ST, May
27, 1897 par. 11}
Those who fight
for Christ are fighting in the sight of the heavenly universe, and they should
be soldiers, not cowards. Those who truly desire to serve God will not follow
their own wisdom, or the wisdom of the arch-deceiver, who is playing the game
of life for their souls. By faith they are to look calmly upon every foe,
exclaiming: "We fight the good fight of faith,
under the command of an omnipotent Power. Because he lives, we shall live also.
Through Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith, we may withstand
all the fiery darts of the enemy."
{ST, May 27, 1897 par. 12}
Abraham certified
his obedience to God when, with Isaac by his side, he journeyed on his way, in
response to the command, "Take now thy son, thine
only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into
the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a
burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of." Job
was permitted to suffer; he was severely tempted; but he would not speak one
word against God. During Christ's life on earth the scribes and Pharisees,
instigated by Satan, tempted him in every possible way. But he never allowed
these temptations to lead him from the path of obedience. When God speaks, let
us obey, no matter how the enemy may tempt us to disobey; for the path of
obedience is the only safe path. {ST,
May 27, 1897 par. 13}
Christ's example shows us that our only hope of victory is in
continual resistance of Satan's attacks. He who triumphed over the adversary of
souls in the conflict with temptation understands Satan's power over the race,
and has conquered in our behalf. As an overcomer, he
has given us the advantage of his victory, that in our efforts to resist the
temptations of Satan, we may unite our weakness to his strength, our
worthlessness to his merits. And, sustained by his enduring might, under strong
temptation, we may resist in his all-powerful name, and overcome as he overcame.
Mrs. E. G. White.
-
{ST, May 27, 1897 par. 14}