Lead us not into temptation—What does that mean?
We do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin —Hebrews 4:15
For those outside of being in Christ, temptation is only one thing and that is the fulfillment of desire and lust. That is what the mirror of the law shows what is in us. Through God’s intervention and our repentance we enter into the New Covenant which is based on Grace and Truth. Temptation is a word that has different meaning than many think of when they hear it.
There was a blasphemous movie made years ago called the “last temptation of Christ”. I did not see it nor would I want to see it. It was part of an ongoing attack on Christianity in our society.
The Bible does not lie.
Hebrews 3:9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
Does that mean that God was tempted to sin? Of course not, God does not sin!
Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Does that mean that he fought with all the temptations that we think of when we think of temptation? Of course not, God is not tempted by sin!
Is this confusing? If so, it is only because of two reasons. One is the English language as it uses the same word for many things in which the meaning is different.
The second reason, sadly is that we do not do as the Bereans did. They studied to see if these things are so. We have just accepted what has been taught to us without studied to find ourselves approved.
Acts 17:10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
The sad thing about our willingness to just believe things without studying them is that it can lead to a lukewarm faith. That is what religion does. Jesus came to destroy religion (but that is for another post).
Since the Bible does not lie, then what do those scriptures really mean? I will touch on the answer since I brought it up, however, I would suggest you get a Strong’s Concordance (you can get it on-line also) and look up the word temptation and see that there are different meanings than in the different contexts in which the word shows. Strong’s will show the meaning of the word in Greek (New Testament) Hebrew (Old Testament) You will also notice something about the usage between the Old Testament and the New Testament, the meanings are different even again in intent. That is because of the two Covenants. Unfortunately, legalists can’t understand this and they as the Pharisees, keep themselves outside the Kingdom of God.
Pretty harsh? No, not at all. (again, that is for another post in the future). So, back to the question of what is temptation and how was Jesus tempted as we are, without sin. How did the people of Israel temp God?
It comes down to His temptation and ours. Outside of Christ, as I mentioned we only know temptation as the human view of it. Us and sin and the lust and desire to sin.
When we are born again by the Spirit of God and regenerated Acts 2:38, Galatians 4:19, the Son of God is formed in us. Our temptations then become the same as Jesus temptations as He now dwells in us. His nature, the very same nature that He had when He walked in the flesh, now dwells in us.
Satan does not come to us to us to solely try to make us to sin. He comes to attempt us to take our way of life in Christ away. He wants us to be of no use to God, he wants that new life in Christ that we have, snuffed. We are to have every thought into the subjection of Jesus Christ.
That was Jesus temptation when He walked in the flesh, Satan tried to get His mind off of our Father in Heaven. That is the battle for the believer, it is the same battle Jesus Christ had to deal with and of which His nature in us deals with now. We need to battle our will. Jesus Christ covered the sin with His perfect sacrifice and death and resurrection. He was sinless, Satan tempted Him to take His eyes off of our Father in heaven, but Jesus quoted truth and scripture to Satan, defeating him and then the ultimate defeat of Satan for eternity in staying loyal through to His gruesome death on our behalf!
Remember this about trials: 1Peter 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
Jesus took the sin out of the way. Our battle, as His was, and is now also ours as He dwells in us, is to keep our eyes on God, and not to give up. As Paul says in Hebrew 10:39 but we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. The victory has been won, we need to stay in the battle!