Lesson 9: Tempted…Yet Without Sin

Source: Chapter 8 of The Incomparable Christ by J. Oswald Sanders

Main Idea:1)The fact that Jesus was” full of the Spirit” did not exempt Him from the rigors of temptation. This means we will not be exempted from temptation either.

2) In the wilderness Jesus was not engaged merely in an inner conflict with His own desires and ambitions but in a desperate, long drawn-out struggle with the external adversary of God and man, the devil.

3) Jesus was “on all points” tempted just as we are: He was tempted in every part of His humanity, just as all men and women are.

4). Temptations are “such as is common to man.”  There are only three avenues of temptations, all are variants of the three with which Jesus was tempted.

5) Adam and Eve were also tempted with the same temptations.  The result was the fall of humanity into sin.  Jesus was tempted…yet without sin.

What are the avenues of temptations common to all men?

I. Appetite: the desire to enjoy things.  This is also referred to as the “lust of the flesh.” Note that in the Garden of Eden, the serpent pushed Eve’s desire for the fruit which was “good to eat.”  In the wilderness, Satan pushed Jesus’s need for food.  Satan’s first approach was on the physical plane and in the realm of legitimate appetite.  Desire for food is God-given and innocent.  Satan’s lure was: since Jesus was the Son of God, why not use His inherent power to gratify His legitimate desire?

The whole point of the test focused on the Lord’s submission to the will of God.  In each temptation Satan endeavored to induce Jesus to act in a manner contrary to complete dependence on god, by asserting a measure of independence springing from self-interest.

Jesus refused to use His divine prerogatives to gratify His ow natural desires  To yield to satanic suggestions would be a denial of His incarnation because Jesus would be “calling into His service power which His brethren could not employ.”  Had Jesus listened and yielded to Satan’s suggestion, Jesus would have satisfied a legitimate craving for food in an illegitimate way.

II. Ambition: the desire to achieve things.  It is also referred to as “the pride of life.” This is an attack on the mental plane:  if Jesus is truly the Son of God, and He truly believed that His Father loves Him, then Jesus can put God to the test. Satan suggested that Jesus leap from a pinnacle of the temple in order for God to send His angels to rescue Him.  Satan was challenging Jesus to prove His faith by putting God’s promise to the test.  The focus of this temptation was Jesus’ confidence in God.

By refusing Satan’s suggestion, Jesus avoided going beyond the limits God had laid down.  God is not bound to respond to every irresponsible whim of the lack of faith. The Jews sought a Messiah who would work dazzling wonders and establish a worldwide empire with Jerusalem at its center, and this was a temptation to yield to their fleshly expectations.  Jesus refused to dazzle people into faith.  He refused to establish His kingdom by display and outward show.

III. Avarice: the desire to obtain things.  This is also referred to as “the lust of the eyes.”  This is an attack on the spiritual plane: by suggesting that Jesus take the place that belongs to God alone.  This time, the devil shows Jesus the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  Satan was offering Jesus an outward kingdom with outward glory.  Jesus did not even challenge Satan’s boast that he had the power to give Jesus the kingdoms and their glory.

Jesus was indeed come in the flesh to obtain all the world of power and glory, but He was to receive it in his Father’s way in His Father’s time.  His Father’s way included death on the cross.  Satan was offering Jesus the crown without the cross.  Satan was suggesting to Jesus the possibility of evading the cross by compromising with Him. By refusing Satan’s suggestion, Jesus proved His loyalty and absolute obedience to His Father’s will.

The three temptations, summarized:

1: The first was the temptation to satisfy a legitimate appetite by illegitimate means.

2. The second was the temptation to produce spiritual results by unspiritual means.

3, The third was the temptation to obtain a lawful heritage by unlawful means.

 

Blessing for the believer:

1. Jesus victory over Satan can be shared by us today as we appropriate Jesus’s victory by faith. Just as Jesus used the Scriptures to foil each attempt and suggestion by the devil, we may also use the Scriptures, the “sword of the Spirit” when we are tempted.

2. Just as Jesus heard the suggestions but did not open the door to the tempter, when we refuse to open the door of our minds and hearts to the suggestion of Satan, we can have victory.

3.Despite Satan’s suggestions, Jesus was untainted by sin and his relationship with His Father remained undisturbed.  He came out of the wilderness “in the power of the Spirit.” The temptation enriched Him, it did not impoverish Him. Please note that it was the Spirit of God that led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted.  Temptations offer the possibility of falling into sin, but also the possibility of victory.  “Temptations” might be tests of faith and discernment. Victory over temptation may allow us to “level up” onto the next step of faith.

4. Jesus exposed all the subtleties and sophistries that Satan uses so that believers can be aware of temptation.  Believers can see temptation for what it is, a snare of the enemy to lead us into sin. But the grace of God is ever-present and ever-available so that each test may become an opportunity to submit to God and thus, allow us to grow in faith and discernment.

 

“There hath no temptation that is 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 of escape that ye may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13