- A section of scripture
- Questions about the scripture.
- Various mainstream views about the scripture (which may not be correct, or I may disagree with).
- Sometimes my opinion is added. It starts with "My 2 Cents"
- The blog authors will add information, opinions and responses (which will be clear by their name. For all the previous things they will usually be under the name, "Bruce").
Matthew 4:1-11 - The temptation of Jesus. Things to check out:
- The Holy Spirit led Jesus to be tempted? - The kinds of temptations and whether they can be used as a basic list of the kinds of temptations. - Jesus responds to temptations with scripture. Are we to do the same? - Why is this world a temptation when compared with the kingdom of heaven?
This article sort of answers the question, did the Holy Spirit lead Jesus to be tempted and a lot of others.
It says that the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert where the devil was willing to tempt Him, but the Holy Spirit did not tempt or have anything to do with it. God will test us, just like He did Christ - or He will allow us to be tempted to test us, but He will always give us a way out. I Corinthians 10:13 - "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."
So it seems that it is God's will for us to be tempted - although He cannot tempt us Himself. This starts to shed light on the question of why bad things happen in this world. I kind of see that God uses the devil as an unwilling partner in His plan. Which sheds some light on what it's meant by the "sovereignty of God." A lot of evil is done by the devil and by us - but God's plan is always in effect.
The article also addresses some excellent questions such as, if Jesus was God, how could He be tempted?; and was Jesus tempted during the 40 days, or just after?
The nature of the temptations: http://www.goodnewsaboutgod.com/studies/spiritual/home_study/wilderness.htm
According to the article, the temptations were about Christ succeeding where Adam and Israel failed. The first temptation was about Christ providing for Himself and becoming His own god, instead of being dependent on God to provide for Him in His own way and timing. This is where Israel failed the manna test. Jesus response was about living by God's word - which there were quite a few words from God to the Israelites.
The second temptation was about attempting to control and manipulate God, and an attempt to make Jesus doubt God's care.
The third temptation was about the quick fix. Jesus could rule the world but not die for it.
As with all these articles, they may make statements that I disagree with.
Were the three temptations the basic categories for temptations? I don't like to fit things into a box, but this may be a good example of Jesus being tempted in every way.
Here's an article about the kinds of temptations that for some odd reason doesn't mention Matthew 4: http://www.crossroad.to/charts/temptation.htm
It basically says the three categories are the body, soul and spirit (not that I necessarily distinguish these as three parts that make up a person). It says the body is the lust of the flesh (food, addictions), the soul is the lust of the mind (desires of the mind, such as clothes, cars), and the pride of life (power, recognition).
I suppose ]that in Jesus' case, the bread temptation was the lust of the flesh, and the giving Him the world was the lust of the soul (but that could also have been the pride of life), and that the throwing Himself off the building was the pride of life.
The following article address the three temptation of Christ and how they relate to how we are tempted: http://www.scriptureman.com/tempt.html
Do we need to respond to temptation by quoting scripture?
I am hesitant to follow formulaic answers to problems and take single passages of scripture and make hard and fast rules. Certainly, it's not a bad idea to think of scripture in the midst of temptation. However, I think it's just as good to pray directly to God/Jesus when in the midst of being tempted.
Here's some suggestions by the following site: http://www.christdeaf.org/bible/Victory_over_temptation.htm
- Avoid places, people, and things that tempt you. - Flee temptation - Pray - Quote a scripture that addresses the sin. - Recognize that the temptation is lying to you. - Recognize the consequences of the sin. - Recognize the danger of the "second look" - Picture Christ's suffering for the sin you are being tempted by. - Confess you habitual sins to another Christian and become accountable to them.
So, I think that these are really good suggestions, and give us multiple tools for fighting temptation. But some people would say, "just quote scripture! That's what Jesus did and that should be the rule for us." They are not taking in two other very good sources of God's word: The rest of the Bible and wisdom of Christian teachers that is distilled from the Bible.
One of the questions that I had concerned why would Jesus be tempted at all by the devil offering Him up the world? The world isn't that great. Why is that a temptation? One of the articles above answered the question, though. It was a temptation to avoid the cross and go for the quick fix.
Matthew 4:1-11 - The temptation of Jesus. Things to check out:
ReplyDelete- The Holy Spirit led Jesus to be tempted?
- The kinds of temptations and whether they can be used as a basic list of the kinds of temptations.
- Jesus responds to temptations with scripture. Are we to do the same?
- Why is this world a temptation when compared with the kingdom of heaven?
https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/1208-temptations-of-christ-the
ReplyDeleteThis article sort of answers the question, did the Holy Spirit lead Jesus to be tempted and a lot of others.
It says that the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert where the devil was willing to tempt Him, but the Holy Spirit did not tempt or have anything to do with it. God will test us, just like He did Christ - or He will allow us to be tempted to test us, but He will always give us a way out. I Corinthians 10:13 - "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."
So it seems that it is God's will for us to be tempted - although He cannot tempt us Himself. This starts to shed light on the question of why bad things happen in this world. I kind of see that God uses the devil as an unwilling partner in His plan. Which sheds some light on what it's meant by the "sovereignty of God." A lot of evil is done by the devil and by us - but God's plan is always in effect.
The article also addresses some excellent questions such as, if Jesus was God, how could He be tempted?; and was Jesus tempted during the 40 days, or just after?
The nature of the temptations: http://www.goodnewsaboutgod.com/studies/spiritual/home_study/wilderness.htm
ReplyDeleteAccording to the article, the temptations were about Christ succeeding where Adam and Israel failed. The first temptation was about Christ providing for Himself and becoming His own god, instead of being dependent on God to provide for Him in His own way and timing. This is where Israel failed the manna test. Jesus response was about living by God's word - which there were quite a few words from God to the Israelites.
The second temptation was about attempting to control and manipulate God, and an attempt to make Jesus doubt God's care.
The third temptation was about the quick fix. Jesus could rule the world but not die for it.
As with all these articles, they may make statements that I disagree with.
Were the three temptations the basic categories for temptations? I don't like to fit things into a box, but this may be a good example of Jesus being tempted in every way.
ReplyDeleteHere's an article about the kinds of temptations that for some odd reason doesn't mention Matthew 4: http://www.crossroad.to/charts/temptation.htm
It basically says the three categories are the body, soul and spirit (not that I necessarily distinguish these as three parts that make up a person). It says the body is the lust of the flesh (food, addictions), the soul is the lust of the mind (desires of the mind, such as clothes, cars), and the pride of life (power, recognition).
I suppose ]that in Jesus' case, the bread temptation was the lust of the flesh, and the giving Him the world was the lust of the soul (but that could also have been the pride of life), and that the throwing Himself off the building was the pride of life.
The following article address the three temptation of Christ and how they relate to how we are tempted: http://www.scriptureman.com/tempt.html
Do we need to respond to temptation by quoting scripture?
ReplyDeleteI am hesitant to follow formulaic answers to problems and take single passages of scripture and make hard and fast rules. Certainly, it's not a bad idea to think of scripture in the midst of temptation. However, I think it's just as good to pray directly to God/Jesus when in the midst of being tempted.
Here's some suggestions by the following site: http://www.christdeaf.org/bible/Victory_over_temptation.htm
- Avoid places, people, and things that tempt you.
- Flee temptation
- Pray
- Quote a scripture that addresses the sin.
- Recognize that the temptation is lying to you.
- Recognize the consequences of the sin.
- Recognize the danger of the "second look"
- Picture Christ's suffering for the sin you are being tempted by.
- Confess you habitual sins to another Christian and become accountable to them.
So, I think that these are really good suggestions, and give us multiple tools for fighting temptation. But some people would say, "just quote scripture! That's what Jesus did and that should be the rule for us." They are not taking in two other very good sources of God's word: The rest of the Bible and wisdom of Christian teachers that is distilled from the Bible.
One of the questions that I had concerned why would Jesus be tempted at all by the devil offering Him up the world? The world isn't that great. Why is that a temptation? One of the articles above answered the question, though. It was a temptation to avoid the cross and go for the quick fix.
ReplyDelete