Let’s begin with a clarification of what temptation is NOT!
Temptation is not, in of itself, a sin, unless you are the one doing the tempting (Luke 17: 1). It is how one chooses to respond to temptation that determines IF we choose to engages in what the Bible calls sin.
Temptation is the internal desire or the external pressure to engage in activity that violates a principle of the Word of God.
God does not tempt anyone (James 1: 13), but He did allowed the devil, other people, and other things to tempt His Servant (Luke 4/Matt. 4), and continues to allows His Servant’s disciples to be tempted when He has a divine objective in mind.
When temptation is allowed, the advancing disciple has God's assurance that her/she will not be tempted beyond our individual breaking point, and that along with the temptation, there will be a way of escape (1Cor. 10: 13). This assurance is conditional, as it is not available to those who choose to reject the call to post salvation discipleship. To grow in the knowledge (2Pet. 3: 18) of God and to apply (James 1: 22) that knowledge are NOT suggestions. They are among the 300+ commandments of the New Testament. Failing to do so is an act of wilful disobedience. One of the consequences of these acts of disobedience is the loss of the assurance spoken of 1Cor. 10: 13. One can not apply what one does not know. It is through repeated practice of applying the means of escape that one develops the spiritual maturity required to successfully deal with future temptations of the same time.
Just as sin can get easier and easier to engage in, so does the application of God's means of escape. It is a choice that we make that sets our course in one direction or the other.
I say our individual breaking point because some of us have a much shorter or a much longer "fuse" than others. Such things as the stress of unresolved issues, health, and lack of sleep can shorten our personal fuse at any given time.
At times, just the mention of a person's name with whom we have unresolved issues or just the mention of a subject that we have unresolved issues with, can ignite our fuse. If not (as it should be) in an act obedience (Eph. 4: 32), at least for one's one sake all unresolved issues must be faced and addressed if the inevitable stress they generate is ever going to be cleansed from our soul structure. We can not force others to change their minds or behaviors, but we can change how we choose to respond to the negativity exhibited by others.
When people suddenly appear to explode or implode over something relatively minor, chances are they have been a ticking bomb for some time..
Our personal breaking point and fuse will be extended as/if we spiritually mature. Things that used to so easily upset us will be managed much better to the amazement of Man and to the glory of God.
There are several ways that the way of escape can be manifested, but primarily it is through obtaining the applicable doctrine BEFORE there is the need (Matt.7: 24-27), and then the wisdom and the spiritual maturity to apply it (James 1: 22) when the situation(s) presents itself.
In His humanity, the Lord Jesus Christ could have given in to temptation and sinned, but did not (Heb. 4: 15). If sin were not really possible, there would have been no actual temptation. Failing to understand and/or acknowledge the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ is why some would say that the Lord, being God, couldn't have sinned or failed. In His deity (divine nature) this was true, but this was not true when functioning within the limitations of His humanity. When one comes to the realization of what our Lord accomplished within His humanity, we can have a much better appreciation for what He did in our behalf to provide the means of salvation.
In the capacity of God the Son, He always did exist, exists now, and will forever continue to exist as does God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit. Upon taking on human form, He was named Jesus (Luke 1: 31). His full title became the Lord (acknowledging His deity); Jesus (acknowledging His humanity; Christ the anointed One. The Lord Jesus Christ, in order to become the spotless (sinless) Lamb of God, had to (#1) take on the type of sinless humanity that Adam and the woman (later named Eve) had BEFORE the Fall of Man took place. (#2) The Lord Jesus Christ had to maintain this status of sinless humanity in order to complete the atoning Work that He did in fact later accomplish on the cross.
It was the disqualification of the Humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ as the spotless Lamb of God, that was what the devil was after when he tempted the Lord in the wilderness (Matt. 4: 1) and on the pinnacle of the temple (Matt. 4: 5). If the devil had succeeded, the Lord Jesus Christ would have been unable to make atonement for the world's sin debt.
Think about it. Would producing food (Matt. 4: 1), demonstrating the protective capability of God (Matt. 4: 6/), or ruling the world (Matt. 4: 8, 9), in of themselves, constitute a sin?
NO!
At other times and under different circumstances, such things (Matt. 14: 19, 36) were and/or will be (Rev. 20: 4) a part of the plan that God had/has in mind for the Lord Jesus Christ.
What would have made such things a sin for the Lord Jesus Christ during His encounter with the devil (Matt. 4/Luke 4) would have been the independent use of His divine power outside of the plan of God.
God's plan called for Him to accomplish most of what He did in the limited capability of His humanity. If He could have fulfilled the plan of God in His deity, there would have been no need for His incarnation (taking on human form).
The ONLY time(s) that the use of divine power was a part of the plan of God was when it was used to accomplish such miraculous signs as documented in the Gospels. Those who were healed of sickness, received their eye sight, and received back their natural lives certainly benefited as individuals by the miraculous Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet the primary objective of these miracles were to fulfill messianic prophecy and to provide tangible evidence of His claims of Deity.
Being unable to dispute the miracles that were accomplished publicly, our Lord's enemies had two choices. (#1) Acknowledge His claims of deity, or (#2) attribute the miracles to the deceptive work of the evil forces. They chose the latter (Matt. 12: 24). Miraculous activity is powerful tool of persuasion. It is by no coincidence, that to the extent that God allows, the devil will use signs and wonders to promote false teachers (Matt. 24: 24).
"For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, event the elect (chosen ones)-(Matt. 24: 24 NASB)."
Scripture is clear that God is not the only source of supernatural activity (Exodus 7: 11 ). Accordingly, when there are claims of miraculous activity, the advanced disciple will not be so interested in the miracles itself, since there is often not enough evidence to prove or disprove the claims. What the advancing disciple will consider the tell-tale indicator is to whom the credit and the glory is being given . God does perform miracles t-h-r-o-u-g-h (John 15: 5) human beings (Acts 3/ Acts 14/1Cor. 3: 6), but it is God who does the Work and it is God who should be given the credit and the glory.
As long as it does not become an idol or a graven image, believers can erect a memorial monument to mark for prosperity the location of where God performed a miracle. But, there is no place for "shrines" that seek to glorify one of God's workers instead of glorying and worshiping God who did the work.
God will not share the glory (Isa. 42: 8) that is due to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit), and neither should one of His true disciples.
The devil will support any activity that denies the glory that should be given to God and/or promotes the sin of idolatry.
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If there had been any independent use (outside of the plan of God) of our Lord's divine power, the devil would have succeeded in his attempt to disqualify our Lord's humanity as the spotless Lamb of God that takes away the sin of world (John 1: 29 NASB).
Note that to every one of the devil's line of temptation, our Lord's used the way of escape (citing and applying the appropriate verse of Scripture) that the Word of God provides. God provides these same ways of escape (1Cor. 10:13) to the advancing disciples of the Church Age.
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have different functions, but always work in unison with each other and never independently (John 6: 38).
"For I have come down from Heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him (God the Father) who sent Me (John6: 36 NASB)."
ANYTHING outside of the plan that God had for the Lord Jesus Christ, or has in mind for any one of us, is a sin if what it done is contrary to God’s expressed will.
As in the case of the Lord Jesus Christ, when God’s will is clear and known, any willful deviation would be an act of disobedience. Willful disobedience is always a sin.
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Scripture (Heb. 4: 15) teach that the Lord Jesus Christ was tempted in every way that we are, but did not sin.
Allowing human beings to be tempted is a part of the testing that God allows, but it is not God who does the tempting (James 1: 13).
God does not test us for Him to find out if we are progressing or regressing with the plan of God. In His omniscience, God already knows that. The tests are for US to see how we progressing or regressing in the plan of God at any given time. There is no stopping or rest areas along the road to spiritual maturity. One is either progressing (moving forward) or moving backwards (regressing) at any given time. When the real us is exposed, it can be a humbling and a humiliating experience, especially for those of us who have a tendency to think more highly of ourselves than we ought (Romans 12: 3).
From divine viewpoint, we have all sinned (Romans 3: 23) and are in the same and equal need of salvation. In light of the 300+ ways that one can engage in sin, we all sin every day. From divine viewpoint, when we violate even one of God's laws, we stand as guilty as the one who have broken e-v-e-r-y law of God (James 2: 10).
We all have areas of spiritual strength and spiritual weaknesses. Area of strength are areas in which we are consistently in compliance with the what the Word of God requires of us. We usually have no desire and are not easily tempted to engage in the type of sin that would come under our personal areas of strength. We also have areas of weakness in which we are either ignorant of what the Word of God has to say, or choose to reject it as the point of application. We are easily tempted to engage is the areas of sin that would come under our personal areas of weakness.
What is an area of strength for some of us, is an area of weakness for others, and visa versa.
Accordingly, we have not all committed the same sins, but according to James 2: 10, that makes no difference. We are all in the same stinking, sinking boat of sin and in the same need of salvation. Edified believers know that they have no cause to look down their noses at anyone for any thing. In fact, when we do, we sin by committing one of the sins that make God's short list (Prov. 6: 16, 17) of the type of sins God says He "hates."
Those of us who have been saved should be engaged in throwing out the life preserver (The Gospel Message) to others, while keeping in mind that there was a time when it was we who needed to be rescued.
When persons (law enforcement, jurors, husbands, parents, teachers, coaches, etc.) in positions of authority point to the sin (not to the sinner) or the short-coming of others, they are not doing so on a personal level, but with the authority and responsibility that God, the government, or the organization has given them for that very purpose (Romans 13: 4, 6).
Ongoing personal sin on the part of those in positions of authority will be used of the devil to attack the quality and the quantity of the service they provide. At the same time, If sinless perfection were to be a requirement for one to be in a position of authority, NO ONE would ever qualify for any of them, reducing the family and society to a state of anarchy in which no authority exists.
The ultimate authority is God. All delegated authority has its limitations, and must not be abused by those to whom it has been given. All delegated authority comes from God, and it is to God that persons in positions of delegated authority will be required to give an accounting. Submission to authority is an issue that those who are under the authority of others is something that each one of us will give an accounting of to God.
Past personal sin is no excuse for failing to fulfill the responsibilities of the present. Sometimes it is one's personal failures that God can later use as the means to connect with others who are facing or will face the same areas of temptations. No one can speak of the consequences of sin better than the one who has been there and done that! It is a reformed sinner who will find open doors of opportunity that others (who have not so fallen) will find slammed shut.
Other than when executing authority within the limitations that the position holds, it would be wise to take a look at the configuration of the human hand when it's pointing the finger of accusation at others. Upon doing so, you will see that there are three fingers (of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit) pointing back!
Having a "haughty" expression (looking down one's nose) is an overt indicator that one is involved in the "short list" of the type of sin that God "hates"(Proverbs 6: 16, 17 NASB)."
Thinking/sayig that we are not as bad or evil of others is just another way of saying that we are better than they are.
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Being tempted is not a sin. If it were, then the Lord Jesus Christ would have been one of the greatest sinners of all time since it was He was the one who was tempted in every way that we are. The difference is He never gave into temptation, whereas we all do.
It is how one CHOOSES to respond to temptation that determines rather or not we engage in sin.
Since the Fall of Man, there is a sin nature that is passed down to the humanity of the next generation at conception (Psalms 51: 5) through the male partner in the sexual act.
Our biological parents (John 3: 6a) reproduce and bring forth a body that becomes our personal humanity at birth when our soul (that God creates-John 3: 6b) is placed in the body of His choosing. The body that our souls are placed in is in accordance with individual plan that God has in mind for the soul that He creates. This is of God's choosing and sets the stage for much of what one's earthly experience will be. Our biological parents may or may not have had a baby in mind when what would become our personal humanity was conceived, but God had a plan in mind for the soul that He created and placed in the body when it was brought forth at birth.
Note that Scripture teach that God made the body of Adam from the dust of the earth. After the body was made THEN he become a living soul when his soul was placed in the body simultaneously with the intake of his first breath of natural life. Later God created the first female body from the rib of Adam's humanity. The bodies of both Adam and Eve were not born; they were created, as was the souls that God placed in the bodies. Every other body of the members of the human race were reproduced by biological parents, but it is God who continues to create and place the soul in the body when it comes forth at birth. There is biological human life in the developing fetus, that can be detected, monitored, and that can respond to external stimuli, but there is no soul (or soul life) until God creates and placed the soul in the body when the first breath of natural life is taken at birth.
This does not condone the indiscriminate destruction of a developing human fetus, but ministers of the Word of God should know better than to go beyond what the Word of God actually has to say concerning any given subject (Proverbs 30: 6 NASB)."
"Do not add to His words Or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar (Proverbs 30: 6 NASB)."
Being the father of a still born son, I have very deep personal reasons for hoping that I am proven wrong on this point of doctrine, as this would mean that I have a son that I never met waiting for me in Heaven. But as an ordained pastor, I must teach on what the Bible has to say concerning the creation and timing that a soul that God creates and is placed in and departs the body that Man reproduces.
Scripture teach that it was NOT nine months earlier (when Mary conceived what would become out Lord's humanity), but it was on the day/night of the First Advent, that the Savior (the Lord Jesus Christ) was born and came into the world. Scripture teach that our Lord's spirit departed His humanity after He breathed His last breath of nature life (Mark 15: 37, 39) while on the cross.
I believe that it is at the moment of physical death that the souls of believers become absent from the body and present with the Lord ().
We are not specifically told where His Deity (divine nature) was during the three days and three nights that His soul was in Paradise. We do know that deity is eternal and that it never dies. We also know that another characteristic of deity is omnipresence. Omnipresence is the ability of being anywhere and everywhere at the same time. One of the reasons, I believe, that we are not told is that the focus of attention of these passages are on our Lord's humanity.
We are told that the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, working in unison with the Deity of God the Father and the Deity of God the Holy Spirit was involved in the laying down and the taking up of the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 10: 17, 18).
His physically dead humanity (body) was taken down from the cross and placed in a tomb, while His spirit/soul descended to the Paradise section of Hades located in the "heart of the earth (Matt. 12: 40 NASB)", along with the soul of the repentant thief, just as He had announced while still alive on the cross (Luke 22: 43). Three days and nights (Matt. 12: 40) later, His human spirit, his physical body (now having been raised in resurrection form), and His divine nature were all reunited and incorporated into one Being.
These details that Scripture provide are not just there to take up space in the Bible. They inform us much about the details of the death, burial, and resurrection of the humanity of Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, they are there to edify us as to when our souls that God (John 3: 6b) creates and places into the body of His choosing when our body (that our parents reproduced- John 3: 6a) is brought forth at birth.
There are NO souls "resting" in any casket, funeral parlor, urn, tomb, grave, etc; only the bodily remains. The soul, that departed (past tense) the body is now at one of two locations. The departed souls of born again believers are presently in interim bodies ( 2Cor. 5: 1) in Heaven (2Cor. 5: 8) until the Rapture (1Thess. 4: 16,17) takes place. The departed souls of unbelievers are in the Torments of Hades until Judgement Day for the unbelievers (Rev. 20: 13, 15) takes place.
Since the Fall of Man, with the exception of the sinless humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ, every human body comes into this world with the fallen sin nature that is passed down at the moment of conception (Psalms 51: 5) through what the male human partner produces during in the reproduction process.
This is what necessitated divine interaction when it came time for the sinless humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ to be conceived. If Joseph (or any other fallen Man) had been involved), the sin nature would have been passed down from him to what would become our Lord's humanity, disqualifying His humanity as the, "...Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1: 29 NASB).
There is NOTHING sinful about sexual relations between a m-a-r-r-i-e-d (Heb. 13: 4) man and his wife.
"Marriage is to be held in honor by among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators (those who engage in sex outside of marriage) and adulterers God will judge...(Heb. 13: 4 NASB)."
God can not command (Gen. 1: 28/Gen. 9: 7) someone to do anything that could later be classified as sin. Church Age believers are taught that sexual deprivation within a marriage can open the door to great temptation (1Cor. 7: 5).
The sin nature within us (Romans 7) is inherently HOSTILE towards God and the things of God. This fallen nature does not go away as a result of being born again (John 3: 5, 7). The sin nature does not go away as a result of water baptism rituals conducted by Man (John 4: 1, 2); the sealing (marking for identification/baptism) of God the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4: 30), having our human spirit "regenerated (Titus 3: 5), or by our bodies becoming the "temple of God the Holy Spirit (1Cor. 3: 16).
The one and only means through which we are released from the ongoing struggle with the fallen nature within us is when we leave it behind along with our physical bodies at the moment of physical death.
In fact, not only does the sin nature (and our struggle with it) remain with us while here on Earth, the pressure that the fallen-sin nature produces will INCREASE, keeping pace with whatever progress one makes in the life of post (after) salvation discipleship. Spiritual combat (Eph. 6) does not get easier, it gets harder and harder if we are spiritually progressing.
Paul, the human author of the New Testament book of Romans spoke of his personal and o-n-g-o-i-n-g battle with this fallen sin nature almost 30 years after he was born again and towards the end of his fantastic earthly ministry.
It is to this fallen sin nature within us that ALL temptations are introduced.
It is we who choose on a daily basis to either go along with its desires, or with the temptations that is presented it, or to reject them and bring glory to God.
The devil is a master in the art of spiritual warfare (Eph. 6). He has been at it since the Garden of Eden, and continues to have considerable success.
The devil directly (1Peter 5: 8), or more often, indirectly, through evil spiritual beings Eph.6: 12/2Cor. 11: 14, 14) and through religious human beings he has deceived (John 8: 44), knows just what buttons to press and when to press them for maximum effect.
To do what comes "naturally" to us is to follow the leading of the fallen-sin nature within us.
When as humans beings we are insulted, rejected, suffer hurt feelings, disappointed, suffer loss, assaulted, betrayed, humiliated, cheated on, or rebelled against, etc., the devil and or those who do his bidding will be right there to tempt us to respond in ways that are consistent with and appeal to our fallen nature. In fact, at times we make that choice so quickly that we find that we have reacted or responded before we even gave it much conscious thought. Never-the-less, we are still held accountable, as everything that we say or do IS the result of a decision that we choose to make.
Trainers of military and/or police personnel that are going to make split-second, life or death decisions, are most likely to react and respond in accordance to the way and to the extent in which they were trained and have applied that training throughout the course of their careers.
If one has not been properly trained and/or lacks experience, he/she is likely to either "freeze" ( that is to do nothing in fear of doing the wrong thing) placing him/herself and others in harm's way, or to panic and make the wrong choices with disastrous consequences. One's who are properly trained and have applied that training along the way will have the confidence and presence of mind to do what their training and experience calls for, and as result, properly address the situation.
Current, accurate and reliable intelligence (information) is critical for success in any type of military campaign. .
Poor intelligence (accurate information) can place the personnel and those who they interact with in serious danger with disastrous results
These same principles apply to combat (Eph. 6: 12) within the spiritual realm.
The inability to detect the presence and activity of the enemy can have disastrous results. Failing to identify one's allies can have equally disastrous results.
Born again believers who do not follow through by obtaining the intelligence (accurate Bible Doctrine), training, and experience associated with the post salvation spiritual life of discipleship are easy targets for the devil's "flaming missiles (Eph. 6: 16 NASB)" of destruction.
This is where one having the opportunity and making the right choice of his/her pastor teacher plays as important role. Especially in these days of modern means of communication, the Church that God designed affords its members this opportunity. Sad to say, many of the alternative Churches that Man has designed in the name of religion do not. The choice of where, how, and when one interacts with what should be his/her means of spiritual edification are all too often based on convenience, location, and familial/cultural tradition, rather than on the quantity and the quality of the Bible Doctrine that comes from any given pulpit.
The primary and ongoing function of a pastor teacher is to provide the means (accurate Bible Doctrine) to (already) born again believers so that they can build an edified soul structure (Matt. 7: 24-29 ) before the need arises. God the Holy Spirit will provide the means (John 14: 26/1Pet. 1: 12) and the opportunities for the edified advancing disciple to apply (James 1: 22) and to advance in the execution (John 15: 5) of the post salvation spiritual life.
Misinformation promoted by Man-made religion that makes sense to Man and appeals to the fallen nature with us results in poor intelligence, setting the stage for certain disaster. Such misinformation will have ignorant believers feeling safe when they are in fact in great danger, and will have them distracted by focusing on things for which there is no legitimate concern.
Religion for instance, has a never-ending list of sins that it promotes as being the cause for which a soul will end up in Hell, whereas the Bible teaches that there is NO condemnation (going to Hell) involved for any soul that is "in Christ Jesus (Romans 8: 1). The soul is and forever remains "in Christ" as of the moment he/she is born again.
Human viewpoint will twist the concept of eternal security to be understood that a born again believer is free to live any way he/she wants without any concern or fear or consequences. While it IS true that for the one who has been born again the possibility of going to Hell IS off the table, there are never-the-less other forms of divine discipline (Heb. 12: 6) such illness and physical death (Acts 5/1Cor. 11: 27) to be experiences here on Earth, as well as the loss of reward (1Cor. 3: 14) and privileges (Rev. Chapters 2 and 3) in Heaven as a result of post (after) salvation sin.
Spiritual ignorance is bliss, but ignorance of God and/or the things of God is no excuse (Rom. 1: 20/Rom. 10: 14-16). Ignorance is no excuse because it is a choice that we make, and it is we who open the door to the negative consequences. Many souls choose the route of religion in an attempt to save themselves and/or to remain saved, while the Bible teaches that Man has never been, is not now, or ever will be able to save himself. Salvation is neither earned or deserved. Salvation is an irrevocable (Rom. 11: 29), unearned, undeserved, gift from that He gives to all souls that are born again.
It is when one, through discipleship, becomes aware of the more than 300 ways that a Church Age believer can sin or be tempted to sin that he/she becomes aware of the many temptations he/she faces every day! If one does not know or rejects what God considers to be sin, there is no sense of being tempted in view.
The reason that so many believers are not experiencing much intense temptation as the devil already has them right where he wants them to be. The devil desires that we be ignorant, misinformed, and non-productive in the spiritual realm. The devil makes much use of the products and practices of Man-made religion to accomplish these goals.
God desires (and commands) that born again believers c-o-n-t-i-n-u-e to grow in the knowledge (2Pet. 3: 18) and the application (James 1: 22) of the His Word. TH e more an advancing disciple learns, the more he/she finds there is to learn.
It is the advancing disciple who will experience more and more temptation as he/she becomes a greater target of interest to the Eph. 6: 12 forces of evil.
There is a spiritual issue involved in many if the choice we make on a daily basis that either glorifies God, or denies Him the glory that the right choices would have brought to him.
Sometimes the devil's incoming missiles can be seen heading our way at a great distance away, allowing us to be prepare a defense and to take counter measures. Even so, if the desire to engage in the sin exceeds our desire to resist it, we place ourselves in harm's way (Romans 7). It is the godly desires that we are to reinforce and the ungodly ones that we are to reject.
"Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give your the desires of your heart (Psalms 37: 4 NASB)."
The principle of Psalms 37: 4 is conditional on our delighting in, and on our prioritizing (Luke 22: 42) God and the things of God over our own.
The advancing disciple only wants (desires) what God wants him/her to receive. One of the indications that one is advancing is that there will be less and less of a desire for what he/she wants, and more and more of what God desires him/her to receive.
What God does give to the advancing disciples is the godly desires that He wants him/her to have, and then fulfills them (Psalms 37: 4).
In order to receive the blessings of God, there may be the need to make room by removing some of the obstacles that we have placed in the way. Anything or anyone that we prioritize over God and/or the things of God is an idol. Having such idols amounts to the sin of idolatry, even when we ourselves are our own idol.
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1Tim. 2: 4 tells us that God desires that all men be saved and come to the saving knowledge of the truth (The Gospel Message). Yet such passages as (Matt. 7: 14, and Rev. 20: 15 make it perfectly clear that this is NOT going to happen.
If God is not to receive all that He desires, who or what are we that we should expect to receive all that we desire? God was not created, nor does He exist for our glory. Man was created to glorify God.
As far as the t-e-m-p-o-r-a-r-y prosperity of the ungodly (Psalms 73: 3/Jeremiah 12: 1) is concerned, never lose sight of the fact that God is NOT the only source of material or positional prosperity (Luke 4: 6) here on Earth. All that the devil and/or his world has to offer is made of proverbial wood, hay, and straw and destined for destruction.
For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world (of wood, hay and straw) if he is never saved, or is saved but forfeits his heavenly rewards and privileges in the process (Mark 8:36/1Cor. 3: 12, 15/Rev.Chapters 2 and 3).
Before we get atoo upset over the grace and the undeserved mercy that God extends to others, keep in mind where we would be and where we would be headed if God had not extended His grace and mercy to each one of us. Tempting the born again believer to focus on the earthly "prosperity" of the wicked is one of the strategies of the devil and the forces of evil.
The sins of envy, coveting, jealousy, has led many a believer into all kinds of sin and evil. One may get what he wants, but may not want what he gets!
God does NOT give us everything that our hearts desire if what we desire is contrary to His character or is not a part of the individual plan that He has in mind for any one of us.
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Surprise attacks or being hit from the blind side is usually an effective strategy in the realm of both military and spiritual warfare. It is under such circumstances that many “Christians” are sorely tempted to exchange their goody two shoes for a pair of combat boots and respond as one would naturally do.
The "natural" state of Fallen Man is "hostile (Romans 8: 7 (NASB) towards God and the things of God.
"Because the mind set on the flesh (under the influence of the fallen sin nature) is hostile towards God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so; (Romans 8:7 NASB italics mine)."
Doing what comes "naturally" can get us into a lot of hot water in both the secular and spiritual realm.
Prisons are filled with people who did what came natural to them at the time.
All born again believers will live forever in Heaven, but there will be many born again believers who will forfeit what could have been a great reward in Heaven, and experienced Heaven without the privileges that are only going to be enjoyed by born again believers who "overcome" the desire to do what comes natural to them and do what the life of discipleship requires of them (Rev. Chapters 2 and 3)."
The post salvation spiritual life is not about doing what comes natural to us, but what discipleship requires of us with the enabling supernatural power (John 15: 5) that God supplies.
For most of us, this will require a period of time of what theologians refer to as “enforced humility.”
“Enforced humility” is in view when one forces himself do (or refrain from doing) something because it is what discipleship requires of him at the moment. This is especially true when in his heart of hearts he would much rather handle it by what comes natural to him/her.
If and when one becomes more spiritually mature, that what we have been forcing ourselves to do becomes our genuine response.
The temptation button is just one of the many buttons that the devil will use to launch his “flaming missiles -Eph. 6: 16 NASB).”
These missiles are intended, among other things, to destroy the intimate fellowship that an advancing disciple is experiencing, and to deny God the glory that He would otherwise have received if the tempted disciple had chosen the road of obedience.
As (if) we spiritually mature, our view point on things will change. What used to be seen as a difficult spouse, rebellious child, annoying neighbor, unfair boss, discourteous or errant motorist, health/comfort issue, financial issue, will now be seen as the means through which the devil will fire his fiery missiles and take US out of fellowship with God if WE choose to make the wrong choice of response to the negativity that such things generate on a daily basis. Any time the forces of evil are able to "rattle our cages" we become easy targets and easily tempted.
Any (James 2: 10) one of the 300+ acts of disobedience documented in New Testament Scripture will take the offending believer out of fellowship (2Cor. 13: 14 ) with God. These acts can involve sins of commission by doing something that the Word of God prohibits, or sins of omission by failing to do something that the Word of God requires.
Some of us aren't even out of bed in the morning, and already have taken ourselves out of fellowship by the sin of grumbling or disputing (Phil. 2: 14).
"Do all things without grumbling and disputing (Phil. 2:14 is NOT a suggestion, but one of the 300+ commands of the New Testament.
Many more of us will not endure the morning commute without committing a mental attitude sin or an overt sin by using "course language (Eph. 4: 29/Eph. 5: 4)" towards or about those with whom we share the road. Getting through a work day or a day's work at home can be real challenge to many, as can dealing with the negative side of family and friends.
In the New Testament alone, there are over 300 ways in which a Church Age believer can sin by what he/she thinks, says, does or doesn't do in the course of any given day.
One does not have to engage is what Man would consider a serious sin in order to get out of fellowship with God (James 2: 10). Engaging in any one of ways in w which a Church Age believer can sin will result in the SAME loss of fellowship with God.
Fellowship is restored via a 1John 1: 9 confession. The "confessional" that God established for the Church Age is open 24/7, as is only a prayer away.
The restored fellowship is maintained, in part, by forsaking (John 8:11) the same type of sin from that point forward.
The truth is that most of us spend each and every day in a revolving doorway going in and out of fellowship with God and never making any forward progress in the post salvation spiritual life. Many of us are no more spiritually mature than we were on the day we were born again. Spiritual maturity is measured, not only by the amount of accurate Bible Doctrine we have obtained, but by our willingness to apply it on a daily basis.
Any time that an advancing disciple is given the opportunity to glorify God, but fails to do so, he/she denies God the glory that He would have otherwise received. Practicing Christian religion (an oxymoron) for one hour out of 168 hrs. a week is relatively easy in comparison to the life the discipleship that involves all 168!
The Lord Jesus Christ knew what it was like to be sorely tempted (Matt. 4./Luke 4/ Heb.4: 15), and the inevitable pressure of temptation that His disciples would face.
When asked for a format to follow when organizing and/or executing a well-rounded prayer life, one of the elements that the Lord Jesus Christ incorporated was for the disciples to pray that they be not led into temptation (Matt.6: 16).
In the Gospels of both Matthew and Luke, we are told that the Lord Jesus Christ was led up into (Matt. 4) or about (Luke 4) the wilderness by God the Holy Spirit, but it was by the devil that He was tempted.
"Let no one say that when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God", for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone (James 1: 13 NASB)."
Those who promote a diminished deity (or totally deny the deity) of the Lord Jesus Christ will often quote this "phrase, "God cannot be tempted" (and others) in support of their position that He was not God, and only, at best, a prophet, or a miracle worker.
Denying the deity (divine nature) of the Lord Jesus Christ is blasphemy. This, never the less, is the result of not having the spiritual maturity and discernment to know when He was functioning in the capacity of His humanity, and when He was functioning in the capacity of His deity. When He was being tempted, He was functioning in the capacity of his humanity. When functioning In the capacity of His deity, He could not fail, but when functioning in the capacity of His humanity, He could have, but did not fail.
This raises the question, "If God allows us to being tempted in order to test us, and this testing is a part of discipleship, why then were His disciples (and us) taught to pray that they not be led into temptation?
I believe the answer is found in (1Cor. 10: 13).
"No temptation has overtaken you (advancing disciples), but as such is (the) common (experience of) to Man; and God is faithful (to our prayers asking not to be led into temptation), who will not allow you (advancing disciples) to be tempted beyond what you are able (to handle), but (because) with the temptation (by others) (God) will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it (1Cor. 10:13 NASB italics mine.)"
The "way of escape" is the appropriate Bible Doctrine that advancing disciples will (should) have a-l-r-e-a-d-y stored in their edified soul structures BEFORE there is the need to apply it (Matt. 7: 24-27). The problem is that only a minority of born again believers will ever choose to engage in post salvation discipleship. Post salvation discipleship is the ongoing study and application of the Word of God.
Believers who are ignorant (do not know) of Bible Doctrine, and weak believers (who lack the will or the spiritual maturity to apply the doctrine that they do know are sitting ducks for, ".. .the devil who prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1Pet. 5: 8 NASB)."
When that "someone" is a born again believer, the devil can do nothing to undo the Work of God (Eph. 4: 30/Titus 3: 5/John 5: 24) that took place at the moment of salvation, but can do much to destroy the quality of one's post salvation spiritual life.
Deception and temptation go hand in hand and are among the chief weapons in the devil's arsenal of flaming missiles (Eph. 6: 16).
Until one has built (2Pet. 3: 18/ Matt. 7: 24-27) and regularly applies (James 1: 22) the contents of his/her edified soul structure, he is very much in need of the protective hand of God not allowing him/her to be led into temptation, as there is very little temptation that an ignorant or weak believer can handle. At the same time, even the most spiritually mature among us is still subject to failure. There will never come a time when such a prayer request of not being led into temptation should not be a part of our prayer life.
Just when we think (Romans 12: 3) we have overcome an area of weakness, we are hit from the blindside and find ourselves failing and returning to square one.
Regardless of the source, temptation is the suggestion and strong enticement to engage is something that is contrary to the Word of God. Because we all have different areas of strengths and weaknesses, some sins that are disgusting and of no interest to some is a great temptation and desire of others. What may be disgusting and of no interest to them can be a great temptation to ourselves.
From God's point of view, ALL sin (James 2: 10) is disgusting (Habakkuk 1: 13). So much so that it took the Work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross to atone for it. In doing so, He did for us what we were incapable of doing for ourselves.
The evil behind some temptations is obvious, whereas other sins take more spiritual discernment to detect and the enabling power of God (Jophn 15: 5) to overcome.
The arrogance of the fallen nature within us makes it easy to spot the sins of others, while blinding us to our own.
Temptation is not, in of itself, a sin, unless you are the one doing the tempting (Luke 17: 1). It is how one chooses to respond to temptation that determines IF we choose to engages in what the Bible calls sin.
Temptation is the internal desire or the external pressure to engage in activity that violates a principle of the Word of God.
God does not tempt anyone (James 1: 13), but He did allowed the devil, other people, and other things to tempt His Servant (Luke 4/Matt. 4), and continues to allows His Servant’s disciples to be tempted when He has a divine objective in mind.
When temptation is allowed, the advancing disciple has God's assurance that her/she will not be tempted beyond our individual breaking point, and that along with the temptation, there will be a way of escape (1Cor. 10: 13). This assurance is conditional, as it is not available to those who choose to reject the call to post salvation discipleship. To grow in the knowledge (2Pet. 3: 18) of God and to apply (James 1: 22) that knowledge are NOT suggestions. They are among the 300+ commandments of the New Testament. Failing to do so is an act of wilful disobedience. One of the consequences of these acts of disobedience is the loss of the assurance spoken of 1Cor. 10: 13. One can not apply what one does not know. It is through repeated practice of applying the means of escape that one develops the spiritual maturity required to successfully deal with future temptations of the same time.
Just as sin can get easier and easier to engage in, so does the application of God's means of escape. It is a choice that we make that sets our course in one direction or the other.
I say our individual breaking point because some of us have a much shorter or a much longer "fuse" than others. Such things as the stress of unresolved issues, health, and lack of sleep can shorten our personal fuse at any given time.
At times, just the mention of a person's name with whom we have unresolved issues or just the mention of a subject that we have unresolved issues with, can ignite our fuse. If not (as it should be) in an act obedience (Eph. 4: 32), at least for one's one sake all unresolved issues must be faced and addressed if the inevitable stress they generate is ever going to be cleansed from our soul structure. We can not force others to change their minds or behaviors, but we can change how we choose to respond to the negativity exhibited by others.
When people suddenly appear to explode or implode over something relatively minor, chances are they have been a ticking bomb for some time..
Our personal breaking point and fuse will be extended as/if we spiritually mature. Things that used to so easily upset us will be managed much better to the amazement of Man and to the glory of God.
There are several ways that the way of escape can be manifested, but primarily it is through obtaining the applicable doctrine BEFORE there is the need (Matt.7: 24-27), and then the wisdom and the spiritual maturity to apply it (James 1: 22) when the situation(s) presents itself.
In His humanity, the Lord Jesus Christ could have given in to temptation and sinned, but did not (Heb. 4: 15). If sin were not really possible, there would have been no actual temptation. Failing to understand and/or acknowledge the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ is why some would say that the Lord, being God, couldn't have sinned or failed. In His deity (divine nature) this was true, but this was not true when functioning within the limitations of His humanity. When one comes to the realization of what our Lord accomplished within His humanity, we can have a much better appreciation for what He did in our behalf to provide the means of salvation.
In the capacity of God the Son, He always did exist, exists now, and will forever continue to exist as does God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit. Upon taking on human form, He was named Jesus (Luke 1: 31). His full title became the Lord (acknowledging His deity); Jesus (acknowledging His humanity; Christ the anointed One. The Lord Jesus Christ, in order to become the spotless (sinless) Lamb of God, had to (#1) take on the type of sinless humanity that Adam and the woman (later named Eve) had BEFORE the Fall of Man took place. (#2) The Lord Jesus Christ had to maintain this status of sinless humanity in order to complete the atoning Work that He did in fact later accomplish on the cross.
It was the disqualification of the Humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ as the spotless Lamb of God, that was what the devil was after when he tempted the Lord in the wilderness (Matt. 4: 1) and on the pinnacle of the temple (Matt. 4: 5). If the devil had succeeded, the Lord Jesus Christ would have been unable to make atonement for the world's sin debt.
Think about it. Would producing food (Matt. 4: 1), demonstrating the protective capability of God (Matt. 4: 6/), or ruling the world (Matt. 4: 8, 9), in of themselves, constitute a sin?
NO!
At other times and under different circumstances, such things (Matt. 14: 19, 36) were and/or will be (Rev. 20: 4) a part of the plan that God had/has in mind for the Lord Jesus Christ.
What would have made such things a sin for the Lord Jesus Christ during His encounter with the devil (Matt. 4/Luke 4) would have been the independent use of His divine power outside of the plan of God.
God's plan called for Him to accomplish most of what He did in the limited capability of His humanity. If He could have fulfilled the plan of God in His deity, there would have been no need for His incarnation (taking on human form).
The ONLY time(s) that the use of divine power was a part of the plan of God was when it was used to accomplish such miraculous signs as documented in the Gospels. Those who were healed of sickness, received their eye sight, and received back their natural lives certainly benefited as individuals by the miraculous Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet the primary objective of these miracles were to fulfill messianic prophecy and to provide tangible evidence of His claims of Deity.
Being unable to dispute the miracles that were accomplished publicly, our Lord's enemies had two choices. (#1) Acknowledge His claims of deity, or (#2) attribute the miracles to the deceptive work of the evil forces. They chose the latter (Matt. 12: 24). Miraculous activity is powerful tool of persuasion. It is by no coincidence, that to the extent that God allows, the devil will use signs and wonders to promote false teachers (Matt. 24: 24).
"For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, event the elect (chosen ones)-(Matt. 24: 24 NASB)."
Scripture is clear that God is not the only source of supernatural activity (Exodus 7: 11 ). Accordingly, when there are claims of miraculous activity, the advanced disciple will not be so interested in the miracles itself, since there is often not enough evidence to prove or disprove the claims. What the advancing disciple will consider the tell-tale indicator is to whom the credit and the glory is being given . God does perform miracles t-h-r-o-u-g-h (John 15: 5) human beings (Acts 3/ Acts 14/1Cor. 3: 6), but it is God who does the Work and it is God who should be given the credit and the glory.
As long as it does not become an idol or a graven image, believers can erect a memorial monument to mark for prosperity the location of where God performed a miracle. But, there is no place for "shrines" that seek to glorify one of God's workers instead of glorying and worshiping God who did the work.
God will not share the glory (Isa. 42: 8) that is due to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit), and neither should one of His true disciples.
The devil will support any activity that denies the glory that should be given to God and/or promotes the sin of idolatry.
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If there had been any independent use (outside of the plan of God) of our Lord's divine power, the devil would have succeeded in his attempt to disqualify our Lord's humanity as the spotless Lamb of God that takes away the sin of world (John 1: 29 NASB).
Note that to every one of the devil's line of temptation, our Lord's used the way of escape (citing and applying the appropriate verse of Scripture) that the Word of God provides. God provides these same ways of escape (1Cor. 10:13) to the advancing disciples of the Church Age.
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have different functions, but always work in unison with each other and never independently (John 6: 38).
"For I have come down from Heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him (God the Father) who sent Me (John6: 36 NASB)."
ANYTHING outside of the plan that God had for the Lord Jesus Christ, or has in mind for any one of us, is a sin if what it done is contrary to God’s expressed will.
As in the case of the Lord Jesus Christ, when God’s will is clear and known, any willful deviation would be an act of disobedience. Willful disobedience is always a sin.
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Scripture (Heb. 4: 15) teach that the Lord Jesus Christ was tempted in every way that we are, but did not sin.
Allowing human beings to be tempted is a part of the testing that God allows, but it is not God who does the tempting (James 1: 13).
God does not test us for Him to find out if we are progressing or regressing with the plan of God. In His omniscience, God already knows that. The tests are for US to see how we progressing or regressing in the plan of God at any given time. There is no stopping or rest areas along the road to spiritual maturity. One is either progressing (moving forward) or moving backwards (regressing) at any given time. When the real us is exposed, it can be a humbling and a humiliating experience, especially for those of us who have a tendency to think more highly of ourselves than we ought (Romans 12: 3).
From divine viewpoint, we have all sinned (Romans 3: 23) and are in the same and equal need of salvation. In light of the 300+ ways that one can engage in sin, we all sin every day. From divine viewpoint, when we violate even one of God's laws, we stand as guilty as the one who have broken e-v-e-r-y law of God (James 2: 10).
We all have areas of spiritual strength and spiritual weaknesses. Area of strength are areas in which we are consistently in compliance with the what the Word of God requires of us. We usually have no desire and are not easily tempted to engage in the type of sin that would come under our personal areas of strength. We also have areas of weakness in which we are either ignorant of what the Word of God has to say, or choose to reject it as the point of application. We are easily tempted to engage is the areas of sin that would come under our personal areas of weakness.
What is an area of strength for some of us, is an area of weakness for others, and visa versa.
Accordingly, we have not all committed the same sins, but according to James 2: 10, that makes no difference. We are all in the same stinking, sinking boat of sin and in the same need of salvation. Edified believers know that they have no cause to look down their noses at anyone for any thing. In fact, when we do, we sin by committing one of the sins that make God's short list (Prov. 6: 16, 17) of the type of sins God says He "hates."
Those of us who have been saved should be engaged in throwing out the life preserver (The Gospel Message) to others, while keeping in mind that there was a time when it was we who needed to be rescued.
When persons (law enforcement, jurors, husbands, parents, teachers, coaches, etc.) in positions of authority point to the sin (not to the sinner) or the short-coming of others, they are not doing so on a personal level, but with the authority and responsibility that God, the government, or the organization has given them for that very purpose (Romans 13: 4, 6).
Ongoing personal sin on the part of those in positions of authority will be used of the devil to attack the quality and the quantity of the service they provide. At the same time, If sinless perfection were to be a requirement for one to be in a position of authority, NO ONE would ever qualify for any of them, reducing the family and society to a state of anarchy in which no authority exists.
The ultimate authority is God. All delegated authority has its limitations, and must not be abused by those to whom it has been given. All delegated authority comes from God, and it is to God that persons in positions of delegated authority will be required to give an accounting. Submission to authority is an issue that those who are under the authority of others is something that each one of us will give an accounting of to God.
Past personal sin is no excuse for failing to fulfill the responsibilities of the present. Sometimes it is one's personal failures that God can later use as the means to connect with others who are facing or will face the same areas of temptations. No one can speak of the consequences of sin better than the one who has been there and done that! It is a reformed sinner who will find open doors of opportunity that others (who have not so fallen) will find slammed shut.
Other than when executing authority within the limitations that the position holds, it would be wise to take a look at the configuration of the human hand when it's pointing the finger of accusation at others. Upon doing so, you will see that there are three fingers (of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit) pointing back!
Having a "haughty" expression (looking down one's nose) is an overt indicator that one is involved in the "short list" of the type of sin that God "hates"(Proverbs 6: 16, 17 NASB)."
Thinking/sayig that we are not as bad or evil of others is just another way of saying that we are better than they are.
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Being tempted is not a sin. If it were, then the Lord Jesus Christ would have been one of the greatest sinners of all time since it was He was the one who was tempted in every way that we are. The difference is He never gave into temptation, whereas we all do.
It is how one CHOOSES to respond to temptation that determines rather or not we engage in sin.
Since the Fall of Man, there is a sin nature that is passed down to the humanity of the next generation at conception (Psalms 51: 5) through the male partner in the sexual act.
Our biological parents (John 3: 6a) reproduce and bring forth a body that becomes our personal humanity at birth when our soul (that God creates-John 3: 6b) is placed in the body of His choosing. The body that our souls are placed in is in accordance with individual plan that God has in mind for the soul that He creates. This is of God's choosing and sets the stage for much of what one's earthly experience will be. Our biological parents may or may not have had a baby in mind when what would become our personal humanity was conceived, but God had a plan in mind for the soul that He created and placed in the body when it was brought forth at birth.
Note that Scripture teach that God made the body of Adam from the dust of the earth. After the body was made THEN he become a living soul when his soul was placed in the body simultaneously with the intake of his first breath of natural life. Later God created the first female body from the rib of Adam's humanity. The bodies of both Adam and Eve were not born; they were created, as was the souls that God placed in the bodies. Every other body of the members of the human race were reproduced by biological parents, but it is God who continues to create and place the soul in the body when it comes forth at birth. There is biological human life in the developing fetus, that can be detected, monitored, and that can respond to external stimuli, but there is no soul (or soul life) until God creates and placed the soul in the body when the first breath of natural life is taken at birth.
This does not condone the indiscriminate destruction of a developing human fetus, but ministers of the Word of God should know better than to go beyond what the Word of God actually has to say concerning any given subject (Proverbs 30: 6 NASB)."
"Do not add to His words Or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar (Proverbs 30: 6 NASB)."
Being the father of a still born son, I have very deep personal reasons for hoping that I am proven wrong on this point of doctrine, as this would mean that I have a son that I never met waiting for me in Heaven. But as an ordained pastor, I must teach on what the Bible has to say concerning the creation and timing that a soul that God creates and is placed in and departs the body that Man reproduces.
Scripture teach that it was NOT nine months earlier (when Mary conceived what would become out Lord's humanity), but it was on the day/night of the First Advent, that the Savior (the Lord Jesus Christ) was born and came into the world. Scripture teach that our Lord's spirit departed His humanity after He breathed His last breath of nature life (Mark 15: 37, 39) while on the cross.
I believe that it is at the moment of physical death that the souls of believers become absent from the body and present with the Lord ().
We are not specifically told where His Deity (divine nature) was during the three days and three nights that His soul was in Paradise. We do know that deity is eternal and that it never dies. We also know that another characteristic of deity is omnipresence. Omnipresence is the ability of being anywhere and everywhere at the same time. One of the reasons, I believe, that we are not told is that the focus of attention of these passages are on our Lord's humanity.
We are told that the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, working in unison with the Deity of God the Father and the Deity of God the Holy Spirit was involved in the laying down and the taking up of the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 10: 17, 18).
His physically dead humanity (body) was taken down from the cross and placed in a tomb, while His spirit/soul descended to the Paradise section of Hades located in the "heart of the earth (Matt. 12: 40 NASB)", along with the soul of the repentant thief, just as He had announced while still alive on the cross (Luke 22: 43). Three days and nights (Matt. 12: 40) later, His human spirit, his physical body (now having been raised in resurrection form), and His divine nature were all reunited and incorporated into one Being.
These details that Scripture provide are not just there to take up space in the Bible. They inform us much about the details of the death, burial, and resurrection of the humanity of Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, they are there to edify us as to when our souls that God (John 3: 6b) creates and places into the body of His choosing when our body (that our parents reproduced- John 3: 6a) is brought forth at birth.
There are NO souls "resting" in any casket, funeral parlor, urn, tomb, grave, etc; only the bodily remains. The soul, that departed (past tense) the body is now at one of two locations. The departed souls of born again believers are presently in interim bodies ( 2Cor. 5: 1) in Heaven (2Cor. 5: 8) until the Rapture (1Thess. 4: 16,17) takes place. The departed souls of unbelievers are in the Torments of Hades until Judgement Day for the unbelievers (Rev. 20: 13, 15) takes place.
Since the Fall of Man, with the exception of the sinless humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ, every human body comes into this world with the fallen sin nature that is passed down at the moment of conception (Psalms 51: 5) through what the male human partner produces during in the reproduction process.
This is what necessitated divine interaction when it came time for the sinless humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ to be conceived. If Joseph (or any other fallen Man) had been involved), the sin nature would have been passed down from him to what would become our Lord's humanity, disqualifying His humanity as the, "...Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1: 29 NASB).
There is NOTHING sinful about sexual relations between a m-a-r-r-i-e-d (Heb. 13: 4) man and his wife.
"Marriage is to be held in honor by among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators (those who engage in sex outside of marriage) and adulterers God will judge...(Heb. 13: 4 NASB)."
God can not command (Gen. 1: 28/Gen. 9: 7) someone to do anything that could later be classified as sin. Church Age believers are taught that sexual deprivation within a marriage can open the door to great temptation (1Cor. 7: 5).
The sin nature within us (Romans 7) is inherently HOSTILE towards God and the things of God. This fallen nature does not go away as a result of being born again (John 3: 5, 7). The sin nature does not go away as a result of water baptism rituals conducted by Man (John 4: 1, 2); the sealing (marking for identification/baptism) of God the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4: 30), having our human spirit "regenerated (Titus 3: 5), or by our bodies becoming the "temple of God the Holy Spirit (1Cor. 3: 16).
The one and only means through which we are released from the ongoing struggle with the fallen nature within us is when we leave it behind along with our physical bodies at the moment of physical death.
In fact, not only does the sin nature (and our struggle with it) remain with us while here on Earth, the pressure that the fallen-sin nature produces will INCREASE, keeping pace with whatever progress one makes in the life of post (after) salvation discipleship. Spiritual combat (Eph. 6) does not get easier, it gets harder and harder if we are spiritually progressing.
Paul, the human author of the New Testament book of Romans spoke of his personal and o-n-g-o-i-n-g battle with this fallen sin nature almost 30 years after he was born again and towards the end of his fantastic earthly ministry.
It is to this fallen sin nature within us that ALL temptations are introduced.
It is we who choose on a daily basis to either go along with its desires, or with the temptations that is presented it, or to reject them and bring glory to God.
The devil is a master in the art of spiritual warfare (Eph. 6). He has been at it since the Garden of Eden, and continues to have considerable success.
The devil directly (1Peter 5: 8), or more often, indirectly, through evil spiritual beings Eph.6: 12/2Cor. 11: 14, 14) and through religious human beings he has deceived (John 8: 44), knows just what buttons to press and when to press them for maximum effect.
To do what comes "naturally" to us is to follow the leading of the fallen-sin nature within us.
When as humans beings we are insulted, rejected, suffer hurt feelings, disappointed, suffer loss, assaulted, betrayed, humiliated, cheated on, or rebelled against, etc., the devil and or those who do his bidding will be right there to tempt us to respond in ways that are consistent with and appeal to our fallen nature. In fact, at times we make that choice so quickly that we find that we have reacted or responded before we even gave it much conscious thought. Never-the-less, we are still held accountable, as everything that we say or do IS the result of a decision that we choose to make.
Trainers of military and/or police personnel that are going to make split-second, life or death decisions, are most likely to react and respond in accordance to the way and to the extent in which they were trained and have applied that training throughout the course of their careers.
If one has not been properly trained and/or lacks experience, he/she is likely to either "freeze" ( that is to do nothing in fear of doing the wrong thing) placing him/herself and others in harm's way, or to panic and make the wrong choices with disastrous consequences. One's who are properly trained and have applied that training along the way will have the confidence and presence of mind to do what their training and experience calls for, and as result, properly address the situation.
Current, accurate and reliable intelligence (information) is critical for success in any type of military campaign. .
Poor intelligence (accurate information) can place the personnel and those who they interact with in serious danger with disastrous results
These same principles apply to combat (Eph. 6: 12) within the spiritual realm.
The inability to detect the presence and activity of the enemy can have disastrous results. Failing to identify one's allies can have equally disastrous results.
Born again believers who do not follow through by obtaining the intelligence (accurate Bible Doctrine), training, and experience associated with the post salvation spiritual life of discipleship are easy targets for the devil's "flaming missiles (Eph. 6: 16 NASB)" of destruction.
This is where one having the opportunity and making the right choice of his/her pastor teacher plays as important role. Especially in these days of modern means of communication, the Church that God designed affords its members this opportunity. Sad to say, many of the alternative Churches that Man has designed in the name of religion do not. The choice of where, how, and when one interacts with what should be his/her means of spiritual edification are all too often based on convenience, location, and familial/cultural tradition, rather than on the quantity and the quality of the Bible Doctrine that comes from any given pulpit.
The primary and ongoing function of a pastor teacher is to provide the means (accurate Bible Doctrine) to (already) born again believers so that they can build an edified soul structure (Matt. 7: 24-29 ) before the need arises. God the Holy Spirit will provide the means (John 14: 26/1Pet. 1: 12) and the opportunities for the edified advancing disciple to apply (James 1: 22) and to advance in the execution (John 15: 5) of the post salvation spiritual life.
Misinformation promoted by Man-made religion that makes sense to Man and appeals to the fallen nature with us results in poor intelligence, setting the stage for certain disaster. Such misinformation will have ignorant believers feeling safe when they are in fact in great danger, and will have them distracted by focusing on things for which there is no legitimate concern.
Religion for instance, has a never-ending list of sins that it promotes as being the cause for which a soul will end up in Hell, whereas the Bible teaches that there is NO condemnation (going to Hell) involved for any soul that is "in Christ Jesus (Romans 8: 1). The soul is and forever remains "in Christ" as of the moment he/she is born again.
Human viewpoint will twist the concept of eternal security to be understood that a born again believer is free to live any way he/she wants without any concern or fear or consequences. While it IS true that for the one who has been born again the possibility of going to Hell IS off the table, there are never-the-less other forms of divine discipline (Heb. 12: 6) such illness and physical death (Acts 5/1Cor. 11: 27) to be experiences here on Earth, as well as the loss of reward (1Cor. 3: 14) and privileges (Rev. Chapters 2 and 3) in Heaven as a result of post (after) salvation sin.
Spiritual ignorance is bliss, but ignorance of God and/or the things of God is no excuse (Rom. 1: 20/Rom. 10: 14-16). Ignorance is no excuse because it is a choice that we make, and it is we who open the door to the negative consequences. Many souls choose the route of religion in an attempt to save themselves and/or to remain saved, while the Bible teaches that Man has never been, is not now, or ever will be able to save himself. Salvation is neither earned or deserved. Salvation is an irrevocable (Rom. 11: 29), unearned, undeserved, gift from that He gives to all souls that are born again.
It is when one, through discipleship, becomes aware of the more than 300 ways that a Church Age believer can sin or be tempted to sin that he/she becomes aware of the many temptations he/she faces every day! If one does not know or rejects what God considers to be sin, there is no sense of being tempted in view.
The reason that so many believers are not experiencing much intense temptation as the devil already has them right where he wants them to be. The devil desires that we be ignorant, misinformed, and non-productive in the spiritual realm. The devil makes much use of the products and practices of Man-made religion to accomplish these goals.
God desires (and commands) that born again believers c-o-n-t-i-n-u-e to grow in the knowledge (2Pet. 3: 18) and the application (James 1: 22) of the His Word. TH e more an advancing disciple learns, the more he/she finds there is to learn.
It is the advancing disciple who will experience more and more temptation as he/she becomes a greater target of interest to the Eph. 6: 12 forces of evil.
There is a spiritual issue involved in many if the choice we make on a daily basis that either glorifies God, or denies Him the glory that the right choices would have brought to him.
Sometimes the devil's incoming missiles can be seen heading our way at a great distance away, allowing us to be prepare a defense and to take counter measures. Even so, if the desire to engage in the sin exceeds our desire to resist it, we place ourselves in harm's way (Romans 7). It is the godly desires that we are to reinforce and the ungodly ones that we are to reject.
"Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give your the desires of your heart (Psalms 37: 4 NASB)."
The principle of Psalms 37: 4 is conditional on our delighting in, and on our prioritizing (Luke 22: 42) God and the things of God over our own.
The advancing disciple only wants (desires) what God wants him/her to receive. One of the indications that one is advancing is that there will be less and less of a desire for what he/she wants, and more and more of what God desires him/her to receive.
What God does give to the advancing disciples is the godly desires that He wants him/her to have, and then fulfills them (Psalms 37: 4).
In order to receive the blessings of God, there may be the need to make room by removing some of the obstacles that we have placed in the way. Anything or anyone that we prioritize over God and/or the things of God is an idol. Having such idols amounts to the sin of idolatry, even when we ourselves are our own idol.
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1Tim. 2: 4 tells us that God desires that all men be saved and come to the saving knowledge of the truth (The Gospel Message). Yet such passages as (Matt. 7: 14, and Rev. 20: 15 make it perfectly clear that this is NOT going to happen.
If God is not to receive all that He desires, who or what are we that we should expect to receive all that we desire? God was not created, nor does He exist for our glory. Man was created to glorify God.
As far as the t-e-m-p-o-r-a-r-y prosperity of the ungodly (Psalms 73: 3/Jeremiah 12: 1) is concerned, never lose sight of the fact that God is NOT the only source of material or positional prosperity (Luke 4: 6) here on Earth. All that the devil and/or his world has to offer is made of proverbial wood, hay, and straw and destined for destruction.
For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world (of wood, hay and straw) if he is never saved, or is saved but forfeits his heavenly rewards and privileges in the process (Mark 8:36/1Cor. 3: 12, 15/Rev.Chapters 2 and 3).
Before we get atoo upset over the grace and the undeserved mercy that God extends to others, keep in mind where we would be and where we would be headed if God had not extended His grace and mercy to each one of us. Tempting the born again believer to focus on the earthly "prosperity" of the wicked is one of the strategies of the devil and the forces of evil.
The sins of envy, coveting, jealousy, has led many a believer into all kinds of sin and evil. One may get what he wants, but may not want what he gets!
God does NOT give us everything that our hearts desire if what we desire is contrary to His character or is not a part of the individual plan that He has in mind for any one of us.
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Surprise attacks or being hit from the blind side is usually an effective strategy in the realm of both military and spiritual warfare. It is under such circumstances that many “Christians” are sorely tempted to exchange their goody two shoes for a pair of combat boots and respond as one would naturally do.
The "natural" state of Fallen Man is "hostile (Romans 8: 7 (NASB) towards God and the things of God.
"Because the mind set on the flesh (under the influence of the fallen sin nature) is hostile towards God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so; (Romans 8:7 NASB italics mine)."
Doing what comes "naturally" can get us into a lot of hot water in both the secular and spiritual realm.
Prisons are filled with people who did what came natural to them at the time.
All born again believers will live forever in Heaven, but there will be many born again believers who will forfeit what could have been a great reward in Heaven, and experienced Heaven without the privileges that are only going to be enjoyed by born again believers who "overcome" the desire to do what comes natural to them and do what the life of discipleship requires of them (Rev. Chapters 2 and 3)."
The post salvation spiritual life is not about doing what comes natural to us, but what discipleship requires of us with the enabling supernatural power (John 15: 5) that God supplies.
For most of us, this will require a period of time of what theologians refer to as “enforced humility.”
“Enforced humility” is in view when one forces himself do (or refrain from doing) something because it is what discipleship requires of him at the moment. This is especially true when in his heart of hearts he would much rather handle it by what comes natural to him/her.
If and when one becomes more spiritually mature, that what we have been forcing ourselves to do becomes our genuine response.
The temptation button is just one of the many buttons that the devil will use to launch his “flaming missiles -Eph. 6: 16 NASB).”
These missiles are intended, among other things, to destroy the intimate fellowship that an advancing disciple is experiencing, and to deny God the glory that He would otherwise have received if the tempted disciple had chosen the road of obedience.
As (if) we spiritually mature, our view point on things will change. What used to be seen as a difficult spouse, rebellious child, annoying neighbor, unfair boss, discourteous or errant motorist, health/comfort issue, financial issue, will now be seen as the means through which the devil will fire his fiery missiles and take US out of fellowship with God if WE choose to make the wrong choice of response to the negativity that such things generate on a daily basis. Any time the forces of evil are able to "rattle our cages" we become easy targets and easily tempted.
Any (James 2: 10) one of the 300+ acts of disobedience documented in New Testament Scripture will take the offending believer out of fellowship (2Cor. 13: 14 ) with God. These acts can involve sins of commission by doing something that the Word of God prohibits, or sins of omission by failing to do something that the Word of God requires.
Some of us aren't even out of bed in the morning, and already have taken ourselves out of fellowship by the sin of grumbling or disputing (Phil. 2: 14).
"Do all things without grumbling and disputing (Phil. 2:14 is NOT a suggestion, but one of the 300+ commands of the New Testament.
Many more of us will not endure the morning commute without committing a mental attitude sin or an overt sin by using "course language (Eph. 4: 29/Eph. 5: 4)" towards or about those with whom we share the road. Getting through a work day or a day's work at home can be real challenge to many, as can dealing with the negative side of family and friends.
In the New Testament alone, there are over 300 ways in which a Church Age believer can sin by what he/she thinks, says, does or doesn't do in the course of any given day.
One does not have to engage is what Man would consider a serious sin in order to get out of fellowship with God (James 2: 10). Engaging in any one of ways in w which a Church Age believer can sin will result in the SAME loss of fellowship with God.
Fellowship is restored via a 1John 1: 9 confession. The "confessional" that God established for the Church Age is open 24/7, as is only a prayer away.
The restored fellowship is maintained, in part, by forsaking (John 8:11) the same type of sin from that point forward.
The truth is that most of us spend each and every day in a revolving doorway going in and out of fellowship with God and never making any forward progress in the post salvation spiritual life. Many of us are no more spiritually mature than we were on the day we were born again. Spiritual maturity is measured, not only by the amount of accurate Bible Doctrine we have obtained, but by our willingness to apply it on a daily basis.
Any time that an advancing disciple is given the opportunity to glorify God, but fails to do so, he/she denies God the glory that He would have otherwise received. Practicing Christian religion (an oxymoron) for one hour out of 168 hrs. a week is relatively easy in comparison to the life the discipleship that involves all 168!
The Lord Jesus Christ knew what it was like to be sorely tempted (Matt. 4./Luke 4/ Heb.4: 15), and the inevitable pressure of temptation that His disciples would face.
When asked for a format to follow when organizing and/or executing a well-rounded prayer life, one of the elements that the Lord Jesus Christ incorporated was for the disciples to pray that they be not led into temptation (Matt.6: 16).
In the Gospels of both Matthew and Luke, we are told that the Lord Jesus Christ was led up into (Matt. 4) or about (Luke 4) the wilderness by God the Holy Spirit, but it was by the devil that He was tempted.
"Let no one say that when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God", for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone (James 1: 13 NASB)."
Those who promote a diminished deity (or totally deny the deity) of the Lord Jesus Christ will often quote this "phrase, "God cannot be tempted" (and others) in support of their position that He was not God, and only, at best, a prophet, or a miracle worker.
Denying the deity (divine nature) of the Lord Jesus Christ is blasphemy. This, never the less, is the result of not having the spiritual maturity and discernment to know when He was functioning in the capacity of His humanity, and when He was functioning in the capacity of His deity. When He was being tempted, He was functioning in the capacity of his humanity. When functioning In the capacity of His deity, He could not fail, but when functioning in the capacity of His humanity, He could have, but did not fail.
This raises the question, "If God allows us to being tempted in order to test us, and this testing is a part of discipleship, why then were His disciples (and us) taught to pray that they not be led into temptation?
I believe the answer is found in (1Cor. 10: 13).
"No temptation has overtaken you (advancing disciples), but as such is (the) common (experience of) to Man; and God is faithful (to our prayers asking not to be led into temptation), who will not allow you (advancing disciples) to be tempted beyond what you are able (to handle), but (because) with the temptation (by others) (God) will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it (1Cor. 10:13 NASB italics mine.)"
The "way of escape" is the appropriate Bible Doctrine that advancing disciples will (should) have a-l-r-e-a-d-y stored in their edified soul structures BEFORE there is the need to apply it (Matt. 7: 24-27). The problem is that only a minority of born again believers will ever choose to engage in post salvation discipleship. Post salvation discipleship is the ongoing study and application of the Word of God.
Believers who are ignorant (do not know) of Bible Doctrine, and weak believers (who lack the will or the spiritual maturity to apply the doctrine that they do know are sitting ducks for, ".. .the devil who prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1Pet. 5: 8 NASB)."
When that "someone" is a born again believer, the devil can do nothing to undo the Work of God (Eph. 4: 30/Titus 3: 5/John 5: 24) that took place at the moment of salvation, but can do much to destroy the quality of one's post salvation spiritual life.
Deception and temptation go hand in hand and are among the chief weapons in the devil's arsenal of flaming missiles (Eph. 6: 16).
Until one has built (2Pet. 3: 18/ Matt. 7: 24-27) and regularly applies (James 1: 22) the contents of his/her edified soul structure, he is very much in need of the protective hand of God not allowing him/her to be led into temptation, as there is very little temptation that an ignorant or weak believer can handle. At the same time, even the most spiritually mature among us is still subject to failure. There will never come a time when such a prayer request of not being led into temptation should not be a part of our prayer life.
Just when we think (Romans 12: 3) we have overcome an area of weakness, we are hit from the blindside and find ourselves failing and returning to square one.
Regardless of the source, temptation is the suggestion and strong enticement to engage is something that is contrary to the Word of God. Because we all have different areas of strengths and weaknesses, some sins that are disgusting and of no interest to some is a great temptation and desire of others. What may be disgusting and of no interest to them can be a great temptation to ourselves.
From God's point of view, ALL sin (James 2: 10) is disgusting (Habakkuk 1: 13). So much so that it took the Work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross to atone for it. In doing so, He did for us what we were incapable of doing for ourselves.
The evil behind some temptations is obvious, whereas other sins take more spiritual discernment to detect and the enabling power of God (Jophn 15: 5) to overcome.
The arrogance of the fallen nature within us makes it easy to spot the sins of others, while blinding us to our own.