Irish writer Oscar Wilde said, “The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.” That summarizes the way that most of the world looks at temptation. Christian apologist C. S. Lewis offered a different perspective:
“A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is.... A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in.”
Do you think that temptation is greater today than ever before? History repeats itself, and since the days of Adam, man has not changed. Yet through technology, the opportunities to engage in sexual sin certainly have increased. Women in the Biblical era wore loose-fitting clothing, and it was rare when men other than their husbands saw any of their skin. Contrast that to the form-fitting clothing of today, along with the ability to meet a variety of partners on-line, simply a few clicks of the mouse away from an otherwise impossible meeting. Yet unlike Oscar Wilde, the words of Paul tell us God’s stance on our abilities as Christians to “Just say no!”
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
1 Corinthians 10:13
Though we might feel that attacks are individually based, Paul points out to us that we all stumble in the same ways. Additionally, our abilities to reject temptation have little to do with our own faithfulness and everything to do with the faithfulness of God. He protects us. That doesn’t mean He separates us from all temptation with a hedge of protection. God allows us to be tempted for His purposes. What good could possibly come from our temptations and subsequent failures? They both demonstrate to us how weak we truly are without Him! God allowed Satan to tempt Jesus in the wilderness, and if the Father allowed the evil one access to His Son, He certainly will allow temptations in each of our lives. As we grow as Christians, we learn how to rely on God’s power instead of our own when rebuffing the wily weapons of the slimy serpent. Yet what happens when we give in to temptation and fail?
Let’s look at the life of King David, described in 1 Samuel as a “man after God’s own heart:”
2 Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. 3 So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” 4 Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house. 5 And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, “I am with child.”
2 Samuel 11:2-5
King David had grown somewhat lethargic in his kingly duties, having sent his army into battle without his leadership. If he had been leading rather than lazing, King David would not have found the time to be tempted by Bathsheba. Yet his sin was worse than giving in to his lustful urges. Additionally, Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah, a soldier in King David’s army. Unlike David, Uriah was faithful in his duties to king and country. Bathsheba was equally guilty and the two conceived a child. King David compounded his initial mistake with more bad decisions. He first attempted to make Uriah think he had fathered the child by bringing his general home for a respite. Yet Uriah would not go into his wife, as his men had not been given the same opportunity. Finally, King David wrote a letter to his lead general, Joab, instructing the general to place Uriah in the most intense battle, then to have support troops leave Uriah unprotected. Sadly, King David had Uriah hand deliver the note requesting his own murder.
It doesn’t matter how many steps we take to disguise our sin, or hide it. The Lord sees inside the heart, and consequently, sees our motives. God revealed His displeasure to David through Nathan the prophet, and both David and Bathsheba suffered with the death of their newborn child. Though David prayed for the child to be saved, when the Lord did not choose to answer David’s prayer in that manner, David moved forward, rightly not blaming the Lord.
Sin has ramifications. Giving into temptation is sin. God understands our weaknesses, just as we need to understand His strength. Though David and Bathsheba certainly suffered in their punishment, the most important aspect to see is that the Lord forgave them. If you are struggling in sin, knowing that temptation continues to win in your daily battles, know that the Lord continues to love you. Yet if you don’t seem to be learning from repetitive failures, a logical conclusion would be that you are operating under your own power rather than the power of the Lord.
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Galatians 5:16
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
James 1:13-15
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