Temptation WHEN TEMPTATIONS BECOME SIN
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. James 1:14.
Jane had a problem with honesty. Or should we say she had a problem with dishonesty? Well, anyway, she was a crook. She was a thief. She was a cheat. But one day she met Someone who had made a thief His last friend on earth, and she began to get acquainted with Him. She was convicted about her stealing, but more than that, she was convicted that she had been living her entire life apart from God. She began to understand something of God's love and acceptance, even for thieves, and she realized her need of Him. She surrendered to Him, and was converted.
One day Jane was in the grocery store. As she came around the corner by a soap display, she saw that someone had left her shopping cart untended, and her purse was within easy reach, gaping open, with a nice fat wallet right on top. A temptation. Now it is no sin to come upon an unwatched purse. So far, Jane was all right.
Jane immediately recognized that this was a temptation. She realized that she had an opportunity to steal someone's money. But she still hadn't sinned. Recognizing temptation is not sin. Jesus recognized when He was being tempted, and He never sinned. So she was still all right.
Now there are only two possibilities of what could happen next in this story. If Jane is depending upon God's power at that moment, and controlled by Him, she will be repulsed by the idea of stealing. She will find it unappealing. And she will be given victory spontaneously at that point.
If she is depending upon her own power at that moment, however, she will respond inwardly. "What an opportunity!" She will consent in her mind to the temptation. She will probably plan it. "Let's see, is there really no one in sight? Now if I just grabbed it and put it under my coat..." Whether or not she follows through on those plans will depend largely upon how strong-willed she is, and how much self-control she can muster. But she has already sinned, when she consented to it in her mind. Regardless of what action she takes, she has already sinned. True victory comes only from the inside, where God is dwelling, when we are in dependence upon His power instead of our own.
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. James 1:14.
Jane had a problem with honesty. Or should we say she had a problem with dishonesty? Well, anyway, she was a crook. She was a thief. She was a cheat. But one day she met Someone who had made a thief His last friend on earth, and she began to get acquainted with Him. She was convicted about her stealing, but more than that, she was convicted that she had been living her entire life apart from God. She began to understand something of God's love and acceptance, even for thieves, and she realized her need of Him. She surrendered to Him, and was converted.
One day Jane was in the grocery store. As she came around the corner by a soap display, she saw that someone had left her shopping cart untended, and her purse was within easy reach, gaping open, with a nice fat wallet right on top. A temptation. Now it is no sin to come upon an unwatched purse. So far, Jane was all right.
Jane immediately recognized that this was a temptation. She realized that she had an opportunity to steal someone's money. But she still hadn't sinned. Recognizing temptation is not sin. Jesus recognized when He was being tempted, and He never sinned. So she was still all right.
Now there are only two possibilities of what could happen next in this story. If Jane is depending upon God's power at that moment, and controlled by Him, she will be repulsed by the idea of stealing. She will find it unappealing. And she will be given victory spontaneously at that point.
If she is depending upon her own power at that moment, however, she will respond inwardly. "What an opportunity!" She will consent in her mind to the temptation. She will probably plan it. "Let's see, is there really no one in sight? Now if I just grabbed it and put it under my coat..." Whether or not she follows through on those plans will depend largely upon how strong-willed she is, and how much self-control she can muster. But she has already sinned, when she consented to it in her mind. Regardless of what action she takes, she has already sinned. True victory comes only from the inside, where God is dwelling, when we are in dependence upon His power instead of our own.
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