Genesis 4:7 “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it."The other week, my Goddaughter called with some questions concerning “The Temptation of Christ” (Matthew 4, Mark 1, & Luke 4) for her Comparative Religion class final. That call, study of God’s Word and discussion brought to light an important message for each and every one of us, for we are all tempted by the sinful world, the acts of the sinful nature in our own flesh, and Satan (the devil, the deceiver and the tempter).
Matthew 4:1-3 “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him."
I see a significant element of the temptation of Christ is that Jesus answers all three temptations from Satan with Holy Scripture (Temptation #1 from Deuteronomy8:3, Temptation #2 from Dt. 6:16 & Temptation #3 from Dt. 6:13). With Jesus as our model, this demonstrates what we need to be prepared (by reading, studying, meditating on and knowing the Word of God) and use the scriptures in our defense of temptation and for our offense in spiritual battles. A surprising element is that the devil quotes scripture also in Temptation #2 from Psalm 91:11-12 - Satan knows scripture and twists the Word of God to trick and trip us, to cause us to fall. You learn to know a counterfeit dollar by studying a real dollar so well that a fake dollar is easily recognized. This is also true with the Holy Scripture. We need to recognize when the Word of God is taken out of context and manipulated to tell a lie and deceive. Christ truly is the model for all believers when tempted. We are to stand firm on the Word of God and we are to rely on God for our physical and spiritual providence (cares and needs fulfilled).
The first Adam (in the Garden of Eden) failed the great test of Satan and plunged the whole race into (original) sin. Jesus (the second Adam) was faithful in temptation, demonstrating his qualification as Savior of all who receive Him. Some state that since Jesus was “God the Son” (Second person of the trinity - Father, Son & Holy Spirit), He could not be tempted. But Jesus is God incarnate (meaning God with skin on ... in the flesh). Jesus was fully God and fully man at the same time. Jesus has the same senses, physical and mental needs that the human body and mind requires in all of us. Therefore these, after forty days of fasting, were tempting, yet Jesus was faithful.
Satan shows Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, with all their splendor and tells Him, "All this I will give you, if you will bow down and worship me." Jesus does not deny that Satan owes the kingdoms of the world, but gives a commandment back to Satan in reply: “Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only”. In other words: instead of me worshiping and serving you, Satan; you are to worship and serve me – the Lord your God. By dying on the Cross, Jesus was the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world, the propitiation (satisfying payment for the debt) to God for all mankind. Had Jesus by-passed the cross at the temptation, he would have escaped his death, but also forfeited the salvation of man ... the purpose that He was sent by God the Father. Because of his faithfulness, God exalted Jesus to the Right hand of God in Heaven (Acts 5:31). All judgments (for all the kingdoms of the world and all people) was given to Jesus (the Son) by God (the Father) (John 5:22), therefore Jesus is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. This is what we celebrate each Christmas! Emmanuel – God with us, our Savior!
Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
May you and I keep our hearts and minds on our Lord Christ Jesus, especially when Satan tempts us to turn away.
In Christ, Brian
I see a significant element of the temptation of Christ is that Jesus answers all three temptations from Satan with Holy Scripture (Temptation #1 from Deuteronomy8:3, Temptation #2 from Dt. 6:16 & Temptation #3 from Dt. 6:13). With Jesus as our model, this demonstrates what we need to be prepared (by reading, studying, meditating on and knowing the Word of God) and use the scriptures in our defense of temptation and for our offense in spiritual battles. A surprising element is that the devil quotes scripture also in Temptation #2 from Psalm 91:11-12 - Satan knows scripture and twists the Word of God to trick and trip us, to cause us to fall. You learn to know a counterfeit dollar by studying a real dollar so well that a fake dollar is easily recognized. This is also true with the Holy Scripture. We need to recognize when the Word of God is taken out of context and manipulated to tell a lie and deceive. Christ truly is the model for all believers when tempted. We are to stand firm on the Word of God and we are to rely on God for our physical and spiritual providence (cares and needs fulfilled).
The first Adam (in the Garden of Eden) failed the great test of Satan and plunged the whole race into (original) sin. Jesus (the second Adam) was faithful in temptation, demonstrating his qualification as Savior of all who receive Him. Some state that since Jesus was “God the Son” (Second person of the trinity - Father, Son & Holy Spirit), He could not be tempted. But Jesus is God incarnate (meaning God with skin on ... in the flesh). Jesus was fully God and fully man at the same time. Jesus has the same senses, physical and mental needs that the human body and mind requires in all of us. Therefore these, after forty days of fasting, were tempting, yet Jesus was faithful.
Satan shows Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, with all their splendor and tells Him, "All this I will give you, if you will bow down and worship me." Jesus does not deny that Satan owes the kingdoms of the world, but gives a commandment back to Satan in reply: “Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only”. In other words: instead of me worshiping and serving you, Satan; you are to worship and serve me – the Lord your God. By dying on the Cross, Jesus was the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world, the propitiation (satisfying payment for the debt) to God for all mankind. Had Jesus by-passed the cross at the temptation, he would have escaped his death, but also forfeited the salvation of man ... the purpose that He was sent by God the Father. Because of his faithfulness, God exalted Jesus to the Right hand of God in Heaven (Acts 5:31). All judgments (for all the kingdoms of the world and all people) was given to Jesus (the Son) by God (the Father) (John 5:22), therefore Jesus is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. This is what we celebrate each Christmas! Emmanuel – God with us, our Savior!
Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
May you and I keep our hearts and minds on our Lord Christ Jesus, especially when Satan tempts us to turn away.
In Christ, Brian
2 comments:
When I was younger I often wondered how any of Satan's offerings could have been tempting to Jesus, but later I came to learn that Satan was offering to give Jesus the world without having to die for it. I guess the devil is still up to his same old tricks - and we're still looking for the quick and easy way of doing things.
Great post, Brian!
Many of us seem to forget about the devil being active and tempting the body of Christ, as he did our Lord. Jesus defeated Satan at the Cross (with Sin & Death), but the Bible tells in the New Testament us that the devil still deceiving as many as he can ... to steal, kill and destroy. Though we wish it were not truth, there is a spiritual battle in front of us daily, requiring us to whole-heartedly engage and mind-fully defend the attacks with confidence in and from our Lord Jesus. Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I'm sure that there are many that wondered the very same thought. Always remember that we win.
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