James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you … (NKJ)
James 4:7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (NAS)
I found this in the Strong’s:
"A Greek military term meaning "to arrange [troop divisions] in a military fashion under the command of a leader". In non-military use, it was "a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden"."
I really think the point James was trying to deliver was the Non-Military use of the word a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden. So if we will voluntarily give in to God. Set our selves against the devil he will take flight from us to avoid danger. This is a very powerful statement which shows how we have authority over the devil through the power of Jesus Christ. In Matthew 4:8 Jesus resisted the devil he left Jesus for a season. So we should expect the same. Resisting the devil is an ongoing thing. Resisting him once will not chase him away forever. Everyday we must renew our minds to the mind of Christ and in doing so we will resist the devil.
1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. (NAS)
There is a way out of every temptation. It is not the way of escape or the way of surrender, but the way of conquest in the power of the grace of God. We are able to conquer every temptation we are faced with. Paul indicates here that temptation may be enticing, but it is not irresistible.
God WILL provide a way of escape from every temptation if only we will stop and hesitate. I am reminded of a teaching Pastor N taught. If we will listen to the conviction of the Holy Spirit we can avoid the crime, sin, and avoid the time or punishment. I found this while studying this verse on the internet. "God does not save us from temptations; He scours us in the midst of them" We are allowed to be tempted because without them we will not grow in our strength in God. In Hebrews 2:18 the author states "For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted." If you look at this verse in context it is clear that Jesus is who is being referred to here. Jesus faced the same temptation we did therefore he is able to help us overcome these temptation or provide our way of escape.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Overcoming Temptation
4 comments:
How does the fact that Jesus, being all God and all man, was incapable of sinning, change your understanding of this text? If sin is not meeting God's standard of Holyness, and Jesus is God, then, logically He could not sin because He sets the bar for sin. Therefore, what value do we derive from the temptation of Jesus given that He was never going to fall to it?
Great devotional by the way! ;-)
Ok Mr. Zook,
2 Corinthians 5:12 says "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." It does not say He made Him who was without sin. The word knew here translates to “to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel”. If Jesus was never going to fall as you have said, if he was not truly tempted, then how can he ever aid those who are tempted? Jesus was completely human, made from the same flesh as you and I. However He chose to listen to His Father and was given a way of escape. We are given a way of escape as well, but this darn thing called free will gets in the way. God will not force us to listen to Him and follow His way of escape.
Jesus became sin on our behalf, true. But He did not and could not sin. He took you sin charged against you and took it to the cross. This is not the same Jesus sinned. Jesus as God could not sin. God sets the standard for sin. God decides what sin is. Whatever God does is not a sin by definition because God did it. Jesus was God. Therefore, Jesus could not possibly sin. Are you suggesting that Jesus was capable of sinning? If so, where do you see this born out in the text?
Also, being tempted has nothing to do with our ability to respond to said temptation. It is temptation even if we are immune from it effect. For example, I am tempted everyday to shoot certain people I work with (present company excluded) however such an action is not something I would even entertain (well maybe for just a second or two). Temptation is waht it is wheather we are going to fall to it or not.
So the question remains. Why?
Jesus is not capable of sin because He is a member of the Holy Trinity, and He was able not to sin only by his strength in the Holy Spirit. So Jesus was and is both. The value we can derive from Jesus being tempted is He was tempted and He was never going to succumb to the temptations of satan, but His flesh still knows what it feels like to be attacked. Therefore He can and does come to the aid of those being tempted, but we still have to listen to this aid. My friend this is the value I derive from my Savior being tempted!
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