What do we need to do when we are exposed to temptations? Is there any way to escape them? Which is the key?
It is important to acknowledge that no one is completely secure when it comes to temptations, and even I, the one writing about this, can fall victim to them. We can give many examples through situations of what a temptation is. There are sexual temptations; there are also temptations related to addictions or money or a desire to have something. Someone might be just tempted to react in an impulsive way or get angry and upset about something. All of these things all together take part in what a temptation is. As we said, no one is secure in not falling into it. We see examples in the Bible, such as the one of King David, who committed adultery and other sins later on as a consequence of it (2 Samuel 11).
Proverbs 7:24-26 states:
24 Now therefore, listen to me, my children;
Pay attention to the words of my mouth:
25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways,
Do not stray into her paths;
26 For she has cast down many wounded,
And all who were slain by her were strong men.
We are talking of strong men here. Strong in faith obviously. Chapter 7 of Proverbs speaks about an adulteress woman who entices a person to go with her. It gives an example of adultery, but in general, to me, it talks about any kind of sin and temptation.
In Hebrews 12:1, 2 we read:
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
This passage talks about two things: about sin and how to run the race with endurance and overcome it – by looking into Jesus. It says that we should lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us. Sin might also be addictive. Many times, what really kept me from falling into sin was that I knew that after I was going to repeat it again and maybe persist into it. I am not referring to addictive substances here but to the sin in itself in general. The sin ensnares us and enslaves us quickly, giving us apparent freedom but leading us to death in the end.
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” (Proverbs 14:12)
You start depending on it. By saying this, I am not saying that I am not tempted, and I never ever sin. The Bible says that all of us are sinners and there is also a sin dwelling in us, and even godly people battle with it daily (Romans 7:23). Still, there is a difference between the original sin that we face daily and we always will need to be cleansed from and the one that we do more purposely or better said more consciously. Yes, all of the sins we do are done by us, and we are responsible for them, but there are some sins done more intentionally by our side, with more purpose, knowing already what we are doing. Surely, we need to repent from all sin, but there is one that is done more consciously, and the weight, if we can say so, is heavier. The Bible also makes a difference in the kinds of sins committed. Obviously, also, the people sinning subconsciously without clearly acknowledging it need to be forgiven by His grace and mercy. Everything comes to this point because, without His grace, we can’t survive, no matter if we have sinned little or a lot.
We have to say that the Bible speaks about believers getting sanctified and becoming more like Jesus by being transformed according to His image.
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)
Obviously, it is easy to conclude and say that everyone is a sinner and to justify our behavior with this statement. Still, a spiritual person who has been reborn is in constant transformation and sanctification happening by looking into Jesus.
Sin by himself is actually “missing the mark.” This is the other meaning of the Greek word used for sin in the New Testament. And how can we hit that mark? How can we do things in the right way? Only by Jesus and His power dwelling in us. It is never by our own strength.
One of the ways to protect ourselves from sin and temptation is to realize that we can easily fall into it, that we are never completely over it, and that only by the blood of Jesus and by faith in Him can we stand and overcome it. To think that we are already strong and that nothing can ever happen is to think that we can overcome it by ourselves and rely on our own strength. We do not stand by ourselves, by our strength, but by Him.
“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:12)
Notice that here, it speaks for the one who thinks he stands, not for the one who actually does. He was probably thinking that he was able enough already to resist, and therefore, he was thinking he stood.
With this, I am not saying that we need to live constantly in fear of falling into sin because it is wrong as well but to fear God and be respectful to Him. This is one of the keys.
We can also look at the verse that comes right after 1 Corinthians 10:12.
“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)
This is an invitation and a promise for us to know that we do not necessarily have to fall into temptation, even if it looks strong, but we need to resist it, standing in the faith.
What do we need to do when facing temptation, we are tempted, and everything in us cries out and desires that sin? Yeah, it is easy to say and harder to do, but nevertheless, we need to resist it. The first option, obviously, is to pray at that very moment. We always need to do it, even if sometimes we cannot focus, but it is one of the most effective solutions. At other times, we must resist the temptation, and later on, it will surely be gone. We just need to resist. Of course, turning away from that particular situation or temptation is also an effective solution and must be done most of the time. We need to realize our weaknesses and avoid them as well. This kind of attitude should be always present in us. Sometimes, we need to “flee” from sin and temptation.
“Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” (2 Timothy 2:22)
Many times, we also need to burn ourselves so that we can know how much it hurts and, in this way, avoid it the next time. Sometimes, this happened to me, and it helped me learn my lesson. It is the same as a small kid who has been told not to touch the pot on the stove, but later on, he is doing it and learns his lesson that way. True Christians know that even though God loves them and forgives sin when they truly acknowledge it, He still corrects them because they are His children. This is also how His love is expressed toward them. Sometimes, the correction is unpleasant, but it is for good. In Hebrews 12:7-11 we read:
7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
We also need to understand that when God gives us a word, it is most of the time, if not always, primarily for us so that He can warn us. Thinking that we are above all and that the word we receive is mostly for others will make us lower our guard and will ease falling into temptation or sin. Every time, even when we know that a certain message we receive is for others, we need to examine ourselves if we do what that message says. Because when God sends His word or warns us, He is doing that because He wants us to avoid danger and failure. He doesn’t want to hurt us by correcting us, but on the contrary, He wants to spare us the consequences of sin and the pain it causes.
“Do not withhold correction from a child, for if you beat him with a rod, he will not die.” (Proverbs 23:13)
This is God's correction towards us. He knows what would happen if we continued to go our own way. That’s why He wants us to avoid that. Obviously, this is the character of God, and if He corrects someone, it is for a purpose and for good. Not like many people who have unfortunately misunderstood this aspect and correct others or their own children without any meaningful purpose, doing so just for the sake of it, the Bible teaches that God corrects us for our benefit. That’s why we need to understand this verse very well and have experiences before we can discern and correct someone. God’s example of how He is dealing with His children is the best example we can ever find of how we need to deal with other people and our own children.
One of the reasons for us as well to avoid falling into sin, besides that it can entangle us, is that there are consequences for each sin. We can see this in the story of King David.
9 Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. 10 Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 11 Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. (2 Samuel 12:9-11)
This was said by the prophet Nathan to David after he committed adultery with the wife of Uriah. We can see two things that were about to happen to him – the sword would never depart from his house, and his wives would be taken away from him. Exactly the same things that he did. He took the wife of his neighbor and killed him by sending him to the most dangerous place of war, leaving him there.
David repented and was forgiven, but there were still these consequences. God often corrects us for our sins so we can know their gravity and not return to them again. He knows that if we sin deliberately and repeatedly, we can end up worse and lose everything. He wants us to avoid that because He loves us. That’s why He corrects us – for love.
Even though God can forgive us and cleanse us from that sin, we will still bear its consequences. This refers to the sins committed intentionally by us.
There is another passage that also talks about this topic.
“Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
It will be health to your flesh,
And strength to your bones.” (Proverbs 3:7, 8)
We can see here in this passage what the fear of the Lord and departing from evil produces – health and strength. This refers not only to our physical body but also to our spirit and soul, as bones are inside us. Obviously, Christians do get physically sick, and most of the time, it is not because of their sin. This passage refers also to spiritual health and strength.
So, if the fear of the Lord and departing from evil means health, what then will a lack of fear and not departing from evil (sinning) bring? A disease, sickness, or pain. Most of the time, this disease is in the spirit and the soul. There is a consequence of the sin. Most of the time, the Lord leaves us to feel that so that we can learn and know where the sin is leading us. It is because He is a loving Father and doesn’t want us to perish and get hurt. That’s why He lets us feel that pain, even though it lasts a bit. It happens so that we know that being far from Him is painful.
That’s why He is not avoiding or preventing us from feeling pain along the way so that we can avoid much greater pain. Our concept of love sometimes is that love will always let us feel fine and will give us whatever we feel like, but the true love of God is teaching us how to live so that we can be fine in the end. His love is expressed in the fact that He wants to lead us on the right path, not just because He wants to spare us from feeling pain. We might go through pain, but this path will eventually lead us to a place where no pain and sadness will be anymore. Instead, the path sparing us all the pain leads to destruction.
Speaking about sin and temptation, we have to know that our eyes and our desires go automatically toward something wrong. The sin dwells in our members, as it is said in Romans 7:23.
“But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”
This means that we will be attracted by it. If we are in front of something or an image that we are not supposed to look at (like pornographic images, for example) or we are about to do something wrong, our sinful desires and eyes will automatically go toward it. And this is just the beginning. This is how it starts.
12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 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 1:12-15)
There is a process until our desire conceives sin, but we must prevent it before that happens. If we have the grace of God in our lives and we are careful, we can avoid it. “Blessed is the man who endures temptation…” There is a reward for those who endure the temptation, even though, at that very time, it might not seem so. If someone is a Christian and knows God, he will see that. We are blessed every time we endure it.
Speaking about all of this, I am not saying that we will probably always be able to avoid any sin and mistake, but if it happens for us to sin, we need to know that God is faithful to forgive us and renew our minds and strength. I am not saying either that we are sinless if we avoid falling into certain sins. No, we are not. There will always be something in us that we will need to repent from. We need the grace of God in our lives to be able to do that and have a clean heart. Without it, it is impossible. We are not clean because we are not sinning but because the grace of God cleanses us. We are also Christians because of that. No one can follow His footsteps without His grace. We are avoiding sin because we don’t want to hurt Him, and we want to please Him. Also, we don’t want to complicate our lives with more sin. Because this is what sin does, it complicates our lives and damages our relationship with the Lord. Even if someone avoids certain sins, he is not really clean or righteous because of that, but because of the grace of the Lord. Some persons do not do certain things, but they are still not clean because they lack His grace in their lives. This is what we need so that our lives can be clean from the inside.
We also need to see how a real Christian person looks at sin. A person who has been truly born again gives value to the work of Christ on the cross and really appreciates His grace. Sinning is never the same after someone comes to know God and His grace. That person looks differently at sin, doesn’t commit it so easily, and desires to live in holiness.
The word of God even declares it more boldly in 1 John 3:2-9.
2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. 6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
We see these passages saying that whoever abides in Him does not sin. Obviously, it speaks about practicing sin, like persevering and always returning to the same sin, something which the Bible clearly speaks against. In the first chapter of 1 John, it is written that if we say we are without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8). Therefore, we confirm that 1 John 3:6 which states that whoever abides in Him, does not sin, talks more of persevering into sin and taking it as usual practice.
For a man of God, sin should not be a normal practice, as he is a new creation in Christ. He has been changed, redeemed, and reborn from God. His nature is different. He rejoices with the truth. There will still be sin dwelling in his members, but now he has a way to fight it. He is no longer a slave to it. He can go back to it, but as long as He dwells in Christ, he has a victory over it. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. This is a very good and effective (and only) way for us to overcome temptation if we seek Him – to be reborn from Him. This is what everyone looking for God must somehow desire. Obviously, this happens only through His grace in our lives. This is what gives us a guarantee to overcome.
Can a born-again person fall into sin? Of course, he can, but he will not easily return to it. Those who persevere in sin after receiving God’s grace usually go through tough times. It is not easy for them. This happens because the new nature that God has gifted to them is in conflict with the old nature of their old person (Galatians 5:17, Ephesians 4:22-24). The new nature desires to seek God and His holiness. Once they receive a new life, a connection between them and God has been established, and they begin to know Him. That’s why they keep on desiring and looking for Him. This is because their soul and they realize that this is all for a man. They struggle if they sin and engage with the old habits, and God is the one who lets them struggle because He doesn’t want them to perish. He will do everything possible to bring them back to the right track that leads to Him. This is how His love is.
With all of this, I am not saying that a born–again believer never sins, but that this is no longer part of their nature. A Christian will sin, but most of the time, it is not done purposely or in a premeditated way. With this, he is, of course, still accountable in front of God. There were times after I repented for the first time and became a believer, I failed and repeated certain sins. I felt sorrowful and displeased, but still, after that, I repented sincerely, and God forgave me. He looks at our attitude, whether we are truly sorry and we fear Him. The man who really fears Him will also be truly sorry after committing a sin. We need to ask Him to place this kind of fear in us.
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8, 9)
From this passage, we see that no one can say that he has no sin. The difference is in the attitude people have toward it. The righteous (the people born from Him) tend to sanctify their lives and not persevere in sin, while other people don’t actually care a lot about how their hearts and lives are.
“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 2:1)
The purpose is that we may not sin. This is what the first verse of the next chapter of 1 John says. And if we sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, someone who can forgive us – Jesus Christ. It says it in a way that clearly states that our intention must be to avoid sin, to preserve ourselves from it. But if in case we sin, then we can go and ask Jesus, with trust and faith, to forgive us.
We must also know that sin is not performed with our actions only, but with our mind and heart. Even though some people don’t commit great sins by their actions, they still sin in their hearts.
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:27, 28)
This is just one of the examples of what the scripture says about sin in the heart, but there can be many different sins that actually take place in our hearts (Mark 7:21, 22).
The real Christians desire to have their hearts purified from any sin, even the one happening in their thoughts. Most of the time, when they fall short and fail, they quickly acknowledge their sinfulness and repent in front of God.
Other people, instead, focus only on preventing external or physically committed sins and don‘t focus on cleaning their hearts from the sin that is on the inside. Jesus looks at the deepest part of our being. He seeks that kind of purity. It is impossible for us to fulfill it if not by His grace alone. His grace empowers us to be clean from the inside of our hearts. Christians, though, are not always in that state, but they are looking for it, and this is their desire. There are those moments when they get into a proper relationship with God, and He cleanses them. It is only by faith and depending on Him. To be clean from the inside and to look for that relationship with God gives us much more security of not falling into all the other sins. As we know, everything starts from the heart, so if we fight it and prevent it from there by His grace, then also the next action toward it will be prevented. This is what we need to do – confess, admit our sins to God, and ask Him to cleanse us.