Temptation versus Sin

Content library Temptation versus Sin
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Southeast Christian Church

May 18, 2021

It’s easy to forget that Jesus was fully human. We can see that he was fully God because of the miracles he performed. We tend to talk about Jesus as if he were emotionless, disciplined, serious, and authoritative. We remove his humanity when we do this and end up distancing ourselves from him.

But Jesus was fully human. He got tired and needed to sleep. He laughed with his friends. He got hungry and needed to eat. He enjoyed spending time with people. He got dirty and needed to bathe. We even forget that he was an infant, a toddler, a kid, a teenager. There was no part of humanity that he didn’t experience. And that includes temptation.

It’s hard to imagine Jesus being tempted, because we often equate temptation with sin. We often hide our temptation from others because we are ashamed of what tempts us; but temptation is not sin.

Most of the world would define temptation as something that goes against a personal conviction. They may go to a party and say that the dessert table is “so tempting” because they’re on a diet. But, biblical temptation is when we are presented with an enticing opportunity to go against God’s design. For it to be true temptation, it has to be enticing—something that claims to satisfy a desire in our hearts. If it’s just an opportunity to disobey God, but it doesn’t intrigue you at all or offer satisfaction of a desire, then it’s not temptation.

If we know that Jesus was fully human and experienced all the same temptations that we do, we can be comforted. Jesus experienced the full range of human emotion and temptation, and yet, he was without guilt and shame because he never gave in to temptation. We, too, can live without guilt and shame—not because we are sinless—but because the sinless savior died to give us forgiveness. When we are tempted, we can go to a Savior that offers true empathy and compassion because he knows what it’s like.

Reflection/Discussion Question: How does it feel to know that Jesus was fully human and was tempted just as you are?

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