After the first post, there were some offline comments/questions that I wish to address.
Comment 1: I don’t get how any of the items you listed were actual sin. How is turning a stone into bread sin/how does this appeal to Pride/Anger?
First off, I’m a behaviorist. Meaning, I believe that the thought process of a person can be determined based on an examination of what they do. Do you ever do something ridiculous, and then say: “WHY did I do that?” The why is very important to understanding why yielding to temptation is sin, rather than the temptation itself.
Second, know that yielding to temptation is the gateway drug to full-blown sin. That’s why it’s clever. On the onset, temptation can appear totally innocuous, but it leads somewhere.
So let’s revisit:
- “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” – We already determined in Part 1 that Christ had the power to do this. But if he had done it…WHY would it have happened?
- He would have yielded to the tempter (Satan), rather than resisting Him (see James 4:7)
- In so yielding, He would have allowed Himself to be tempted into seeing bread as more than bread. It would now be something he NEEDED to sustain Him, and he’d be willing to heed the voice of his enemy in order to gratify His hunger. Personal gratification goes by another name: “Lust of the flesh.” (I John 2:16)
- “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.” – We’ve already pointed out that the Earth is the Lord’s; however, Satan has some sway in the earth. In many scriptures he is referred to as “the ruler of this world,” “the prince of the power of the air” etc. So let’s assume he has something of value to actually tempt Christ with. You can’t worship other Gods. That’s clearly a sin. If he had done it…WHY would he have done it?
- Again, yielding. Yielding is BAD.
- In so yielding, this would belie a desire for power and glory..in that instant. We know Christ will rule the world (Isaiah 9: 6 -7); it prophesied. Satan, however, was tempting Jesus to look out at the splendor of the world and desire it NOW. This personal aspiration for power/glory/control of what the devil was showing Him is called “the lust of the eye.” (I John 2:16)
- “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” This is a real scripture (Psalms 91:11). However, the two scriptures before that (Psalms 91:9-10) make it clear that the we are to be passive in these situations. Harm befalls and disaster comes. You don’t throw yourself into harm's way, or approach disaster ON PURPOSE. In this way you tempt God (which per Jesus’ quote is a sin) AND you boast in His protection and in the power you wield (aka “the boastful pride of life”).
So, it's the yielding that is a problem. When your previous course of action is changed, based on the introduction of a temptation, then that yielding is representative of a desire, that desire results in action, action based on an evil desire stemming from a temptation is a sin. See James 1:14-15 .
Comment 2 - I think death was the aim of Satan asking Christ to jump.
Okay, could be. But I just want to know this:
In any case, all this leads to Satan’s purpose which was to render Christ an ineffective sacrifice. Which will actually be covered in Temptation: Scene 2. Blah, blah, blah.
