For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted. Hebrews 2:18
We have all likely heard the little story of the lad who was told by his mother not to go swimming in the creek with the other boys. Just before supper, she caught him slipping into the house by the back door, carrying his wet bathing suit. Under her questioning, he said that he had not intended to go swimming, but had gone to the creek just to watch the other boys swim. So she asked him why he had taken his bathing suit along, to which he replied, ‘In case I was tempted’. We smile at that story, because we have all done similar things. It’s called making provision for the flesh, and it’s condemned in Romans 13:14. Temptations are all around us, every day. The devil used strong temptations to lead our first parents to sin, and he does the same with us. Let’s be very clear about temptations: they are not sin. But yielding to them is sin. But it is often so hard to resist! Thankfully, as our text reminds us, we have a strong Ally in our resistance.
As already noted, the devil succeeded with his temptations with the first Adam. So he put all of his efforts into tempting the last Adam. We know he failed. We can read how the Lord Jesus used the Word of God to reject the devil’s temptations. Let’s be clear, those were real temptations. The devil did his utmost to try to cause the Lord Jesus to submit to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. But the Lord Jesus did not and could not submit. So when we are tempted, we look to the Lord Jesus for our example and our strength to resist the temptation.
Why was the Lord Jesus able to resist temptation? For one thing, He is God, and God cannot be tempted to sin (James 1:13). There is nothing about the character of the Lord Jesus that could ever respond to sin. The devil never stood a chance with Him. For another thing, the Lord Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:1). The Holy Spirit does not and cannot lead anyone into sin. That is important, because you and I as believers are also indwelt by the Holy Spirit. As we submit our lives to the leading of the Holy Spirit, we will be able to resist temptation and avoid sin. Paul reminded the Assembly in Corinth that ‘there hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it’ (1 Corinthians 10:13).
How did the Lord Jesus resist the devil’s temptations? As already noted, He quoted the Scriptures. We must do the same. But in order to quote and obey the Scriptures, we must know the Scriptures. That is why we must read and study the Word of God. The more we know about God, the less we will be attracted to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. We will also be more aware of the enemy’s attacks, and will be like the apostle Paul when he said ‘We are not ignorant of his (Satan’s) devices’ (2 Corinthians 2:11).
The hatred and cruelty of our enemy throws all kinds of temptations at us today. The love and kindness of God provides a Saviour Who knows how to deliver us from those temptations. – Jim MacIntosh