Temptation is not a sin

Joshua Clark
Apr 8
9 min read

Updated: May 15

Matthew 4: 1-11

Jesus was just baptized and appointed by the Holy Spirit and recognized by God as his son in front of the crowd. What is the first thing he does? He runs to the wilderness to battle with the devil. Rather than jump into his work and begin healing and preaching, he starts with solitude. He escapes into the wild to clear his mind and conquer the devil. The devil is a fallen angel who rules over the other evil angels (Demons). He is the initiator of Sin and provokes and torments people on earth. All evil in our lives stems from Satan. For many, it is difficult to believe in things such as the devil and demons. In our modern world, they do not present themselves as they do in the biblical writings. Today, they mask themselves in things such as addiction, anger, perversion, and lust.

Think of a time you thought you knew someone you trusted, but suddenly it appears as if something has taken them over. I have witnessed people so full of rage that their eyes gloss over. The lights are on, but nobody is home. It’s creepy and sends shivers down the spine. Have you ever met someone and immediately felt a surge of worry and fear fill your body? Have you ever seen someone caught in the grips of addiction? At one moment, they are themselves, funny and cheerful as they always were. Next, they are consumed with the substance and will do whatever it takes to get it. You can see the struggle as they battle the demons within them. Do not let the title demon or devil distract you; evil is real and very present and can consume a person to the point of total possession. Sadly, I have witnessed wonderful people fall to the point where I don’t even recognize them.

The devil tried three times to get Jesus to abandon God for him. The first temptation was a personal attack, by requesting Jesus to make bread out of the stones to fulfill his hunger. Jesus hasn’t eaten in 40 days and could use a meal; he has full power to fill himself. However, Jesus uses the scriptures to refute him and deny the request[1]. Satan then attempts to convince Jesus to throw himself off the top of the temple to force God to come and save him. To help his case, the devil uses scripture to back himself up[2]. He attempted to force Jesus to prove God’s love for him. However, Jesus once again uses scripture to refute the devil and call out the blasphemy of tempting God[3]. Finally, Satan shows him the world with all its kingdoms and says this can be all yours if youworship me. He tempts him with the power and dominion over the world. Once again, Jesus uses scripture against Satan and proclaims that you shall serve no one but God alone[4]. The battle is over; Jesus won, but it took everything from him. There he lies, weak, hungry, and human. The angles tend to His wounds, nourish Him, and help Him to his feet. Jesus displays his divine nature by defeating the devil but reminds us of His humanness through his frailty.

Temptation is Not a Sin

Jesus Christ was a sinless man who lived a perfect life on earth[5]. We cannot accomplish this but must strive to be like Him. Jesus is perfect, and Jesus was tempted. Temptation itself is not a sin. Let me repeat it: Temptation itself is not a sin; only acting upon it is the sin. Think about this in the practical sense. You catch a glance of a beautiful woman walking by and immediately feel shame for looking. God made beauty in the world, and there is nothing sinful in this acknowledgement, but once you continue that glance and begin to entertain the lustful thoughts that come to mind, sin plants itself. Or you may have a thought run across your mind of something hurtful to say about someone. They humiliated you in front of everyone at the office, and you feel tempted to say something in retaliation. The thought is not the sin; once it leaves your mouth, sin spreads through your words. God knows our temptations. He faced all of them while here on earth, yet he also knows that there is a way out and provides us the way[6]. There is no temptation too great to overcome, but the more it is entertained, the deeper its roots grow within our soul, and the harder it becomes to yank them out. Don’t let it take root; the deeper they grow, the sturdier the sin becomes.

Scripture Can Heal and Hurt

The devil knows God’s word, and he uses it here to tempt Jesus. To get Jesus to fall, he takes a verse out of context and twists it convincingly. The devil cannot create only God, and people can do that. The devil must use what is already created to find ways to hurt. In other words, he takes the truth and twists it. All sin is based on a pure and good thing. Lust is the twisting of a desire reserved for connecting lovers in a godly bound marriage. Greed is the burning need to accumulate things of good nature. Money is fantastic when used to provide security for your family, serve God, and help others. However, the unnatural desire for it can cause a good person to manipulate others to accumulate wealth. Food and drink are good and necessary, but if they interfere with your connection with God, it becomes sin.

Too often, people, some of whom are well-intentioned, use bible verses out of context, and the consequence is that they twist the truth of God’s word. In turn, they hurt others. We’re reminded of the dangers of this with Jesus’s interaction with the Devil. Satan uses scripture to tempt Jesus, but because Jesus knows the word thoroughly, he can refute them. We must all strive to develop our understanding of God’s word so that we do not fall into the devil’s traps. For example, many people will take the verse found in Matthew 7:1 out of context: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” This verse is often used to challenge Christians for judging others. However, when one examines the context in which Jesus is talking and considers the verses following it, they will see that Jesus is speaking about hypocritical judgment. In the following verses, Jesus claims that all should remove the log in their own eye before taking the speck out of others, and the measure in which they are judging others, they too will be judged[7]. So, to challenge others, they must first work to remove sin in their own life because they are held to the same standard. Jesus continues this further when he urges that people judge the teachings of false teachers who will be seen through the fruit of their work, and that those who do not follow his commands will be rejected from going to heaven[8]. Judgement here is reserved for those who are walking in the way of the Lord and who have removed their own sin so that they may see clearly how they can help others do the same. This is one of the reasons Jesus first runs to the wilderness to battle the devil before beginning his ministry. He first defeated the devil and conquered temptation before teaching others.

Battle Your Inner Demons

We must follow Jesus’s process when dealing with our own temptations. First, we must conquer our inner demons before setting out to destroy the devils of everyone else. All of us have an internal battle, constantly at war with ourselves. We do things over and over that disappoint ourselves and others. You do not know how you got there, but now it is time to pick up the pieces. Before setting out to better the world, begin with your world first. Is your house in order and set straight? Paul supports this notion when depicting the characteristics of a godly leader[9]. They must first be upright themselves and have their house in order. If a problem resides within yourself, your marriage, or your kids, that becomes priority before trying to change the world. God laid out the priority for our lives: First, serve God; then, our spouse; then, our children; then, our work; and then, our extended family and friends. It is not easy to follow this order, but doing so ensures that the proper attention is allocated to each and that you do not crumble from within. How can someone do a good job at work when their household is in shambles? It doesn’t matter how well you put on a poker face; the problems seep through and affect everything. Issues in your marriage affect every other part of your life. Anyone married for even a day knows this to be the case. Make things right at home, and then the world can use you; until then, stay home.

[1] Deuteronomy 8:3

[2] Psalm 91:11-12

[3] Deuteronomy 6:16

[4] Deuteronomy 6:13. Note that all three times Jesus refutes Satan, he uses scripture found in Deuteronomy.

[5] 1 Peter 2:22

[6] 1 Corinthians 10:13

[7] Matthew 7:1-5

[8] Matthew 7:15-23

[9] 1 Timothy 3:1-12. Here, Paul is speaking about leaders of the church, but the principles apply to all that seek to be Christian leaders. One cannot forgo the responsibilities of one's house to serve God. God wants your house in order.

Matthew 4:1-11: Reflection Questions

Reflect on these questions and use the spaces below to write down your thoughts.

What are the biggest temptations you face? What are some ways that you have successfully overcome those temptations? What else would help you overcome the temptations in your life?

What is one verse that you often use to support some action or belief? Go to that verse and read the surrounding verses for context. What is the original author trying to say? Find a few sources that talk about that verse. Is there more to it than you initially considered?

Matthew 4:12-25

King Herod the Great was the evil king who ordered all the babies to be killed in hopes of killing Jesus. After he died from his horrific illness, his kingdom was split into three, and a region was given to each of his sons. One of those was Herod Antipas, who threw John the Baptist into prison because John publicly criticized him for marrying his brother’s wife; he also feared a revolt because John had gained much popularity[10]. Jesus caught wind of this and withdrew to Galilee, the region that Herod Antipas ruled over. You would think that Jesus would run away out of fear of what happened. Instead, he goes right where the action is and begins preaching the same message as John – Repentance and the coming of the Kingdom of God. He stokes the fire, starting with preaching at his hometown, where people are enraged by his preaching and try to throw him off the edge of a cliff like Mufasa on The Lion King[11]. Jesus then sets up base at Capernaum, a city alongside the sea of Galilee, and continues preaching. He meets two sets of brothers and calls them to follow him. They drop everything in their life to follow him and bear witness to his many healings, miracles, and incredible teachings.

Answer when Jesus calls

Matthew makes a point to highlight how Jesus calls two sets of fisherman brothers. Jesus’s new home base, Capernaum, was near the Sea of Galilee. Jesus spent much time walking those parts, preaching. Simon (Jesus changes his name to Peter later) and Andrew are the first set of brothers called to follow Jesus, and they were familiar with him because of John the Baptist. Andrew was a disciple of John and introduced his brother Simon to Jesus[12]. John and James also knew Jesus before their commission. John and James were with him when he saved the wedding by performing the world’s greatest party trick – turning water into wine[13]. The critical piece to notice is that all these disciples knew Jesus before following him. Often, these stories are depicted as if a total stranger walked by them and asked them to follow Him.

Then, as if by magic, they spring to action and drop everything. No, they were well aware of who Jesus was at this point. They saw him perform miracles and were already studying under Him. When it comes to your faith, you may know who Jesus is and have seen some of the ways he has helped people. However, have you committed fully to following him? The disciples took time to get to know Jesus, but once he called them to follow him, they dropped everything and responded. Jesus gives us all the same offer: drop everything and follow him. You don’t know if there will be another chance to follow him, so if you hear that voice, if you feel that nudge, say yes and follow.

This does not necessarily mean you will lose everything, though you should be willing. Simon (Peter) had a wife and a home. He does not abandon her to follow Jesus. Instead, following Jesus was a repositioning of his heart. He was a good fisherman but became an even better fisher of people. Jesus used their passions, personalities, and skills for God’s plan instead of for their own gain. You have lived a full life up to this point. You have a particular personality, skill set, and passions, but are they being used entirely for God? You are called to follow Jesus; how do you respond?

[10] Lindsay, G. (1977). John the Baptist the Forerunner. Christ for the Nations.

[11] Luke 4:28

[12] John 1:40-42

[13] John 2:1-11

Matthew 4:12-25: Reflection Questions

Reflect on these questions and use the spaces below to write down your thoughts.

What is your personality, and what skills and passions do you have? Write several of them down for each. Next, ask yourself, how might these be used for God? How can he use you, just as you are, to further his kingdom?