As a Christian gets older, the intensity and depth of temptation to sin grows. When younger, there was a lot to distract from temptation-career, building a family, education. The day-to-day was busy and, compared to older seasons of life, relatively easy.

However, as I am getting older (mid-fifties), I am beginning to see a whole new level of the same old sin in myself. You would think that the sin that has for decades been denied would give up, stop trying. But, I have found just the opposite. I think sin is going for the jugular and it was just biding its time. I could only imagine what the next 20-30 years will be like in the war against the flesh (Galatians 5:17).

What can we do? As our physical strength wanes, and the war intensifies, how can we be expected to be successful in the pursuit of holiness?

What Does Temptation Look Like?

First of all, we need to define terms. Most battles are won, or lost, on the definition of terms. If we don’t clarify these things, we will surely lose, even if we believe we are winning.

Sin

There are two aspects to “sin” that we need to understand. First of all, sin is any disobedience to the Word of God. When Adam disobeyed Yahweh’s singular command, “Eat of any tree in the garden, but don’t eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil,” he expressly disobeyed words spoken by God. Adam’s gross disobedience is what generated God’s anger and subsequent promised execution of punishment of the man and woman (Genesis 3:8-24).

Secondly, that disobedience defiled the image and likeness to God that the man and woman were to reflect. That is the heart of the matter. Disobedience to God’s Word is sin because obedience is the reflection of the nature of God. If I can put it another way, the Son would never disobey the Father, and neither should we. The Son’s love for Yahweh always produces obedience, even to the point of death on a cross (Philippians 2:8). It is this double-sided understanding of sin that we need to comprehend.

Temptation

Therefore, by the above definition of sin, we can see what temptation to sin really is: it is a solicitation to love something, or someone, more than God, leading to disregard for His Word. When we disobey the Word of God, it is because we love something (or someone) else more. When we love something else instead of securing our love for God, we will always disobey the Word of God.

Temptation comes in at the head of sin and lures us into that double-edged sword. It wants us to fall on that sword and die. Temptation woos us and chides us, or does anything it wants to do in order to steal our love away from God.

Whether it is a temptation to steal, or to commit sexual unrighteousness, or to hate, or to slander, or get drunk, or any number of other sins, the tempter draws us away from our allegiance to God, His Word, and draws us into love for him.

This is what is happening when we are tempted. The world, the flesh, or the Devil coordinate assaults on us, sometimes in Napalm fashion, or sometimes in water torture fashion, one slow drip at a time, attempting to magnetize us to that iniquity so that we might interrupt our love for God.

The Way of Escape

No temptation has overtaken you but 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 provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.  (1 Corinthians 10:13, LSB)

When we are being tempted to sin, the Lord sees. Just as in the garden, He knows when we are being tempted away from our love for Christ. Psalm 139 states:

139:1 O Yahweh, You have searched me and known me.

2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

You understand my thought from afar.

3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down,

And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.

4 Even before there is a word on my tongue,

Behold, O Yahweh, You know it all.  (Psalm 139:1–4, LSB)

The intimacy with which God is involved with us is astounding. In Israel, He was present in the Tabernacle and the Temple as well as the camp (Exodus 33:9; Deuteronomy 23:14; cf. 2 Chronicles 5:13-14). In the church, He walks among us (Revelation 2:1), and even indwells us (1 Corinthians 5:15-20). He sees, and knows, every detail of us, even our own thoughts and motives. He sees when sin arises inside of us, and it attempts to remove us from our love for God.

That is why He “makes a way of escape.” He actively counters the temptation to sin by providing for us a way that we can walk away from, or even run away from, sin.

Or, to put it another way within the confines of our definitions above, God makes a way to ensure our love and obedience to Him. Every time, in every circumstance, and in every season of life, God personally interacts with us to strengthen our love for Him! What an astounding reality!

Temptations will always come (Matthew 18:7). They are all around us, and deep inside of us. They come in a myriad forms and perversions, and they appear to have enough intensity to cripple us.

However, even though there are temptations that are more than we successfully deny (1 Corinthians 10:13a), there is no power sufficient to resist God, and He is for us. To put it another way, “Greater is He who is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).¹

What Are These Ways?

The ways of escape that God provides are as varied and unique as the temptation to sin is. For Joseph, the way out was to run away (Genesis 39:6-12). For Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, the way out was to be willing to die (Daniel 3:16-18). For Christ Jesus, the way out was prayer (Luke 22:39-43).

Paul wrote that “God will make a way of escape.” That means that when you are tempted to sin, God is present there and sees that temptation. Therefore, instead of peering into the temptation to sin, look around for the way that God has provided an escape.

In the context of the Corinthians, verse 14 tells us what the way of escape was in light of their temptations to idolatry-flee! “Run away from idolatry, you Corinthians.” They were being tempted to continue in their temple rituals so that they might be able to participate in the meals which often accompanied the ritual.

Paul’s command to them, for their good and God’s glory (1 Corinthians 10:31), is to turn away from the nuanced forms of idolatry, and run towards Christ. That is, don’t eat a meal that is sacrificed to idols if that is presented to you, especially in light of the (appropriate) scruples of the weaker brother.

Conclusion

The temptation to sin is a real thing. And, as I said, the temptations intensify over time, as you resist them. Since sin cannot have you one way, it will try another way.

But, as Paul would say, run! Go the opposite direction from the temptation, even if you look like a fool, and are ostracized for your acts of resistance. The glory of God, and the security of your love for Him, are worth it.

1. I realize that this verse is speaking directly to the power of the Spirit of God vs the power of the false teacher. However, the power of the Spirit over the false teacher is such because of the fact that He is superior to him in every way, and is our strength just as much in times of temptations to sin. ↩