Some of the key points from Part One
- Temptation is inevitable – it is “common to man”
- It is not a sin to be tempted. Jesus was tempted in all points as we are, but without sin
- Temptation has its origin in our own desires, which may not be a bad thing in its proper context, but through enticement it draws us into areas where we shouldn’t be
- Temptation comes in three main categories – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful the pride of life
The Conscience
My definition of conscience is the mental and spiritual faculty of man which bears witness within him as to what is right and wrong.
We experience the effects of our conscience when we try to go against its dictates; then it warns us by producing feelings of guilt. Ever since Adam and Eve desired to be like God, knowing good and evil, man has relied on his conscience to make moral judgments. Unfortunately, sin has corrupted man’s conscience.
The conscience, or an individual’s sense of right and wrong, has both a spiritual and a psychological part to it. There is a spiritual sense within all human beings, a “knowing” what is good and true versus false. For example, Romans 1:18-21 tells us that every person has an inward witness or knowing that there is a God.
However, conscience is also a part of our upbringing and training. That voice inside that inherently knows good and evil can be trained out of a person. This “training” comes from our parents, our peers, our experiences, and from what society as a whole accepts as right and wrong.
As a result, every person has a different “internal rule book”. The little pangs of guilt you feel when you consider violating one of your internal rules are called scruples.
The Bible describes a number of different types, or perhaps states, of the conscience:
Good/Pure Conscience
Acts 24:16 This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.
A good conscience toward men would mean living within the acceptable as far as the society you live in is concerned. A good/pure conscience is also one that has not been violated. What is acceptable in some societies is not in others. A good conscience toward God means living our lives according to the Word of God – a much stricter code than the world’s. But the world expects us to live up to God’s standards, even if they don’t.
Weak Conscience
1 Corinthians 8:7 However, there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.
A weak conscience is an overly sensitive conscience. This person can hardly do anything without feeling guilty. Usually this is because the person has had a legalistic upbringing, or just has a bad self image.
Defiled Conscience
When you violate your conscience and go against its warnings, it will become defiled. It produces guilt, which makes you feel “dirty”. Picture a pool of water with a muddy bottom: as long as you don’t disturb it, it looks clean and pure. But if you stir up the bottom, it becomes clouded and dirty looking – defiled.
Seared Conscience
1 Timothy 4:1-2 Now the Spirit expressly says that in the latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron…
The guilt produced by a violated conscience is like a punishment to ourselves, to keep us from repeating the act that triggered it. If a person continues to violate his conscience in the same area, he will build up a resistance to the guilt. Like flesh that has been burned and healed over with scar tissue, the feeling in that scar tissue is not as sensitive. The feelings of guilt become less and less until there are none.
Evil Conscience
Hebrews 10:22 Let us all draw near with a true heart in the full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Someone with an evil conscience doesn’t know the difference between right and wrong according to God’s word. They sin and don’t even know they are sinning (and probably don’t care). Their conscience isn’t bothering them, and allows them to do things which are evil in God’s sight (although not necessarily evil in man’s sight).
God uses our Conscience
Conscience can act like early warning radar for temptation. A temptation comes, and our scruples start pricking us. If we obey our conscience, we have won a victory.
In the world, the conscience is only as good as its training. But as Christians we also have the Holy Spirit inside to tell us what is right and wrong. Did you notice that after you got saved, you stopped doing some things, even though no person told you they weren’t right?
God is in the process of re-training our conscience. His main avenue for doing this is by revealing the Word of God to us. If we are contemplating doing something wrong He uses conviction. Conviction is not condemnation. Conviction is a realization that you’ve done wrong, but it always provides a path to follow, a way out. Condemnation calls you worthless and gives you no hope. The Holy Spirit uses our conscience to convict us, but never to condemn us.
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
The Gray Areas
People have different concepts of right and wrong. Some things are spelled out for us in the Word of God (for example, the ten commandments), others are cultural things, and are therefore in a gray area.
1 Corinthians 6:12 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful (profitable). All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
Most anything which is OK in moderation can become wrong in excess, because you’ve come under the power of it – it has control over you. For example, smoking is not prohibited directly in the Bible. Yet it is not profitable for your body, and nicotine addiction is bondage. Conclusion: don’t smoke.
Secondly, many Christians equate smoking with sin. I remember talking to a minister who made a comment about another church: “They’re born again, but they don’t know anything about holiness – you can see them puffing away in front of the church after service.” If someone gets born again I don’t tell them they have to quit smoking. I let the Lord tell them that. Usually they don’t have the ability to quit right away anyway, and it would just produce a guilt they don’t need to have at the beginning. Do you condemn a baby for soiling its diapers? No, you give them a chance to grow before you tackle potty training.
There is a whole passage of scripture in 1 Corinthians 8 that deals with the subject of doing things that might be perfectly OK for you, but might be looked upon as wrong by someone with a weaker conscience. The key is in vs 9: “But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.”
If someone else thinks something is a sin and sees you doing it and saying it’s OK, they might try to do it also – and be condemned by their own conscience. You’ve become a stumbling block to them; you’ve encouraged them to do something they believe is wrong.
For example, the drinking of wine is not prohibited in the Bible (getting drunk is). Even Jesus drank wine, to the extent that he was accused of being a “wine-bibber”. But there are many Christians that view the consumption of any alcoholic beverage as a sin – even to the extent that they say Jesus really turned the water into grape juice. So in certain parts of this country, with our background of prohibition, alcohol is looked upon as wrong. However, if you go to Europe, wine is a regular part of their diet.
What to do? When I went to Bible school, the founder’s father was an alcoholic that abandoned his family when the founder was only 5. So they had absolute strict rules about no alcohol consumption, and I obeyed those rules while there. Even afterwards, I made the decision that I didn’t want to be a stumbling block to anyone, so I don’t drink liquor, with perhaps the exception of taking a couple sips of champagne at a wedding toast, or communion wine at a church that uses real wine.
There is a balance to be had. You can’t try to change your lifestyle to match everybody’s idea of right and wrong – you’d go nuts!
1 Corinthians 10:29 Conscience, I say, not your own, but that of the other. For why is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience?
The best thing in these cases is to “do as the Romans do”. When you are in someone’s presence, do not do something that would offend them. When you are on your own, follow your own conscience.
Dealing with Temptation
1 Corinthians 10:12-13 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
13 No temptation has overtaken you except 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 also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
No person is above temptation – even Jesus was tempted. Those who look down on others arrogantly because they are tempted are in danger of falling themselves.
“Temptation” here uses the same Greek word peirasmon as used in James 1, referring to a temptation, test, or trial. “Overtaken” means something that has you in its grip. “Common to man” means the type of thing to which mankind is continually subject, not something beyond human resistance. Satan has no new tricks – someone somewhere has gone through the same thing before.
God is faithful not to allow us to be tempted beyond our ability to resist. With every temptation that the devil (or our own lusts) throw at us, God will provide a way out. What we need to do is look for the exit sign!
No matter what situation you are in, God is faithful to provide you with an escape route – something that is possible for you to take. I’m not saying it will be easy – God’s way is rarely “easy”. God is faithful to provide the way of escape, but we must walk through it. He does not go on infinitely providing escape routes if we ignore them.
God’s Way of Escape
God’s way of escape will always involve faith and trust.
God’s ways also involve peace. If there is a lot of pressure to make a decision on something immediately, it’s probably not God. (Isa 28:16) He that believes will not make haste.
God’s ways do not involve condemnation, even when you’ve sinned. Our heart can condemn us (1 John 3:19-20), but God does not. He is greater than our heart and knows all things – He even knew that we were going to sin before we did it.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
Temptations almost always begin with a thought, appealing to a desire. It is much easier to deal with a temptation at this early stage, but often we don’t see the need to actively resist it immediately. Not every thought in your head is your own. 1 John 4:1-6 talks about testing the spirits, to see if they are from God. We can do the same with our thoughts. We “test” them by measuring them against the Word of God.
Since one of Satan’s tactics is to mix a little truth with a lie, we need to evaluate a thought by taking it to its conclusion; i.e., what would be the end result if it were carried out to its full fruition? Then we can apply the test of John 10:10:
John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly.
If the thought doesn’t “measure up”, put it on reject!
For example, someone may be under condemnation because they have not been able to quit smoking since they were saved. But it really turns out that the condemnation was more harmful to the person’s Christian walk than the fact that they were still smoking. Don’t worry about it; God will deal with it at the proper time (I speak from experience).
Don’t identify with the sin, externalize it. Even though the source of the temptation might be one of your own desires, treat it as if it were coming from Satan, an external source.
In Romans 7 Paul describes a man who is trying to combat sin in his own strength, as a man under the Law. But even as he struggles, in verses 17 and 20 he says, “But now, it is no longer I who do it, but the sin that dwells in me.” As born again believers, we should see sin as an external force from our spirits, rather than “dwelling in us”.
Romans 6:6-7 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
7 For he who has died has been freed from sin.
Romans 6:11-12 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.
Let us illustrate with an example; say your particular problem is a hair trigger temper (we don’t have anybody like that, do we?). Internalizing the problem would be saying, “I have a problem with my temper. I can’t control it”. Externalizing the problem would be to say, “I’m a new creature in Christ; my old man has passed away. I am dead to the sin of a bad temper. My flesh may try to rise up, but that is not the real me.” Now this may seem to be just playing mind games, but it’s not. In the first case, you’re resigning yourself to act a certain way, because “that’s the way I am”. Externalizing the sin gives you opportunity to change. And it really is true – you are dead to sin, you just might not know it yet!
Only after you’ve reckoned yourself dead to sin will you be able to obey verse 12 – “and do not let sin reign in your mortal body.”
Preventative Maintenance
There are some things we can do to make us stronger to resist when temptation comes.
Hide the Word in your heart
Psalms 119:9-11 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.
10 With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You!
Hiding the Word in your heart enables you to know the difference between right and wrong, and gives you the power to choose the right.
“Hiding the word in your heart” means more than just reading your Bible, although it involves that. You must understand and receive the Word.
In Mark 4:1-13 Jesus tells the parable of the sower. In vs. 14-20 he gives the explanation: the seed is the word of God, the ground is our hearts, how we receive the word determines what type of soil we are, and what type of soil we are determines what kind of harvest that word will produce in our lives.
Typically Christians think of this parable in the context of how someone unsaved responds to the gospel. It definitely includes that, but it is much more. It covers any subject in the word of God that we hear.
Mark 4:14-20 The sower sows the word.
15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.
16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble.
18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word,
19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
What we also see in this passage is that there is opposition to the seed, an adversary whose goal is to stop the word from producing a harvest in our lives. It is Satan, introduced in vs. 15. The parable describes the tactics he uses to steal the word.
In vs. 14, Satan comes immediately to steal the word. A parable passage in Matt 13:19 says when someone hears but doesn’t understand it, Satan comes immediately to steal it away. The seed never had a chance to penetrate the soil.
In vs. 16-17, the seed penetrates the soil, but it is shallow, it has no root. It springs up a shoot right away – you get excited about what you hear. But then Satan uses his tactic – afflictions or tribulations and persecutions which come for the word’s sake. It’s after the word. Why? Because the word hidden in your heart will give you power and ability. It will make you dangerous to the devil.
These people, although they get excited about what they hear, have no root in themselves – that word has not been established in them. So when the opposition comes, they are caused to stumble and fall away. They quit.
And verse 18 and 19 talk about those who just get too busy with life and neglect spiritual things, or get caught up in worry, or get too caught up in material things. These will sap your spiritual strength because they are a distraction from seeking first the kingdom of God.
Another side note on tribulations – many Christians believe they are sent by God to test us and to build character in us. But this verse says they are sent by Satan to steal the word.
Pray
Luke 22:40,46 40 When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
46 Then He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.”
You could look at verse 40 in a couple of ways. One, pray to God to give you the power not to fall into temptation. In the Lord’s prayer Jesus told us to pray “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13). That doesn’t mean that God might want to tempt us and we’re asking Him not to – James 1:12 establishes that God tempts no man. But we pray for God’s leading and guidance away from temptation and around the trouble spots; He can reveal to us the traps the devil has set for us so we don’t fall into them.
Second, the act of praying and fellowshipping with God in and of itself gives you power and ability to resist temptation. The closer you get to God, the more He will rub off on you.
In verse 46 Jesus also asks the question, “Why do you sleep?” Spiritual apathy will make us susceptible to temptation. Getting involved with the things of God will also strengthen us. Not just church attendance (that is the bare minimum), but doing something for God.
Make no provision for the flesh.
If at all possible, avoid putting yourself in a position where you are likely to be tempted.
It’s easier to pass the grocery store than it is to pass the cookie isle. It’s easier to pass the cookie isle than it is to pass your pantry. It would be easier to resist going off your diet if your refrigerator wasn’t stuffed with a lot of fattening things you like.
Desire is ignited by what you look at. That’s what all commercial advertising is based on. If you go pouring over catalogs, or the internet, your desire for a thing will increase, and you may spend money on something you shouldn’t, or put it on a credit card (also speaking from experience!).
Affairs usually happen between people who already know each other: a neighbor, a friend, a coworker. The first steps seem somewhat innocent: engaging in conversation on a personal level. You start crossing the line when the conversation becomes too personal. Especially if you start complaining about your spouse, how they don’t appreciate you, etc. If you never let the conversation get too personal, then you’ll never get into the bedroom. And that personal conversation occurs because you’re somewhere alone or private with them.
Beware past associations you were involved with in sin. Some you might need to break off completely.
A reformed alcoholic should not try to go into the bars to witness to people right after he’s saved.
Conclusion
I hope this study has helped you. A key point you should take from it is to change your image from someone who is controlled by sin to a child of God made in His image, and infused with His character. This will give God the “breeding ground” necessary to effect true change in your life.
