Understanding the nature of temptation should sober us. It reminds us that no matter how good temptation makes sin appear, it’s a mirage. The temptation to be stingy is an invitation from Satan to resist the generosity that reflects Jesus. The impulse to click on pornography is an invitation from Satan to grieve God for a quick rush of lust. The urge to hurry your prayers and neglect Bible reading is an invitation to trust your wisdom over God’s. Temptation stokespride and tells you that you deserve to be at the center of the universe. Indulging in its fleeting offerings only leaves us empty and full of regret.

What Is Temptation?

We must understand sin, but we also need to understand temptation and how it relates to our sin. Maybe a few stories will help:

Sarah sighed as she glanced at her phone. It was another message from her coworker Brian. He was charming, funny, and dangerous—at least to her. She knew a date with him was off-limits because he showed little interest in Christianity. At the same time, she was tired of being overlooked by the single men at church. Brian, on the other hand, flirted with her and flattered her. This awakened something inside her that she enjoyed and wanted to pursue. But she knew she shouldn’t.

With situations like this in mind, the apostle James vividly describes how sin and temptation work: “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death” (James 1:14–15).

Sin acts as an angler who baits the hook with a deceptive lure. The lure then floats along in front of us, and our sinful flesh is enticed. We crave what God forbids and give ourselves convincing reasons to succumb: “One look won’t hurt.” “You’ll miss out if you don’t.” “It’s not a big deal.” “God will forgive you.” “Just this one time.” “You deserve this.”

If we surrender to our evil desires instead of God’s Spirit, then sin comes to fruition. Sin rewards us with an initial rush of enjoyment and sense of satisfaction. But that sense of fulfillment is eventually replaced with regret, which affords an opportunity for repentance. But if we resist repentance, sin’s influence in us grows like a cancerous tumor in the soul, and we can become calloused to God. Inevitably, death results.1

Temptation, therefore, is not a friendly voice but a deadly invitation. To better understand the nature of temptation, let’s consider what it isn’t and what it is.

Temptation Is Not Iniquity (Matt. 4:1–11)

Reid was plagued by anger. In heated moments, he had an impulse to punch tables—or worse, people. His background as a brawler was difficult to escape. But just because he was tempted with outbursts of anger didn’t mean he was sinning.

Scripture repeatedly warns us not to give in to temptation. For instance, God warned Cain, “Sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it” (Gen. 4:7). Likewise, Paul told the Ephesian church what my friend Reid needed to regularly hear: “Be angry and do not sin” (Eph. 4:26).

Scripture repeatedly shows us that temptation and sin are not the same. Jesus was tempted by Satan yet escaped without sinning (Matt. 4:1–11; Heb. 4:15).

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