Careful distinction must be made between temptation itself and the form
that the temptation may take. The appeal to a man’s natural desires
may change its form, but always, in every part of his nature, he will
be tempted while he is in this mortal body. The desire for beer which
leads to intemperance and sin is an appeal to a natural appetite. Sin
is moral, and does not reside in the physical appetites, which are
merely the channels for the temptation and sin. A man who has been
in bondage to drink may through the power of Christ completely lose
that desire and have no further temptation to that particular form of
appetite. But the temptation to intemperance remains. For the natural
appetites remain. While the appetite may give up this taste or that,
and thus be dead to certain _forms_ of temptation, the Christian is
always liable to the temptation to go contrary to the will of God, in
satisfying these natural appetites of the body: hunger, the sacred
sex desire, and all the natural impulses of the body that may seek
expression in lawful ways.
The _Times_ reader compares his freedom from the temptation to drink
with the appeal that is made to him to get impatient. But strictly
speaking, one is never tempted to be impatient. No one desires to be
impatient, and Satan could not use any incentive to such a temptation.
Yet we sometimes speak of these temptations to irritability, jealousy,
loss of temper, as though there were some secret springs in our nature
labeled “Impatience,” “Irritability,” and like qualities, and that
the temptation consisted in Satan touching these springs and causing
the sin. A business man does not lose his temper for the sake of the
pleasure it gives him. It may be an intense desire to have justice that
has led to his outbreak against some one who has dealt unfairly. The
temptation has come along the line of some natural desire. So with the
housekeeper who is irritated with her maid over some bit of stupidity,
or the young girl who is “blue” and moody because her plans for the
day’s enjoyment have been upset.
Temptation Remains――Its Form Changes
Thus it is that while a Christian who yields utterly to God and accepts
Christ as his victory may instantly be free from even the temptation
to drink, or to smoke, or to indulge in worldly amusements, or to
do a hundred and one things that he has been accustomed to do, the
temptations to the root-sins of lust and covetousness and pride _will
remain with him_. They will take more subtle forms. Satan cannot tempt
him now in the grosser, worldly way. He will now take advantage of this
one’s very zeal for God, and will make appeal to his earnest devotion
to God’s service to lead into sins of impatience and irritation and
jealousy and pride.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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