But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Temptation comes not from outside pressure alone but when a person's own selfish desire and inclination draws him aside from good and from God, luring him with promised advantage. God tempts no one to evil, for evil entered through disobedience originating with Satan, while the drawing power lies within the heart itself. Temptation itself is not sin and cannot compel or defile unless the will consents and yields, so even the strongest temptation is no excuse for wrongdoing. When unholy desire is cherished it conceives sin in the heart before any outward act, and finished sin separates from God and brings forth ruin and death, while the one who endures receives the crown of life. Victory requires bringing the will and every impulse under God's control through reliance on Christ's strength, prayerful watchfulness, and fleeing the avenues of temptation at the start rather than lingering over them.
Meaning of the Words
The "own lust" in the verse means a person's own desire and inclination working from within, not something put upon him from God. It is the desire of the selfish heart, drawing the person away when cherished and followed. That includes self-love and self-indulgence, lustful passions, and unsatisfied, forbidden desires that entice toward sin and bring condemnation if yielded to.
To be drawn away is to be turned aside from virtue and real good by following those lusts and inclinations. It is to be drawn away from Jesus, refusing plain duty because it does not suit the inclination, and allowing the attraction of the world to allure from the service of Christ. It is to be turned from the true path cast up for the ransomed of the Lord, fixing the heart upon some attractive earthly object, as when Israel's leaders turned from the right way God had marked out and from the obedience they had pledged, with rebellion growing from what was working in their hearts.
To be enticed is to be lured by Satan's bait and caught in his snare, giving him the supreme affection of the heart in exchange for his worldly bribe. The enticement comes through deceptive allurements, beginning with transgression in what seem little matters and then presenting larger attractions to seduce fully from God, and through flattering presentations of the advantages to be gained by yielding to his suggestions. The bait may not be recognized as such until its consequences appear, including the loss of purity when passion rules reason and impulse rules principle, and such inducements lure into self-deception and death.
Source of Temptation
Temptation does not come from God, for He cannot be tempted with evil and He tempts no one to do evil. Evil, sin and death did not originate with Him but entered through disobedience originating with Satan, who cunningly entices people toward forbidden knowledge and unsatisfied desires for what God has not designed them to know, a pursuit that brings harmful experience and, as with Adam and Eve, loss of Eden. Each person is tempted when drawn away and enticed by his own desire, so temptation arises from within.
No one when tempted can truthfully say that God tempted him, and the excuse that God for special reasons directed him to take a sinful course, or that sinful conduct by one who claims to believe and teach the truth is what God would have done, is false. The drawing is by personal desire and corrupt lust from the fountain of the heart, exposing unholy sensual practices, impure thoughts and desires and adulteries, and those so drawn must guard against their own desires and cleanse the soul through Christ rather than blame God while ignoring the evil within. Unholy desire when allowed to conceive produces sin, and completed sin brings forth death, while the one who endures temptation and loves God shall when tried receive the crown of life.
Satan does the tempting, attacking at weak points and seizing upon every blessing bestowed and every trial permitted to tempt, harass and destroy the soul if given the least advantage. He works through united effort of evil angels and evil men to draw every servant of God away and separate him from God, the evil angels assailing him because they are alarmed that his influence is taking the prey from their hands, and evil men rebuked by his example joining them in the tempting work. Inward corruption and outward temptation act together, when personal desire draws the person away and entices him, giving Satan an advantage in the struggle for the soul. This enlisting of opposition lasts as long as Satan exists and Christianity has vital power, proceeding by alluring enticements and, when enticement fails, turning to compelling power and persecution to force the conscience.
Because the drawing comes from sensual affection and impulse of the heart, it takes hold from inside and entices even under superior light and warnings to unlawful intimacy, infatuation, coveting a neighbor's wife and unholy practices. Changing place, leaving the infatuating influence, or getting out of sight of the person does not change the affections and impulses, for the lust remains inside. Yielding in this way turns promise into deterioration from strength to weakness, quenches noble aspirations, destroys pure faith, makes the best days and years the worst, tramples God's law while claiming to do no sin, makes an idolater for love of a woman as Solomon did, prevents finishing the course with joy, and ends in moral ruin unless there is humbling, sincere repentance, forsaking of every sin, conversion, and cleansing of heart and thoughts.
Path From Desire to Death
Open sin is preceded by a gradual, often unseen inward decline in which God is no longer cherished in the thoughts, prayer is neglected, selfish thoughts and feelings gain control, carnal desires grow stronger, and proud self-sufficiency takes hold. Neglecting the spirit of Christ even once opens the way to further wrongdoing, until selfishness grows into a consuming passion and the mind is ruled by the enemy's principles. One wrong step can prepare the way for further wrongdoing, and indulged impulses can grow into destructive habits, separation from God, and apostasy.
Sin is consummated and condemnation incurred in the heart before any word or act, when unholy desire is cherished and a rebellious purpose is formed. When a person is thus drawn away and enticed, the walls are already broken down, purity already stained, integrity compromised, and innocence spoiled. Temptation has then prevailed and taken root to spring up and defile the whole man, and the outward sinful word or act is only the fruit of evil already rooted within.
Allowed desire when conceived produces sin, and completed sin brings forth death. Transgression changes character and makes further sin easier, separates the sinner from God and the channel of blessing, and brings punishment through its own consequences to ruin and death. The one who endures temptation and loves God shall when tried receive the crown of life. The remedy is to overcome in this life by guarding against one's own desires, by sincere repentance and forsaking of every sin, and by cleansing of the soul through Christ, so that the heart is made pure and the thoughts become pure.
In sensual temptation the heart fixes on an attractive earthly object, catches at the bait, and is caught in the snare, turning from the true path cast up for the ransomed. That lust gives Satan the supreme affection of the heart in exchange for his worldly bribe. Sensual affection and impulse of the heart draws the soul aside even under superior light and warnings, enticing to unlawful intimacy, infatuation, coveting a neighbor's wife, and unholy practices. Changing place or getting out of sight does not change the affections and impulses that remain inside. Yielding quenches noble aspirations, destroys pure faith, turns strength to weakness, makes the best years the worst, prevents finishing the course with joy, and ends in moral ruin, even to trampling the law while claiming to do no sin and becoming an idolater for love as Solomon did, unless there is humbling, sincere repentance, forsaking of every sin, conversion, and cleansing of heart and thoughts.
The same drawing operates in appetite and impurity, where a person is drawn toward indulgence by appetite and enticed, and yielding can enslave. An inherited appetite for stimulants can be continually urged toward indulgence, and when indulged it clamors for more; indulging wine or cider can cloud reason and let lust control to ruin, wasting energies to ruin both in this life and in the life to come. Dwelling in thought on scenes of impurity excites the imagination and starts a dangerous train of thought, passion is aroused, and the end is sin. This indulgence unfits the mind for usefulness and disqualifies it for spiritual exercise, destroys interest in the Bible, and leaves little place for heavenly things in the thoughts. Mastery of appetite strengthens moral power to resist other temptations, while continued surrender obstructs the perfection of character.
Temptation Does Not Compel Sin
Temptation itself is not sin, for sin comes only when a person yields to being drawn and enticed by personal desire. Temptation tests people during earthly probation and reveals what is in their hearts, while confidence in Christ and the power of His atonement enables firm standing and faithfulness to principle. It cannot ruin or defile the soul unless yielded to, so even severe circumstances and surrounding evil cannot damage one who keeps integrity and refuses consent. Those who stand fearlessly and firmly for God and the right, relying on the promises of the sacred word and defended by the armor of truth, will not be ashamed, for earth and hell have no power to triumph over them against all the fiery darts of the enemy.
Tempting is Satan's act, but yielding is the tempted person's own act of turning aside from virtue and real good by following lusts and inclinations. Satan presents evil as attractive and leaves the choice to the will, which can accept or refuse, and no one is obliged to yield but may gain daily victories by overcoming. No earthly power can force wrongdoing, because the will must consent and the heart yield before passion can rule reason and overcome truth and justice. With moral integrity even the strongest temptations are presented in vain, for not even all the host of Satan can force the tempted to transgress.
However great the pressure brought to bear upon the soul, transgression remains the person's own act, and it is not in the power of earth or hell to compel anyone to do evil and dishonor holy faith. Therefore the strongest temptation is no excuse for sin. Even Moses, whose burdens were very great and who was more severely tried than few ever will be, was not excused for his sin.
Every person and every Christian must meet trial and temptation, and even the best who ever lived have been grievously assaulted by Satan and his agents. Every servant of God is assailed through united effort of evil angels alarmed at losing their prey and evil men rebuked by godly example, seeking by alluring enticements to separate him from God. As the end nears temptations will be stronger and more seductive, and when alluring enticements fail a compelling power may be employed to force the conscience through persecution. Yet no one need yield, open the door of the heart, or invite Satan to enter, but under whatever circumstances may be happy by being true to God, for no power in earth or hell can compel anyone to sin. Temptation will last as long as Satan exists, with every inducement presented to lure the soul to self-deception and death, requiring greater faith and receiving Jesus Christ through the Word of God as preparation for eternal life.
Victory Over Temptation
Victory begins within, for temptation draws through one's own desire and must be met by victory over self, temper, and inclinations. The will must be brought into conformity with God's will and kept under His discipline. Not an impulse of nature, faculty of mind, or inclination of heart can be left uncontrolled, but each needs moment by moment to be under the control of the Spirit of God. Natural tendencies, including inherited and cultivated partialities, contain the seeds of moral death unless corrected and purified by divine grace through the Spirit, and self-love and self-indulgence expose the soul to temptation.
God has made ample provision so that those who rely on His strength need not be overcome and will never become the sport of circumstances, but may conquer however severe or unexpected the assault. Confidence in Christ and the power of His atonement enables firm standing against temptation, testing, and the revelation of what is in the heart. Only Christ's power can subdue selfishness when, by even once neglecting Christ's spirit, it grows into a consuming passion ruled by the enemy's principles. A vital connection with God is necessary to resist temptation and its effects, and since temptation with its inducements to self-deception and death will last as long as Satan exists, receiving Jesus Christ through the Word with greater faith prepares for eternal life.
Safety requires walking carefully and prayerfully before the Lord so that He directs every way. The prayer not to be brought into temptation is prayer that God will not permit circumstances where the desires of one's own evil heart draw into temptation. To pray it sincerely is to surrender guidance to God, refuse to insist on one's own chosen way, and wait to be led in safe paths. It is humble walking before the Lord, pleading in faith for God to direct every thought and control every impulse, guarding the spirit and exercising self-control under the greatest provocation.
One must not place oneself needlessly in the way of temptation, for every soul is surrounded by its own atmosphere and is unconsciously affected by contact with others, whether laden with love and piety or with unbelief and moral poison that can taint the life-blood before danger is perceived. Safety requires closing so far as possible every avenue by which the tempter may find access, refusing to linger to contemplate supposed advantages from yielding to flattering presentations, for venturing onto Satan's ground forfeits assurance of protection. Every precaution must shut out what leads into sin, for once in the dark streams the character has very little power to resist the clamors of passion. Impulse must be resisted at the start, since the will must consent and the heart yield before passion can rule reason, and one wrong step prepares the way for further wrongdoing until indulged impulses grow into destructive habits, separation from God, and apostasy.
Fleeing is required from every place of education where the soul is thus tempted and drawn away. The same drawing away includes cherishing unholy desire and forming a rebellious purpose to refuse testimonies that have borne the test for half a century, which stains purity, and when the faith of young men and women is unsettled they are left in mind and soul a prey to the seducing power of satanic agencies, including spiritualistic theories such as Living Temple working into the very holiest of holies of faith through ministers, physicians, and plausible presentations. It also includes dwelling on grievances, nurturing suspicion and bitterness, and speaking evil of others, which serves the enemy and can defile and weaken many. It includes lacking moral courage to rebuke one who makes evil practices appear harmless even when that person is a minister using pretenses and excuses, and yielding to selfish desires such as embezzling the Lord's goods into a course condemned by God.
Appetite illustrates the process, for a person drawn toward indulgence by appetite and enticed can become enslaved by yielding. Mastery of appetite strengthens moral power to resist other temptations, while continued surrender obstructs perfection of Christian character. Prayer without self-control and fruit is ineffective when the evil within one's own heart is ignored. Satan's inducements that lure to self-deception and death must therefore be met by shutting the door to indulgence.
Temptation comes not from outside pressure alone but when a person's own selfish desire and inclination draws him aside from good and from God, luring him with promised advantage. God tempts no one to evil, for evil entered through disobedience originating with Satan, while the drawing power lies within the heart itself. Temptation itself is not sin and cannot compel or defile unless the will consents and yields, so even the strongest temptation is no excuse for wrongdoing. When unholy desire is cherished it conceives sin in the heart before any outward act, and finished sin separates from God and brings forth ruin and death, while the one who endures receives the crown of life. Victory requires bringing the will and every impulse under God's control through reliance on Christ's strength, prayerful watchfulness, and fleeing the avenues of temptation at the start rather than lingering over them.
Meaning of the Words
The "own lust" in the verse means a person's own desire and inclination working from within, not something put upon him from God. It is the desire of the selfish heart, drawing the person away when cherished and followed. That includes self-love and self-indulgence, lustful passions, and unsatisfied, forbidden desires that entice toward sin and bring condemnation if yielded to.
To be drawn away is to be turned aside from virtue and real good by following those lusts and inclinations. It is to be drawn away from Jesus, refusing plain duty because it does not suit the inclination, and allowing the attraction of the world to allure from the service of Christ. It is to be turned from the true path cast up for the ransomed of the Lord, fixing the heart upon some attractive earthly object, as when Israel's leaders turned from the right way God had marked out and from the obedience they had pledged, with rebellion growing from what was working in their hearts.
To be enticed is to be lured by Satan's bait and caught in his snare, giving him the supreme affection of the heart in exchange for his worldly bribe. The enticement comes through deceptive allurements, beginning with transgression in what seem little matters and then presenting larger attractions to seduce fully from God, and through flattering presentations of the advantages to be gained by yielding to his suggestions. The bait may not be recognized as such until its consequences appear, including the loss of purity when passion rules reason and impulse rules principle, and such inducements lure into self-deception and death.
Source of Temptation
Temptation does not come from God, for He cannot be tempted with evil and He tempts no one to do evil. Evil, sin and death did not originate with Him but entered through disobedience originating with Satan, who cunningly entices people toward forbidden knowledge and unsatisfied desires for what God has not designed them to know, a pursuit that brings harmful experience and, as with Adam and Eve, loss of Eden. Each person is tempted when drawn away and enticed by his own desire, so temptation arises from within.
No one when tempted can truthfully say that God tempted him, and the excuse that God for special reasons directed him to take a sinful course, or that sinful conduct by one who claims to believe and teach the truth is what God would have done, is false. The drawing is by personal desire and corrupt lust from the fountain of the heart, exposing unholy sensual practices, impure thoughts and desires and adulteries, and those so drawn must guard against their own desires and cleanse the soul through Christ rather than blame God while ignoring the evil within. Unholy desire when allowed to conceive produces sin, and completed sin brings forth death, while the one who endures temptation and loves God shall when tried receive the crown of life.
Satan does the tempting, attacking at weak points and seizing upon every blessing bestowed and every trial permitted to tempt, harass and destroy the soul if given the least advantage. He works through united effort of evil angels and evil men to draw every servant of God away and separate him from God, the evil angels assailing him because they are alarmed that his influence is taking the prey from their hands, and evil men rebuked by his example joining them in the tempting work. Inward corruption and outward temptation act together, when personal desire draws the person away and entices him, giving Satan an advantage in the struggle for the soul. This enlisting of opposition lasts as long as Satan exists and Christianity has vital power, proceeding by alluring enticements and, when enticement fails, turning to compelling power and persecution to force the conscience.
Because the drawing comes from sensual affection and impulse of the heart, it takes hold from inside and entices even under superior light and warnings to unlawful intimacy, infatuation, coveting a neighbor's wife and unholy practices. Changing place, leaving the infatuating influence, or getting out of sight of the person does not change the affections and impulses, for the lust remains inside. Yielding in this way turns promise into deterioration from strength to weakness, quenches noble aspirations, destroys pure faith, makes the best days and years the worst, tramples God's law while claiming to do no sin, makes an idolater for love of a woman as Solomon did, prevents finishing the course with joy, and ends in moral ruin unless there is humbling, sincere repentance, forsaking of every sin, conversion, and cleansing of heart and thoughts.
Path From Desire to Death
Open sin is preceded by a gradual, often unseen inward decline in which God is no longer cherished in the thoughts, prayer is neglected, selfish thoughts and feelings gain control, carnal desires grow stronger, and proud self-sufficiency takes hold. Neglecting the spirit of Christ even once opens the way to further wrongdoing, until selfishness grows into a consuming passion and the mind is ruled by the enemy's principles. One wrong step can prepare the way for further wrongdoing, and indulged impulses can grow into destructive habits, separation from God, and apostasy.
Sin is consummated and condemnation incurred in the heart before any word or act, when unholy desire is cherished and a rebellious purpose is formed. When a person is thus drawn away and enticed, the walls are already broken down, purity already stained, integrity compromised, and innocence spoiled. Temptation has then prevailed and taken root to spring up and defile the whole man, and the outward sinful word or act is only the fruit of evil already rooted within.
Allowed desire when conceived produces sin, and completed sin brings forth death. Transgression changes character and makes further sin easier, separates the sinner from God and the channel of blessing, and brings punishment through its own consequences to ruin and death. The one who endures temptation and loves God shall when tried receive the crown of life. The remedy is to overcome in this life by guarding against one's own desires, by sincere repentance and forsaking of every sin, and by cleansing of the soul through Christ, so that the heart is made pure and the thoughts become pure.
In sensual temptation the heart fixes on an attractive earthly object, catches at the bait, and is caught in the snare, turning from the true path cast up for the ransomed. That lust gives Satan the supreme affection of the heart in exchange for his worldly bribe. Sensual affection and impulse of the heart draws the soul aside even under superior light and warnings, enticing to unlawful intimacy, infatuation, coveting a neighbor's wife, and unholy practices. Changing place or getting out of sight does not change the affections and impulses that remain inside. Yielding quenches noble aspirations, destroys pure faith, turns strength to weakness, makes the best years the worst, prevents finishing the course with joy, and ends in moral ruin, even to trampling the law while claiming to do no sin and becoming an idolater for love as Solomon did, unless there is humbling, sincere repentance, forsaking of every sin, conversion, and cleansing of heart and thoughts.
The same drawing operates in appetite and impurity, where a person is drawn toward indulgence by appetite and enticed, and yielding can enslave. An inherited appetite for stimulants can be continually urged toward indulgence, and when indulged it clamors for more; indulging wine or cider can cloud reason and let lust control to ruin, wasting energies to ruin both in this life and in the life to come. Dwelling in thought on scenes of impurity excites the imagination and starts a dangerous train of thought, passion is aroused, and the end is sin. This indulgence unfits the mind for usefulness and disqualifies it for spiritual exercise, destroys interest in the Bible, and leaves little place for heavenly things in the thoughts. Mastery of appetite strengthens moral power to resist other temptations, while continued surrender obstructs the perfection of character.
Temptation Does Not Compel Sin
Temptation itself is not sin, for sin comes only when a person yields to being drawn and enticed by personal desire. Temptation tests people during earthly probation and reveals what is in their hearts, while confidence in Christ and the power of His atonement enables firm standing and faithfulness to principle. It cannot ruin or defile the soul unless yielded to, so even severe circumstances and surrounding evil cannot damage one who keeps integrity and refuses consent. Those who stand fearlessly and firmly for God and the right, relying on the promises of the sacred word and defended by the armor of truth, will not be ashamed, for earth and hell have no power to triumph over them against all the fiery darts of the enemy.
Tempting is Satan's act, but yielding is the tempted person's own act of turning aside from virtue and real good by following lusts and inclinations. Satan presents evil as attractive and leaves the choice to the will, which can accept or refuse, and no one is obliged to yield but may gain daily victories by overcoming. No earthly power can force wrongdoing, because the will must consent and the heart yield before passion can rule reason and overcome truth and justice. With moral integrity even the strongest temptations are presented in vain, for not even all the host of Satan can force the tempted to transgress.
However great the pressure brought to bear upon the soul, transgression remains the person's own act, and it is not in the power of earth or hell to compel anyone to do evil and dishonor holy faith. Therefore the strongest temptation is no excuse for sin. Even Moses, whose burdens were very great and who was more severely tried than few ever will be, was not excused for his sin.
Every person and every Christian must meet trial and temptation, and even the best who ever lived have been grievously assaulted by Satan and his agents. Every servant of God is assailed through united effort of evil angels alarmed at losing their prey and evil men rebuked by godly example, seeking by alluring enticements to separate him from God. As the end nears temptations will be stronger and more seductive, and when alluring enticements fail a compelling power may be employed to force the conscience through persecution. Yet no one need yield, open the door of the heart, or invite Satan to enter, but under whatever circumstances may be happy by being true to God, for no power in earth or hell can compel anyone to sin. Temptation will last as long as Satan exists, with every inducement presented to lure the soul to self-deception and death, requiring greater faith and receiving Jesus Christ through the Word of God as preparation for eternal life.
Victory Over Temptation
Victory begins within, for temptation draws through one's own desire and must be met by victory over self, temper, and inclinations. The will must be brought into conformity with God's will and kept under His discipline. Not an impulse of nature, faculty of mind, or inclination of heart can be left uncontrolled, but each needs moment by moment to be under the control of the Spirit of God. Natural tendencies, including inherited and cultivated partialities, contain the seeds of moral death unless corrected and purified by divine grace through the Spirit, and self-love and self-indulgence expose the soul to temptation.
God has made ample provision so that those who rely on His strength need not be overcome and will never become the sport of circumstances, but may conquer however severe or unexpected the assault. Confidence in Christ and the power of His atonement enables firm standing against temptation, testing, and the revelation of what is in the heart. Only Christ's power can subdue selfishness when, by even once neglecting Christ's spirit, it grows into a consuming passion ruled by the enemy's principles. A vital connection with God is necessary to resist temptation and its effects, and since temptation with its inducements to self-deception and death will last as long as Satan exists, receiving Jesus Christ through the Word with greater faith prepares for eternal life.
Safety requires walking carefully and prayerfully before the Lord so that He directs every way. The prayer not to be brought into temptation is prayer that God will not permit circumstances where the desires of one's own evil heart draw into temptation. To pray it sincerely is to surrender guidance to God, refuse to insist on one's own chosen way, and wait to be led in safe paths. It is humble walking before the Lord, pleading in faith for God to direct every thought and control every impulse, guarding the spirit and exercising self-control under the greatest provocation.
One must not place oneself needlessly in the way of temptation, for every soul is surrounded by its own atmosphere and is unconsciously affected by contact with others, whether laden with love and piety or with unbelief and moral poison that can taint the life-blood before danger is perceived. Safety requires closing so far as possible every avenue by which the tempter may find access, refusing to linger to contemplate supposed advantages from yielding to flattering presentations, for venturing onto Satan's ground forfeits assurance of protection. Every precaution must shut out what leads into sin, for once in the dark streams the character has very little power to resist the clamors of passion. Impulse must be resisted at the start, since the will must consent and the heart yield before passion can rule reason, and one wrong step prepares the way for further wrongdoing until indulged impulses grow into destructive habits, separation from God, and apostasy.
Fleeing is required from every place of education where the soul is thus tempted and drawn away. The same drawing away includes cherishing unholy desire and forming a rebellious purpose to refuse testimonies that have borne the test for half a century, which stains purity, and when the faith of young men and women is unsettled they are left in mind and soul a prey to the seducing power of satanic agencies, including spiritualistic theories such as Living Temple working into the very holiest of holies of faith through ministers, physicians, and plausible presentations. It also includes dwelling on grievances, nurturing suspicion and bitterness, and speaking evil of others, which serves the enemy and can defile and weaken many. It includes lacking moral courage to rebuke one who makes evil practices appear harmless even when that person is a minister using pretenses and excuses, and yielding to selfish desires such as embezzling the Lord's goods into a course condemned by God.
Appetite illustrates the process, for a person drawn toward indulgence by appetite and enticed can become enslaved by yielding. Mastery of appetite strengthens moral power to resist other temptations, while continued surrender obstructs perfection of Christian character. Prayer without self-control and fruit is ineffective when the evil within one's own heart is ignored. Satan's inducements that lure to self-deception and death must therefore be met by shutting the door to indulgence.