LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION

REF: Matthew 6:13 (KJV)

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever. Amen.

COMMENT

This prayer was taught by Jesus Christ on earth at the beginning of his ministry. He was requested by his disciples to teach them how to pray. He is quoted verbatim and I think the disciples repeated the prayer word for word as Jesus pronounced them.

Our main concern here is the last part of the entire prayer. Actually, it is verse 13 that I would like us to focus on it. The words, “lead us not into temptation”,are a petition to God not to allow temptation to come our way.

God allowed Satan to tempt his son Jesus while on earth. Adam and Eve were also given a chance to face the tempter in the Garden of Aden and they failed the test. Fortunately, Jesus, although was clothed in human body, did not succumb to the devil’s temptations. Jesus was obedient to God’s order not to disobey  but Adam did the opposite. Through Adam, we are born sinners because of Adam’s disobedience. However, through Jesus, we acquired the new nature of holiness because of his obedience. Our sins were forgiven on the account of Jesus Christ and we were declared righteous. 

We are now the true righteousness of God. Our identity was altered and we are now required to see ourselves as holy, although we may not be fully obedient to God. God in his wisdom looks at us through Jesus who is holy.He is our holiness. It is Jesus’ permanent status that matters not ours. We are fully inside Jesus’ righteousness and we are covered in his atoning blood.

We are created in the image of God and we are free moral agents able to make our decisions independently and free from our Creator. Due to this heavy responsibility, God allows us to face tests and temptations from Satan the enemy. We cannot fully grow up spiritually without the tests. Thanks for the tests. 

When we have failed or succeeded in the tests, we do not remain the same. We may grow up and our relationship with God is affected in one way or another. God is in the business of making us mature children of God. The bible says that all those who received Jesus, were granted the power to become the children of God. John 1:12. 

Growth is a process not an event, and therefore trials and temptations are constantly with us, as long as we are living on earth. God is always interested in our spiritual maturity and therefore has a good reason to lead us into temptations. God does not tempt anybody himself. He is the source of all good things and therefore, evil cannot be attributed to him.

In Romans 8:1, the bible says that, “there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit”. To achieve this desired level of spiritual growth, we must go through trials and temptations.

 Thanks to God Almighty because of all his people like Abraham, Job, Jacob, Moses and David; only to name a few, who faced many great tests and temptations but came out successfully and are declared heroes of faith. (See Hebrews 11).