There is no state of grace that can be reached on earth which will
guard a man from being tempted. The Victorious Life is a life of
victory over temptation, but not a life of freedom from temptation.
Many a young Christian in the first flush of joy over new-found victory
has somehow felt that this glorious new liberty was indeed freedom
from temptation. For certain temptations have been taken completely
out of the life. Perhaps it was the taste for tobacco, and the desire
for smoking has been taken away. Or the questionable “border-line”
amusements (questionable only to border-line Christians),――dancing and
cards and the theater,――have completely lost their attractiveness and
offer no temptation.
But suddenly, some day, temptation strikes from an unexpected quarter,
and failure comes. It may be all over in a moment, but sin has
entered. Perhaps it was a sudden flash of impatience, or irritation,
or jealousy. Satan, close at hand, cunningly whispers, “You never had
the experience of the Victorious Life.... And you never will.” Or he
whispers that still more cunning word, “This higher life business is
all a mistake.” And so the soul that has taken Christ as victory is
often plunged into discouragement when the truth dawns that in the
Victorious Life _temptations multiply_.
In this problem of temptation in the Victorious Life, as in every other
conflict with our great Adversary, our safety must be found in the Word
of God.
“Can a Dead Man Be Tempted?”
A common error regarding temptation in the Christian life is the belief
that temptation is directed against a “sinful nature” within us. Some
months ago there was discussed in Notes on Open Letters in _The Sunday
School Times_ the question of an earnest seeker who had taken Christ as
his victory and was puzzled by this matter of temptation. He wrote:
How should temptation affect us? Christ had no sinful self
in his temptation to contend with. Adam before the fall had
not his sinful self to contend with; but we, since the fall,
have a sinful self, even though we are in victory, if I
understand rightfully. In Romans we read that the old man is
crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed,
that henceforth we should not serve sin, for he that is dead
is freed from sin. If we are dead why should evil thoughts or
temptations of any kind find in us the slightest desire of
yielding to them? What should be the effect of feeling them?
A dead man has no life, has he?
Temptation is never aimed against a dead man, nor against evil in a
man. There is no meaning in “tempting evil.” There is no need for
Satan to direct attacks against that which is already on his side. It
is because we are alive and have power to sin that we are exhorted to
reckon ourselves dead to――separated from――sin, not dead to temptation.