Again, there's the issue of the following:



Where's the possibility of yielding in this idea? Or the powerful influence to do a wrong action? Or the ordeal?

so you do not see temptation and desire as two separate things?

did Christ toy with temptation as we do?

Tom, here are the definitions of ALLURING:



In other words, 1. One can find a temptation alluring or tempting, or 2. One can make a temptation alluring or tempting.

Satan made the his temptations as alluring as possible, and of all the temptations,

BUT! That DOES NOT mean that Jesus found these temptations that Satan presented as alluring as he possible could, tempting or alluring. Clearly He did not, for she says ~



Those powerful temptations, the strongest ones Satan could bring upon Christ, found NOTHING within Christ that responded to them...they were repelled immediately...Christ saw them as they really were, not as Satan tried to portray them.

This needs to become and must become our experience - until it does, we are not safe to save. I believe with all my heart, that this is why Jesus has not come back yet, because His people are not ready....that is all He is waiting for.

Very important and critical point, Richard. Thank you!

I don't think so, Arnold...these don't sound like good, wholesome scenes~

We all could resist temptation to a strange, dark and evil thing. But Satan doesnt present that, he makes it according to what he thinks we might want, a beautiful fruit to taste for our pallete, a golden calf to dance before and have a party, a great position as the man who 'handled' Christ along with the money bag, none of it seemed evil. We might not be drawn to some sin or even change our mind and stay away from the temptation presented, but once the devil finds what we have let in our head or our tendencies, whether its curiousity, a beautiful body we want to show off, or intelligence which we want everyone to know we have, then he sets the trap. Christ didnt let these idle thoughts percolate in his mind which open you up to temptation and harden into desire, he had no evil tendencies because he never let them develop. We are not born with evil thoughts, but we let them grow as we let them creep into our minds and stay there...

I don't think temptations were alluring or enticing to Jesus in the same sense they are to unconverted sinners. His fallen flesh craved and clamored for sinful expression, but Jesus Himself was never inclined to sin. The temptations that bombarded Him from within and from without were repulsive to Him. There was nothing alluring or enticing about them. He never wavered between wanting to sin and not wanting to sin. The whole idea of sinning was disgusting to Him. Of course I'm here talking about temptations to indulge something inherently sinful, not to indulge doing something inherently right at the wrong time (i.e. heal someone).

Is this what you're saying? Or, are you saying something else?

I agree such scenes did not play themselves out in Jesus’ mind. I’m sorry you thought I said so. I also agree Jesus immediately recognized and resisted the temptations that bombarded Him. However, all temptations begin as unholy thoughts and feelings. We must be conscious of the fact we are being tempted in order to be tempted.

Temptations are not temptations if we’re unconscious of the fact. The boy in my example was disgusted by the images that passed through his mind. The idea of raping the girl was horrible to him. The images were not in the least alluring or enticing to him. This is the point of the story. Just because horrible thoughts and feelings pass through our mind it does mean we are guilty of sinning.

For example, I know a guy who, when he was a boy, the school bully beat his little brother to a pulp. He was on life support for nearly a year. He died several times and had to be revived. Although he was raised as a Christian, he was tempted to kill the bully. Visions of what he was capable of doing flashed across his mind. But he dismissed them as evil and unChristlike. In such cases people are not guilty of sinning, nor is the character corrupted or contaminated.

Do you agree?

On the mountaintop Satan offered Jesus a shortcut or alternate path that bypassed the cross. This was the same issue Jesus wrestled with in Gethsemane. The allurement, enticement consisted of doing something inherently right (i.e. redeeming sinners). The strength of such temptations were indeed incomprehensibly strong. Things that are inherently wrong were never alluring or enticing to Jesus. He resisted them without hesitation. Such temptations possessed no strength whatsoever. Thus it may be with us, yea, must be with us. In Christ it is so.

i believe this is what he was referring to...