Topical Collection

Temptation

Temptation works largely by lying, and these passages take the lies apart one at a time. The first lie is that you're uniquely broken — that whatever you struggle with is rarer and more shameful than what others face. Paul answers flatly: no temptation has taken you except what is common to man. Isolation is the most effective tool in the arsenal, and that sentence removes it. The second lie is that resistance is futile, that the outcome is already decided and you're just going through the motions. Scripture insists there is always a way of escape — something concrete, an actual exit — which means part of resisting is looking for the door rather than negotiating with the pressure. The third lie is the cruelest: that having struggled, you should stay away from God until you're presentable again. Hebrews says the opposite, and says it about a high priest who was tempted in all points himself. Come boldly. Come during, not after. That's what the throne of grace is for.