Every mortal has this assurance, and every Christian believer this promise: God never turns a Test into a Temptation. That’s Satan’s endeavor every time God tests us. And he succeeds only with our co-operation, as James 1:13-15 makes clear.
A test, then, becomes a temptation when the experience has a negative influence on our spiritual life. WHICH is why Satan’s every test of Jesus in the Wilderness, and throughout Christ’s ministry, failed to become temptations to Jesus. He had no weakness Satan could exploit. AND Jesus, unlike Eve, always countered the Test with GOD’S WORD. Which thrashes Satan silly every time quoted since he has no answer to GOD’s WORD! In summary, then: God appeals to our strengths in every test, while
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Every sports team begins the year equally perfect:
Only competition determines:
The Upper Class dandies in Boston played at war after the Revolution, but only in comfort, performing ceremonies. Like them, Christians make good spiritual warriors:
But how strong is our Faith when the church Gathered breaks into the church Scattered?
Understand that antinomy exists when two statements, each contradictory to the other, agree perfectly when united. Such as: God’s sovereignty rules; and humans have freedom of choice. Or, Jesus is called the Lamb of God, but also the Lion of Judah.
One of the best examples of antinomy exists in Matthew 3:13-4:1. God in one statement declared Jesus his beloved, trustworthy Son, followed immediately by sending the Holy Spirit to drive/force the same Jesus into the wilderness to be tested/tempted by Satan. A strange destiny for the self-same Jesus of Nazareth: Only Begotten Son in one breathe, Prove Yourself as My Son in the next. But do not think that the Spirit DROVE Jesus into the wilderness—very forceful word—because Jesus didn’t want to go and wouldn’t have otherwise GONE! It instead means that God demanded the terrible ordeal Jesus experienced so he wouldn’t be spared the problems, temptations, difficulties, hardships that all mortals face in life. For as Hebrews 4:15 declares, Jesus as our eternal High Priest:
`From the Master’s experience we can learn that: since God tested Christ’s Perfection, he will certainly test our discipleship:
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