We take a look at Matthew 6:13, a portion of The Lord’s Prayer. “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
However, we read in James 1:13 “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;”
So are these two verses contracting each other? Or are we misunderstanding something. So let’s look at the original words used in this Scripture.
1. Peirazō – verb meaning to test/try or tempt – two very different meanings
2. Peirasmos – noun meaning testing/trail or temptation – again, two very different meanings
How can I know the difference?
Identity: who is doing the test or the tempt. The devil tempts us into going against God’s word and will. God tests us – will we follow Him and do His will?
Motive: who is doing the testing or tempting. The devil’s motive in tempting us is to destroy us. God tests us to strengthen, guide and uphold us.
When we are facing Peirazō (temptation or test) we can look at that experience in two ways.
1. The devil tempting us to go against what we believe, what Jesus desires, what the Scriptures teach and what the Holy Spirit reveals OR
2. That God is using a temptation to test us, to strengthen us, to cause us to rely on Him more and more, to look to Him and to call upon Him in the day of trouble.
Testing and temptation go together in the Bible – they are the same word, but the identity of who is Peirazō”ing” us is the key. Are we going to listen to the one who wants to destroy us – the devil – or will we listen to the One who has saved us and desires to help and save us.
1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
In God is strength, and even when we fall and fail we are assured of finding and receiving His forgiveness through our faith in Christ and will be given the power to start over again.
“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” – what we are praying is – “Lord, let us not fall into the devil’s temptations but deliver us from the evil one and help us find our strength in you. Deliver us from what is evil and from the evil one. Deliver us from the power of the devil and help us to hold onto Your strength and power so that when we face trials we can face them with confidence because our eyes are on You!”
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