To the previous blog post this comment was added:

Why is it that even when we acknowledge that we are powerless to stop sinning and can not do it ourselves, it still sometimes seems like it takes a long time until we are freed from the pull of that sin on us. For instance, God may free an alcoholic from the attraction of alcohol immediately, but another person struggling with the same issue may feel that attraction for many years or even his whole life. If this is so, then how can we tell if it us just us fighting against this sin (and asking God for help), or if we are looking only to God to deliver us? And if we are only trusting God to deliver us, what do we do with the temptation in the meantime?

Good questions...not sure I have complete answers to all of them. A couple things that came to mind though and it ended up being much longer than a single comment and so I decided to add another post.

It is important to make a distinction between temptation and sin. If Matthew 4:1 means anything, it must mean that Jesus understood what Satan was offering, desired the end result (physical sustenance, glory to God, universal rule), but was not willing to attain those good ends through sinful means. All that to say, temptation is not sinning.

When does a temptation become a sin? Well, I would say that depends on three things-motive, action, and desired end. If any one of those three does not align with the will of God, then a person has sinned. In the case of Jesus, Satan was asking Jesus to avoid the incarnation (by avoiding hunger), avoid the cross (by bringing glory to God in another way), and avoid submission to God (by submitting to Satan). In all three cases, the action is not necessarily sinful nor is the desired end-but the motive would be and thus all three would have resulted in sin if Jesus had continued in them.

Jesus, of course, in Matthew 5 ups the ante and states that even if we don't act upon our temptations but simply cuddle with them in our hearts or minds, then we are sinning. When we dwell upon our temptations we are, in essence, desiring that we could do them-whether we do or not. This is sin.

That is why God calls anger at our brother murder. It is not because we are never to get angry at others. The anger that is generated because our selfish whims aren't being met is easy to call sinful. But when injustice is done, if we are to reflect who God is, then we will be angry with both the injustice and those who bring it about. However, if we are to continue reflecting God, then even in the midst of our anger, we will provide a means for redemption and reconciliation. When we withhold that, we are no better than murderers because our desired end is not the redemption of the person.

So, let's get back to those questions. 'If this is so, then how can we tell if it is just us fighting against this sin (and asking God for help), or if we are looking only to God to deliver us?' I think a pretty consistent case can be made from Scripture that when we throw ourselves before the Lord to deliver us from temptation, that He will do that. But never does God promise anywhere in Scripture that we will not have temptation. Subsequently, a life filled with temptation is not necessarily a life filled with sin.

I can hear the next question: 'So what about that time when I asked God to deliver me from temptation and He didn't?' I can't answer for your life, but I know from my own life, that in those situations, if I am honest with myself, I asked God to deliver me from something where sin had already conceived and given birth in my heart. I had already committed the sin in my heart-I simply wanted God to stop me from committing the sin in action so that I might feel better about myself and my relationship to Him. He wouldn't allow that and, as I think of those moments, rightly so. If He delivered me at those moments, then I would blissfully continue in the belief that I could harbor sin in my heart so long as I didn't act upon it. I praise Him that He doesn't allow that.

'What do we do with temptation in the meantime?' For that answer, I'll turn to James and Peter. James tells us that we are blessed when we persevere because our trials are preparing us for a crown of life. Peter tells us that we actually ought to rejoice because these trials are proving our faith to be genuine which results in praise, glory, and honor for Jesus.

I guess, ultimately, my answer - and it is as challenging to me as it may sound to you - is to persevere and rejoice. God is preparing me for an eternity with Him. I cannot fully understand what that must entail - but He does. And I trust that the trials He allows me to go through are not without purpose in molding me into the child that He has created me to be.