Temptation Can Be Blinding

Temptation

The first recorded story of temptation in the Bible is about Adam and Eve. God told them that they could eat from any tree in the garden except not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:16-17 says, “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’ ”

He gave them quite a lot of variety, didn’t He?

They didn’t follow the directive and they chose the temptation, violating the one thing that they were told not to do. Throughout history, humanity continues to choose temptation, though it may look a bit differently now. There are now hundreds of different types of temptations that people face. However, the one thing that all temptations have in common is that they all fall under the umbrella of disobedience and violating God’s character.

The concept of temptation starts by understanding that there is a standard of right and a standard of wrong. All people are required to follow some level of morality, this includes people of all religions, atheists and agnostics.

It’s interesting because if you press people, then you’ll soon learn that they have some form of justification for what they feel is right or wrong.

Atheists do not have any framework to point back to for their self-developing level of morality, or what they consider right or wrong behavior in life. If there is no God, then there is no standard of morality. Right? The only thing that is there is the governing system. Laws differ depending on what country or state you’re in, so how is there any absolute value with that?

Societal expectations change over the decades. Atheists have no true guidebook, which leads them to have to set their own form of moral code. Is this self-serving moral code? Does it make any difference? Do they follow their own moral code?

True application of Christianity on the other hand promotes standards that have purpose. Every right and wrong action traces back to the character of God, His heart, His embodiment on display. For example, the reason that God says that lying is wrong is because his character embodies truth, in part, because He is the Truth. The reason that God says adultery and sexual promiscuity is wrong is because God and his character embody faithfulness and purity. The reason that God says that stealing is wrong is because God’s character is to be generous and giving to all of His creation. All the other commandments all point back to His character which he wants us to emulate. God sets the moral code of humanity as a way of showing us the very best way to live fulfilling lives!

The Bible is not just a list of do’s and don’t’s as some tend to declare with strong distaste and hand-waving-dismissal. He sets the code of living for people so that they can experience peace and joy. The goal of the Word of God is for us to be able to bask in the character of a Holy Creator, who loves all that he has made.

Part of His display of love includes giving us the opportunity of free will to choose good or evil. When the temptation to do wrong in your life feels so powerful and blinding, remember that God offers to be your support by encouraging you to continue in worship, prayer, scripture meditation, and assembling with other likeminded believers.