Question: Why are we are instructed to pray: “lead
us not into temptation”? Does God ever lead people into temptation so that we
need to ask Him not to?
“Lead us not into temptation” is part of the Lord’s Prayer, found in
Matthew 6:13 and Luke 11:4 (a shorter version). The answer to the question is
found both in the word translated “temptation”
and in the remainder of the sentence in Matthew 6:13—“but deliver us from
evil.”
The word peirasmos in the Greek New Testament
translated into English as “temptation”
actually means “testing,” or “trial”—in the sense of difficult circumstances.[i]
This unfortunate error in translation shows up in the earliest English
translations of the Bible, and seems to be perpetuated now mostly because of
its familiarity. This is a classic example of the truth that God’s Word is
inerrant; translators and translations are not.
Nevertheless,
the practice of sound biblical interpretation makes Jesus’ meaning clear even
where the translation muddies the waters a bit. We know from the clear teaching
of Scripture as a whole that God never tempts anyone to sin:
James
1:13-14 When
tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted
by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they
are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.
James uses the same word
translated “tempted” as Jesus does in
the Lord’s Prayer. James, however, qualifies the word to indicate trials arising
from one’s own “evil desires.”
From beginning to end, the Lord’s
Prayer is a brief and practical guideline on how to pray effectively. “Lead us not into testing” recognizes on
the one hand that life is full of difficult circumstances that God will use to
test our spiritual development:
1Cor.
10:13 No temptation [trial /
testing] has overtaken you except what is
common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted
[tried / tested] beyond what you can
bear. But when you are tempted [tried / tested], he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
On the other hand, while such
trials in life are to be accepted when they come with a joy in knowing that God
will strengthen us through them (James 1:2), we do not need to seek them out.
Asking God, “lead me not into temptation
[testing]” is tantamount to praying, “Lord, please teach me what You want me to
learn through some other means, if possible.”
The remainder of the sentence in
Matthew 6:13—“but deliver us from evil”—likewise
recognizes that evil surrounds us and is often thrust upon us. Praying for God’s
deliverance at such times is not only acceptable; it is God’s will!
Eph.
6:16 In addition to all this, take up
the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of
the evil one.
[i] “The word
peirasmos (“temptation”) and its cognate noun rarely if ever before the
NT mean “temptation” in the sense of “enticement to sin” (whether from inward
lust or outward circumstances) but rather “testing” (cf. also on 4:1-12).”
—Comment on Matthew 6:13: EBC, In Loc.
No comments:
Post a Comment