It's easy to confuse sexual temptation with sexual desire. Desire requires active participation, but temptation is passive—not something a person actively brings upon themselves by conscious choice. When we face temptation, we must then choose whether to follow through on the temptation with action—or not. Though temptation itself is tied up with the complexities of original sin, how we respond to temptation is generally within our control. According to Augustine (354-430 AD), temptation arises when our flesh lusts against the Spirit (Galatians 5: 17). Because of this, temptation is not morally neutral. In other words, being sexually tempted is not the same as being thirsty or hungry or sleepy. For this reason, Christians should make an effort to understand the dynamics of their particular sexual temptations and make every effort to avoid sexual temptation.
Sexual temptation is one of the most troublesome forms of temptation, because modern culture constantly urges us not to take it seriously. But Jesus had strong words about lust, which is what happens first when we indulge sexual temptation:
"But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5: 28).
In the Lord's Prayer, He also taught that we should pray not to be led into temptation of any kind:
"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one" (Matthew 6:13).
Neither of Jesus' teachings, however, establishes temptation as sinful unto itself, but rather as a kind of doorway to sin. This distinction is important because Jesus Himself experienced temptation—and resisted it:
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:1–3).
How good are we at resisting temptation? Do we even bother? Or do we accept it as a "part of life" because we are "only human?" No Christian should view sexual temptation as something that is spiritually harmless. On the contrary, they should heed Apostle Paul's advice:
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 (1 Corinthians 10:13).
When sexual temptation comes, it is within the believer's power to flee it. Regarding temptation, Martin Luther once famously said: "You cannot keep birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.” This degree of self-control is within the Christian's reach. The Apostle Paul states:
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).
"Taking captive" means taking control of our thoughts, and especially where they wander next when we face temptation. Do we cut our thoughts off—literally interrupting them—before they become lustful? Or do we allow the thoughts come and "nest in our hair?" While temptation may feel beyond our control, where there is temptation, sin is always lurking nearby. Temptation always calls for heightened vigilance, as the Apostle Peter warns:
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).
—by Rick E.
Rick is the director of Free in Christ Ministries.
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