Temptation Is Not Sin — Understanding the Battle
Beloved, the moment a person is born again the battle does not end; it intensifies. The old nature remains, the world still presses its claims, and the devil still walks about as a roaring lion. Yet many sincere saints are needlessly discouraged because they have confused the presence of temptation with the commission of sin. Scripture draws a sharp line between the two, and that line is one of the great comforts of the Christian life. Jesus Christ “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). He felt the full weight of hunger, the attractiveness of power, and the pressure of the devil’s suggestions, and yet He never once yielded. If the Son of God could be tempted and remain sinless, then temptation itself is not sin. The apostle Paul likewise spoke with painful honesty about the ongoing conflict inside the believer: “For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do” (Romans 7:19). He did not pretend the struggle disappe...