PastorAIO:
The Nature of Temptation.



When I get tempted, I mull over the tempting act. I go through it in my mind, imagining myself doing it. Vicariously, I contemplate the pleasure of doing the act. Then I might resist the temptation and refuse to actually carry out the act.

This is my experience of temptation.

When I see a beautiful woman with nice gravity defying mammaries, a gluteus maximus to die for and curves and dips that tingle my imagination, already I've imagined all manner of lascivious actions. Hardly can a sexy girl pass by and I will not be thus tingled.

However I consider myself a disciplined man and I do not hardly ever follow through with these thoughts.

it is quite disconcerting to realise that Matthew 5:28 considers the contents of my imagination to be as sinful as my actions.

27You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.


This leaves me wondering about what the nature of Jesus' temptations were. Did Jesus too mull over the opportunities that the Satan was offering him?

If he did then was he guilty of sin by contemplation.?
And if he did not even once consider the Satan's offer then can it be called temptation.

Of course Satan is a separate being from Jesus so the tempting suggestions are externalised to him. However the rest of us humans are not so lucky. When we are tempted the temptations occur as thoughts in our own heads. If they were externalised as another person saying, 'olboy, look that yansh', it would be much easier to escape.

So the temptations of Christ and the temptations that we go through everyday are of a totally different nature. Can they even be said to be the same thing?

Now consider this:

12Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 13Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
James chapter 1

So if Jesus is God and God cannot be tempted then what can we say happened to Jesus in the wilderness? I believe that James is right when he says that temptation starts with your own desire. At least that is my experience.
So what is the nature of what happened to Jesus in the wilderness?

Ubenedictus:
i think the thinking part is discouraged particularly for the six commandment

Geist:
I too have always asked this question during my years in catechism, especially when it has to do with fornicating. The general explanations I got was that, sin generally involves three stages. The thoughts, the resolve to carry out the thoughts, and the action, that sin only comes in after the second stage, regardless of whether the actions are eventually taken. I personally am not satisfied with that explanation though, knowing fully well that even after resolving to carry out such acts one can still change his mind.

PastorAIO:



… Or one can perch delicately on the precipice, merely contemplating the thought and enjoying the contemplation. Fantasising can be so sweet.

In fact most pleasures and pains in life are rooted in conceits. We live in fear of things that haven't happened and possibly will never happen and we delight in things that haven't happened and also will possibly never happen. This fact has many economic implications.

Hope itself is a commodity. We can put a price on hope and buy and sell it. We can do this for pretty much any of our conceits because we experience them as if they were real.

Geist:
I too have always asked this question during my years in catechism, especially when it has to do with fornicating. The general explanations I got was that, sin generally involves three stages. The thoughts, the resolve to carry out the thoughts, and the action, that sin only comes in after the second stage, regardless of whether the actions are eventually taken. I personally am not satisfied with that explanation though, knowing fully well that even after resolving to carry out such acts one can still change his mind.

Geist:
It's not just discouraged, it's called a sin. And when one considers Mathew 5:28, the implications for Catholics is that it's in fact a motal sin.

PastorAIO:



… Or one can perch delicately on the precipice, merely contemplating the thought and enjoying the contemplation. Fantasising can be so sweet.

In fact most pleasures and pains in life are rooted in conceits. We live in fear of things that haven't happened and possibly will never happen and we delight in things that haven't happened and also will possibly never happen. This fact has many economic implications.

Hope itself is a commodity. We can put a price on hope and buy and sell it. We can do this for pretty much any of our conceits because we experience them as if they were real.

Ubenedictus:
once the resolve stage kicks in there is sin, even though u change ur mind later. But in issues like the 6 commandment even d first stage may be sinful.

Geist:
I too have always asked this question during my years in catechism, especially when it has to do with fornicating. The general explanations I got was that, sin generally involves three stages. The thoughts, the resolve to carry out the thoughts, and the action, that sin only comes in after the second stage, regardless of whether the actions are eventually taken. I personally am not satisfied with that explanation though, knowing fully well that even after resolving to carry out such acts one can still change his mind.

Ubenedictus:
once the resolve stage kicks in there is sin, even though u change ur mind later. But in issues like the 6 commandment even d first stage may be sinful.

Ubenedictus:
once the resolve stage kicks in there is sin, even though u change ur mind later. But in issues like the 6 commandment even d first stage may be sinful.

Geist:
Very true, but at times when one compares the effects of these thoughts and contemplations on the human body(or should I say the human psychology) with the action itself the differences greys out or becomes insignificant. Probably that was what Mathew was trying to point out.

PastorAIO:


Now consider this:

12Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 13Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
James chapter 1

So if Jesus is God and God cannot be tempted then what can we say happened to Jesus in the wilderness? I believe that James is right when he says that temptation starts with your own desire. At least that is my experience.
So what is the nature of what happened to Jesus in the wilderness?

PastorAIO:
The Nature of Temptation
When I see a beautiful woman with nice gravity defying mammaries, a gluteus maximus to die for and curves and dips that tingle my imagination, already I've imagined all manner of lascivious actions. Hardly can a sexy girl pass by and I will not be thus tingled.

However I consider myself a disciplined man and I do not hardly ever follow through with these thoughts.

PastorAIO:






This parable though …


"But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first, and said, 'Son, go work in my vineyard.' He answered, 'I will not,' but afterward he changed his mind, and went. He came to the second, and said the same thing. He answered, 'I go, sir,' but he didn't go. Which of the two did the will of his father?"

They said to him, "The first."
Matt 21

Ubenedictus:
yeah that parable, it didntt sayy the child didnt do wrong, it simply admitted he did right at the end.

i think its comparing apples and oranges.

PastorAIO:
The Nature of Temptation.



When I get tempted, I mull over the tempting act. I go through it in my mind, imagining myself doing it. Vicariously, I contemplate the pleasure of doing the act. Then I might resist the temptation and refuse to actually carry out the act.

This is my experience of temptation.

When I see a beautiful woman with nice gravity defying mammaries, a gluteus maximus to die for and curves and dips that tingle my imagination, already I've imagined all manner of lascivious actions. Hardly can a sexy girl pass by and I will not be thus tingled.

PastorAIO:



… Or one can perch delicately on the precipice, merely contemplating the thought and enjoying the contemplation. Fantasising can be so sweet.

In fact most pleasures and pains in life are rooted in conceits. We live in fear of things that haven't happened and possibly will never happen and we delight in things that haven't happened and also will possibly never happen. This fact has many economic implications.

Hope itself is a commodity. We can put a price on hope and buy and sell it. We can do this for pretty much any of our conceits because we experience them as if they were real.

malvisguy212:
. Temptation comes from the FLESH, trial are sent from God. He allowed Satan to test Job (Job 1:6-12). Therefore when we speak of "trial" we see God's fingerprints; when we see temptation, we see our own the devil's. Temptation attack a WEAK spot, trials are meant for the STRONG spot.

Ishilove:

Epiphany!

Ishilove:

Oniranu

PastorAIO:


I hope I'm not in trouble.

Ishilove:

You doth protest a tad too much, Monsieur le pastor

sonOfLucifer:

MADemoiselle, let the Pastor vee. Viewtiful babe a la pass, his eyes a la carte.

Ishilove:

sonOfLucifer:

You be woman. You won't understand the pains of trying to hide a Jonny that wants to dance in public. My sister, o di Kwa very trouble o...

Ishilove:

You doth protest a tad too much, Monsieur le pastor

PastorAIO:


twas not in protest, but merely an enquiry. I could do with a little bit of trouble actually.

sonOfLucifer:

When Satan tempted Jesus in Sambisa forest, what weak spots did he sense?

malvisguy212:
I don't want to response to this post but a dear friend of mine ask me to. the passage clearly say, jesus fasted for forty days, and was hungry just as every human fell hungry, and what was the tempting about ? Turn this stone to bread, the weakness satan see, is because jesus was hungry.

PastorAIO:



And what about the offer to rule all the kingdoms of the world?

Did Satan see a sign of megalomania?

And jumping from the high place?

Did he feel that Jesus needed to test God?

malvisguy212:
[size=1pt]before the temptation occur, what did the first verse say ? "Then Jesus was LED by the SPIRIT into the desert to be tempted by the Devil Matthew 4:1"

The holy spirit led Him into the desert,why ? So that the devil should tempt Him. The motive of the spirit is to prove that The SON IS GOD, Just as the father is God. For All the days of jesus on earth, the forty days fasting is the weakest point of his ministry, that is a very Good time for the enemy to approach and do all his trick.

the first sin in Genesis is related to food, satan say "did God actually say..." Compare in matthew, when he tell jesus " if you are the son of God" (contradict God word). Secondly satan say to eve "you will not surly die" and then compare to what he told jesus " jump of this mountain" (God did not mean what he say) thirdly, satan say to eve "you will be like God" plus what he say to jesus "if you could worship me"

Clearly written, satan is question God's authority and contradicting them, if jesus is who He say He was, and what the father say about Him during the baptism.[/size]

Ishilove:

Trouble na my 'mido' name. Oya tell me what kind you prefer lemme supply you sharpaly

PastorAIO:


Which kind you get?