Editorial August 29, 1903 Issue

Temptation and its Overcoming

K.

"Lead us not into temptation." How many lips daily repeat this prayer, and by how many it has been uttered since Jesus' disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray."

Temptation as commonly understood would pre-suppose two conflicting interests forever warring against each other on the world's great battlefield—the human mind. The belief in more than one power has given rise to many strange theories, one of which appears in the story that temptation was first known in heaven and that it brought some of the angels to their downfall. This theory has, however, no support from the Bible, which teaches emphatically that God neither tempts nor can be tempted; hence His presence would exclude even the supposition of another influence or attraction; they could have neither place nor power.

This whole subject is embraced in the question, Is man a spiritual being, or not? If the answer be in the affirmative, then the theory of temptation may be readily disposed of, for as God, Spirit, is not subject to temptation, neither is the spiritual man.

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August 29, 1903
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