Article December 24, 1966 Issue

Dealing with Evil as Temptation

GLORIA NOVAK CHRISTENA

No one in the history of the world ever had more success in dealing with temptation than did Christ Jesus. According to his teaching, all evil could be regarded as temptation. Did he not say as much in the prayer he gave to his disciples, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil"?Matt. 6:13; As he faced and overcame every evil that confronted him, so can we through our understanding of the teachings of Christian Science. But our success depends greatly on our faithfulness in recognizing and dealing with evil as temptation rather than as something real, as person, power, or condition.

Whether evil takes the form of sickness, lack, discordant human relations, or world upheaval, we can understand it as nothing but a temptation for us to believe a lie. Since God is Spirit and the only creator, His creation must be spiritual and perfect. If pain, fear, or hatred tempts us to believe in a power besides God, in something other than divine Love, we can overcome the temptation with Truth. No form of evil—no temptation—can deceive or ensnare us when we learn to meet and master it with the understanding of the perfection of God and of man in His image and likeness.

When dealing with temptation, we may remember Mrs. Eddy's words: "When the illusion of sickness or sin tempts you, cling steadfastly to God and His idea. Allow nothing but His likeness to abide in your thought." Science and Health, p. 495; When we have recognized an evil as temptation, the solution of our problem comes as we fill our thought with the spiritual truth of the situation and refuse to entertain the opposite suggestions so steadfastly that the evil no longer has any place in consciousness. Thought determines experience, and once an error is replaced in our thought with Truth, it has no place in our experience. Sometimes it may seem to take a mighty wrestling with temptation to overcome the error, but no matter how severe the struggle, God's angel thoughts are always present and adequate to strengthen and support us and to give us the victory.

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