Tempted and Tried
By Jerry Batson, Th.D.
Special to The Alabama Baptist
In his gospel song “Farther Along,” W.B. Stevens begins the opening verse, “Tempted and tried, we’re oft made to wonder / why it should be thus all the day long.”
His opening phrase of that verse furnishes a way of expressing our theme for these several sessions of Theology 101 about being tempted and tried. Last week the focus was on being tempted; this week it is on being tried or tested.
Last week we noted being tempted is one meaning of the same Greek word that also conveys the meaning of being tested or tried. The subject of that verb often indicates which meaning is intended. If its subject is God we can eliminate the meaning of being tempted to sin since the Bible says quite clearly, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God;’ for God cannot be tempted by evil nor does He Himself tempt anyone” (James 1:13).
Test of devotion
On the other hand, if the subject is God then we will understand the meaning to be either being tried or tested.
It is in this latter sense that we read in Genesis 22:1, “God tested Abraham.” The test had to do with the depth of Abraham’s devotion to God and the strength of his faith in God as would be revealed in his willingness to offer Isaac as a sacrifice.
Similarly the sense of testing was the intention of some of Jesus’ opponents in posing questions to Him. It is in this same sense that believers are encouraged in 1 Peter 4:12 not to be discouraged by fiery trials.
Dual possibility
In Abraham’s case God was not tempting Abraham to commit sin. Rather it was to demonstrate or prove the genuineness of his faith. Likewise in the case of the recipients of Peter’s first epistle, the believers were not being enticed into sin but rather having the genuineness of their Christian faith tested and demonstrated by fiery trials.
One might recall that in ancient times fire was used to test precious metals for purity or, if need be, to purify them from whatever impurities they have. Of course in other instances and with other materials fire can have the effect of consuming and destroying.
Interestingly the same occasion can be fraught with either positive or negative possibilities.
This dual possibility lies at the heart of Joseph’s interpretation of the event of being sold into slavery by his brothers. His words to his brothers were, “You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good” (Gen. 50:20).
More about these dual possibilities next week.
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