When Does Temptation Become Sin?

Pastor Dave Monreal, Lead Pastor

“But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Matthew 5:28

Have you ever had anyone ask you a simple question that isn’t so simple? I was talking to a friend recently and he asked the question, “When does temptation become sin?” Easy, right? Hardly. Why is this question so hard for us to answer? There are several reasons. First, the Bible tells us that although we are genuinely new creatures in Christ, we are not totally new. We still have indwelling sin residing within us that is a part of us and is stirred up against God’s will for us. Secondly, we must distinguish between external temptation and internal temptation.

Let’s start with the second reason first. The Bible uses the same word in the New Testament that can be translated either “test” or “temptation” depending on the context. God may put a trial before us to test us, but his goal is not to lead us astray or tempt us because God can tempt no one. (James 1:13) Satan may put a test/temptation in front of us but it is not sin because it is still external to us, but it is a temptation. We cannot help the first instant we think or hear or see something that flashes before us and at that moment have not yet sinned.

This is where things get complicated, and the first reason comes into play. Something outside of us may be a temptation but it is not sin. But remember, we have sinful desires that flow from a sinful disposition in our hearts. So, when we are presented with an external temptation indwelling sin is stirred up and we respond to it. The external temptation becomes an internal temptation and at that point we have sinned whether we have consciously chosen to respond to the temptation or not. Wait, how can I sin if I haven’t consciously chosen to sin?

It is difficult to accept, but we must take ownership our internal sinful desires even though they are unbidden. It is important for us to understand that a desire for sin is a sinful desire. A man sees a beautiful woman walk by and, because of his physical desires, his eye lingers, and he begins to have lustful feelings that turn to lustful thoughts. He didn’t sin when he initially noticed her physical beauty, but because he lingered on her with his eyes it stirred up sinful desires and ultimately sinful thoughts. He has been enticed by his own desire which gives birth to sin. Consider the verse at the top of this devotion. One does not have to act upon his sinful desires before it has become sin, the very lustful intent itself is sin.

How do we deal with these sinful desires? We must recognize these desires as sin and put them to death by turning away from them by God’s strength and calling out to God to change our heart. We can excuse them by saying that every guy struggles too. We can minimize them by saying they are no big deal because they are just feelings. We can justify them by thinking we are much better than the guy who act on them. We can reinterpret them by saying this isn’t really me doing it treating indwelling sin an alien force that we are not responsible for. We can spiritualize it by saying that it is Satan that is doing it, and this is spiritual warfare.

It MAY be spiritual warfare but even if it is, we can only be tempted if it is something that we already WANT. We cannot be tempted by things we do not want and do not already reside in our sinful hearts. You could try to tempt me until you are blue in the face, but I will never desire broccoli and sardine ice cream with chocolate syrup. But fresh baked cookies make me weak in the knees. So, external an external test/temptation is not in itself sin. But once that temptation stirs our sinful desires, we must take ownership of our indwelling sin and ask God to forgive us and change our hearts. Acting on our sinful desires or thoughts only makes that sinful situation worse. As Martin Luther quipped, “You cannot keep the birds from flying overhead but you can stop them from making a nest in your hair.”