The devil made me do it and resisting temptation

“I grew up hearing that ‘the devil made me do it’.  I know that is just a saying but can Satan put thoughts in our head?

and

“How do you resist temptation”

By Pastor Stacey Weeks

I heard about the devil making you do things as I was growing up too.  Often it confused me, why did the devil care about that unauthorized cookie taken from the cookie jar or my yanking my little sister's braid and pleading no clue about why she was crying.  I knew it was me, right?

Well, to set this discussion into context, let’s talk about who is inside of you first.  If you are baptized believer in Jesus Christ, you have the Holy Spirit inside you.  The Spirit serves as the voice of God in you and the voice of your conscience.  

Yet, we all sin.  We steal that cookie or harm others.  In doing so, we choose what our heart or or mind knows is not godly or of the Spirit but what seemed satisfying in the moment. That is the key here.  Sin is always a choice that we make.  Yes, sometimes we are overcome by the temptation to sin to feel better about ourselves, to ‘get what is ours’, or be part of the group, but the fact remains: sin is a choice.  

Your question asks if Satan can put thoughts in our heads.  According to Scripture, Satan uses all the tools at his disposal to deceive and lead people astray, so the answer is yes, he can.

In Acts 5:3. Peter asks Anaias why he withheld resources from the early church and in doing so asked why Satan had filled Anaias’ heart.

In 2 Corinthians 2-10-12, Paul writes about not being outwitted by Satan.  This verse gives us insight on how we are to treat Satan’s schemes.  Verse 11 reads, “ And we do this so that we may not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.”   We need to be aware that Satan schemes against the followers of Christ, that is what he does and he is good at it!   

This thought is reinforced by 1 Peter 5:8 where Paul writes again, “Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour.”

This is where the second question comes into play: How to resist temptation.  This is where the rubber meets the road in our Christian walk.  Just like sin, the temptation to sin is something we all face.  James 1:12 (NLT), tell us “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”

So, how do we resist temptation?  Scripture guides us to pray about temptation.  In the books of Matthew and Mark, we are told to keep watch and pray (Matthew 26:41 and Mark 14:38).  The Lord’s Prayer, when Jesus taught the disciples how to pray, echoes this as well in that prayer when we ask not to be led into temptation (Matthew 6:13).   We have to armor up here people, that is our first line of defense!  Get those close to you to pray with you as well if it is an ongoing temptation or sin.  Your besties, your life2life group, your step group, the mature Christians in your life.

How else can you avoid temptation?  Practically, it means avoiding the environments where you are likely to sin.  Blocking that website, avoiding those certain situations, replacing that thought or word, even giving up your smartphone.  Did I really say those things?  Yes, I did because the Bible takes it even further.

Matthew 18:9  (NLT) says “ And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

That sounds hard doesn’t it?  It is. Some temptations and some sins are easier to walk away from than others.  However, before you begin to fear the work of Satan and temptation, remember who you belong to!

Jesus Christ is our advocate, our shepherd and the one whose blood washes away all sin.  Christ forgave all of the sins of your life in those final moments on the cross, long before you took your first breath.  He also loves us like children and stands ready to hear our cries, our confessions and His love for us is unwavering.

Remember that God wins on the final day and the schemes of the devil will be no more.  Take heart, pray on your armor, stand strong and be of good courage!  

If you confess sins to the Lord, do you need to confess to the one/others that you sinned against?

Question: If you confess sins to the Lord, do you need to confess to the one/others that you sinned against?

Answered by Community Pastor Jae Alexander

I love this question because I think confession is an extremely important and healthy part of the Christian life. 

I would answer “yes” to both parts of the question with the following explanation.

First, a reality of sin is that it separates. It severs relationships. It does relational damage. Every time. We see this first happen in the Garden between God, Adam, and Eve. The relationship was never the same after that even though God extended grace and showed mercy. The relationship between Adam & Eve changed too. 

Another reality of sin is that it is disobedience of God’s will, which means that every sin is against God. When I am leading someone to Christ or counseling a newer believer (and even some older ones), I teach them the importance of confession and how to do it. One of the things I tell them is when they realize that they have sinned, go to God first. Our tendency is to avoid Him. Because of our shame (a consequence of sin) we avoid Him. (Remember Adam & Eve’s initial response in the garden?) That is EXACTLY the opposite of what His word tells us to do! One of the greatest promises in all scripture that has probably saved my life many times is:

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” - 1 John 1:9 NIV

When we claim the promise in this verse, it can remove the shame & guilt that keeps us from turning back to our Heavenly Father. But, look where the verse starts, “If we confess…” God is All-Knowing. He knows you screwed up. You know you screwed up. Confess it! Don’t play games. Get your relationship with God right again through Jesus. 

Reality #3 about sin. It always, always has consequences. Now, unless you live in a vacuum or are a hermit. You have people around you. One of the consequences that I have seen or experienced over the years is that when I sin, I hurt not only myself, but those around me. When I lie, I compromise my integrity and mislead others. When I don’t show Christ like love to another person, I rob both of us from the blessings that God has for us. When I fight with my wife, it affects the whole family. That is why it is so important to confess to someone you have sinned against. Understand that your confession to them is not for them to absolve you from your sin. That’s God’s part. Confession to someone you have sinned against is for relationship repair. Reconciling. Consider Jesus’ teaching:

“If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back.” - Matthew 18:15 NLT

I recognize that this verse has the “sinned against” going to the “one that did the sinning”, but is showing clearly that the reason for confession to one another is for restoring damaged or potentially damaged relationships. 

I would also point out that the scripture often talks about forgiving one another and living in peace or harmony with each other. (Romans 12:6-8, Ephesians 4:23 & 25, Colossians 3:13,  1 Thessalonians 5:13, 1 Peter 3:8)

Lastly, the scripture commands it. James 5:16 says:

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”

I don’t think that James is just talking about physical healing here. I believe it can be physical, emotional, and relational.

So, in a nutshell always confess to God first. As you are confessing to Him ask Him to help you to deal with the consequences of your sins. Ask Him who you need to confess to in this particular case. 

Lastly, please, please accept the fact that He has forgiven you and don’t hold on to your failure. Just take care of your business and move on. 

Is there a sin that would keep me out of heaven?

Question: Is there a sin that would keep me out of heaven?

Answered by Community Pastor Jae Alexander

Great question and I think it is one that comes to people’s minds quite often. Short answer is yes, rejecting Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for your salvation. 

I would add this as well, God is not in the business of keeping people out of Heaven. We do a good enough job of that on our own!  Awhile ago Erik did a great job of touching on this the question a little when he addressed the question, “Once saved always saved”. I would encourage you to read that post by following the link below. 

http://adventuretoughquestions.blogspot.com/2014/11/once-saved-always-saved.html

Question: Can you please explain the Trinity? Part 2

Answer submitted by Community Pastor Jae Alexander

In this second blog post I will briefly touch on some common misunderstandings/heresies about the Trinity. Before I do that, let’s review what the the orthodox definition of Trinity is:

“God is three persons in one essence.”

Maybe a simpler way of looking at this would be: In God there are three WHOS and one WHAT. The WHAT is exactly the same in the WHOS.

Now, the common misunderstandings/heresies fall into three basic categories.

1. Philosophical/Reasoning
2. Tritheism (a specific type of polytheism)
3. Modalism

As I discuss these I will be quoting a lot from a book called the Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics by Norman Geisler.

1. Philosophical or Reasoning misunderstandings about the Trinity.

The number one misunderstanding that I hear quite often from this point of view is that the Trinity is a contradiction in logic or reasoning. This is often leveled at Christians from Muslims, Orthodox Jews, and critics in general. However, there is no contradiction in the doctrine from a logic or reasoning standpoint. 

The philosophical law of non-contradiction informs us that something cannot be both true and false at the same time and in the same sense. 1

(A cannot be both A and non-A at the same time and in the same relationship.)

This is the fundamental law of all rational thought. Applied the the Trinity this can be shown by stating first of all what the Trinity is not. The Trinity is not the belief that God is three persons and only one person at the same time and in the same sense. That would be a contradiction. Rather, it is the belief that there are three persons in one nature. This is not contradictory because it makes a distinction between person and essence. Or, to put it terms of the law of non-contradiction, while God is one and many at the same time, he is not one and many in the same sense. He is one in the sense of his essence but many in the sense of his persons. God is one in his substance. The unity is in his essence (what God is), and the plurality is in God’s persons (how he relates within himself). 

This plurality of relationships is both internal and external. Within the Trinity each member relates to the others in certain ways. These are somewhat analogous to human relationships. The Bible’s description of Yahweh as Father and Jesus as Son says something of how the Son relates to the Father. Also, the Father sends the Spirit as a Messenger, and the Spirit is a Witness of the Son (John 14:26). These descriptions help us understand the functions within the unity of the Godhead. Each is fully God, each has his own work and interrelational theme with the other two. But what it is vital to remember that these three share the same essence, so that they unify as one Being. 2

Heresies are teaching that reject and attempt to replace orthodox views. They are the things of cults. The topic of the Trinity is subject to possible heresy. It happens when distinctions about God’s nature or persons are made into divisions or the distinctions about God’s person’s are ignored. He is what I mean. 

2. Tritheism (a specific type of polytheism)

The Bible declares emphatically: “The LORD our God, the LORD is one” (Deut. 6:4). Both Jesus (Mark 12:29) and the apostles repeat this formula in the New Testament (1 Cor. 8:4, 6). And early Christian creeds speak of Christ being one in “substance” or “essence” with God. The Athanasian Creed, reads: “We worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the Persons; nor divining the Substance (Essence).” So Christianity is a form of monotheism, believing in one and only one God. 3

No analogy of the Trinity is perfect, but some are better than others. First, some bad illustrations should be repudiated. The Trinity is not like a chain with three links. For these are three separate and separable parts. But God is neither separated nor separable. Neither is God like the same actor playing three different parts in a play. For God is simultaneously three persons, not one person playing three successive roles. 

Tritheism makes the One True God into three gods. That is simply not what the scriptures teach.

This heresy can be seen today in Mormon teaching with a twist. (They tend to lean into full blown polytheism, with a Trithiestic emphasis). 

3. Modalism

The heresy of modalism, also called Sabellianism, denies there are three distinct eternal persons in the Godhead. It believes that the so–called “persons” of the Trinity are modes of God substance, not distinct persons. Like water with its three states (liquid, solid, and gaseous), the Trinity is said to be only three different modes of the same essence.4 However, normally water is not in all three of these states at the same time, but God is always three persons at the same time.5 Trinitarians do not affirm a god with three different substances; they confess that God is three distinct persons in one substance.6 So, this analogy falls very short of teaching the orthodox meaning of the Trinity.

This heresy can be seen today in Oneness Pentecostalism or Jesus only movement churches. 

1. Geisler, Norman L. (2011-08-31). Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics (Baker Reference Library) (p. 732). Baker Book Group - A. Kindle Edition.
2. Geisler, Norman L. (2011-08-31). Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics (Baker Reference Library) (p. 732). Baker Book Group - A. Kindle Edition.
3. Geisler, Norman L. (2011-08-31). Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics (Baker Reference Library) (pp. 735-736). Baker Book Group - A. Kindle Edition. 
4. Geisler, Norman L. (2011-08-31). Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics (Baker Reference Library) (p. 735). Baker Book Group - A. Kindle Edition. 
5. Geisler, Norman L. (2011-08-31). Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics (Baker Reference Library) (p. 735). Baker Book Group - A. Kindle Edition. 
6. Geisler, Norman L. (2011-08-31). Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics (Baker Reference Library) (p. 735). Baker Book Group - A. Kindle Edition.

Please explain the Trinity - part 1

Question: Can you please explain the Trinity?

Answer: submitted by Community Pastor Jae Alexander

Your question is one that falls into the realm of mystery. I want to be clear about what I mean when I say “mystery”. This is not to say that we can not know anything about the subject, but that we can not know it completely or fully because it directly relates to the nature of God. All knowledge that we have about the nature of God has been revealed to us by Him through general revelation (Romans 1:19, 20) and/or His special revelation (Hebrews 1:1, 2). Having said this we may never fully understand God, but we can know Him because He desires us to know Him.

Also, this topic has been discussed for thousands of years. I am humble enough to recognize that I probably will not be able to answer it in one blog post. So, I’ll attempt it in two! ;-) (Just kidding) I will start by defining the orthodox Christian view of the Trinity. In the second blog posts I will briefly touch on some common misunderstanding/heresies about the Trinity.

Trinity is a term used by theologians to describe the distinctions that are found or made in the Scriptures that describe God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Read that sentence again slowly. It summarizes something that is commonly misunderstood about the doctrine of the Trinity. That is  this, “The doctrine of the Trinity did not come first and the passages second. The passages came first, and the doctrine of the Trinity came as a best effort of devout, cautious, and thoughtful believers to harmonize the passages.”1  

I would also say this, distinctions DO NOT indicate division. The word Trinity literally means “Triunity”. Why do I make this point? Because the orthodox definition of Trinity is this:

“God is three persons in one essence.”

Maybe a simpler way of looking at this would be: In God there are three WHOS and one WHAT. The WHAT is exactly the same in the WHOS.2

Some might be saying, “That hurt my head Jae!” I’m with you! It’s been hurting my head for years. Let’s look at Scripture together to see how we came to this definition for Trinity.

The Jewish Shema  in the Old Testament proclaims, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” (Deuteronomy 6:4) Jesus, in the New Testament when asked what the greatest commandment is starts His answer with the Shema (Mark 12:29) affirming His agreement with it. This statement is a bold declaration of monotheism. (Only one God).

Yet, Jesus claims to be God multiple times in the New Testament. But, you need to understand something from the original language here. When Jesus claims to be God, He doesn’t just say, “Yeah, I’m God.” in the general sense of the word. He claims that He is Yahweh God. That’s a really big deal!

Exodus 3:14

“God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

John 8:58

“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”

He is not just claiming to have existed before Abraham here. He is claiming equality with the, “I AM” in the Exodus passage. There is no mistaking what Jesus meant here because of what is recorded to have happened next. They picked up stones to kill him. Why? His audience understood that He was claiming equality with God. 

Jesus also is credited for doing things only God can do. Forgive sins, change water to wine, heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead, and control the powers of nature. 

The Holy Spirit is also called God in the Scriptures (Acts 5:3-4) and attributed to have all the same qualities as God the Father and the Son. (Psalm 139:7-12; Genesis 1:2; John 3:5-6, 14:26, 16:7-13; 1 Corinthians 2:10, 11) The Holy Spirit is hands down the central figure in the book of Acts guiding the expansion of the Kingdom through the Church.

Also, each member of the Trinity has special functions that help us to identify them. (In my opinion this is the reason for the distinctions.) For example, the Father planned salvation (John 3:16; Eph. 1:4); the Son accomplished it on the cross (John 17:4; 19:30; Heb. 1:1-2) and the resurrection (Rom. 4:25; 1 Cor. 15:1-6) and the Holy Spirit applies it to the lives of the believers (John 3:5; Eph. 4:30; Titus 3:5-7)

Having observed all of this from the scriptures we come a couple of conclusions:

1. There is one God.
2. There are three distinct persons who are God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.3

One WHAT, three WHOS. How can this be? I don’t know. It is a mystery. There are things about God that are beyond my comprehension and there are things about God that He has revealed about Himself that I can know (1 Corinthians 13:12). He is truly awesome in the very literal sense of the word.

Now, there are attributes or characteristics of God (His essence) that make Him God. To name a few He is eternal, immortal, all powerful, all knowing, unchangeable, etc. When talking about the Trinity it is important to understand that the Persons in it share in these things perfectly & equally. I say this because many of the heresies and misunderstandings about the Trinity will remove in some way the equality among the Persons. Which changes the Essence (What) within that Person (Who). That is why in the beginning I was careful to stress that making a distinction does not mean we are making a division. 

Understand, if we make a division in the Unity of the Godhead then we end up with polytheism (multiple gods) and that is not taught in the Scripture.

I will give you an illustrations of the Trinity, but with this caution. No illustration or analogy of the Trinity is perfect. (Remember, it is not completely understood.) But, some are better than others. The one I am pulling from comes from Augustine. “He suggested of how God is both three and one at the same time. The Bible informs us that, “God is love” (1 John 4:16). Love involves a lover, and beloved, and a spirit of love between lover and loved. The Father might be likened to the Lover; the Son to the One loved, and the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Love. Yet love does not exist unless these three are united as one.”4

Great question! I hope this gives you a good start as you consider and ponder the Trinity. Believe me, it is something that you will touch on the rest of your of walk with Jesus. Next week I will touch on some common misunderstandings and/or heresies concerning the Trinity from the past & today. 

1. Just the FAQs about God - pgs 44-47 Thomas Nelson publishing ISBN 0-7852-4760-2
2. The Doctrine of the Trinity Study guide from R.C. Sproul -digital copy from Ligonier Ministries 
3. Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics - Norman Geisler pgs. 730-737
4. Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics - Norman Geisler pgs. 730-737