Overcoming Temptation
Occasionally, the more time I spend with a passage from Scripture, the less sure I am about what I think about it. Such has been my experience with the deceptively familiar request in the Lord’s Prayer: “Lead us not into temptation.” It turns out, confusion – a better word might be consternation – surrounding this phrase has been around for a long time. The African theologian Tertullian, writing about the Lord’s Prayer in A.D. 192, questioned whether God would ever truly tempt his children: “Far be the thought that the Lord should seem to tempt, as if He were either ignorant of [the limits] of someone’s faith, or else eager to overthrow [that faith].”
Much more recently, Pope Francis has considered changing the wording of this phrase in Roman Catholic liturgy to “let us not fall into temptation.” This suggestion has produced significant (and thoughtful) backlash.

I don’t know where I stand on the correct wording of the Lord’s Prayer. Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter. What does matter is what I do when faced with temptation (regardless of who is behind it). On this question, I find Martin Luther a helpful guide. He counsels us to recognize our powerlessness in the face of evil and turn to God in Christ for help.

A few verses from A Mighty Fortress is our God express this idea beautifully:
A mighty fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing;
Our helper He amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing;
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and pow’r are great,
And armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not His equal

And tho’ this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph thro’ us;
The prince of Darkness grim,
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him

So too does the following promise from Scripture:
1 Corinthians 10:13. “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be emptied beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
No matter the source of temptation, God will always provide for us all we need to overcome!

Love in Christ,

Pastor Dan