How Could Jesus Be Tempted?

Robert Meredith

Since God cannot be tempted (James 1:13), please explain the temptations of Christ (Matthew 4:1-11).  James tells us, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man” (James 1:13).  The word “tempted” means to solicit to do evil.  God neither solicits man to do evil, nor is He able to be solicited to do evil.  He allows us to be tempted, but He is not the source of the temptation, Satan is.

  Jesus, while He was on earth, was tempted.  Matthew 4:1-11 records the temptations He endured immediately after His baptism.  The Hebrew writer wrote, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities: but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).  Jesus, therefore, was tempted and tempted in all the ways that we are.  The apostle John tells us that there are three avenues of temptation: lust of the

eye, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16).  Jesus faced all of these kinds of temptations, but never yielded to them.

  Jesus was not only God, but He was man as well.  God cannot be tempted, but Jesus became man and therefore could face temptations.  John tells us, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).  The incarnated Christ could be tempted because of His humanity.  Paul records, “For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5).  Jesus, being a man, could be tempted.  His deity did not prevent Him from the possibility of sin.  If it were impossible for Him to commit a sin, then the devil would have been wasting his time.  The devil, however, waged a great war against the Christ because he knew that Jesus could have sinned.

  Jesus was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15).  Jesus escaped the temptations He faced by quoting scripture (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10).  We must hide God’s word in our hearts (Psalm 119:11), and rely upon it if we are to escape the temptations that come our way (Acts 20:32).

  The Christ was tempted (Hebrews 4:15, Matthew 4:1-11) because He was not only God, but He was also man.  He not only was tempted immediately following His baptism, but Luke informs us that the devil “departed from Him for a season” (Luke 4:13), which implies that the devil returned to cast stumbling blocks in Jesus’ way throughout His earthly ministry.

  We have a perfect, sinless and merciful High Priest.  Let us follow after His example and strive to overcome the temptations we face, being ever thankful that He was made flesh (John 1:14), endured temptation (Hebrews 4:15), died for our sins (1 Peter 2:24), and is now exalted by the right hand of the Father on high (Ephesians 1:20).