Required reading
A treatise on Satan's temptations by Richard Gilpin (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read Chapter 4 of Part 3.
My summary
Today Gilpin starts looking at the fourth circumstance of the temptation of Christ: 'the end'.
Firstly Gilpin answers the questions:
(i) why Christ would submit to be tempted?;
(ii) why Satan would undertake a thing so unfeasible and hopeless as the tempting of Christ?
Secondly Gilpin observes that:
(i) neither height of privilege, nor eminency of employment, nor holiness of person, will discourage Satan from tempting or secure any from his assaults;
(ii) there may be temptations without leaving a touch of guilt or impurity behind them upon the tempted.
What grabbed me
I love that last observation: 'That there may be temptations, without leaving a touch of guilt or impurity behind them upon the tempted. It is true this is rare with men. The best do seldom go down to the battle, but in their very conquests they receive some wound ; and in those temptations that arise from our own hearts, we are never without fault ; but in such as do solely arise from Satan, there is a possibility that the upright may so keep himself, that the wicked one may not so touch him as to leave the print of his fingers behind him.'
The fact that Christ was tempted without fault gives us hope to strive against the temptations of Satan.
Next week's reading
Read Chapter 5 of Part 3.
Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
No comments:
Post a Comment