Search
Temptation, Testing
TEMPTATION, TESTING (Heb. massâh, Gr. peirasmos). The idea of putting to the proof-from either a good or bad intention-is found throughout the Bible. Thus the Lord often tests his people with the purpose of strengthening their faith, while Satan tempts them because he wishes to undermine their faith. Jesus, true man, faced both testing from God and temptation from Satan. (Note that it is only in modern English that temptation has come to mean testing for evil purposes: testing and temptation were once synonyms.)
Satan tempted Jesus (
Christians are to test themselves. Before partaking of the Lord’s Supper believers are to test themselves (
“Lead us not into temptation” (
Bibliography: D. Bonhoeffer, Temptation, 1953; E. Best, The Temptation and the Passion, 1965; P. Doble, “Temptation,” ExpT, vol. 72, 1960-61, pp. 91ff.——PT