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Response
We learn from James 1:13 that God does not tempt us to sin. If God were to tempt us to sin, He would be going against His holy nature, His desire for us to be holy as He is holy «because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. », (1 Peter 1:16), and all other commandments in Scripture that instruct us to avoid sin and resist temptation. In the Lord’s example prayer (Matthew 6:9-13), Jesus says, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (verse 13). By including a plea for God not to lead us into temptation, we are taught that steering clear of temptation should be a primary focus of the Christian life.
The concept of God guiding His people is a central theme in Scripture. The book of Psalms, in particular, is full of requests for God to lead us in His paths (Psalm 5:8;Psalm 27:11), in His truth and righteousness, and in “the way everlasting” «And see if there be any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.», (Psalm 139:24). In addition to guiding us toward good, we acknowledge that we are asking God to steer us away from evil. The request in the Lord’s Prayer not to be led into temptation reflects the believer’s wish to avoid the perils of sin entirely. Therefore, this phrase should be interpreted as “allowing.” Jesus instructed us to pray, “Do not ‘allow’ us, or ‘permit’ us, to be tempted to sin.” This plea suggests that God has such authority over the tempter that He can rescue us from his influence when we call on our Heavenly Father.
There is another aspect in which we are to implore God not to lead us into temptation. TheThe term “temptation” can also refer to trials. We learn from 1 Corinthians 10:13 that God will not test us beyond our ability in Christ to bear it and will always provide a way out. However, God sometimes allows us to face trials that may expose us to Satan’s attacks for His own purposes, as seen in the experiences of Job and Peter (Luke 22:31-32). If the reference to “temptation” in the Lord’s Prayer pertains to trials, then the significance of Matthew 6:13 is, “Do not afflict or test us.” It is not inappropriate to pray for deliverance from trials and suffering, as long as we submit ourselves to God’s will, whatever it may be. A believer can rightly request to be delivered from testing and also ask for the strength to endure it if it does come.
We can illustrate Jesus’ words “Lead us not into temptation” in this way: a mother takes her young children grocery shopping with her and reaches the candy aisle. She knows that taking her children down that aisle will only provoke greediness in their hearts and lead to bouts of whining and pouting. With wisdom, she chooses another path—whatever she needed from the candy aisle can wait for another day. In doing so, the mother avoids unpleasantness and spares her children a trial. Praying, “Lead us not into temptation,” is akin to praying, “God, don’t take me down the candy aisle today.” It acknowledges that we naturally desire unprofitable things and that God’s wisdom can prevent the unpleasantness of our complaining.
Whether we are requesting God to steer us away from sin or from challenging trials, our aim is encapsulated in the latter part of verse 13: “Deliver us from the evil one.” A similar plea is expressed by David in Psalm 141:4: “Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers; do not let me eat their delicacies.” In all circumstances, God is our rescuer, and it is wise to seek His power over sin.
