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NASB | Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was delightful to look at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise and insightful, she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate. |
Subject: Were Eve's desires sinful? |
Bible Note: Here is a long and careful answer. For clarity, please read it the same way. Bear with some repetition if it serves the cause of clarity. It is my understanding that the section in the book of Hebrews in view (Chapter 4) is talking about maintaining their faith; holding onto the truths they had been taught and not going back to the Mosaic system. Faith is tested, as in 1Peter 1:7. Genuine faith, like genuine gold, comes out shining. The Galatians had failed the test (Galatians 1:6). Christ had not been formed in them (Galatians 4:19). Thus they had allowed themselves to be removed from him that had called them into the grace of Christ unto another gospel. The writer to the Hebrews was strengthening them against a similar "falling away" or being tossed about, as in Ephesians 4:14. This I say in order to put the passage into context and to give a proper perspective. Now, for your questions. 1. What does it mean, Jesus was tempted? In that Jesus was tempted, he was tried, he was tested. The purpose was not to get him to do something immoral, but to turn him away from the plan and program of God. The result was that Jesus showed his true nature. He had come to do the Father's will. He was perfectly in accord with the Father and Satan tried to divert him, but he failed. Nothing could turn him away from the father's will. But Satan had persuaded some of the angels to take his side, and he would try it with Jesus. He failed. Jesus was not tempted. What I mean is, he was not interested in worshipping or serving Satan. Sometimes a comparison helps, so think if this. I once was a chemist and developed products. They had specifications. When they were manufactured they had to be tested in a quality control environment to see if they met the specs. They were put through tests. If they had been manufactured properly they passed the tests. This is what Jesus went through, and the results showed that he was the genuine article. He was God. There was no weakness in him. He passed the tests. If we can think of Jesus' "temptation" as a "test", then I think we have the right idea. 2. What does it mean to be tempted? a. You and I can be enticed to do wrong. We can be allured, drawn away. Our resolve can be broken down and we can give in to sin. All of that happens if we fail to resist the devil. But Jesus did not need to go through that. He is God and he is not tempted with evil. Evil has no attraction for him. b. We can also be tested. As mentioned above, our faith is tested. We pass the test and prove to ourselves that our faith is genuine. I studied to be a psychologist. I had to pass the tests and the license exams. I was tested and tried and certified. So was Jesus. Hebrews 2:18 He suffered being tempted. The tests included hunger, thirst, privation, shame, scorn, nails, death. He passed them all and showed himself the victor. 3. What was Jesus tempted by Satan to do? The devil tried to get him to turn away from the plan and purposes of God. He tried to get him to follow his (Satan's) plans. Look at the temptations themselves: a. Make bread when I say so. b. Tempt the Lord thy God. c. Worship me and serve me. The anticipated consequences? i. Your hunger satisfied, my way. ii. God's sovereignty questioned. iii. Power and riches with the loss of your soul. Jesus was not tempted by those. He did not want them. 4. Was Satan only trying to tempt Jesus? He was placing him in positions where a fake would crack. He was allowing his to show his true qualities. He was putting him through the tests. But gold is not bothered by fire and Jesus was not bothered by the machinations of the Devil. If Satan was trying to appeal to evil desires in Jesus then we may say he was trying. In that he did not have a chance, we may say he was only testing him. But there is no chance of you failing a test to tell your name and address, and Satan did not stand a chance with Jesus. His tests were well within the Savior's capabilities. 5. Does Hebrews (chapter 4) mean that Jesus was not tempted? It means tested, not tempted to do evil. Jesus was and is God. God cannot be tempted by evil (James 1:13). 5b. Is that how you interpret the Hebrews passage? I prefer the word "understand" to "interpret". Again, the context of the book and the section suggests that the topic is not resisting evil but maintaining faith. Yet, whatever is not of faith is sin and Jesus was without sin. Jesus was without sin, not because he had resisted temptation to sin but because that was his nature. He was not just innocent, like Adam, but he was holy. There was no sin in him. He was holy, holy, holy. He was God. Think of it this way. All sin is against God. Jesus is God and God does not go against God. When he is tested, when he is tried, He says, "Thy will be done". Tested? Yes. Tempted to sin? No. |