Three Realms of Temptation
God created for us the blessing of choice. Satan created for us the curse of confusion. (Genesis 3)
In deciding what to name this article, the thought of levels or stages of temptations came to mind. However, those words would convey some type of hierarchy at each stage of attack from the “Enemy”. Instead, viewing Satan’s temptations upon our being, as manifested through different realms, makes more sense. This article suggests that one mode of Satan’s attacks against our human fragility is through the creation of confusion using a three-pronged front against three realms: the Physical, the Psychological (mind), and the Spiritual. It seems that all mankind is made up of these three areas.
Let us understand what each of these realms might entail.
The Physical
Needless to say, some primitive necessities of our human existence are to satisfy our hunger and thirst. Likewise, we are also driven by an innate desire to seek shelter, warmth, and protection from harm. Good health, freedom from sickness and pain, is a preoccupation for the physical nature of our lives as well.
The Psychological
In general, a socially healthy person seeks to establish connections to others through relationships. In trying to understand this realm, one might also consider our feelings of being needed, the satisfaction of accomplishment, the joy of loving those close to us, as well as the peace of helping others. The bonds that form as a result of these interactions lead us to satisfy a psychological need of belonging. Within this realm, communication, trust and care for others are among those characteristics most cherished.
The Spiritual
To some, this is an unknown void or some yearning that cannot be filled. The realization of this unknown void comes through innate reflections into the immensity of this world and the passage of time, which create a feeling of insignificance relative to a benign creator. There is a sense that fluidity of all universal relationships, material, natural and human, constantly generates circumstances over which we have no control. It is this void that some erroneously mistake as a lack of physical accomplishments and try to control their world through the amassment of material wealth such as houses, cars, or luxurious items. Others may perceive it as a lack of power accomplishments and so seek to fulfill it with tyrannical authority. Dictators such as Hitler or Mussolini are prime examples. Yet such paths lead to a bitter end as God has promised they would throughout the ages. Proverbs 21:12 “The righteous One observes the house of the wicked; he casts the wicked down to ruin”.
So let us examine how Satan might try to confuse us within each of these realms individually.
First, lets look at the physical realm by reading Luke 4:3-4 “ The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone”’”. In quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, Jesus confronted the Devil, whose frontal assault on the physical realm served as one of three venues upon which to infiltrate with a sense of confusion. The Devil told Jesus to satisfy his hunger by using his powers as the Son of God for physical gratification. But Jesus would not fall into that trap. Indeed, in John 6:26-27 Jesus further says, “….Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” Jesus further expands on this point by saying in John 6: 35, “ ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
God knows that as humans we have frailties and discomforts generated by the toil of every-day life. In Genesis 3:19 he told Adam “..by the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground.” The Psalmist rejoices in the fact that everything we see, hear, or do emanates from God. The verses in Psalms 104: 14-15, 23-24, 27-30 essentially say that life is ordered and sustained not by human preferences but by everything the Lord decrees. Verses 27-28 proclaim to God that all the things in the world “… look to you to give them their food in due season; when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.” So Jesus Christ makes the point directly in Luke 12:22-25, “….do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.”
We are to trust in the Lord and be content with what we have. We are also to fill our spirit with the love of the Lord. Unfortunately, at times we try to fill our physical hunger with acts of sexual immorality, use of illicit drugs, build-up of material goods, or incessant work. Clearly, the after-effects build to devastation. Maybe in the form of less empathy for others, ruined lives, or habits that cause harm. And maybe there could be a lingering feeling of needing more of that action, which brought us short-term enjoyment and we become curious to try it again to see if the enjoyment was real. Needless to say, we attempt to rationalize such a devastating cycle by saying to ourselves that we can stop when we want, know when we’ve had enough, or that no harm can come of our actions. But beware that it may be the very hand of the gross deceiver Satan taking us down the wrong path. Just as the Devil tried to deceive Jesus through the Physical nature of his humanity, he also stands ready to deceive every one of us. But Jesus had a defense he mentions in John 4:34, “…my food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work.”
It might be more manageable if the devil would only tempt us physically, but he also tempts us mentally.
Next, we examine Satan’s temptation through the psychological realm. Lets read Luke 4:5-8 “ Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him ’To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I will give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ Jesus answered him, ‘ It is written, Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” The first thing that comes to one’s mind is: My how the devil is deceitful! The lies of the devil mean to trick the weak and those not versed in the word of God. And even those that are well versed in the word of God can be tricked, such as happened to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:3-6.
Jesus knew of the devil’s treacherous words. Of course, we know through the bible that Jesus has been the only person put on this earth to whom all authority has been given. And Jesus knew this as well. This was foretold in Isaiah 9:6-7 “For a child has been born for us, a son given to us: authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Satan not only lied about a non-existent authority given to him, but also in doing so attempted to coax Jesus into a desire for glory and power. Similar provocations enticed Adam and Eve to succumb to an irrational desire to be like God. Likewise, we fall prey to desires that provoke us to action beyond ourselves. “Bridled” desires, or noble goals backed up with determination, can help us succeed where some may fail, such as success in school or solving a tough problem. But unbridled desires lead to ruin, such as climbing to the top of the ladder in an organization no matter whom we step on, or acquiring something that does not belong to us. Indeed, James 4:1-7 describes how conflicts and disputes come from these cravings. He urges us to resist the devil and he will flee from us. We are further told in 1John 2: 15-17 to not love the things that are of the world such as the lust of the flesh, the eye, and the pride of life because those things pass away. Yet those that do the will of God abide forever. These are negative desires that neither help build up our neighbor nor society. How many great men have fallen due to arrogance in business: Tyco, Enron, Wall Street bankers? How many great men have fallen due to arrogance in religion, such as Mr. Baker? How about in politics? In these cases, unbridled desires realized through so-called self-accomplishment led to arrogance, which led to failure. Such wasted successes were avoidable through a living understanding into God’s way of humility. As John tells us in John 3:27 ‘A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.” The great deceiver would rather we not acknowledge this. Satan would rather have us think that we can accomplish all things on our own and that we can conquer great cities, industries and all things that we so desire through our own volition. These humanistic visions are evidenced by the countless self-help books that aim to build one’s reliance upon the self rather than upon a Supreme Creator.
If that were not enough, the devil also tempts us through the realm of the spirit.
It is in this last stronghold that our true character comes to light. Luke 4:9-13 “Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you’, and “On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time. My view of this verse is that it is talking about the devil tempting us into not placing our trust in God. In other words, having no faith or even little faith due to doubts about God’s grace and mercy. In either case, the devil puts doubt in our mind. In answering the devil, Jesus was recalling scriptures from the old testament: Deuteronomy 6:16 “Do not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him in Massah”, and Exodus 17:7 “ He (Moses) called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
Sometimes we think God is not there. We keep the word as best we know how, we go to church, we pray, we love our neighbors, and we strive to become better. But our personal desires and wishes may not appear to be getting answered. In fact, sometimes it seems as though things get worse. This apparent contradiction of biblical promise may be a result of our normal human attitude of a want and a desire to control everything around us. The worst result of which may be that we could be led to a serious doubt that God hears us. It seems difficult to escape these thoughts when our minds chain us to a perceived need that in the overall scheme of God’s creation may be too insignificant and therefore not conducive to the greater glory of God. Only God knows what is to be and why things must happen in the great mystery of sequences orchestrated by our Divine Creator. In the words of the prophet Isaiah 45: 9-12 “ Who are you to question me (God)…” He made the earth and created humankind. Yet as a human race, we endure tribulations. The book of Hebrews summarizes many afflictions endured by the faithful. They were all just as human as us, but the promise of a greater glory than that seen on this earth kept them strong. In addition, we have the deeds of all the people in the old testament from which to draw strength. And we have but our savior to look at as an example: Hebrews 12: 2-3 “ Looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith…” consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart.” We can rest assured the God will never forsake us and he will keep all those promises made. Just as these words drawn from Hebrews 13: 5-6 tell us “…be content with what you have…..I will never leave you or forsake you……the lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?” Throughout the bible we have many examples of the love and compassion of our Lord despite our sins, but the first recorded is in Genesis 3:21 “And the Lord God made garments of skins for the man and for his wife, and clothed them.” Despite the terrible sin that would have an effect on generations to come, God had compassion on Adam and Eve. So as dark as things may seem, we know that God can be trusted to aid us no matter what doubts Satan may stir up in our spirits.
So it seems that Satan’s
attacks are multi-faceted. They
gnaw at every fiber of our being. He
knows our weaknesses and tries to find the best way to expand upon those doors.
Just as God is manifested in three persons -Father, Son and Holy Spirit-
so to we are manifested in the psychological, physical and spiritual.
No other way would it be since we are created in his image.
But just as Satan continuously attacks the divinity of our Creator, so he
attacks the sanctity our human existence.
In conclusion, we see James 1: 12-16 “Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. No one, when tempted should say, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one. But one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it; then, when that desire has been conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death. Do not be deceived my beloved.”
By Jorge Monreal