`Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were

destroyed of serpents' (1 Cor. 10:9).

`There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but

God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye

are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that

ye may be able to bear it' (1 Cor. 10:13).

`Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith' (2 Cor. 13:5).

It is not our immediate purpose to give a detailed exposition of every

use in these passages.  What we are primarily concerned with is the question

that arises from the statement that Christ was tempted in all points like as

we are.  So far as 1 Corinthians 7:5 is concerned, no point arises.  The

passages cited in 1 Corinthians 10 deal with the provocation in the

wilderness already examined in connection with Hebrews 3 and 4.  In 1

Corinthians 10:9 the word `tempt', in the opening phrase, `neither let us

tempt Christ', is ekpeirazo, `to try out', and is used in the New Testament

always in a bad sense (only other occurrences Matthew 4:7; Luke 4:12; 10:25).

By no method of interpretation can the call of the apostle to the Corinthians

in 2 Corinthians 13:5 `to examine' themselves be made to refer to what we

commonly understand by `temptation', so we pass on to the remaining

occurrence in Paul's epistles, which is 1 Timothy 6:9,10.

`They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many

foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and

perdition.  For the love of money is the ( a ) root of all evil: which

while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced

themselves through with many sorrows'.

Timothy is urged to `flee these things', and reminded that he had

`professed a good profession', and also of `Christ Jesus, Who before Pontius

Pilate witnessed a good confession'.  While Timothy would be strengthened as

he kept before him the constant and unswerving integrity of the Saviour,

there is not a word that would suggest that he would find comfort in the

thought that even his Lord, at times, was tempted by riches and the love of

money!  Truly, the Saviour was `pierced through with many sorrows', but these

were for sins `laid on Him', not for any `love' of hurtful things within Him.

The word translated `to pierce through' is the Greek peripeiro, used by

Josephus in his record of the Wars of the Jews in the sentence, `they were

pierced through on all sides with Roman darts'.  Here it will be seen that

the `temptation' of verse 9 becomes the `probe' of verse 10, and sheds

further light upon the primary meaning of all the words translated `tempt'.

Temptations to sin arise from within.  Money, the external thing, is

useful and innocuous; the `love' of it is resident, not in the money itself,

but in the heart.  In themselves riches are useful and of value, but he who

`wills to be rich' falls into a temptation and snare; it is

the `will', not the riches; the `love', not the money, that constitutes the

It is contrary to the teaching of Scripture to affirm that when a

Christian falls into such temptations he can count on the `sympathy' of the

Saviour.  In such circumstances he needs not sympathy and succour, but

correction, forgiveness and restoration.  To expect sympathy after being