The Problem Of Temptation

The Problem Of Temptation

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

Genesis 3:1

This passage raises a lot of questions. Some people become curious and ask, “Well, why did God permit Satan to lure Eve into sin? Why did Satan appear to Eve in the form of a serpent instead of some other animal?”

No one can explain why God permits things to happen. No one understands what he does or why he does it. So we should remember the lesson that Job learned: no one can summon God into court to account for what he does or allows to happen. We might as well argue with him about why the grass and trees aren’t green all year long. It’s enough for us to know that all these things are under God’s power. He can do as he pleases. Idle curiosity causes guessing and questioning. Since we are merely clay in God’s hands (Isaiah 64:8), we should avoid debating these matters. We can’t sit in judgment over the all-knowing God. Instead, we should allow him to judge us.

The only satisfactory answer to these and similar questions should be that it pleased God for Adam to be tempted in order to test his ability to resist. That is how God still works today. After we have been baptized and brought into Christ’s kingdom, God doesn’t want us to become idle. Instead, he wants us to pay attention to his Word and make use of his gifts. So even today, he allows poor, weak people like us to be sifted and strained by the devil.