Catechetical sermons preached in PCC Evening Worship Services, Feb 2013 to Dec 2017
WSC 106 of 107
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
Matthew 6:13
WSC 106. What do we pray for in the Sixth Petition?
A. In the Sixth Petition—(which is, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil1)—we pray, That God would either keep us from being tempted to sin,2 or support and deliver us when we are tempted.3
1Mt 6:13; 2Mt 26:41; 32 Cor 12:7–8.
We have been studying the Lord’s Prayer using the exposition of it found in the Westminster Shorter Catechism. We have reached the final of six petitions: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Mt 6:13).
This petition came into the spotlight recently1 when the Roman Catholic Pope declared that it should be translated “Do not let us fall/be abandoned to temptation” instead of “Lead us not into temptation.” The latter is “not a good translation,” he opined. “A father doesn’t do that. … It’s Satan who leads us into temptation. That’s his department,” he explains.
Is he right? Well, indeed, God does not tempt us to sin as we shall see (Jas 1:13). But does it follow that the Lord Jesus wrongly worded the Sixth Petition and must be corrected? Clearly, the Pope has arrogated power by deciding what the petition should say instead of carefully explaining why the Lord teaches us to pray as He does.
So yes, the Sixth Petition is correctly stated as “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
But what do we pray for in this petition? Let’s try to understand it by asking three questions. First, what is the difference between temptation and evil? Secondly, what are we asking for when we pray, “Lead us not into temptation”? Thirdly, what are we asking for when we pray, “Deliver us from evil”?
1. The Difference Between Temptation and Evil
The Sixth Petition is: “Lead us not into Temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Clearly, temptation and evil are related, but are they the same? Well, apparently not!
The word translated “temptation” (πειρασμός, peirasmos) refers to tests, proofs, trials, and enticements. It is not necessarily bad. The same word is used in James 1:2, where James says, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.” James is referring to trials or sufferings in life.
Now, the word translated “evil” (πονηρός, ponēros) implies that which is harmful, wicked and malicious.
What is the most evil thing that can harm us? It is sin. So, when temptation and evil are used together, they naturally refer to a temptation to sin.
What is sin? “Sin is any want of conformity unto or transgression of the Law of God” (WSC 14). To sin is to fail to measure up to the demands of God’s law, or to break God’s law. Sin is lawlessness, says the apostle John. When we do anything—whether in our thoughts, speech or deeds—that falls short of God’s law or is contrary to God’s law, we sin against God.
Temptation, in the context of the evil of sin, speaks of the conflict we experience in our hearts when something which we know is wrong seems attractive to us. Eve knew that it was wrong to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, but when Satan lied to her about the benefits of eating the fruit, she was tempted.
We may be tempted in many ways, including the world, the lust of the flesh and the devil.
If you pass by a fried chicken restaurant on the Sabbath day and the thought crosses your mind to go in to buy a meal, you are tempted.
If you are cooking and your child nags at you for something, and for a fleeting moment, you contemplate chasing him out with a chopper in your hand, you have been tempted.
If you are a married woman, but your boss is so nice to you that you wonder what it may be like to enter into a relationship with him, you have come under temptation.
You are using your phone to read your Bible during worship service when a message comes in, and you instantly feel an urge to read it. You are being tempted. Now, it is no sin to be tempted. Our Lord was tempted at all points yet without sin. Temptation only becomes sin when it is full-blown. James says:
14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death
Jas 1:14-15
All men in this sinful world will face temptations, but temptation does not always lead to sin. Martin Luther illustrates the relationship between temptation and sin most vividly. You cannot stop a crow from flying over your head. You cannot help it. No one will find fault with you for that. But you will be held responsible if you allow the same crow to build a nest on your hair.
Of course, this illustration is incomplete because no one in his right mind would allow a crow to build a nest on his hair. You see, temptations are always attractive. It derives its power from persuading us that it will make us happier if we submit to it. From the rooftop, David could not help but notice Bathsheba bathing herself in the open. But he could have turned his eyes away immediately. Instead, he allowed temptation to entice him with the prospect of enjoying the view a little longer. As soon as that happened, temptation sought to draw him in little by little, step by step, from sin to sin. He could not help falling into temptation when he saw Bathsheba bathing, but he allowed himself to fall under temptation by lingering in it. He fell in temptation.
There is a difference between “falling into temptation” and “falling in temptation.” To fall into temptation is not sinful in itself unless we knowingly put ourselves into a situation where we can be tempted. But to fall in temptation is to crumble under the pressure of temptation and sin against God.
When our Lord teaches us to pray: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” he is teaching us to pray first regarding temptation and second regarding sin.
With that in mind, let us consider what we should pray for in this final petition.
Consider first what we request when we ask the Father to “Lead us not into temptation.”
2. Lead Us Not into Temptation
The Scripture teaches us that God does not tempt us to sin (Jas 1:13). Therefore, it is evident that when our Lord teaches us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation,” He is not suggesting that God does tempt us to sin.
However, in teaching us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation,” the Lord reminds us that God is sovereign even in the matter of our temptations. We do not fall into temptations without the Lord’s knowledge, foreordination and providential power.
And God may, for some holy and just reasons, order providence so that temptations may challenge us.
In praying, “lead us not into temptation,” we are, therefore, firstly acknowledging God’s sovereignty over us. Secondly, we are asking the Father to grant us our sober desire to be kept from temptation.
In so praying, we are also confessing our hatred for sin, and acknowledging that we may be too weak to resist temptation should we fall into it.
So, we are pleading with the Lord to keep us from being tempted to sin. Knowing the cliff’s edge is slippery, we ask the Father not to allow us to come anywhere near it. Now, we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, and being tempted can also be good for us—not the least to strengthen us against sin. It is like: if a child is kept in clinical cleanliness from birth, then any exposure to germs when he is older may be fatal for him. But if he is kept in a regular environment where his immune system is exercised daily, he will be better able to fight a threatening infection later in life. So Calvin says: “Unless we are daily sharpened by various temptations, we immediately gather rust and other evils.2”
But now, as we will never intentionally expose a child to infectious diseases, we must never love to be tempted. We must never play with fire. The regenerate soul must hate sin so much we do not want to be tempted if we can help it. So we should let our desires be known unto the Father.
In general, the Father does not remove all temptations from us in this life, even if we so pray. As I said, temptation may be good for building up our resistance. I think of the Lord Jesus during His earthly ministry. He would have also prayed the same prayer to be delivered from temptations, but the Father appointed that He be tempted in all points like as we—so that He may be proven to be more than conquerors against sin.
But we must believe that the Father hears our prayers and often gives us our request.
How does God answer our request? Well, he may do so in several ways. Let me highlight three.
First, he may do so by restraining Satan, the great tempter of mankind. Satan must have God’s permission if he wants to tempt God’s children. God can prevent him from assaulting us with his manifold temptations.
Secondly, God may keep us from temptation by so ordering providence that we will have no opportunity to enter into those situations where temptations are waiting for us—such as being in an immoral place, or being alone with someone with whom we can be tempted to sin.
Thirdly, God may keep us from temptation by strengthening our inner man and reminding us of His Word so that we find ourselves fleeing from temptation or finding no delight in the things we are tempted to do.
Let me put it this way: when we pray, “Lead us not into temptation,” we are asking firstly that God will keep the attractive crows away. Secondly, we are praying that God will keep us from accidentally stepping into the territory of a murder of crows. Thirdly, we are praying that God will enable us to hear and smell the murder of crows from a distance so that we avoid it altogether.
What about the second part of the petition, “Deliver us from evil”?
3. Deliver Us from Evil
When we pray, “Lead us not into temptation,” we are praying that on account of our weakness, we may not have to deal with temptation. But what if God deems it fit that we should face temptation as our Lord Himself was tempted in the wilderness?
For this reason, the Lord teaches us to pray not only “Lead us not into temptation” but also, “Deliver from evil.”
When we pray, “Deliver us from evil,” we are requesting the Father that when we are tempted to sin, we may be supported and strengthened to resist and overcome the temptations. That is, we are praying that we may be delivered from falling into sin (Jas 4:7).
We should, of course, pray this prayer before we actually come into a situation of temptation.
Thus, a courting couple should pray:
Lord, Thou dost know how there will be situations of temptation during our courtship. Grant us that we may have a clear mind each time we meet so that we may not allow ourselves into a situation where we may be tempted to sin against thee. But if we somehow find ourselves in the situation, grant us that we may have the grace to resist any temptation and to come out of the situation quickly.
Likewise, a person who has to deal with a considerable amount of money in the company may pray:
Lord, Thou dost know my weakness, for I am a fallen man prone to temptation. Thou dost know how the devil can blind my eyes, especially at the time of the month when I am most in need of money. Therefore, strengthen me if—by the wicked devices of my mind—I should think of any way to cheat the company when I am despairing for money. Help me to trust thee that Thou art my provider.
But of course, sometimes, for just and holy reasons, the Lord allows us to fall in temptation and into sin—especially when we fail to pray, “Lead us not into temptation.”
Therefore, in praying “Deliver us from evil,” we should also pray that if we do fall into sin, we may be made to see our sin, whether by the Spirit of Christ stirring our conscience or by others discovering our sin. We must pray that we will be raised out of it by confession and repentance.
So we pray:
Lord, if I should fall into sin, cause that my eyes may not be blinded and my heart hardened because of sin. Please give me the grace to feel sad for grieving Thee, and to repent of and confess my sin. Lord, I know that when I have fallen into sin, it will be difficult for me to pray this same prayer because of the deceitfulness of sin. So now, when I am strong and sober, please hear my prayer and remind and strengthen me when I am weak.
Conclusion
The Sixth Petition is, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
What do we pray for in the Sixth Petition? All we have said is succinctly summarised in our Shorter Catechism, question 106: “What do we pray for in the Sixth Petition?”
Answer:
In the Sixth Petition—(which is, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil)—we pray, That God would either keep us from being tempted to sin, or support and deliver us when we are tempted.
Let us pray this prayer daily. Let us pray it, taking heed lest we fall (1 Cor 10:12), for we are not unaware of the devices of the wicked one. He who would not pray cannot be godly, for as the psalmist says: “Everyone that is godly [shall] pray unto thee” (Ps 32:6). Thomas Watson puts it beautifully: “As soon as grace is poured in, prayer is poured out” (Watson). So, he who has no desire to be kept from sin cannot love righteousness. So let us all remember so to pray.
But as we pray this prayer, let us also remember that no temptation is ever so great that we cannot overcome it by God’s sufficient grace. Paul tells us:
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
l Cor 10:13
This verse has often been used to speak about trials and difficulties in the Christian life, but the context clearly indicates that the temptation that Paul speaks about is that of temptation to sin.
Therefore, let us bear in mind that there is no sin we couldn’t fall into. So let us not fail to seek God’s grace daily to lead us not into temptation, but to deliver us from evil. Let us do so as we bear the name of Christ who was tempted in all points like as we are, and yet without sin. Let us pray that our lives may, by God’s grace, bear forth a better testimony for our Saviour who redeemed us by His blood. Amen.
—JJ Lim
Edited by: LPS