Temptations: a dreaded necessity?

[KingdomBuilder]

While reading today, I came across some things that caused me to wonder-

Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom temptation comes!

Matthew 18:7

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Matthew 6:13 [The Lord's Prayer]

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one

James 1:13

Temptation is a source of woes, but it is necessary; yet we are to pray to not be lead into temptation?

It's fairly straight forward that temptation is not directly from God, which explains why it is a source of woes and why we are to pray to not be lead into it. But why would Jesus say it is necessary? Is it a merely a "necessity of life" in that we are born of a fallen world? Or is it necessary for something else?

Yet another dimension of complexity is added in the fact that Jesus himself was tempted "who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin"

Some other questions:
What does it look like to be "one by whom temptation comes"?
What's your Christian perspective on temptation?

[MaxPC]

Some thoughts from my own experiences:
- The one who tempts another is either satan or is acting as an agent of satan to lure others to sin.
- Life is full of temptations ever since sin entered the world.
- Jesus was likewise tempted as we are.
- Jesus resisted temptation and every temptation is an opportunity to imitate Him by resisting the temptation.
-What does not kill us makes us stronger.

[Wade]

While reading today, I came across some things that caused me to wonder-

Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom temptation comes!

Matthew 18:7

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Matthew 6:13 [The Lord's Prayer]

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one

James 1:13

Temptation is a source of woes, but it is necessary; yet we are to pray to not be lead into temptation?

I think the key word there is "lead." Because the next verse, "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed." The "drawn" gives me the idea of no real effort to avoid temptation because he was in fact already sinning anyway - with lust. Therefore for example don't go in a pub if you have the temptation to drink... But neither do I think every temptation that comes was because we were looking for it.

It's fairly straight forward that temptation is not directly from God, which explains why it is a source of woes and why we are to pray to not be lead into it. But why would Jesus say it is necessary? Is it a merely a "necessity of life" in that we are born of a fallen world? Or is it necessary for something else?

To me the necessity has to do with being born into a fallen world and not just the world but we have inherited that nature too.

Yet another dimension of complexity is added in the fact that Jesus himself was tempted "who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin"

Some other questions:
What does it look like to be "one by whom temptation comes"?
What's your Christian perspective on temptation?

God is an avenger of the defrauded, if temptation directed at us doesn't come from God, it comes from someone because it also wasn't God's original design.

However having said all this, I think James said every man is tempted when he is drawn away from his own lust because he is pushing us away having from that natural tendency to think of ourselves as victims. Somehow I choose sin too with my ancestor Adam and as much as I wish I would have done differently than him I cannot say that I would have...

There is that humanity in us as long as we are in these bodies and temptation is not sin but Jesus still gave us a strong example of using the power of God's Word to have the "one by whom temptation comes" flee from us.

[ken_sylvania]

I tend to think Jesus was saying that stumbling-blocks are inevitable, rather than that they are important.

[Josh]

I tend to think Jesus was saying that stumbling-blocks are inevitable, rather than that they are important.

I agree with this; I think Jesus is making it clear that following him doesn't imply a promise to no longer face hardships or temptations.

[Wade]

I tend to think Jesus was saying that stumbling-blocks are inevitable, rather than that they are important.

I agree for the most part but would add that the pain from these stumbling blocks can be important in growing spiritually too. Pain is our friend when it draws us closer to Christ.

[ken_sylvania]

I tend to think Jesus was saying that stumbling-blocks are inevitable, rather than that they are important.

I agree for the most part but would add that the pain from these stumbling blocks can be important in growing spiritually too. Pain is our friend when it draws us closer to Christ.

I agree, pain can help us grow, but looking at the context I cannot imagine that Jesus was painting offenses (temptations, stumbling-blocks) as a valuable thing in this context. We're not instructed to seek out pain, but rather to respond correctly when the Lord allows it.

[KingdomBuilder]

However having said all this, I think James said every man is tempted when he is drawn away from his own lust because he is pushing us away from that natural tendency to think of ourselves as victims

Interesting thought- I like it. It is easy to say feel like a victim of temptation a lot of times.