“’Test Me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it’” (Malachi 3:10b).
“Jesus answered him, ‘It is also written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test’” (Matthew 4:7).
So, are you an Old Testament type of person, or do you prefer the New? Looking at these two verses on the surface, it seems that the Old Testament person would answer, “Sure, it’s okay to test God. He encourages it.” The New Testament person, though, will say, “Are you crazy? Jesus tells us we aren’t supposed to test God, and He’s even telling that to Satan. So you know Jesus means business.”
The answer, as is so often the case in the Bible, needs a closer look. The Bible does not contradict itself, so the question has to be, “Why does God invite testing in Malachi, but Jesus does not in Matthew?” And the answer is, “It depends on what you mean by testing.”
Testing or Tempting?
Remember that the Bible’s original languages are primary Hebrew for the Old Testament and Greek for the New Testament. There is some Aramaic thrown in to both, but the Aramaic is relatively rare, so the focus is on Greek and Hebrew. The words we interpret as “tempted” and “tested” are sometimes interchangeable, depending on the context of the events around the words.
The simplest way to determine the difference between tempting and testing as the Bible means it, a temptation is to try to lure someone to do evil, while a test is to genuinely seek to determine the validity or value of someone or something.
When Jesus was being led into the desert by the Spirit, the intent was to allow Jesus to be tempted by Satan (Matthew 4:1). God allows Jesus to be tested; Satan tests Jesus by the temptations he throws at Christ. While in the desert, Jesus was lured by Satan to renounce His ministry by short-circuiting His stated purpose. The first test is to indulge Jesus’ fleshly desires by turning the stones into bread. The second was to give a dramatic sign to the people of Jerusalem by throwing Himself off the highest point of the Temple. The third was to secretly pledge Himself through worshiping Satan in exchange for gaining the whole world. In all three examples, Jesus used Scripture to expose and counter Satan’s temptations.
The testing of Jesus comes in the daily observations of the disciples and followers of Christ. Watching Him, listening to Him allowed them to determine whether Jesus was genuine or not. The testing wasn’t overt or clearly stated, but that’s what the religious leaders were doing as they followed Him throughout His public ministry. The religious leaders rejected Jesus because He didn’t pass their test by conforming to their understanding of what a Messiah should be. The disciples, on the other hand, had a deep faith in Jesus as exemplified by Peter’s answers to Jesus’ question about who the disciples said Jesus was (Matthew 16:15-16) and whether the disciples wanted to abandon Him (John 6:67-69).
When is Testing Tempting?
It isn’t most people’s intent to lure God into doing evil, but it is often possible for people to ask God to do things just to prove Himself. “If you really are God, then . . .“ is often the beginning of temptation, not genuine testing. The one who makes such a demand is someone who doubts God and is trying to dismiss Him as genuine. Sometimes, the phrase is used out of desperation, but more often than not, it’s an effort to show God up as being less than He said He was. It’s a form of manipulation, sort of the “trained monkey” syndrome, if you will.
Throughout Jesus’ ministry, the religious leaders were asking Jesus for signs. They repeatedly said, “We want to see a miraculous sign from You” (Matthew 12:38). The implication is, “If You really are the Messiah, You should be able to do something for us on demand.” The fact that Jesus performed miracles continuously throughout His ministry escaped them. The healing of the sick and the raising of the dead was lost on them. The feeding of 5000 was easily explained away. They wanted a miracle of their own choosing at their own time. In other words, “Jesus, perform for us.” Like a trained monkey.
Oddly enough, when John the Baptist sent a delegation to Jesus to ask if He really was the Messiah, Jesus’ response was to remind the delegation of the miracles Jesus had done. The difference between the religious leaders and John was the intent of the question. The religious leaders were skeptical critics, while John was a man having a crisis of faith.
The testing of God and of Jesus comes in the idea of responding to them in faith even when our faith is limited. God’s words in Malachi are such an example. Bring your tithes into the storehouse and see if I don’t bless you is what God is telling them. Step out in faith and see the results. Peter’s willingness to step out of the boat and begin to walk on the stormy waters toward Jesus was an act of faith. Had Peter jumped out of the boat with the attitude of, “Jesus is doing it; I’ll see if He can let me do it, too” is tempting Christ. Peter’s walk on water was in response to Jesus’ words.
Paul uses these words to remind us we are allowed to test God’s will: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:1-2). The surrender of ourselves is our yielding ourselves to the control of God’s Spirit and letting His will be done through us. The step of faith is a test that verifies the Word.
Does God Tempt Us or Test Us?
James tells us, “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone, but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed” (James 1:13-14). But isn’t temptation a test of some kind or another?
Yes, of course it is. Remember Jesus in the wilderness? The Spirit led Jesus there to be tempted by Satan. The test was to allow Jesus to be tempted, to see if He would resist Satan’s lures. The temptation of Jesus didn’t end with the wilderness. It intensified as Jesus continued His public ministry, culminating with the intense temptations as Jesus hung from the cross. The writer of Hebrews says there was a reason for the temptation: “Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted” (Hebrews 2:18) and “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as are—yet was without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
If God will allow His own Son to be tested through temptation, it stands to reason He will allow us these same tests. But remember this promise: “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). A perfect example of this is Peter. On the night Jesus was betrayed, He told Peter, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31-32). Jesus then told Peter that he would deny Jesus three times before the rooster crowed. Peter does deny Jesus; but Peter’s faith is restored as he walked with the risen Christ by the Sea of Galilee (John 21). Judging from the book of Acts and Peter’s letters in the New Testament, Peter’s moment of tempting, failing and restoration made him much more fit to minister and share the Gospel than had he never been sifted. God allows us to be tempted in order to test us, even though God Himself never tempts us.
Sometimes, like Peter the night Jesus was betrayed, we fail the test. Failure in the test does not necessarily make us unworthy of being used by God. Sometimes, it’s the failing that enables us to gain a greater insight into God’s grace and mercy. It is when we pass through the fire and come out charred that we are better able to understand and have compassion toward others. Don’t see failure as exile. When we yield to temptation, we need to recognize it, repent and place ourselves once again at God’s disposal through His Spirit. And when we fail, when we sin, we need to remember that: “If anybody does sin, we have One who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One” (1 John 2:1b).
Even better, though, is to recognize the temptation and run immediately to Christ. James tells us to resist the devil and he will flee from us. James urges us to draw near to God, instead. A life of daily prayer, Bible study and surrender is the best way to withstand Satan and pass the tests that come our way through temptation.
Conclusion
The best way to summarize the difference between the tempting of God and the testing of God is to ask ourselves this question. “I’m about to do something expecting God to respond favorably to my position. Is what I’m about to do based upon my presumption, or is it based upon my understanding of Scripture and in response to what I believe God is telling me to do?” If we act on the presumption, that’s tempting God; if we respond according to God’s revelation, that’s testing.
© 2017 Glynn Beaty