St Luke's Church Eccleshill - Articles from "The Link"

In our "Questions to the clergy" slot, John will try to answer any query you throw at him, without hesitation, deviation or repetition...

Lead us not into temptation?

Why did Jesus put the words “Lead us not into temptation” into the Lord’s Prayer? Surely he would have known that God wouldn’t tempt us anyway?

A. It’s puzzling, isn’t it? Here are some stabs at parts of the puzzle:

Why pray at all? God already knows what we need, so why should he want us to ask him before he gives us what we need?

I think it’s the same as why we parents want to teach our children to “ask properly” for something. Learning to say “please” and “thank you” is about how we relate to others, grow friendships and build trust. A parent might well know what a child needs, but the child needs to learn how to communicate.

Likewise, God wants us to grow a relationship with him and build up our trust in him. Prayer may be optional for getting what we need, but it is vital for growing closer to our heavenly Father.

Don’t lead us. In fact the words probably mean “Allow us not to enter...” in the sense of “give us the option of not going there.” It is a prayer asking God to do what the end of 1 Cor 10:13 promises.

Time of Trial. When modern-language services first came out in the C of E (in the 1970s), the translators wrote “Do not bring us to the time of trial” at this point in the Lord’s Prayer. The bible says we all face judgement after this life (e.g. Heb 9:27), but Jesus will save those who believe and trust in him, so that they won’t be punished as their sins would deserve. So if it means this, Jesus was teaching us to pray for forgiveness for our own sins and the grace to believe and trust in him.

Purification. The bible also says our faith can come out stronger when we go through suffering (2 Cor 1:3-7, 1 Peter 1:6-7) and temptation to abandon our faith is part of this. God promised that if we stick close to him nothing will ultimately break us (1 Cor 10:13), but most of us know people whose faith hasn’t survived suffering. So Jesus is telling us to pray for the strength to stick close to him. In Luke 22:32 Jesus says Peter needed this prayer.

Personal responsibility. I think there’s a danger that we might pray the prayer and then blame God when we get tempted. But do we take practical steps to avoid tempting situations? If God promises us a way out, do we look for that way so that the temptation never wins a victory over us?

John Hartley

	*St Luke's Church, Eccleshill - The Link* magazine** The Link is published monthly at 40p (Senior Citizens 35p), and we deliver free within the parish and post copies (at the reader's expense) to those who request it. Please contact us if you would like a free copy for a trial period. April 2002, Page 8.
Home Page. Index of articles. Questions: index, Choruses, Common cup, Evangelical, Resurrection, Lord's Prayer, Apocrypha. In this issue: (April 2002) Vicar's Letter, Clergy pay, 1 Peter, Question.	In our "Questions to the clergy" slot, John will try to answer any query you throw at him, without hesitation, deviation or repetition... Lead us not into temptation? Why did Jesus put the words “Lead us not into temptation” into the Lord’s Prayer? Surely he would have known that God wouldn’t tempt us anyway? A. It’s puzzling, isn’t it? Here are some stabs at parts of the puzzle: Why pray at all? God already knows what we need, so why should he want us to ask him before he gives us what we need? I think it’s the same as why we parents want to teach our children to “ask properly” for something. Learning to say “please” and “thank you” is about how we relate to others, grow friendships and build trust. A parent might well know what a child needs, but the child needs to learn how to communicate. Likewise, God wants us to grow a relationship with him and build up our trust in him. Prayer may be optional for getting what we need, but it is vital for growing closer to our heavenly Father. Don’t lead us. In fact the words probably mean “Allow us not to enter...” in the sense of “give us the option of not going there.” It is a prayer asking God to do what the end of 1 Cor 10:13 promises. Time of Trial. When modern-language services first came out in the C of E (in the 1970s), the translators wrote “Do not bring us to the time of trial” at this point in the Lord’s Prayer. The bible says we all face judgement after this life (e.g. Heb 9:27), but Jesus will save those who believe and trust in him, so that they won’t be punished as their sins would deserve. So if it means this, Jesus was teaching us to pray for forgiveness for our own sins and the grace to believe and trust in him. Purification. The bible also says our faith can come out stronger when we go through suffering (2 Cor 1:3-7, 1 Peter 1:6-7) and temptation to abandon our faith is part of this. God promised that if we stick close to him nothing will ultimately break us (1 Cor 10:13), but most of us know people whose faith hasn’t survived suffering. So Jesus is telling us to pray for the strength to stick close to him. In Luke 22:32 Jesus says Peter needed this prayer. Personal responsibility. I think there’s a danger that we might pray the prayer and then blame God when we get tempted. But do we take practical steps to avoid tempting situations? If God promises us a way out, do we look for that way so that the temptation never wins a victory over us? John Hartley
Top of page.	This web page was last updated on 5th July 2002.