Day Twenty-Seven - Defeating Temptation
In the prior chapter Mr. Warren suggested that temptations are “stepping stones” on our “path to spiritual maturity.” He explained in terms that are impossible to misconstrue that he views temptation as an essential factor in our task of spiritual growth. In the present chapter his message is quite the contrary. Now he tells us, “To avoid being stung, stay away from the bees.” (p. 211) The inconsistency this exhibits already was manifest even before the prior chapter concluded. The major importance of taking due notice of such inconsistency is that it demonstrates that Mr. Warren’s thinking is not systematic. Thus, the particles of truth that we find sprinkled here and there in this book cannot be systematically integrated into his overall message. A few examples of such particles are to be found in the present chapter. Rather than to expound further upon the inconsistency these represent in comparison with the prior chapter - sufficient exposition of which appears in the commentary of that chapter - discussion of the present chapter shall focus instead upon Mr. Warren’s four “keys to defeating temptation.” (p. 209)
The first of Mr. Warren’s “keys to defeating temptation” is, “Refocus your attention on something else.” (p. 210) His general idea is that attempting to fight temptation directly by a determination to overcome it is ineffective because contemplation of that which we hope to conquer actually promotes continued mindfulness of the enemy. This is wise counsel, as far as it goes. However, some elaboration is needed. First, not all temptation is regular. That is, one not always is tempted in an area of particular weakness. Disciplining oneself to refocus attention is especially effective in case of familiar temptation, but one also must be wary of the sudden, unexpected temptation. Sins vary from the dramatic to the mundane. One need not think long about obvious, dramatic sin, in which case an immediate refocus of attention is in order. On the other hand, there are complex issues such as fuel great ethical debate. Such matters require scrutiny in order for one to determine whether he is confronted by temptation at all. Some times concentration of attention upon temptation is needed in order to identify it as temptation and to determine the proper course of action. In case of regular, habitual temptation, such as preys upon our weakness, Mr. Warren’s counsel is true: one ought to refocus attention onto something else.
Another point of elaboration is that the refocus of attention is not properly undertaken as a psychological technique. Mr. Warren cites Philippians 4:8 (p. 212), a text that sorely was needed, though conspicuously absent, back in chapters 18 and 19. He brings this text in now as a technique for defeating temptation. However, in context of Philippians chapter 4, this exhortation is not presented as a technique for achieving some psychological end. Rather, it is an element in Paul’s general exhortation concerning the proper ordering of our lives. Our minds ought to dwell on truth, honor, righteousness, purity, loveliness, goodness, excellence, and worthiness as a matter of course - not as a psychological technique. It is true that a person so focused will confront less temptation. The diminishing of temptation is the de facto result of a well-ordered life. But, the goal and the motive is a well-ordered life - not the defeating of temptation. Consider this illustration from computer programming. There are two general approaches to correcting errors (sins) in a computer program: debugging and anti-bugging. Debugging is the skill of analyzing the code to find the errors and to correct them. Anti-bugging is the skill of designing the code in such a way that it will not have errors in the first place. Thus, the term “anti-bugging” is a bit of a misnomer, for the emphasis, the goal, and the motive is to write a good computer program, not to deal with errors. In the same way, refocusing attention ought to be done for the purpose of pursuing godliness, not primarily as a technique for dealing with temptation.
Mr. Warren’s next “key to defeating temptation” is, “Reveal your struggle to a godly friend or support group.” (p. 212) His discussion of this point basically rehashes the material in chapters 18 and 19, wherein he suggests that our weaknesses, hurts, and failings constitute the “real” self, and that sharing these things in “small groups” constitutes “real” fellowship. The reader is referred to commentary on those chapters (above) for full critique of such notions. The present discussion shall deal with these notions insofar as they are presented as a technique for defeating temptation.
Mr. Warren would like to make his point to seem biblical by citing James 5:16, “Confess your sins to one another.” (p. 212) However, in the prior chapter he already, and rightly, stated that, “It is not a sin to be tempted.” (p. 205) A biblical exhortation to confess our sins does not support an unbiblical notion that we ought to confess our temptation. At the head of this chapter Mr. Warren cites I Corinthians 10:13, wherein it plainly is stated that God will not allow us any temptation greater than our capacity to endure. It seems terribly odd, then, that in the course of this chapter he should declare that, “Some temptations are only overcome with the help of a partner…” (p. 212) Being a direct contradiction of the plain teaching of Scripture, Mr. Warren’s technique of confessing temptations manifestly is unbiblical. Being unbiblical, it necessarily involves a number of other difficulties.
Such a notion contradicts Mr. Warren’s own wise counsel, given over the prior few pages, to “refocus your attention on something else.” In his prior discussion he taught, “Ignoring a temptation is far more effective than fighting it. Once your mind is on something else, the temptation loses its power. So when temptation calls you on the phone, don’t argue with it, just hang up!” (p. 211) Now, barely two pages later, he teaches, “Don’t repress it; confess it! Don’t conceal it; reveal it. Revealing your feelings is the beginning of healing.” (p. 213) Such rhyming jingoism has psychological power. The unwary reader is prone to suppose that he has read something wise, rather than realizing that he has read something that contradicts what he read only two pages before. Mr. Warren continues, “Hiding your hurt only intensifies it. Problems grow in the dark and become bigger and bigger, but when exposed to the light of truth, they shrink. You are only as sick as your secrets. So take off your mask, stop pretending you’re perfect, and walk into freedom.” (p. 213) On page 210 Mr. Warren said, “…resisting a thought doesn’t work. It only intensifies our focus on the wrong thing and strengthens its allure.” In that section his counsel was to ignore temptation because attempting to resist it would only intensify it. Now, he calls ignoring temptation “hiding,” and claims that hiding it will intensify it. Before, he told us that “once your mind is on something else, the temptation loses its power.” Now, he tells us that, “problems grow in the dark and become bigger and bigger.” Before, it was wisdom to ignore temptation and to refocus your attention onto something else. Now, unless you confess your temptations, you are wearing a “mask” and “pretending.” On page 211 he told us that, “when temptation calls you on the phone, don’t argue with it, just hang up!” On the very next page he begins a discussion in which he says, in effect, that when temptation calls, ask it to hold the line a minute while you set up a three-way conference call with your “partner” or “small group.”
That teachings should oscillate so widely within the space of so few pages indicates a void of clarity. This book overall exhibits this same lack of systematic consistency. Thus, the various instances of wisdom we find here and there have no systematic framework in which to be integrated. The present chapter provides yet another example of this. The wisdom of Mr. Warren’s teaching to ignore temptation is immediately nullified by his unbiblical teaching that we must confess our temptations to a “partner” or “small group.”
Temptations are potential failings; sins are actual failings. In many cases confession of sin is required and therefore therapeutic, however, it never is required or beneficial for one to confess his temptations. The mind and heart of Man is corrupted in sin. It is “desperately sick.” (Jer 17:9) All kinds of thoughts arise in the mind, which, if actualized, would bring about the most hideous evil. It is neither necessary nor helpful for one to develop the habit of divulging such thoughts. It is the Holy Spirit who convicts our hearts (Jn. 16:8), and it is God to whom we must turn for grace to help in time of need. (Heb 4:16) In case of the actual failing of sin, especially habitual failing, one certainly will need to deal with human agency. For the sake of the present discussion I repeat here what is presented more fully in commentary on chapter 18, that surely there are occasions in which a sinner needs to confess to others and requires counsel. When needed, counsel ideally ought to occur within the intimacy of the family, or if necessary, in the privacy of qualified outside counseling. It is important to emphasize that these are avenues for dealing with sin, not temptation. Mr. Warren has brought such matters as confession and counseling into a discussion of temptation. Inasmuch as he has not properly accounted for sin in this treatise, it is not surprising that ministry intended for dealing with sin should be discussed in a context that is out of place.
With his final two points Mr. Warren returns to biblical wisdom. “Resist the Devil,” he says, citing James 4:7. (p. 214) He is quite biblical in expounding the means of resisting. Citing Ephesians 6:17, he exhorts us to take up “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” He recounts Christ’s example in the wilderness, defeating the temptations of the Devil with the Word of God. “This is why,” he says, “memorizing Scripture is absolutely essential to defeating temptation.” (p. 215) To this we all may return a hearty “Amen!” Building upon this theme he adds, “I challenge you to memorize one verse a week for the rest of your life.” (p. 215) That is quite a challenge. It would be challenging enough for one who has a particular Bible translation that is his constant companion. But, it is an insurmountable challenge for someone who adopts the outlook presented in Mr. Warren’s Appendix 3. There he claims that the familiarity of a favorite translation actually is a hindrance to understanding it fully. In order to know what God really is saying, he claims, we must read it in “new, fresh ways.” (p. 325) Anyone who buys into this way of thinking will find it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to memorize one verse of Scripture each week. The folly of Mr. Warren’s Appendix 3 nullifies the wisdom of his exhortation to resist the Devil by means of the Word of God.
Mr. Warren’s final point is, “realize your vulnerability.” (p. 215) He elaborates, “Given the right circumstances, any of us are [sic] capable of any sin.” (p. 215) This is most true. The cure of Redemption determines our eternal destiny with God, and empowers us to walk in “newness of life” (Rom. 6:4), but it does not grant us temporal perfection, or even perfectibility. It certainly is true that it is a dangerous thing for anyone to presume that he is immune to temptation. Paul, a giant among spiritual giants, missionary to virtually the entire Ancient Western world, and author of a large portion of the New Testament, admitted that he had not obtained perfection, and confessed that it was his perpetual struggle to pursue it. (Phil. 3:12-13)
It is indeed refreshing to see a number of sound and wise points put together in one chapter. But at the same time it is all the more dismaying to see this wisdom nullified by so many other points of unbiblical counsel. Also, the points of true wisdom found here concerning ignoring and avoiding temptation serve to nullify the entire prior chapter concerning temptation as a necessary “stepping stone” to spiritual maturity. The church sorely is in need of a voice of biblical wisdom and clarity. How tragic it is to see multiple millions turn instead to a book such as this.
The first of Mr. Warren’s “keys to defeating temptation” is, “Refocus your attention on something else.” (p. 210) His general idea is that attempting to fight temptation directly by a determination to overcome it is ineffective because contemplation of that which we hope to conquer actually promotes continued mindfulness of the enemy. This is wise counsel, as far as it goes. However, some elaboration is needed. First, not all temptation is regular. That is, one not always is tempted in an area of particular weakness. Disciplining oneself to refocus attention is especially effective in case of familiar temptation, but one also must be wary of the sudden, unexpected temptation. Sins vary from the dramatic to the mundane. One need not think long about obvious, dramatic sin, in which case an immediate refocus of attention is in order. On the other hand, there are complex issues such as fuel great ethical debate. Such matters require scrutiny in order for one to determine whether he is confronted by temptation at all. Some times concentration of attention upon temptation is needed in order to identify it as temptation and to determine the proper course of action. In case of regular, habitual temptation, such as preys upon our weakness, Mr. Warren’s counsel is true: one ought to refocus attention onto something else.
Another point of elaboration is that the refocus of attention is not properly undertaken as a psychological technique. Mr. Warren cites Philippians 4:8 (p. 212), a text that sorely was needed, though conspicuously absent, back in chapters 18 and 19. He brings this text in now as a technique for defeating temptation. However, in context of Philippians chapter 4, this exhortation is not presented as a technique for achieving some psychological end. Rather, it is an element in Paul’s general exhortation concerning the proper ordering of our lives. Our minds ought to dwell on truth, honor, righteousness, purity, loveliness, goodness, excellence, and worthiness as a matter of course - not as a psychological technique. It is true that a person so focused will confront less temptation. The diminishing of temptation is the de facto result of a well-ordered life. But, the goal and the motive is a well-ordered life - not the defeating of temptation. Consider this illustration from computer programming. There are two general approaches to correcting errors (sins) in a computer program: debugging and anti-bugging. Debugging is the skill of analyzing the code to find the errors and to correct them. Anti-bugging is the skill of designing the code in such a way that it will not have errors in the first place. Thus, the term “anti-bugging” is a bit of a misnomer, for the emphasis, the goal, and the motive is to write a good computer program, not to deal with errors. In the same way, refocusing attention ought to be done for the purpose of pursuing godliness, not primarily as a technique for dealing with temptation.
Mr. Warren’s next “key to defeating temptation” is, “Reveal your struggle to a godly friend or support group.” (p. 212) His discussion of this point basically rehashes the material in chapters 18 and 19, wherein he suggests that our weaknesses, hurts, and failings constitute the “real” self, and that sharing these things in “small groups” constitutes “real” fellowship. The reader is referred to commentary on those chapters (above) for full critique of such notions. The present discussion shall deal with these notions insofar as they are presented as a technique for defeating temptation.
Mr. Warren would like to make his point to seem biblical by citing James 5:16, “Confess your sins to one another.” (p. 212) However, in the prior chapter he already, and rightly, stated that, “It is not a sin to be tempted.” (p. 205) A biblical exhortation to confess our sins does not support an unbiblical notion that we ought to confess our temptation. At the head of this chapter Mr. Warren cites I Corinthians 10:13, wherein it plainly is stated that God will not allow us any temptation greater than our capacity to endure. It seems terribly odd, then, that in the course of this chapter he should declare that, “Some temptations are only overcome with the help of a partner…” (p. 212) Being a direct contradiction of the plain teaching of Scripture, Mr. Warren’s technique of confessing temptations manifestly is unbiblical. Being unbiblical, it necessarily involves a number of other difficulties.
Such a notion contradicts Mr. Warren’s own wise counsel, given over the prior few pages, to “refocus your attention on something else.” In his prior discussion he taught, “Ignoring a temptation is far more effective than fighting it. Once your mind is on something else, the temptation loses its power. So when temptation calls you on the phone, don’t argue with it, just hang up!” (p. 211) Now, barely two pages later, he teaches, “Don’t repress it; confess it! Don’t conceal it; reveal it. Revealing your feelings is the beginning of healing.” (p. 213) Such rhyming jingoism has psychological power. The unwary reader is prone to suppose that he has read something wise, rather than realizing that he has read something that contradicts what he read only two pages before. Mr. Warren continues, “Hiding your hurt only intensifies it. Problems grow in the dark and become bigger and bigger, but when exposed to the light of truth, they shrink. You are only as sick as your secrets. So take off your mask, stop pretending you’re perfect, and walk into freedom.” (p. 213) On page 210 Mr. Warren said, “…resisting a thought doesn’t work. It only intensifies our focus on the wrong thing and strengthens its allure.” In that section his counsel was to ignore temptation because attempting to resist it would only intensify it. Now, he calls ignoring temptation “hiding,” and claims that hiding it will intensify it. Before, he told us that “once your mind is on something else, the temptation loses its power.” Now, he tells us that, “problems grow in the dark and become bigger and bigger.” Before, it was wisdom to ignore temptation and to refocus your attention onto something else. Now, unless you confess your temptations, you are wearing a “mask” and “pretending.” On page 211 he told us that, “when temptation calls you on the phone, don’t argue with it, just hang up!” On the very next page he begins a discussion in which he says, in effect, that when temptation calls, ask it to hold the line a minute while you set up a three-way conference call with your “partner” or “small group.”
That teachings should oscillate so widely within the space of so few pages indicates a void of clarity. This book overall exhibits this same lack of systematic consistency. Thus, the various instances of wisdom we find here and there have no systematic framework in which to be integrated. The present chapter provides yet another example of this. The wisdom of Mr. Warren’s teaching to ignore temptation is immediately nullified by his unbiblical teaching that we must confess our temptations to a “partner” or “small group.”
Temptations are potential failings; sins are actual failings. In many cases confession of sin is required and therefore therapeutic, however, it never is required or beneficial for one to confess his temptations. The mind and heart of Man is corrupted in sin. It is “desperately sick.” (Jer 17:9) All kinds of thoughts arise in the mind, which, if actualized, would bring about the most hideous evil. It is neither necessary nor helpful for one to develop the habit of divulging such thoughts. It is the Holy Spirit who convicts our hearts (Jn. 16:8), and it is God to whom we must turn for grace to help in time of need. (Heb 4:16) In case of the actual failing of sin, especially habitual failing, one certainly will need to deal with human agency. For the sake of the present discussion I repeat here what is presented more fully in commentary on chapter 18, that surely there are occasions in which a sinner needs to confess to others and requires counsel. When needed, counsel ideally ought to occur within the intimacy of the family, or if necessary, in the privacy of qualified outside counseling. It is important to emphasize that these are avenues for dealing with sin, not temptation. Mr. Warren has brought such matters as confession and counseling into a discussion of temptation. Inasmuch as he has not properly accounted for sin in this treatise, it is not surprising that ministry intended for dealing with sin should be discussed in a context that is out of place.
With his final two points Mr. Warren returns to biblical wisdom. “Resist the Devil,” he says, citing James 4:7. (p. 214) He is quite biblical in expounding the means of resisting. Citing Ephesians 6:17, he exhorts us to take up “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” He recounts Christ’s example in the wilderness, defeating the temptations of the Devil with the Word of God. “This is why,” he says, “memorizing Scripture is absolutely essential to defeating temptation.” (p. 215) To this we all may return a hearty “Amen!” Building upon this theme he adds, “I challenge you to memorize one verse a week for the rest of your life.” (p. 215) That is quite a challenge. It would be challenging enough for one who has a particular Bible translation that is his constant companion. But, it is an insurmountable challenge for someone who adopts the outlook presented in Mr. Warren’s Appendix 3. There he claims that the familiarity of a favorite translation actually is a hindrance to understanding it fully. In order to know what God really is saying, he claims, we must read it in “new, fresh ways.” (p. 325) Anyone who buys into this way of thinking will find it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to memorize one verse of Scripture each week. The folly of Mr. Warren’s Appendix 3 nullifies the wisdom of his exhortation to resist the Devil by means of the Word of God.
Mr. Warren’s final point is, “realize your vulnerability.” (p. 215) He elaborates, “Given the right circumstances, any of us are [sic] capable of any sin.” (p. 215) This is most true. The cure of Redemption determines our eternal destiny with God, and empowers us to walk in “newness of life” (Rom. 6:4), but it does not grant us temporal perfection, or even perfectibility. It certainly is true that it is a dangerous thing for anyone to presume that he is immune to temptation. Paul, a giant among spiritual giants, missionary to virtually the entire Ancient Western world, and author of a large portion of the New Testament, admitted that he had not obtained perfection, and confessed that it was his perpetual struggle to pursue it. (Phil. 3:12-13)
It is indeed refreshing to see a number of sound and wise points put together in one chapter. But at the same time it is all the more dismaying to see this wisdom nullified by so many other points of unbiblical counsel. Also, the points of true wisdom found here concerning ignoring and avoiding temptation serve to nullify the entire prior chapter concerning temptation as a necessary “stepping stone” to spiritual maturity. The church sorely is in need of a voice of biblical wisdom and clarity. How tragic it is to see multiple millions turn instead to a book such as this.
posted by S. C. Mooney at 11:36 PM
0 comments
