Christians should be wise enough to distinguish temptation from sin, since failing to understand the difference between the two can make people feel confused about the victories they are winning for God.
Kris Vallotton, senior associate leader of Bethel Church in Redding, California, and co-founder of Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM), writes in Charisma News that in order for people to be tempted, they have to have a natural desire for something first.
"For example, if I had not eaten all day and you left me alone in a room with a platter of sushi, it would not tempt me because I hate sushi. On the other hand, if I were hungry and you set a nice, hot, juicy lobster tail in front of me, I would be tempted! We cannot be tempted with something we have no desire for," he explains.
When Jesus Christ was praying for 40 days, the devil tempted Jesus by saying he can "turn these stones into bread" because he knew Jesus was fasting during his prayer mission. "It was the fact that Jesus was hungry that made the suggestion a temptation," he says.
So when does temptation become a sin? Vallotto says that it is when people agree with an illicit suggestion instead of resisting it.
"If a beautiful, naked woman ran out in front of a crowd, every normal man in the mob would be tempted because God gave men a sex drive. But it is not until they choose to agree with the temptation that they have sinned," he says. "If one of the men in the crowd said to himself, 'I really would like to have sex with that woman,' now he has crossed over the line of temptation and entered into the world of sin. Even though at that point he has done nothing physically wrong, he has already sinned in his heart."
