God gave Man everything, but we chose to live this life without His guidance. This has led us to misery, pain, and death. God desires that we be His children, growing into His Likeness, in perfect fellowship and community, governing His creations on earth.
After choosing his own way, natural Man is now subject to the whims of our enemy, cursed to toil and die. We were not able to live the life of God as the second Adam, Jesus triumphantly did, and thus the natural earthly life is characterized by consequences of a life chosen apart from God.
On Temptations
1 Cor 10:13 [NIV]
13No 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.James 1:13-15 [NIV]
13When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
2 Cor 2:9 [NIV]
9The reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything.Heb 4:15-16 [NIV]
15For 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 we are-yet was without sin. 16Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.Gal. 6:1-2 [NIV]
1Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
On Overcoming
Luk. 10:19 [NIV]
19I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.
1 John 5:3-5 [NIV]
3This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.Rev 2:7 [NIV]
7He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.Rev 2:11 [NIV]
11He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.Rev 2:17 [NIV]
17He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.Rev 2:26-28 [NIV]
26To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations-
27’He will rule them with an iron scepter;
he will dash them to pieces like pottery’-
just as I have received authority from my Father. 28I will also give him the morning star.Rev 3:5 [NIV]
5He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.
Rev 3:12 [NIV]
12Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.Rev 3:21 [NIV]
21To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.Re 21:3-8 [NIV]
3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
5He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
6He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars-their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
This post is _Part 10_ in a series about The Fall. To continue with this series, click on Part 11. To use this as a growth tool to better understand your own calling, you might start by reading the explanation of this series and then read Pt 1, Pt 2, Pt 3, Pt 4, Pt 5, Pt 6, Pt 7, Pt 8 and Pt 9.
Photo credit: miktess