Temptation and Free Will

Today's Three-minute Bible Study
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Title: Temptation and Free Will ------------------- Date: 3/19/2003
Keywords: "choice" "choose" "free will" "resist" "temptation"
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Passage: Mark 7:31-37*

31. Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis.

32. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him.

33. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue.

34. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."

35. And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.

36. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.

37. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, "He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."

Questions

1. If you look on a map for Tyre, Sidon, and Decapolis, you will find that Jesus did not confine himself to a small area. So what are you doing for exercise these days?

 

2. Why do you think Jesus put his fingers in the deaf man's ears and put his own spit on the man's tongue? (There are no "right" answers here — and it is not recommended you share this information in Sunday School classes for children below the age of, say, 14.)

 

3. It seems Jesus could control infirmities like deafness, blindness, muteness, but he couldn't make people obey him, why do you think this is? Do you think this is still true today?

 

Practical help

You believe you can't control your addictive behavior. The urges are so overwhelming at times you are compelled to do things you say you really don't want to do — even though you know it is wrong and that you will feel terrible later. What can this passage above teach us about this problem?

Jesus has the power to heal you, but he will not stop your freedom of choice. It's not that he can't stop you. Obviously if he can turn water into wine or raise the dead, he can rearrange the nerve signals running through you brain.

But he chooses not to tamper with your free will. Why? I think he wants people who have the ability to choose to love him without manipulation. In order to have a few who will do this, Jesus evidently is willing to accept that there will be many who will not.

You have a choice to follow Christ. You have that choice when things are easy and when things are hard. And if your prayers are basically that he will remove your temptations, think again. More likely, he will give you the power to resist them — if you choose to do so, that is.

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*"New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved."