Temptation Gone Forever
The true reason that we will never again be tempted in heaven
One of the most surprising (and nearly unbelievable) realities of the new creation is that those of us who are in it will never be tempted again.
Have you ever really thought about it? Try to imagine an existence where you’ll never feel a desire to do something you shouldn’t do again. If you’re like me, temptation is so integral to your understanding of the human experience that it’s hard to imagine how you could ever be free of it.
And yet, truly, this is the kind of freedom that awaits us. But how exactly will it be possible? That’s a very important question, and I’m glad you asked.
Let’s pull the thread and see how the sweater unravels.
The Absence of Satanic Influence?
The first, and perhaps the most obvious, reason we will never be tempted again is that there will be no evil spiritual entities (e.g., Satan) to tempt us, for God will remove them from all of heaven and earth.
However, you must understand, this answer is insufficient for two reasons:
It implies that every time we’re tempted, a real spiritual entity is literally actively tempting us—“whispering in our ear,” so to speak—and that apart from this spiritual activity, we would never feel an evil desire again. While evil spirits can and do afflict us this way, the more common explanation that the Bible gives us for temptation is our own flesh desiring sinful things. Hence, “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire” (James 1:14).
It implies that the existence of evil necessitates temptation. But as James tells us, “God cannot be tempted” (James 1:13). This isn’t merely because there’s no evil in his midst, but that even if there were, he is untemptable. He cannot be deceived or changed or caused to be/do anything that doesn’t accord with who he is. As John writes, “[I]n him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). You may be thinking, “Well, that’s God; we’re humans!” But then you’ve forgotten the profound truth of the gospel that we shall become “the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21), “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). Just like God, our righteousness will be such that we, like God, cannot be tempted (not merely because of the absence of evil, and not despite our nature, but because of our nature).
So then, let’s talk about this new nature. Exactly what change will take place in us by which the mere possibility of temptation will cease forever?
We’re waiting to receive new [fill in the blank].
Here’s where I must address one of the largest misconceptions in all of Christendom, by which many of the most prominent voices in the Church have unknowingly contradicted both the Scriptures and the creeds for over 1500 years.
I’m convinced that nearly every Christian who’s thought about it has concluded that when they are raised from the dead, that’s actually when will receive a (fully) new heart. They believe that the reason we won’t ever be tempted again in heaven is because that’s when God will remove the evil desires from our hearts once and for all.
But then I ask you, what is the actual promise of that Day? Is it a new heart, or is it something else?
“And… we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as son, the redemption of our bodies.” (Romans 8:23)
“So is it with the resurrection of the dead… It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.” (1 Corinthians 15:44)
“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body…” (Philippians 3:20-21)
Surely, every Christian should know that we await new bodies! This is the blessed hope of resurrection, the hope of glory!
And what have the Scriptures to say about us receiving new hearts?
“And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.” (Acts 15:8-9)
But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter.” (Romans 2:29)
“But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed…” (Romans 6:17)
“And… you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” (2 Corinthians 3:3)
“The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (1 Timothy 1:5)
“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” (2 Timothy 2:22)
“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart…” (1 Peter 1:22)
“[L]et us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:22)
Don’t you see? The promise of Ezekiel 36:26-27 has already been fulfilled:
“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”
So, too, the promise of Jeremiah 31:33:
“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (cf. Hebrews 8:8; 10:15-16)
And so, the idea that we’re still waiting for God to purify our hearts from evil desires is (to put it simply) WRONG!
“From a pure heart” is the beginning of the Christian life, not the end of it. It’s the essence of the New Covenant which all believers are under, if they continue in the faith.
Thus, if you belong to Christ, the reason you still experience temptation is not because sinful desires are still present in your heart, but because sinful desires are still present in your body of flesh.
And the reason you won’t ever experience temptation again when you’re raised from the dead is not because because God will give you a new heart (which he’s already done) but because you will receive a new body—entirely uncorrupted and forever incorruptible.
Jesus, the Example
Think about Jesus for a minute, and you’ll see what I’m is true.
How was Jesus—who is God (who apparently cannot be tempted) and in whom there is no sin, btw (1 John 3:5)—able to be tempted for a brief period of time in history?
The sinful desires that he really experienced (for he was tempted just as we are) were only possible because he wrapped himself in a body of flesh. If those desires came from within his heart, then by his own standard of teaching, he would have been defiled (see Matthew 15:19-20). But they did not.
And when did he once again become impervious to temptation but after he put off the body of flesh?
Let me ask you: Did Christ receive a new heart when he was raised from the dead? I can’t think of anything more contrary to the truth than this. It goes without saying, he was not in need of a new heart but a new body! And this sole change of bodily form is the reason he went from temptable to untemptable (as he was before).
Make no mistake about it. Our life now is like Christ’s life in the flesh. And our resurrection will be like Christ’s resurrection (as he is the firstfruits of many to come; cf. 1 Corinthians 15). Thus, we are tempted not because of deep-seated evil desires in our hearts, but because of a fallen, corrupted bodily nature (that actually opposes what we desire), which God has promised to redeem.
Thus:
“Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25).
Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?
Perhaps you’re wondering, why does this matter? I assure you, I am not splitting theological hairs.
If you do not understand or agree with what I’m teaching, I ask you this: How do you “with confidence draw near to the throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:16)? How do you enter the Holy of Holies, “heart sprinkled clean of an evil conscience” (Hebrews 10:19-22)? How do you walk with YHWH as Adam walked with him in the garden (before sin, before shame)? How do you behold the glory of the Lord with unveiled face (2 Corinthians 3:18)? How do you access the Father (Ephesians 3:18, Romans 5:1-2)? How do you abide in Christ? How do you walk by the Spirit?
If your heart is still wicked, you cannot! For you know that God sees the heart, and no creature is hidden from his sight!
“Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart.” (Psalm 24:3-4)
Your relationship with God (and therefore your reliance on God) will always be from a distance if you do not understand the righteousness you’ve been given.
But it is the one who knows that he is righteous as Jesus is righteous (1 John 3:7)—all by the grace of God, of course, not by his own doing—who has constant, joyful “fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3), by which he is transformed from one degree of Christ’s glory to the next (2 Corinthians 3:18). By which he resists temptation and overcomes sin. By which he bears the fruit of the Spirit and endures to the end. Etc.
This is the good news, folks! It is the true reconciliation of God and man, which is only possible if man is righteous as God is righteous, and which God made possible by the cleansing our hearts through faith.
My book, No Longer I
In 2020, God completely transformed my understanding of the gospel, which supercharged both my life and my ministry, and I’ve seen it do the same for many others. Turns out, the gospel really is the power of salvation to all who believe (Romans 1:16), and that includes the power to be conformed to the image of Christ in this life, not just the next!
If this message has piqued your curiosity, I strongly encourage you to purchase my book on Amazon: No Longer I: The Life-Changing Power of Simply Believing the Truth.
Community Call
Additionally, I’ll be hosting our first monthly (video) hangout on Wednesday, May 20 @ 7:30pm CST.
WHY I’M DOING THIS: Because I’ve learned that topics like identity in Christ and Spirit-led community (or “house church”) often leave people with a lot more questions than answers.
I want to provide a space for people in this community to come together and have edifying conversations about these kinds of things, which aren’t being discussed in many churches.
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God bless you all!
Jake