Tempted and Tried: Temptation and the Triumph of Christ

by Russell D. Moore

Although temptation is a common and well-acknowledged part of the human experience, few realize the truth behind temptation and fewer still know how to defeat it. Tempted and Tried will not reassure Christians by claiming that temptation is less powerful or less prevalent than it is; instead, it will prepare believers for battle by telling the truth about the cosmic war that is raging. Moore shows that the temptation of every Christian is part of a broader conspiracy against God, a conspiracy that confronts everyone who shares the flesh of Jesus through human birth and especially confronts those who share the Spirit of Christ through the new birth of redemption.

Moore walks readers through the Devil's ancient strategies for temptation revealed in Jesus' wilderness testing. Moore considers how those strategies might appear in a contemporary context and points readers to a way of escape. Tempted and Tried will remind Christians that temptation must be understood in terms of warfare, encouraging them with the truth that victory has already been secured through the triumph of Christ.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Christian Living, Nonfiction, Christianity, Faith, Discipleship

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Russell D. Moore is President of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the Southern Baptist Convention’s official entity assigned to address social, moral, and ethical concerns.

Dr. Moore earned a B.S. in history and political science from the University of Southern Mississippi. He also received the M.Div. in biblical studies from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and the Ph.D. in systematic theology from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

He blogs frequently at his “Moore to the Point” website, and is the author or editor of five books, including Tempted and Tried: Temptation and the Triumph of Christ, Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches, and The Kingdom of Christ: The New Evangelical Perspective. In addition to these, Dr. Moore is also the author of dozens of academic articles and essays within the field of systematic theology and Christian ethics. He also serves as Senior Editor of Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity.

Reviews

[Barnabas Piper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most significant book I have read in the last year or two. Russell Moore's clear, eloquent teaching on temptation is heart wrenching and powerfully convicting. This book is deeply hopeful and rooted in the gospel. It blessed me enormously and I can't recommend it highly enough. The last two chapters are worth the price of the entire book, and the rest is A+ too.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Earlier this summer, I was blessed to have the chance to read Dr. Russell Moore's latest book, Tempted and Tried: Temptation and the Triumph of Christ. I absolutely LOVED this book! It's phenomenal.

In Tempted and Tried, Dr. Moore tackles the tough subject of temptation through a powerful exposition of Christ's temptation by Satan in the desert. He opens the first chapter, "Wrestling With Demons: Why Temptation Matters", with a personal anecdote and then moves into a sweeping overview of the whole history of redemption, framing temptation as a cosmic spiritual battle with eternal significance, not just a personal struggle for individual believers.

"In order for Jesus to proclaim the Kingdom of God, he needed also to point out why the world that God created was anything other than his kingdom anyway. Jesus, like the prophets before him, showed us that the cosmic order was hijacked millennia ago by these "rulers" and "authorities"(Eph. 6:12). Jesus in his taking on of our nature, offering himself up in death as a sacrifice for our sins, and turning back the curse of death in his resurrection, has ended the claim these demonic powers have on the universe. These powers don't want to give up their dark reign, so they are lashing back, and with fury. This means war." (p. 20)

"Temptation is so strong in our lives precisely because it's not about us. Temptation is an assault by the demonic powers on the rival empire of the Messiah. That's why conversion to Christ doesn't diminish the power of temptation-as we often assume-but actually, counterintuitively, ratchets it up. If you bear the Spirit of the One the powers rage against, they will seek to tear down the icon of the Crucified they see embedded in you (1 Pet. 4:14, Rev. 12:17). Ultimately, the agony of temptation is not about you or me. We're targeted because we resemble Jesus, our firstborn brother. We all, whether believers or not, bear some resemblance to Jesus because we share with him a human nature in the image of God. As we come to find peace with God through Jesus, though, we begin a journey of being conformed more and more into the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29). The demons shriek in the increasing glory of that light, and they'll seek even more frenetically to put it out of their sight." (p. 21)

In the second chapter, he uses the metaphor of a slaughterhouse to illustrate how many Christians are walking willingly to their own destruction without even realizing they're in danger. He goes through the steps in the cycle of temptation. First, we question our identity. Next comes the confusion of our desires, and finally, the challenge of our future.

These two introductory chapters set the stage perfectly for the next three, each examining in depth one of the three temptations of Christ in the desert: the temptation for bread or appetite ("Starving to Death: Why We'd Rather Be Fed Than Fathered"), self-vindication ("Free Falling: Why We'd Rather Be Right Than Rescued"), and self-glorification ("Desert Reign: Why We'd Rather Be Magnified Than Crucified"). Every page of these chapters was packed. I had so many passages highlighted and starred that it was impossible to narrow them down to share!

Chapter 6, "Where the Wild Things Aren't: Why You Can Resist Temptation (Especially If You Can't See How)", is brilliant. With practical examples, Dr. Moore reminds us that we are able to resist temptation because of Christ's finished work on the cross:

"Gospel freedom is the most important aspect of resisting temptation. Remember that Satan's power over you is first and foremost the power of accusation and threatened death. In Christ, though, you have already been indicted, judged, executed, and resurrected. You are 'dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus' (Rom. 6:11). Regardless of whether you support or oppose the death penalty, you'd probably wince to hear about a state that executed a murderer and then had a public flogging of his corpse. Your discomfort there wouldn't be because you're soft on murder but because that act would be insanely beside the point. After all, an executed corpse can't be punished anymore. It's over.

Likewise, you've been to hell in the cross of Christ. You've been buried beneath the judgment of God, turned over to the Devil, and you are gone. Now you stand in Christ, hidden in his identity, and thus free from any accusation. Knowing that truth doesn't lead you to yield to temptation but instead to fly from it. You're not hiding from God anymore.

Jesus overcame temptation because he consistently believed God's Word about him-'You are my beloved Son'-even when he walked in the wild places. Because there was no sin in him, his communion with his Father was unbroken. The gospel reminds you continually that you are found in Christ, that the Christ-life is being lived out in you through the Spirit, and that the Father is therefore pleased with you. The more you look to Christ, the less you hide." (p. 170-171)

In Chapter 7, Dr. Moore brings it all together and wraps it up:

"I hope now that you've finished this book...you have a little more perception of what's going on in the skirmish for your life. I hope you recognize the satanic offers that come to you for self-directed provision or protection or exaltation. I hope you see how our Lord Jesus can intercede for you, how the Spirit can fight through you. But mostly I hope you see the point of it all. You cannot triumph over temptation. Only Jesus can." (p. 195)

The book is simply brilliant. Dr. Moore is not so much a straightforward writer clearly laying out his case as he is an exceptional storyteller. Using beautiful, poetic prose, he meanders from Old Testament parallels to personal anecdotes to observations from culture and then skillfully drives home his point at just the right time. The result is incredibly powerful.

I found the book completely absorbing, and yet I read it fairly slowly compared to my normal pace, simply because I so often had to stop to soak in the compelling, profound truths he drove home throughout the book. This is so much more than simply a self-help guide to resisting temptation based on biblical principles. Every chapter is simply bathed in Scripture and crammed with powerful insights into the nature of temptation, framed within the larger context of the Kingdom of God and the spiritual warfare raging for it.

Tempted and Tried is must-read! I give it my highest recommendation!

Thanks so much to Crossway for generously providing a review copy to me. All opinions expressed are my own.

Read more: http://homewithpurpose.blogspot.com/#...
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good.

[Anne Calvert · Rating 3 out of 5]

It seemed to take me way too long to read Tempted and Tried by Russel D. Moore. I have been busy, but even so I just couldn’t get motivated to read it. Don’t get me wrong, there was plenty of good thoughts and scriptures throughout, I just couldn’t get excited about reading it. Which sounds horrible of me. Because there were good points in Tempted and Tried I recommend reading this book, especially if the reader is really struggling with temptation in one area or another.

[Caleb Otto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, wish I could give it more stars. Russell Moore is nuanced and powerful in his dealing with the temptation and victory of Christ. This book slices deep into the soul with conviction and hope.

[Trent Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most important book I’ve read this year. I do not exaggerate.

On a seemingly regular basis, I hear news of some prominent Christian falling into scandal. Each report stirs within me a mix of emotions: terror, sadness, anger, fear. Just as I’m tempted to think, “thank God I would never do that,” I am also reminded that each disgraced Christian probably thought the same. Paul warns the Corinthians, “let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” Take heed, Trent.

Russell Moore, one of our best, has written a book to help us follow Jesus as we are “tempted and tried,” and to see that temptation is not a sign faithlessness nor forsakenness, but rather a sign of our belonging to King Jesus, who was tempted in every way we are, and is with us as we endure the wilderness of this world.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best treatments of the temptation of Christ that I have read. Moore deals carefully and in-depth with the wilderness temptation, explaining what was at stake and the triumph of Jesus over it. Moore explains what temptation is and how it works.

This book is also extremely practical. The Bible teaches that Christ was tempted in all points like we are and Moore makes that connection for us in the wilderness temptation. Not only do we see how we are tempted like Jesus was tempted, but also how to overcome that temptation through Him. He writes in a style that is readable and understandable. He brings high concepts down to earth and makes them applicable to daily life.

This is a book that every Christian should read.

[Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Russell Moore has written an excellent analysis of temptation in a work that is easily one of the best theological books I've read. His grasp of biblical theology, typology, culture, and human nature is stunning. Additionally, his "psychology of the demonic" is perhaps unsurpassed since C.S. Lewis's "Screwtape Letters." His pastoral wisdom throughout the book in invigorating, mostly because he pulls no punches. There is no false comfort here, but there is true comfort--we are victorious in Jesus Christ, but we will battle and struggle until the day we die. As he writes: "You cannot triumph over temptation. Only Jesus can." A must-read for all Christians!

[Jon Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book by Russ Moore reflecting on the temptation of Christ. Does a good job balancing the redemptive/historical uniqueness of Jesus' temptation and the underlying commonalities with our temptations which enables Him to be a sympathetic High Priest. I appreciated that Dr. Moore didn't simply use the Bible text as a 'how to' manual but, in well-written prose, got below the surface to expose what really is tempting our hearts.

Had read previously but re-read in preparation for teaching through Gospel of Matthew in Spring 2015

[Justin Camblin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book. Highly recommended. Moore really gets down to the roots of temptation and how we can battle against it.

[Victoria · Rating 1 out of 5]

OK, I have been struggling with whether to leave this review or not. I am not a person that is easily offended usually and I don't like leaving bad reviews. The work that goes into a book is massive and I don't like to discount that with a one star review.

Maybe it is because I am really, really tired. I haven't slept much in the last couple of months because it is calving season on my ranch right now. That means all night long the cows are getting checked every 1.5 - 3 hours depending on weather. More often if one is doing something. Why I do it is because I genuinely care about my animals and because taking care of them is something that God has said to do, "A righteous man (or in my case woman) takes care of his animals". I take that seriously. The thought of one of them suffering due to my lack of care keeps me getting up no matter how tired I am or how cold it is outside.

So, as I am trying to stay awake for my next check I decide to read this book because something else that I have found that happens when I get tired is sin is tempting. Rest is helpful for self-control so I thought since rest isn't possible reading a well-liked book on temptation would be good for me.

Right into the book I run into cows going to slaughter being an analogy for how temptation leads to sin. The author says something along the lines about how the cows are fooled into thinking they are pets when they are really just meat. I shrugged it off figuring he isn't a farm boy obviously. It is probably one of the hardest things for those who are far removed from their food to believe is that people who raise animals for meat often do think of them as pets right up until the end. One of my favourite steers of all time is in my freezer now. I patted him almost every day, not to try to make him think he was a pet but because I genuinely liked spending time with him and I wanted to make him happy. I cried when he died. He isn't the first I have cried over and he won't be the last. God gave us animals to be food but that doesn't mean that we can't love them and take good care of them up to that point.

Anyway, as I said, I shrugged it off. Then I got to this: "The spiritual powers out there are expert cosmic farmer-ranchers and are customizing a temptation plan that fits with the way your desires, particularly, work"..."the demonic beings are marking out your weak points, sizing you up so that they might crucify you. They'll find what you want, and they'll give it to you."

I find the comparison of farmers and ranchers to demons insulting and hurtful. I expect more from Christian author. He may have some great things about temptation in here. I got 25% of the way through and didn't learn anything new on that subject but in the last 75% there may be some great info. I won't be reading further to find out though. Maybe I am too sensitive but once an author compares my job to what demons do I am just not interested any more.

[Brad Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

In parts prophetic, in other parts convicting, but ultimately encouraging thru a healthy reminder of the Gospel, Moore has written (in his typical elegant and engaging prose) another great book with a dive into the world of temptation and trial.

His focus is on the three temptations of Jesus in the wilderness and Moore’s application of the text to both the individual and the Church at large is engaging and powerful.

Appetite is the subject of the first, vindication the second and magnification is the third of the temptations both Jesus and we face. Moore weaves the grand narrative of the OT and NT - not just the passage in which Jesus faces off against his Adversary and applies it with pinpoint precision and he doesn’t seem to be pulling any punches.

Moore presents it all with his trademark humility, as a fellow wayfarer who is waging the same war against temptation as those who pick up the book to read.

[Terence Tan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you search Amazon for "Temptation", you get John Owen and trashy novels. And thankfully, we have Dr. Russell Moore's Tempted and Tried.

Jesus meets Satan in the desert. It should be a scene with birds dropping from the sky, lava oozing from the ground, lightning striking every step, but instead we get three bible verse exchanges and the Devil flees. What just happened? We don't know because we lack the backstory. Moore gives us that Deuteronomic backstory and shows us how the Devil's perfect three strikes of temptation was deflected by the Son of God's perfect deflection.

More importantly, Jesus was able to resist temptation. He was not just a model for us to copy. He represented us against the Ruler of this World. In that desert, 2000 years ago, we too triumphed over temptation.

Full review: https://readingandreaders.com/podcast...

[Landon Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

"You cannot triumph over temptation. Only Jesus can." This sentence, taken from the end of Tempted and Tried, summarizes an insightful book on temptation. Russell Moore does a masterful job of showing how all of our temptations (big and small) are related to the temptations faced in Eden, by Israel, and most importantly by Jesus. Undergirding this book is a conviction that grasping the overall story of Scripture and the Biblical truth about Jesus is central to resisting temptation. Readers of Tempted and Tried will encounter refreshingly honest talk about temptation, as well as a healthy dose of the simple gospel message of Christ crucified, buried, and resurrected. Christians will benefit from this book regardless of the particular temptations in their lives.

[Kyle Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Russell Moore helps us to understand the way temptations and trials come at us by looking to the wilderness temptations of Jesus. He helps point us to the means of growing in our sanctification by looking to the cross. Over and over again, we are reminded that we are now in Christ as Christians, and that Jesus is interceding on our behalf. His closing illustration of us now battling satan is a powerful illustration. And praise be to God we aren’t alone in that battle, we have the Spirit at work in us.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

This reads like a Bible study on the Last Temptation of Christ. For those struggling with temptation, the author provides a role model in Jesus and how He faced similar obstacles to following His Father's will. The imagery and anecdotes used create a powerful and convincing picture to address the role of temptation in our lives. It also couples a scripturally based discourse with its modern analog and application to make the path is lays out both relatable and practical.

[Matthew Prydden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Theologically rich, brutally honest and at times equally convicting and encouraging. The only downside was a slightly rambling application at the end of such deep and lively exegesis of Jesus' temptation account. As good a theological book as I have read for some time, especially on the issue of dealing with temptation - a topic that will be very real and very raw for many Christians.

[Roberta Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Convicting and encouraging

The truth revealed in this book has opened my eyes to the nature of the battle and the only real Source of Victory. I will no longer despise the fight, but will cling much tighter to the One who's won it for me.

[Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent.

[Daniel Harding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it.

[Hayley Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible book. Timely, full of truth and life giving.

[Dave Fields · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I have read in 2018.

[Jennifer Harris · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were some good thoughts and points in the book but overall it was long and hard to follow and about half way through I struggled to continue reading it.

[Carly Palmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first and last chapter of this book was everything I wanted from it. The middle section could have been condensed into one chapter, in my opinion.

[Sytse de Jonge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book!

[Pat O'Keeffe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Russell Moore, and there were some absolute gems in here, but overall I found this to be less compelling than I had hoped.

[Lisa Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than temptation is addressed here. Moore delves into what the temptation of Christ tells us about Him, about His relationship with His Father, and what that means for as as Christians.

[Jacob O'connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moore hasn’t let me down yet

[Julia Buchholz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never understood what Jesus actually faced in the wilderness until I read this book.

[Ryan Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, so good. Don’t know how it stacks up to Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices, but this is far and away the best modern book on temptation, and it’s incredibly well-written.