Luke 11:4 KAI MH EISENEGKHiS hHMAS EIS PEIRASMON

Ben Crick (ben.crick@argonet.co.uk)
Thu, 3 Jul 97 16:20:25

On Sat 28 Jun 97 (17:02:57), jwrobie@mindspring.com wrote:
> Luke 11:4 KAI MH EISENEGKHiS hHMAS EIS PEIRASMON
> 
> I grew up saying "and lead us not into temptation", but doesn't this
> translate more literally into "do not bring us into temptation"?
> Regardless, what exactly does it mean? Is it a prayer that God will not
> bring us into temptation, as though God is the one who brings us into
> temptation, and we are asking him not to? Somehow, I'm not convinced
> that I'm reading this correctly...

Jonathan,

To determine the meaning of PEIRASMOS we need to compare it with DOKIMASIA.
hEAUTOUS PEIRAZETE EI ESTE EN THi PISTEI, hEAUTOUS DOKIMAZETE· (2 Cor 13:5).

Money is "put to the test", to the acid test, or to the fiery test, to see if
it is DOKIMOS e.g. 1 Corinthians 3:13. This sort of testing is a familiar
concept in Scripture (Proverbs 25:4; Malachi 3:3). Compare 1 Thess 2:4
ALLA KAQWS DEDOKMASMEQA hUPO TOU QEOU PISTEUQHNAI TO EUAGGELION, hOUTWS
LALOUMEN, OUC hWS ANQRWPOIS ARESKONTES ALLA QEWi TWi DOKIMAZONTI TAS KARDIAS
hHMWN.

This is the sort of "testing" to which God subjects us: He cannot tempt us to
evil (James 1:13). Paul echoes this in 2 Cor 13:5 (above). If we judge
ourselves, we shall not be judged. ...H OUK EPIGINWSKETE hEAUTOUS hOTI IHSOUS
CRISTOS EN hUMIN; EI MHTI ADOKIMOI ESTE. If we do this, then we shall not be
led EIS PEIRASMON.

Many of us have referred to James 1:13. What about James 1:2 PASAN CARAN
hHGHSASQE, ADELFOI MOU, hOTAN PEIRASMOIS PERIPESHTE POIKILOIS ? James
supplies his own reason: GINWSKONTES hOTI TO DOKIMION hUMWN THS PISTEWS
KATERGAZETAI hUPOMONHN... ktl; MAKARIOS ANHR hOS hUPOMENEI PEIRASMON, hOTI
DOKIMOS GENOMENOS LHMYETAI TON STEFANON THS ZWHS hON EPHGGEILATO TOIS
AGAPWSIN AUTON. (verse 12).

We each have a daily "trial of our faith"; we don't need to wait until the
ESCATON for it. What we await _then_ is the *reward*, the crown of glory; not
the Judgment!

Looking back again to the parallel phrase in Matthew 6:13 - KAI MH
EISENEGKHiS hHMAS EIS PEIRASMON, *ALLA hRUSAI hHMAS APO TOU PONHROU*.
Is this TOU PONHROU the "evil thing" (TO ESCATON, THN hAMARTIAN) or is it the
"evil One" (TOU DIABOLOU)? We have "evil" in the neuter sense in Luke 6:45,
Romans 12:9; and we have the "evil one" (Satan) in Matthew 13:19, 38;
1 John 2:13, 14; 3:12; 5:18. ISTM that the very strong adversative ALLA
suggests "Lead us not into temptation, *BUT* deliver us from the Tempter".
This is what I suggested in a previous post.

-- 
 Revd Ben Crick, BA Bristol, 1963 (hons in Theology)
 <ben.crick@argonet.co.uk>
 232 Canterbury Road, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9TD (UK)