Absolutely THE BEST Contemporary Book on the Doctrine of Sin & Temptation! Russell D. Moore’s “Tempted and Tried”

I. Am. SHOCKED. At how extraordinarily EXCELLENT this book is.

Tempted and Tried: The Temptation of Christ (by Russell D. Moore)

Granted, I’m not through the entire book yet (but I have jmpted to the end to read that first—does anyone else read the end of books first?), but so far, it is the best contemporary book I have ever read on temptation. With brilliant, decisive turns of phrases and strong exegeting of Scripture, Pastor Moore has already helped me to prepare for this weekend’s celebration of the Incarnation more than anything else this year. That Jesus would come into THIS WORLD? To battle the “wild out there” (Satan) and to overcome “the wild in here” (my heart)? And to PREVAIL?

Oh, Glory! What can be better than THIS? Absolutely nothing.

Let me share just a few quotes (I really want to just transcribe the entire chapter but I think that would violate fair use laws / once a lawyer, always a lawyer) …

“God called a series of warrior-kings, men of great renown who would fight enemies and hold back the wild. But, again, these kings also succumbed to the wildness inside themselves–to sexual anarchy, egoism, materialism, occultism—and the kingdom collapsed, again, to the wildness outside.”

“Jesus was led by the Spirit to be tempted by the Devil … He was away from his family and followers, out in a desert place in Judea; literally, he was in “the wilderness” or “the wild places.” He went out there to meet his ancestors’ ancient foe—and ours—and to undo what had been done.If you will ever see the kingdom of God, it will be because of what happened under that desert moon, where the kingdoms approached each other, surveyed each other, and, long time coming, attacked each other.” (Emphasis mine)

“… Poets and artists have speculated for centuries on what this must have looked or felt like … did the Devil manifest himself as he most often does to us, invisibly but with the painfully personal suggestiveness that disguises itself as one’s own thoughts? The Gospels don’t tell us. They simply tell us that the Devil was there, and he was not silent.“

“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. The sheer animal force of temptation out to remind us of something: the universe is demon haunted. It ought to remind us there’s only One among us who has ever wrestled the demons and prevailed.”

[And from his “(Not A) Conclusion” Conclusion because yes, I did read the end first … I won’t even try to tell the story that he retells. It is so powerful and effective, I don’t want to steal the shock and love and fear and delight you will experience when you read it yourself. But I will close with just a few more of his lines …]

“I hope you see the point of it all: You cannot triumph over temptation. Only Jesus can.”

“I want you to see how imperiled you are.” [Imperiled!]

“I want you to see how fought for you are.” [Fought for!]

“And I want you to be prompted to drop the book and PRAY to the only One Who knows how to “destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8 ).”

 

“Oh. My. God.” [You have read the book to understand why this is not just “not swearing”; it goes beyond appropriate to necessary!]

[A man being baptized …] “It wasn’t that he found it crazy (well, maybe a little). It was that he found it creepy. He’d never thought about Satan in such personal, such confrontational terms. It was a thought he had walked into another dimension, one in which dripping wet people incited fights with demons. That’s because he had.”

I cried. I was shocked. The hair stuck up on the back of my neck like it does when you KNOW a terrifically scary antagonist is present in the Narnia books.

All I can say is, ‘Wow!’ And I wish I could get it at a discount and carry it at my events. And again, ‘Wow!’

Thank you, Pastor Moore, for this tour de force on this necessary topic. I can’t wait to read it in its entirety. I imagine I will be doing some serious future book recommendations for Tempted and Tried.

And oh! How I am rejoicing that Jesus was born of Mary, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger. That He grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men (Luke 2:52). That he defeated death and the grave and all of the powers of darkness. That He is triumphant and praying for me and returning soon.

It may seem strange to say it, but I continue to firmly believe that the best way to “get grace” is to study the doctrine of sin. Isn’t it Kris Lundgaard who says in his book, The Enemy Within, “Do you want to you know what you think about grace? Tell me what you think about sin and I’ll tell you what you think about grace.” So true.

Thank You, Lord Jesus Christ, for your incarnation. Your humiliation. Your death. Your triumph.

THIS is the Christmas message! And I’m just so glad for this profound and helpful book from Pastor Moore to help me to hear it more clearly this Christmas Eve (Eve) and every day.

Blessings to you!

In Christ our Savior,
Tara B.