Temptation

Revelation 2:7 (NIV)

To him who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life.

Temptation isn't always about being lured to do the wrong thing, but it can also be about doing the right thing at the wrong time or the wrong way. This verse from the book of Revelation contrasts with Genesis 3:22, where God forbade Adam and Eve from eating the fruit of the tree of life because they had disobeyed Him and eaten from the tree of knowledge (Genesis 2:17). The reason for this contradiction lies in the nature of temptation.

Satan is adept at distorting scripture and telling half-truths. He partly spoke the truth when he said that eating from the tree of knowledge would make Adam and Eve like God (Genesis 3:5). However, he omitted the fact that although there would be no immediate physical death, Adam and Eve would die spiritually and eventually physically. This doesn't mean that it was never God's intention for Adam and Eve to be like Him. In fact, God has always intended to bring many sons into glory (Hebrews 2:10-15). However, while God intended for Adam and Eve to mature through obedience and grow into His fullness, Satan tempted Eve by offering a shortcut to attaining God's stature. Only through obedience and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ can we become sons and daughters of God, attaining the godlike fullness, just like the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29).

Temptation isn't always a desire for the wrong thing (such as another person's property); it may also be a desire for the right thing (such as your own spouse) but at the wrong time and in the wrong way. When tempted, always wait upon the Lord for clarity and direction.