The following excerpt is taken from What Every Christian Should Know About Satan. Order your copy in print, Kindle, or Audible versions here.

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What’s the difference between a temptation, a test, and a trial? It may help to briefly examine these English words as they appear in Scripture. New Testament writers use the Greek verb peirazo and the noun peirasmos nearly sixty times in a variety of ways. English translators render these words “tempt / temptation,” “test / testing,” or “try / trial,” based on the context. 

For example, peirazo may refer to a temptation to think or do something contrary to God’s will (Gal. 6:1; Jas. 1:13). Both times Satan is called the tempter in the New Testament, that’s the meaning we should take away (Matt. 4:3; 1 Thess. 3:5). Because he is the father of lies, a murderer from the beginning, and the unbowed enemy of God, Satan always tempts people to sin. However, God has armed us with everything we need for life and godliness, as Peter writes:

His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. By these he has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire.

2 Pet. 1:3-4; cf. 2 Tim. 3:16-17

In addition, peirazo may mean testing, such as testing to discover the genuineness of one’s faith (2 Cor. 13:5; Rev. 2:2). On occasion, Jesus puts his disciples to the test (John 6:6). These divine tests are designed to strengthen our faith and lead us to rely more fully on the Lord. 

However, there are times human beings put God to the test, revealing a lack of trust in him (Acts 5:9; 15:10; 1 Cor. 10:9; Heb. 3:8-9). And then, there are times the opponents of Jesus test him by seeking to entrap him with trick questions (Matt. 16:1; 19:3; 22:18, 35; Mark 10:2; 12:15; John 8:6). Their motives reveal the evil nature of the test.

Next, the noun peirasmos sometimes is translated “trial.” It may refer to a testing for our own good, even if the trial comes from opponents of Jesus and his followers. Or, it may mean a different kind of trial: a temptation to sin. 

New Testament writers often use a different verb, dokimazo, to convey the idea of testing, approving, or critically examining something to determine its genuineness. When God tests us, it’s for our own good. He seeks to strengthen us spiritually, to rely on him more fully, and to become more fit to thrive in a sinful and fallen world. Followers of Jesus are exhorted to “test,” or examine, ourselves regarding our own faithfulness (1 Cor. 11:28; 2 Cor. 13:5), as well as our own work (Gal. 6:4). 

Paul encourages us to know the will of God and “approve” it (Rom. 2:18), and to “test” or “discern” what pleases the Lord (Eph. 5:10; Phil. 1:10). Peter writes of the testing of our faith by fire, resulting in praise and glory at the revelation of Jesus (1 Pet. 1:7). John tells us to “test” the spirits – those who claim divine gifting for service – to see if they are of God (1 John 4:1). Finally, Paul gives us a good general rule: “Test everything” (1 Thess. 5:21).

Considering these terms together, Christians should not be surprised when testing or trials come, any more than we should let temptation catch us off guard. Rather, we should rejoice in trials and testing because we are sharing the sufferings of Christ (1 Pet. 4:12-13). 

There are abundant examples of trials, or testing, throughout Scripture. The Israelites endure a time of testing during their forty years in the desert, to see if they remain faithful to God (Heb. 3:8). The disciples stay with Jesus during his trials (Luke 22:28). Trials punctuate Paul’s ministry (Acts 20:19). Peter urges his readers to look beyond the present trials to their heavenly status in Christ (1 Pet. 1:6), and later he reminds them that God knows how to rescue the godly from trials (2 Pet. 2:9). Jesus promises to spare his followers in Philadelphia from “the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth” (Rev. 3:10 NIV).

While it may run contrary to our thinking, we should count it all joy when we experience times of testing, knowing they are producing endurance (Jas. 1:2-3; cf. 1 Pet. 1:7).

As William Mounce notes, “God does indeed sometimes put our faith to the test (Heb. 11:17) and at other times allows us to be tested (1 Cor. 10:13), but it is important to note that God himself never tempts us with evil (Jas. 1:13).” 

In summary, when we use the words tempt and temptation with respect to Scripture, we should keep in mind that they refer to the work of Satan, evil spirits, and even human beings to entice us to sin. The purpose of temptation is to bring out the worst in us. However, God never tempts anyone to sin, nor can he be tempted to sin. 

Trial

The words try or trial may refer to temptations to sin, or to testing for our own good. As Roger Barrier notes, “the purpose of trials is to refine our lives and leave us with a purer, stronger faith, as well as a character that God can bless and use.”

And the words test or testing convey the idea of approving or critically examining something to determine its genuineness. The purpose of testing is to learn and apply biblical truths so we become consistently more like Jesus. Juli Camarin writes: “Testing … is God trusting us to make the right choice…. He entrusts us with kingdom principles, watching how we respond and act. Faithfulness in these tests [is] the road to promotion in His kingdom because He knows He can trust us to do what He has instructed.”

The best way to establish the correct application of these terms is to consider the context. Or, as Sharon Beekmann points out, “the motive of the agent determines whether one is tested, tempted, or on trial.”

Lead us not …

Before moving on, we should wrestle with a hard saying in the Lord’s Prayer: “And lead us not into temptation” (Matt. 6:13 KJV). We know God cannot be tempted with sin, nor does he tempt us to sin. So why would he ever lead us into temptation? 

Craig Blomberg notes that “these words seem best taken as ‘don’t let us succumb to temptation’ (cf. Mark 14:38) or ‘don’t abandon us to temptation.’”  Of course, we do at times surrender to temptation, but never because God has failed to provide an alternative (1 Cor. 10:13).

Leon Morris adds this observation: “God tempts no one. But the worshiper knows his own weakness and in this prayer seeks to be kept far from anything that may bring him to sin.”

Finally, William Mounce offers this insight:

One way of handling the biblical data is to draw a sharp distinction between trials and temptations. God does not induce anyone to sin, and in fact we are to admit our dependence on God as we pray for protection from temptation. However, trials and sufferings will occur so that our faith can be purified, shown to be true – all of which enables us to grow up into Christian maturity.

Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words

So, it appears biblically faithful to understand Jesus’ hard saying – “And lead us not into temptation” – as a model for us in prayer. We may come to the Father in full assurance of his love because we are his adopted children. We may plead our case before his holy bench because we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ. And we may escape the fiery darts of the tempter because the Spirit of God indwells us and arms us with his word. 

Therefore, we may rightly appeal to the Father for deliverance from the tempter, fully aware of our human vulnerabilities, yet wholly resting in the triune God’s sovereign work of redemption. The tempter may win many battles between now and the return of Christ, but ultimately, he is a defeated foe.

Next: Satan the deceiver