TEMPTATION, TESTING AND

In the New Testament, the word translated “temptation” (peirazo) has two shades of meaning. When used of God’s tempting of man, it carries a positive intention. However, when it refers to the temptation of man by Satan or another person, the word implies a desire to bring out one’s bad points.

The second idea might be likened to Ralph Nader’s taking a G.M. car and running a group of tests on it. The emphasis and aim of this testing would be to bring out the bad traits of the car. However, if G.M. were to run tests on its own car, the motivation would be to point out the good traits.1376

When the Union-Pacific railroad was under construction, an elaborate trestle bridge was built over a certain large canyon in the West as part of the plan to connect St. Louis and California. Before it was open for commercial use, the construction engineer wanted to test its strength. He loaded a train with extra cars and equipment to double its normal payload. The train was driven out to the middle of the bridge, where it was to remain for an entire day. One worker complained, “Are you trying to break this bridge?” “No,” said the engineer. “I’m trying to prove that the bridge is unbreakable.”

So, too, does temptation prove our strength under pressure.1377