Tempted and Tried: temptation and the Triumph of Christ is written by Dr. Russell D. Moore the Dean of the School of Theology and senior vice president for academic administration at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He also serves as the preaching pastor at Highview Baptist Church.
In Tempted and Tried Dr. Moore has written a heady, practical, Scripture-saturated and Gospel-centered book on the why the believer is tempted and how he/she is to overcome temptation. Rather than get into all the specifics of what the book is about, I would like to share a few things on how this book has impacted me.
Dr. Moore teaches that temptation deals with a question of one’s identity. Many believers struggle with their identity in Christ for a variety of reasons whether because they were raised in a dysfunctional home or because they are addicted to pornography. Throughout the book, Dr. Moore challenges his readers to understand their identity in Christ by understanding who Christ is and what He has done. This book has helped me to better understand my identity in Christ and the assault that my identity in Him is under.
On page 171 Dr. Moore explains that one of the first ways you can tell you are moving beyond temptation into a pattern of sin is if you find yourself in a time of prayerlessness. He rightly identifies this as a gospel issue. Knowing the right things about God, the Bible, and Jesus is all well and good but they ought to lead to action. One of the ways our convictions are revealed is in how the believer fights against temptation when it arises. In the past several years this fighting against temptation and specifically apathy is where I have grown the most in my walk with God. In growing in these areas, I have learned to recognize my identity as rooted in the finished work of Christ and in the importance of prayerfulness.
Tempted and Tried by Dr. Moore is a book that every Christian should read in order to better understand why one is tempted and how to deal with temptation. Reading this book will challenge you and at times confront misconceptions you may have about temptation. I encourage you to allow the work of the Word of God by the Spirit of God to the glory of God to do its work in you as you read this book, so that through you God may bring forth much fruit for His name and fame. Reading this book will help you grow in the Gospel and in turn help you to be a fruitful Gospel Christian.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Crossway book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
