Tempted and Tried [eBook]

Temptation and the Triumph of Christ

Although temptation is a common and well-acknowledged part of the human experience, few realize the truth behind temptation and fewer still know how to defeat it. Tempted and Tried will not reassure Christians by claiming that temptation is less powerful or less prevalent than it is; instead, it will prepare believers for battle by telling the truth about the cosmic war that is raging. Moore shows that the temptation of every Christian is part of a broader conspiracy against God, a conspiracy that confronts everyone who shares the flesh of Jesus through human birth and especially confronts those who share the Spirit of Christ through the new birth of redemption.

Moore walks readers through the Devil’s ancient strategies for temptation revealed in Jesus’ wilderness testing. Moore considers how those strategies might appear in a contemporary context and points readers to a way of escape. Tempted and Tried will remind Christians that temptation must be understood in terms of warfare, encouraging them with the truth that victory has already been secured through the triumph of Christ.

RUSSELL D. MOORE is the Dean of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He also serves as a preaching pastor at a local church. He is the author of several books including Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches. He and his wife Maria have four sons.

“I’ve read many good books on dealing with temptation but this one by Russell Moore stands out in a class by itself. I can guarantee your spiritual health will benefit greatly from giving serious attention to this book. It will help you not only understand how temptation works, but also how to defeat it.”
—Rick Warren, #1 New York Times best-selling author, The Purpose Driven Life; Pastor, Saddleback Church

“Some people are incredible writers but have little to say. Others have great substance but are boring as all get out to read. Russell Moore is that rare author whose skills as a writer are matched by his theological and biblical substance. He both engages your imagination and stretches you intellectually. This man knows the Bible and he teaches it in a way that pierces the heart. Russell will not only make you think, he will make you think more biblically—an activity that is more dangerous and subversive than you would imagine. If you’re struggling with sin in some form, you might assume that reading a book called Tempted & Tried would be a depressing reminder of all your failings. But that is not what this book is. It is realistic and honest about sin and evil, but more than anything it gloriously sets forth Jesus as the devil-smashing Victor that he is. It will give you hope. It will give you courage to press on. It will stir your heart to keep battling temptation in the confidence of Christ’s victory. I highly recommend it.”
—Joshua Harris, Senior Pastor, Covenant Life Church, Gaithersburg, Maryland; author, Dug Down Deep

“With the courage and insight of Luther, the humor of Erasmus, and the spiritual insight of Spurgeon, Russell Moore in this volume, Tempted and Tried, accomplishes what few scholars are able to do; he brings vast learning to a table set to feed both scholars like him and the rest of us common folk also. With precise theology on a solidly biblical basis, buttressed by wide reading and profound experience, Russell Moore helps us all deal with the daily temptations of life and triumphant Christ. This volume, like C. S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters, finds the follower of Jesus where he is and assists him in his climb to a higher realm. No believer serious about encountering temptation should miss this book.”
—Paige Patterson, President, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

“Every Christian wants to turn from their sin and to the God who bore that sin. The real question is how can believers do this consistently and thoroughly? Russell Moore has come alongside our struggle to repent of sin and relish the Savior. This book is the best kind of theology: God-centered and practical. Read it as you resist temptation by worshipping Jesus who has forever defeated the tempter.”
—Darrin Patrick, Lead Pastor, The Journey, St. Louis, Missouri; Vice President, Acts 29; Chaplain to the St. Louis Cardinals; author, The Dude’s Guide to Manhood

“In Tempted and Tried, Russell Moore carefully examines the sinfulness of our hearts, biblically exposes the strategies of our Adversary, and ultimately exalts the Savior who alone has conquered sin and death. Indeed, Christ is our only hope, and this book gloriously points us to Him.”
—David Platt, Senior Pastor, The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama; author, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream

“Russell Moore is a riveting writer, and you won’t have to read this book for long before you also find out that he knows some things that you need to know about the deceitfulness of our hearts, the trials of temptation, the schemes of the Tempter and the power and grace of the Savior. Wise beyond his years, and unashamedly supernatural and biblical in his approach, I almost hear the old Puritan Thomas Brooks speaking to me in Dr. Moore’s words (albeit in a Mississippi dialect!). In one of the great hymns of the church, ‘Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners,’ we sing ‘Tempted, tried, and sometimes failing, He, my strength, my victory wins.’ But how? That’s what Russell Moore shows us in this book. Read it. Search your heart. Pray for grace. And join the fight.”
—J. Ligon Duncan III, Chancellor and John E. Richards Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi

“Dr. Russell Moore’s new book, one of the practical I have seen in a long time, is an excellent manual of how to recognize and deal with temptation. Its prose is engaging, its biblical support sold, its illustrations lively and consistently to the point.”
—Patrick Henry Reardon, Pastor, All Saints’ Orthodox Church, Chicago, Illinois; author, Christ in the Psalms

“Russell Moore has given us a book that is simultaneously theological, personal, and literary, inviting us into the story of Jesus’ battle with temptation. There, we discover our own war with an enemy that is both within us and prowling around us. Instead of a formulaic approach to resisting temptation, he shows us how to look to Jesus, who accomplishes what we can’t and journeys with us into our battle. Be forewarned, this book will open your eyes to temptation in ways that are sure to leave you uncomfortably alert.”
—Mike Cosper, Pastor of Worship and Arts, Sojourn Community Church, Louisville, Kentucky