Lead Us Not

Lead Us Not

Enjoying the Protection of A Disciple’s Prayer

There is a danger in Christendom. There is a movement of making changes to the Word of God which appear to be good ones.

Here is one of the latest: A respected religious leader changed the phrase in Matthew 6:13 from, “lead us not into temptation” to “do not let us fall into temptation.” They believe the original translation implies that God induces temptation. The article continues with, “…officials say [the second phrase is closer to the original intent of the prayer]. Their explanation: “I am the one who falls, it is not Him pushing me into temptations to then see how I have fallen.”

1.) Their explanation on God does not tempt us to sin is correct.

2.) Their assumption, “do not let us fall into temptation,” is closer to the heart of the prayer than, “…lead us not into temptation” is inaccurate.

Let us first reflect on the truth in James 1:13, “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me,’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.” What is tempting us to sin in thought, word and action are desires we need to let the Lord, through the Holy Spirit cleanse from our heart.

It is true Satan, the world view and the sinful nature is the key sources which entice people to live in a way which breaks the heart of God. What is apparently misunderstood in Matthew 6:13 is, some believe the Scripture as originally written is saying it is God who leads people to be tempted to sin. Just what is the truth of the Scripture?

The Truth of the Plea

There is a reason why most translations of the Bible keep the passage saying, “Lead us not.” There is a subtle change from the truth “Lead us not” and “do not let us fall…” There is a slight deception which is keeping the children of God from fully enjoying the protection of this prayer.

Many call Matthew 6:9-15 the Lord’s Prayer when actually it is the disciples prayer – a pray guide if you will for the people of God to become holy as the Lord is holy. For Christians who want to surrender their minds and hearts to the Lordship of Christ, there is a desire to avoid what enabled to them live in the sin which held them captive. Matthew 6:13 in The New Testament, An Expanded Translation says, “And do not lead us into the place of testing where a solicitation to do evil would tempt us to sin…”

It is imperative we understand the disciple’s prayer in Matthew 6:13 is not a prayer to keep us from trials and testing which would prove our character, like God did Abraham and Christ Himself. God is not going to keep us from trials, testing and temptations which are meant to mature us, to test us and strengthen our faith in Him. Rather, it is a prayer from a spiritual heart, which fears and distrust ones self-motives. Matthew 6:13 is not a prayer against yielding to temptation, thus being equivalent to a prayer of deliverance when being tempted. It is a prayer against being where one could be sucked or drawn into the temptation. (Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (p. 1638). Peabody: Hendrickson.)

Matthew 6:31 is a heart cry from Christians who recognize their spiritual weakness as they pray for deliverance from being allowed to face sinful temptations. (Barbieri, L. A., Jr. (1985). Matthew. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 32). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

The heart cry in Matthew 6:13 is [to be led] (e?sf??? eisphéro) meaning to bear or bring into.” (Zodhiates, S. (2000). The complete word study dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers.)

This cry from the heart comes from the understanding of God. The Bible says, “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. ‘For in Him we live and move and have our being…’” (Acts 17:24-28)