Tempted and Tried: 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.

208 pages

“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, Pastor-Teacher, McLean Bible Church; 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, CEO, and John E. Richards Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary

“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, Founder and Director, Harbor Institute for Faith and Culture