Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
Heidelberg Catechism
Heidelberg Catechism Question 127. What is the sixth petition? “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” That is: since we are so weak that we cannot stand by ourselves for one moment, and besides, since our sworn enemies, the devil, the world, and our own sin, ceaselessly assail us, be pleased to preserve and strengthen us through the power of thy Holy Spirit so that we may stand firm against them, and not be defeated in this spiritual warfare, until at last we obtain complete victory.
Westminster Shorter Catechism
Shorter Catechism Question 106. What do we pray for in the sixth petition? In the sixth petition, which is, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” we pray that God would either keep us from being tempted to sin or support and deliver us when we are tempted.
- Matt. 26:14 “Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
- Ps. 19:13 “Keep back your servant also from the insolent; do not let them have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.”
- 1 Cor. 10:13 “No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.”
- Ps. 51:10, 12 “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.”
Study Catechism
Study Catechism Question 132. What is meant by the final petition, “Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil”? We ask God to protect us from our own worst impulses and from all external powers of destruction in the world. We ask that we might not yield to despair in the face of seemingly hopeless circumstances. We pray for the grace to remember and believe, despite our unbelief, that no matter how bleak the world may sometimes seem, there is nonetheless a depth of love which is deeper than our despair, and that this love — which delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt and raised our Lord Jesus from the dead — will finally swallow up forever all that would now seem to defeat it.
- 2 Cor. 4:8 “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair.”
- Eph. 3:19 “To know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
- Matt. 26:41 “Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
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