Good question! I do believe the born again believer in Christ does face more temptation than a non-believer, but before we discuss that it can also be said that the believer is “more aware of temptation than before their New Birth.” Why is this? I think there are two reasons for this:

1) The born again believer has a NEW NATURE. In Romans chapter 7 the Apostle Paul describes the conflict he experienced between the OLD NATURE and the NEW NATURE. Let’s listen to what Paul says in verses 15-22, “For what I am doing, I do not understand; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but SIN THAT DWELLS IN ME. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will do, I do not do; but the evil I will not do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but SIN THAT DWELLS IN ME. I find then a law, that EVIL IS PRESENT WITH ME, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the INWARD MAN” (NKJV). The last two words (i.e. inward man) refers to the “new nature” that was implanted in Paul the moment he was born again. This is the “divine nature” spoken of in 2^nd Peter 1:4. It is the very nature of God, which is holy and “cannot sin” (see 1^st John 3:9). The new nature gives the believer the desire to live a holy life that is pleasing to God (as we saw in verse 22). But the believer still has the “old nature” (which Paul refers to as “sin that dwells in me”) that will constantly war against the new nature in an attempt to cause the believer to commit an act of sin. The unbeliever does NOT have a new nature and thus before one is born again there will not be this kind of struggle. They may be tempted, but they often succumb to the temptation without any real feeling of guilt or shame.

2) The born again believer has the HOLY SPIRIT. In John chapter 3 Jesus spoke to a man named Nicodemus about the New Birth and He said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and THE SPIRIT, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is BORN OF THE SPIRIT is spirit” (verses 5-6). The moment one puts their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation (see verses 14-16) they are “born of the Spirit.” The Spirit then indwells them and seals them (see John 14:17; 1^st Corinthians 6:19 and Ephesians 1:13). If we give in to temptation and commit a sin the Holy Spirit, who hates sin, is “grieved” (see Ephesians 4:30) and He will immediately work in us to convict us of that sin and to bring us to confess and forsake it (see 1^st John 1:9). So, besides the New Nature making us more aware of temptation and sin, the indwelling Holy Spirit produces in us a real sensitivity to sin in order to cause us to hate sin and to be delivered from it.

Now as to your specific question, the believer does indeed face more temptation than before his/her conversion. Why is this? I believe the answer is simple; the Devil, who hates Christ and all who belong to Him, will do everything is his power to prevent us from living for Christ and bringing honor to His Name. He knows he can’t take our salvation from us, but he can, through temptations, lead us into sin, which in turn results in a break in our fellowship with God and a life that dishonors Christ. He uses “the world to allure our old nature into sin” (Genesis 3:1-6 and 1^st John 2:15-17). He did this BEFORE we were saved (see Ephesians 2:1-3), but he works even harder on Christians to cause them to sin. We need only read through our Bibles to see how successful Satan has been in tempting believers to sin (consider David’s temptation and sin in 2^nd Samuel chapter 17 as a prime example of this). Yet we need not be discouraged, for God has given us all the resources we need to defeat the Devil when he tempts us (especially His Spirit and the Word; see Luke 4:1-13 and Ephesians 6:10-11, 16-17). A classic example of defeating Satan (besides the Supreme Example of our Lord Jesus in Luke 4) is that of Job when Satan tempted him to curse God in Job 1:6-19. Instead of “cursing God,” Job said, “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD” (verse 21). His faith in God and His Word prevailed! How precious it is to read the closing verse of that chapter, “In all this Job DID NOT SIN nor charge God with wrong.” May that be our experience too when we are tempted. (342.3)  (DO)