Don’t Blame God
“Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.”
James 1:12-16
We need to be clear on this, God does not tempt us to sin and God himself cannot be tempted by evil. Why would we ever think this? There is a faulty logic that goes like this. If God is in control of everything and nothing happens without his divine permission, then the things that I go through are because of God. If that is the case, then ultimately it must be God who is the one who is tempting me. We don’t say it exactly that way. We may say, “God, why did you let this happen?” Or “God, why did you let me get in that situation?” We might think, “God, why did you let me meet that person in the first place?” In different ways we can blame God for leading us into temptation.
The word in the Greek for testing and temptation is the same word. It is the context that tells us how the word is supposed to be translated. There is also the reality that what is meant as a test can turn into a temptation for us even though that is not the intention of it. Because we are sinful, we may respond sinfully to God’s testing and even though it was not meant to lead us to sin, we choose wrongly and sin.
Further, we have an enemy in the Devil. Jesus confronted the false teachers of his day saying, “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44-45). Satan is a liar and a deceiver who wants to trick you and tempt you into sin. We also live in a world that is soaked in sinful attitudes and opportunities that can become temptations to us.
Regardless of where the temptation comes from, it activates within us our own sinful desires. Think about it, something is only a temptation if there is something in you that really wants it. I’ve never been tempted by broccoli or spinach. Why is that? It is because I have no taste for it or desire for it. But I’m a sucker for baked goods. If I lived next to a bakery, I’d probably be 400 pounds! This is the thing, an EXTERNAL temptation only becomes a personal, INTERNAL temptation when it appeals to my sinful desires. While a temptation remains outside of you it is not sin, but once it stirs your desires it becomes a sinful temptation that leads to further sin.
James doesn’t want us to lie to ourselves and blame God for our sin or think that he is the one who is behind our temptations. He says, “Do not be deceived my beloved brothers.” He wants to correct our faulty thinking, so we don’t believe a lie. He will go on to remind us that this is not what our Heavenly Father is like at all. We will discuss that more next time.
