James 1:13-14, God Is Not the Tempter But the Redeemer
James 1:13-14, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.”
“Let no man say…I am tempted of God.”
“The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.” (Psalm 33:5b) Our God is a good God, and He is working for our good. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) Knowing these two truths helps us understand that we are not tempted of God, though he uses temptations and trials to build us into spiritual maturity. Remember Joseph’s words in Genesis 50:20, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good.”
James chapter 1 speaks of the trying of our faith by the tribulation we face, but the passage speaks also of another temptation that tries our faith. Our faith is tried when we are tempted to sin. How we withstand this type of temptation tells much of the faith we have in God. If our faith is weak, we waver and give the temptation room to work. But if our faith is strong, we can escape unspotted. Consider 1 Corinthians 10:13 which promises, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” God promises that with every temptation is “a way to escape” so that we are not bound to sin. Our faith must be firmly held in God and His Word to escape the temptation. We have to trust God more than our flesh. When our faith wavers, we give opportunity to be drawn away of our own lust and enticed. Sin soon follows.
We need also to recognize that God is not the tempter. God does, however, allow temptation, and we should be thankful that He does. The choice makes us different and special from the rest of His creation. Consider Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. God placed the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden not to tempt Adam and Eve but to give them free will. Without a way to disobey God, there would have been no way to choose Him either. God did not entice Adam and Eve to eat of that tree; in fact, we see the opposite is true. God gave strong warning to the couple that if they ate of the fruit of this tree that they would surely die! God placed them in the garden, gave them free will, and gave them protection to help them avoid sin.
The tempter was that old serpent, Satan. Satan twisted God’s Word, lied about God’s motivation, and appealed to the pride of man. He denied God’s truth about the consequence of sin, a lie that persists still today. Now we are born with this sin nature passed down through Adam, and we deal with a corrupt flesh that leads us to be drawn away of our own lusts and enticed.
“But every man is tempted.”
Everyone faces temptation because each of us has a lustful flesh that draws us away. None are immune. In fact, throughout history, only one person has ever been born without sin nature, that is Jesus Christ. Jesus lived sinless and perfect. He had no sin nature, but even He was tempted of Satan. We can read Matthew 4 of Satan’s temptations to Christ and how Christ remained without sin through them. In fact, we learn of Jesus being tempted in Hebrews 4:15, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
Jesus knows what it is to be tempted, and He is “touched with the feeling of our infirmities.” He remained “without sin,” but we fall under the category of “all have sinned.” Yet He is still touched with the feeling of our infirmities! Romans 5:8 expresses that “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” He knows the temptation we experience, and He lovingly made a wonderful way of escape. He died for us. He rose again to offer eternal life. For those that place their faith in Him for salvation, He gives freely eternal life. You see, God is not the tempter, but He is the Redeemer! And because He knows how much we need to escape temptation, He has given us an opportunity to “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
When you are tempted (and you will be), come boldly to God’s throne to obtain mercy and find grace, which is exactly what you need in time of need. Come early and come often! The more time you spend at the throne of grace, the less opportunity your lust will have to draw you away.
