God Cannot Be Tempted - 12/03/2023

James has been writing to Christians about being tested. One type of testing will produce endurance and life, while another type of testing will produce sin and destruction. James wants to make sure Christians know that God does not tempt us to do evil, because God cannot be tempted (James 1:13-15).

It would be a logical conclusion to think that if God tested people to see if we would endure various trials, that He would also tempt us to do evil. James wants to eliminate this thought by making two points, one from the negative and one from the positive side of the issue.

He begins by pointing out that “God cannot be tempted by evil.” God will not violate His own laws and standards. It is part of His character to follow His own code of conduct. Because of this attribute, God “Himself does not tempt anyone.” God practices the Golden Rule.

The cause of our being tempted to do evil is a result of our “own lust.” God is not the source of this temptation, but rather we are the source. Even though God would not want us to sin, He has left it to our own decision.

Our faith is tested when we are “enticed by [our] own lust” to do what is evil. This trial has a malicious intent, namely to lure us away from God in the same manner a fisherman would lure a fish and coax it out of its safe zone.

Using a metaphor of the growth of a child, James describes how lust conceives the thought of violating God’s law, how this lust will continue until it “gives birth to sin” and how this lust, if not brought under control, will destroy a person in death. While this is very graphic, it personalizes the process in a way that we can relate. James wants us to fully understand that our lust is the cause of this type of testing, since God does not tempt anyone to do evil.

As we look at how to apply this passage to our own life, we need to avoid allowing our lust to conceive in the first place. If we control our lust in the beginning, then it will not develop and ultimately destroy us, both in this life and the life after this one.

Christians need to have the fullest of assurance that because God Himself cannot be tempted to do evil, He is not going to tempt us to do evil. Christians must constantly be on guard to not be lured into doing evil, but rather reject the enticement because we want the security that comes from living God’s way. - cgm

Scriptural quotations from the NASB1995.