The topic of temptation is unique in that it is something that affects each and every one of us. There is no one who can honestly say that they do not struggle with temptation. The temptations may vary and the responses to temptation may vary, but the one constant is temptation itself. It is real and it is something that we all face and struggle with on a daily basis. The question some have is this, “Who causes temptation?” The question is actually faulty because it assumes that the temptation is the fault of someone else. It assumes that someone is to blame. We have a tenancy to want to blame other people for our faults and our failures rather than take responsibility. There are even people who try to blame God for their failures and, as we see in this verse, they blame God for temptation itself.
James 1:13 clearly states two important truths. First, God cannot be tempted with evil. This literally means that God us untemptable, There is no capacity to be tempted. He has no vulnerability to evil and is completely unaffected by it. Yes, evil does exist, but it is completely separate from God, and God is completely unaffected by evil. It is like a sunbeam that is shining on a landfill but is completely unaffected by the filth that it shines on. God cannot be tempted with evil.
The second truth is that God does not tempt any man. God is so separated from, free from, and unaffected by evil, that he has nothing to do with it on any level. Not only is he not tempted by evil, he is so far removed from evil that he does not tempt anyone with evil. As we will see in verse 17, everything good comes from God. He is not to be blamed for our temptation or our response to it, but is to be praised and glorified for giving us the ability to escape and flee from temptation (see I Corinthians 10:13).
Temptation is real and it is something that we all face, but we must understand that temptation is in no way God’s fault. Next time we will see the true cause of temptation.
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James 1:13- Is Temptation God’s Fault?
July 10, 2010
devotional commentary
James 1:13 clearly states two important truths. First, God cannot be tempted with evil. This literally means that God us untemptable, There is no capacity to be tempted. He has no vulnerability to evil and is completely unaffected by it. Yes, evil does exist, but it is completely separate from God, and God is completely unaffected by evil. It is like a sunbeam that is shining on a landfill but is completely unaffected by the filth that it shines on. God cannot be tempted with evil.
The second truth is that God does not tempt any man. God is so separated from, free from, and unaffected by evil, that he has nothing to do with it on any level. Not only is he not tempted by evil, he is so far removed from evil that he does not tempt anyone with evil. As we will see in verse 17, everything good comes from God. He is not to be blamed for our temptation or our response to it, but is to be praised and glorified for giving us the ability to escape and flee from temptation (see I Corinthians 10:13).
Temptation is real and it is something that we all face, but we must understand that temptation is in no way God’s fault. Next time we will see the true cause of temptation.
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