God will test us, but He will never tempt us with evil

    

 One final lesson in this series on “Have we trials and temptations? Absolutely!” While the devil indeed does tempt us with evil, God never will.

James 1:13 clearly teaches that no one should say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.

At first glance, that may seem contradictory that God cannot be tempted by evil, since Jesus was tempted by the devil. Does that mean Jesus is not God? No, but His deity in human flesh was not tempted but His humanity was indeed tempted. It’s like saying that God can never die, yet Jesus died on the cross. But the God of the universe cannot die, but the second Person in the Trinity, Jesus the Son, in His human manifestation, indeed truly and physically died, and Jesus the Son, in His human manifestation, indeed truly and spiritual was tempted.

However, the greater point is that we should not blame God if we are tempted with evil.  ¹⁴ But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

The fault is not solely limited to the devil when evil comes our way. It can be the simple fact that we are in the world of sin that we are drawn away from God, but it also can be our own sinfulness itself. Even we believers can have our own desires and be enticed. Our sin can be birthed, grow, and even cause spiritual and physical death. We, as believers and possessors of the Holy Spirit, can give into our sinful passions or we can choose to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” (Romans 13:14).

God will allow us to be tempted by the devil, as He did with Job, but He Himself does not do the “dirty work”. Even knowing that God allows temptation, He also sets the parameters and amount of temptation, as shown in 1 Corinthians 10:13.

Some may not think that is a strong distinction that God cannot tempt us with evil, but he allows both Satan and human and worldly desires to tempt us. But it is tremendously significant and here’s why: God is on our side. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not responsible for our sins, nor our temptations.

Car manufacturers allow cars to go above and beyond the speed limit, but they are not responsible for it. God allows temptations but the blame for yielding to it lies completely on us. As a result, we should fight sin, knowing that God is on our side and in control.

Which leads me to one final thought on this issue which leads into tomorrow’s sermon: While God does not tempt us with evil, He absolutely does test us. God’s tests are not for Him to find out whether we will pass or fail, but rather, (and this too is majorly significant) He tests us to prove to us what lies with us, to refine us from our impurities, and to prepare us for His future purposes.

The sermon for September 29, 2024, is entitled, “God’s Refining Fire”.   I hope you come or tune in at https://www.youtube.com/@gracepointesbc.