The Book of James, Temptation Comes From Within, James 1:13-18 - Lesson 6

The message of scripture in general and the specific message we find in James to the child of God is to keep his eye on the prize.

The message that the Old Testaments saints learned was that they were simply strangers and pilgrims on the earth and as such they were not to get so wrapped up in the things of this life that they took their eyes off of the better country, that is an heavenly country, where there is a heavenly city whose builder and maker is God.

The message of James to the poor man and the rich man is the same.

Each is to see their circumstances as leading to the glorious state, the heavenly state.

And so James counsels the rich man to realize that his earthly wealth is petty and paltry, in comparison with the heavenly wealth that awaits him after this life.

Since it is his earthly demise that takes him to heaven, the rich man is to exult in his death, to exult in his humiliation, to exult in leaving behind all his earthly wealth.

Here is another example of how Bible truth turns the ideas of this world upside down!

And not only is he to exult in his earthly demise but to exult in his trials for again in verse 12 he is reminded to focus his eyes on that which is afar off.

For he says in James 1:12,  Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

James has told us in verse 4 to count in all joy when you fall into all sorts of trials.

Here in verse 12 he says you are a blessed man when you endure those trials.

He does not say that we will feel blessed in the midst of those trials but he states it as a fact that we are indeed blessed when we endure those trials for he reminds his readers that there is an end to the time for trials.

And that end will be a far more glorious end than any of us can imagine in this present life.

But endurance in those trials is not something that we do by sheer will power.

It is not gritting your teeth and bearing it.

It is enduring trials by the power of God.

To endure is to continue to turn to God as our only source of life regardless of the trial.

A man named R. H. Stewart said,  The whole effort—the object of—temptation is to induce us to substitute something else for God. And that something else will obscure God.

So we are not to be double minded but to be single minded saying my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.

It is to trust in Him that He will be present and He will be our peace in the midst of whatever we are facing.

And it is to know without doubting that He is working His transforming and redeeming will through our suffering.

It is to wait on Him to give us wisdom and light knowing that we have nothing whatsoever to offer Him.

It is to obey Psalm 46:10 which commands us to,  Be still, and know that I am God, instead of running to and fro to find relief outside of God.

Being still means that there is to be no activity on your part, no figuring out on your part as to how to get out of this trial.

But in this stillness and in this waiting we are to know there is an endpoint.

We endure not for the sake of endurance but for what follows the endurance.

We are to know in our trials that God will bring good out of this, and we count on Him to do it.

We are to know that the devil tempts that he may bring us to ruin but our God tests us that he may bring a crown.

He promises the crown of life to those who endure, which pictures what verse four tells us we are to be,  perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Not being still, not waiting on God, simply keeps the sculpturing hand of God from doing its work and prevents that perfection, that entirety, that wanting nothing.

The crown of life will never go to the one who runs from God’s sculpturing hand.

The crown of life is one of five crowns that God has mentioned in His word which will be given to saints according to their deeds.

The incorruptible crown: 1 Corinthians 9:24,25.

The crown of rejoicing: 1 Thessalonians 2:19, 20.

The crown of glory: 1 Peter 5:1~4.

The crown of righteousness: 2 Timothy 4:8.

This crown of life that is promised in James is also mentioned in Rev. 2:10 and again is connected to trials and suffering:

It is interesting that this crown named the crown of life is also associated with martyrdom.

But martyrdom is not the sole requirement for this crown.

It’s distinctive is related to endurance in testing.

James continues his instruction in James 1:13-18,  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: ¹⁴But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. ¹⁵Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. ¹⁶Do not err, my beloved brethren. ¹⁷Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. ¹⁸Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Now the use of the word temptation up to this passage was in relation to adversity, trials or testings.

It was not using the word temptation as that which entices to sin which is how the word temptation is used in verses 13-18.

But there is a connection between adversity and the kind of temptation that leads to sin.

It is easy to yield to this temptation during times of adversity if we choose to be double minded and choose to go down paths not chosen by God for whatever is not of faith is sin.

This temptation takes hold of the soul who refuses to be still and wait on God.

We are easily led to ungodly responses during times of stress and many times we justify ourselves by thinking that anyone would respond in the same sinful way if they were suffering in the same manner as we.

We therefore conclude that temptation to sin is part of the testing of God.

That second mind of the double minded man reasons in this way:

God is sovereign; He is in control of everything.

God is the One who brings adversity into the lives of His people.

God has brought adversity into my life.

In such times of adversity, I am tempted to act in an ungodly manner.

If I yield to this temptation, I sin.

Therefore, God is the source of my temptation to sin.

If I fail, it must be God’s fault, because He led me into temptation.

James in our passage says unequivocally,  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: ¹⁴But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

Temptation to sin during times of testing is not, I repeat not from God.

Any conclusion that God is the tempter comes from the double minded person who wavers between humbly submitting to God and disobeying God based on the idea that he can do things himself which is simply from a heart of pride.

It is that proud disobedience which is the basis for blaming God for our sin and results in naming Him as the source of our temptation.

James speaks in very absolute terms in verses 13-18.

He says that one should never blame God for the temptation to sin that he may face.

He also says that God cannot ever be tempted by evil, and that He never tempts anyone with evil.

God tests us, but He never tempts us.

Temptation, James tells us, comes from deep within us, and not from God.

Dr. Bob Jones Sr. said: "No doubt the trouble is with you."

And I suppose he said that since too many people blame God or others for what truly comes from within.

Jesus made this clear in Mark 7:18-23,  And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; ¹⁹Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? ²⁰And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. ²¹For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, ²²Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: ²³All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

Temptations are simply that which reveals the man.

They put nothing into a man but only draw out what is in him.

James says that our God tempts no man for our God has no sin dwelling within Him without which there can be no temptation.

Temptation comes from within the sinner and God is not a sinner.

Temptation begins with desire, and when this desire is sought the fruit it bears is sin and sin results in death.

Sin and death are the result of a sequence of events.

This sequence begins with a desire which is not proper, a desire based upon the lust of the flesh, a desire which is fulfilled and not resisted or rejected.

In this James commands his beloved brethren not to err.

Don’t continue to think that God brings temptation to sin your way as an excuse for your sin.

If you think this way you have been terribly deceived.

God is never the source of your sin for as James will bring out in succeeding chapters, Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?

God cannot be the source of any temptation to sin, because He is the source of every good gift.

He is the source of sweet water, and never the source of bitter water.

He is immutable, for He never changes.

As James tells us in verses 17 and 18,  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. ¹⁸Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

There is absolutely no variation or the most minute hint of change in God.

God is Holy, his moral purity is absolute, unassailable and undefiled.

He is high and exalted, He is the holy One of Israel.

There is not the smallest trace of evil in God’s nature.

Isaiah, in the presence of such holiness, came to the conclusion that he was ruined for he said Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty admitting that he was a man of unclean lips.

The character of God is such that He cannot tempt anyone to sin for his character require holiness in us.

His will for us is always toward holiness, never toward evil.

The origin of any temptation to sin is not God.

Our faith is built upon the knowledge that God is good, that God is unchanging, and that He rules over all.

Because there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning in our God, the Apostle Paul could say in II Timothy 1:12 that he was persuaded that he is able to keep that which he had committed unto him against that day.

Persuaded because God cannot break his word for no sin dwelleth in Him and without sin temptation to sin cannot come.

That same Jesus Christ, who is the same today, yesterday and forever can be counted on to never bring temptation your way which will cause you to sin.

James 1:19-27,  Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: ²⁰For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. ²¹Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. ²²But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. ²³For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: ²⁴For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. ²⁵But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. ²⁶If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. ²⁷Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.