Living a Faith that can be Seen - James 1:12-18 (13-15)

HOW TRIALS BECOME TEMPTATIONS

 

James has taught us to count it all joy when we face trials of various kinds. That’s pretty unusual for the average person. But Christians have the promise that trials will produce in us maturity and wisdom. God allows trials to come into our lives to help us grow.

            Someone in James’ church must have asked a provocative question in response to “God allowing trials.” If God allows trials into our lives, does that mean that God is the reason we struggle with temptation? And if God tempts us, does that mean that he is the reason we sin? Is God responsible for our sins? 

            Remember that the Greek word for “trials” or “tests” is the same word for temptation. So, you can understand why the person may have asked this question. God allows trials but he does not tempt us. James wrote, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast (endures) under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him,” (1:12). (This verse bears a striking similarity to the beatitudes of Jesus in his sermon on the mount. It is entirely possible that James was influenced by the Sermon on the Mount when writing this letter).

            The challenge then, is to know the difference and to recognize our own temptations. We will look at James 1:13-15 to learn how the follower of Jesus overcomes temptation.

 

God does not tempt us to do evil (1:13)

 

First, James wanted to clear up the question of source. Where does temptation come from? Human nature is such that when we fail at something we want to find blame outside of ourselves. We don’t want to be responsible for our own moral failings. Who do we blame most for our sins? God!

            Adam and Eve set the pattern long ago when they were caught eating the forbidden fruit. Adam blamed God for giving him the woman; the woman blamed the serpent; and we continue to seek to blame someone else for our moral failings.

            James responded to this inclination saying, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one,” (13). James does not waste words, but he does make a strong theological statement about God. It would have been helpful if he had explained his theology more (perhaps he does with 1:17). The logic is simple, though. To say that God is tempting me is illogical because temptation to sin is an act of evil. God is not evil, and God cannot be tempted himself to do evil: God is good and for God to be God he must be consistently good, or he is not God. 

            John confirmed this in his letter when he said, “God is light and in him is no darkness at all,” (1 John 1:5). Throughout the Bible we are told that God is holy. That means he is set apart from everything imperfect and inconsistent with moral goodness. There can be no contradiction in his person, or he ceases to be holy. And God does not change, so he is forever holy. To tempt someone to sin is itself sinful and since God is holy, he will never tempt you.

            Here we have our dilemma: the same word for “trial” is used by translators of our Bibles for “temptation.” How does a trial become a temptation to sin? By the attitude with which we respond to the trial. To blame God or circumstances or the devil or others for my sin is to dodge the real source of it. To name it a disorder or a disease is to shirk my responsibility for it. Some would blame the corporal punishment they received as children, or even legitimate abuse they suffered from a horrible parent. There is no hope of overcoming temptation unless you acknowledge that sin comes from your own evil desires. 

 

The Source of our Temptation is Internal (1:14)

 

The true source of temptation is not external but internal. Not even Satan is mentioned as a possible source. There used to be a saying, “If the devil made you do it, you blew it.” Satan does not have the power to make a person do anything. He is a liar, a deceiver, and a mocker, but he lacks the ability to decide for you. He may influence you, but you make the final choice.

            James tells us, “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire,” (1:14). Desire sometimes translated “lust,” is an intense longing for an improper object – anything that gets in the way of our pursuit of God. Desires are not necessarily evil in themselves. When we grow hungry, we desire food (even McDonald’s). If my desire for food tempts me to steal, I sin. A desire for sex within marriage is a gift from God. To desire it outside of your marriage relationship is adultery. 

            Sin always begins in the mind. No one ever falls into adultery without first entertaining it in the mind. Your desires for good things may become the lures or traps that lead you to sin. One pastor said that if a bag of cocaine were sitting on a shelf, he would not find it the least bit tempting to use some. However, he did say that the images on his computer screen were another matter. For each person temptation takes different forms. James used fishing and hunting imagery to depict the power of our desires to trap us: each person is tempted when he is lured (like a worm on a hook) or enticed (like cheese on mouse trap).

            When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, Jesus included the line, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” (Mt. 6:13). The language is odd. What Jesus meant was that we should pray “do not allow us to give into temptation” (or keep us) and repeats that plea with “deliver us from evil” in a parallel but different wording. God may allow us to face our desires as a test of faith to prove our devotion to him over our desires. 

            A man was on a diet and struggling to be faithful to it. He had to go downtown and as he started out, he remembered that his route would take him by the doughnut shop. As he got closer, he thought coffee would be good. But to get the coffee he had to face the doughnuts.

            So, he prayed, “Lord, if you want me to stop for a doughnut and coffee, let there be a parking spot in front of the shop.” Sure enough, after the seventh time circling the shop, there was an open spot. 

            If we ask the Lord not to lead us into temptation, we must work with the Holy Spirit and not keep circling our desires. 

 

Acknowledging the result of giving in to the desire (1:15)

 

James is not one to sugar coat the harsh reality of sin. In a blunt and clear sentence, he reveals the result of giving in to desire. “Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death,” (1:15). 

            There is a clear-cut formula presented in these words:

Inner craving  Sinful Action  Spiritual Death

            The Venerable Bede, an 8^th century English monk, expressed the three stages of temptation as 1) Suggestion 2) Experiment 3) Consent. Once you reach the consent stage, Bede says we have been carried away by sin, left the path of righteousness and we deserve to be separated from God.

            It is likely that as James wrote his brief warning, he had in mind the graphic story of Proverbs 7. The Teacher tells of a young man lacking sense and who succumbs to a loose woman’s invitation. His first mistake was that he hung out on the street where she lived (7:8). Then his heart beats faster as the blood rushes to his brain as the woman emerges from her house dressed seductively (as a prostitute 7:10). She encourages his attention by her presence and flirtatious invitations (7:12-13). As luck would have it, her husband is out of town on a long journey. The young man’s fantasies have become reality. 

            The Hollywood-like story ends gruesomely, “With much seductive speech she persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him. All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a stag is caught fast till an arrow pierces its liver; as a bird rushes into a snare; he does not know that it will cost him his life,” (Prov. 7:21-23). The final word: her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death (27). 

            Do you see the similarities to James’ brief formula? The young man entertains his thoughts, incites them by exposing himself to the dangerous and exciting prospect of his desires; he pursues his prey until he is so far over the line of restraint that he seemingly can’t go back; but the result is death. We can speculate on this death in two ways: 1) the husband suddenly comes home and catches them; 2) spiritual death – the foolish man, by pushing the boundaries of morality, has succeeded in killing his conscience convincing himself that it isn’t a sin to be with this woman. Our hearts are hardened as we justify crossing the line.

 

There is a poignant contrast in James’ words. In verse 12 we are told that the person who endures under trial is blessed and receives the crown of life. Life versus death. Tests become temptations depending on how we respond to them. Trials produce maturity and life; temptations lead to death.

            Here are four things to encourage steadfastness in your trials:

·      Know yourself – be aware of your desires and weaknesses.

·      Avoid tempting situations – stay away from the “street corners” of desire

·      Commit yourself to Christ – body, soul, and spirit

·      Find your satisfaction in God

 

And remember these words from Paul:

“…let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide a way of escape, that you may be able to endure it,” (1 Cor. 10:12-13)

 

                                                            AMEN