Blog 1: Does God Tempt Us? (James 1:13-15)

God’s Role in Our Struggles—And What It Isn’t

“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.” – James 1:13

Let’s start with a clear boundary: God does not tempt people to sin. James makes it crystal clear. When we face temptation, we should never point the finger at God. The origin of sinful temptation lies in our own hearts. James goes on to say we are “carried away and enticed by our own lust.”

This idea is complemented by the fact that God cannot be tempted by evil. This reference (I believe) refers explicitly to God as the Father of Lights, a reference to the divine, invisible, omnipotent, sovereign God of the universe who gives every good and perfect gift from above. This God, the Father of Lights, has no shadow of evil, impropriety, or inappropriate behavior. He is holy, righteous, and perfect in all His ways (James 1:17).

Jesus was God, but He was also fully human, unique in many ways, and was subjected to temptation by the devil to do evil. The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness for the express purpose of being tempted by the devil. Suppose we universalize this principle that “God cannot be tempted by evil” and include that idea also for the Son in His incarnation. In that case, we risk diminishing Jesus’ wilderness experience to being meaningless and useless. If Jesus was not able to sin, the “temptations” were a false narrative. On the other hand, as the God-Man, Jesus was able not to sin, much like Adam was able not to sin, so we have Jesus triumphing over temptation by choosing the Father’s will, not His personal need.

God is not the source of evil, nor does He ever entertain any motive to tempt anyone to do evil. But that does not mean that God does not act to discipline, train, or test His people. The nature of “testing” in James 1 refers explicitly to trials (James 1:2-4) and circumstances that “test our faith,” in which God promises to provide wisdom to those who ask (James 1:5-8). The conditional component is that one must ask without doubt because “double-minded” people will not receive anything from the Lord.

This truth is critical in today’s conversations around suffering, testing, and temptation. Some argue that if God truly wants us to trust Him and cast our cares on Him (1 Peter 5:7), it wouldn’t make sense for Him to test us. But that’s where we need to be careful. Tempting someone toward evil and testing someone to deepen faith and love for Him are different.

This blog sets the foundation: God is holy and good. When we are tempted to sin, that temptation comes from within—or from the enemy. God does not lure us toward failure. But that doesn’t mean He never allows trials. The real question is: What is God’s purpose in testing if it’s not to tempt?

Pastor Brad Little