UNDERSTANDING TEMPTATION
James 1:13-18
1) The difference between testing and temptation.
• Testing is good; temptation is not (Vs. 17). Every good and perfect gift is from above. Therefore, since God doesn’t tempt anyone temptation is not good. However, it isn’t sin, since Jesus was tempted. But wait-if temptation is bad, how can it not be sin? It’s not good because its intent it to entice to sin. It is an agent for sin (which renders it bad) but it is not sin in and of itself. Testing is good in that it is meant to draw us closer to God. It is meant to strengthen our faith, Temptation, however, is meant to pull us away from God and weaken our faith. Sometimes we can confuse the two because both can be present at the same time. In fact, you can probably guarantee that when God sends you a test, Satan will send you a temptation. 1st Thess. 3:2-5, “We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God’s fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them. In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know. For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless.” Satan uses the tests and trials that are meant to strengthen our faith to tempt us to sin in the midst of our trial and lose the opportunity to grow from our perseverance.
• Testing is meant to draw you out of your comfort zone while temptation is designed to draw you into it. When God sends a test our way the purpose of it is to challenge us to a deeper faith. Therefore, the test will be designed to draw us out of our comfort zone and prompt us to rely on God. Temptation, however, is meant to pull us deeper into our comfort zone. We’re tempted to do what will make us feel good, what will make us comfortable, in the moment. There’s no challenge in giving into temptation. Testing challenges us to do what isn’t easy. Temptation incites us to take the easy road. Temptation isn’t there to motivate us to rely on God but to rely on ourselves. In a test, we are challenged to be selfless and please God by being obedient to him. A temptation is meant to cause us to be selfish and please myself by being disobedient to God. Serious contrasts.
2) Temptations intentions.
• Solicitation (vs. 14). Temptation: solicitation to evil. To solicit means to attempt to draw somebody into participating in illegal or immoral acts. That’s what the intention of temptation is-to draw us into or drag us into evil. By our own evil desires we are dragged away and enticed. We are taken captive by desires that are already within us. Satan doesn’t tempt us with that which has no hold on us. There are some things I am tempted to do and others which I am not. Some synonyms for temptation are: attraction, appeal, persuasion. Therefore, certain things attract us where others don’t. I might be tempted to eat a plateful of cookies but I won’t be tempted to eat a plateful of cauliflower. Certain temptations have appeal, and others don’t. The opportunity to steal might not entice me but the opportunity to lust might. The temptation to gamble might not be a strong one but perhaps the temptation to get drunk is. Certain temptations have the tendency to trap us more so than others. That’s because of the desires that are already there. They might not be in the forefront of our minds, we might not be thinking about our evil desires all the time but, given the opportunity to think about them and be tempted by them we suddenly find ourselves dragged away and enticed. [Cathy]
• Sin (Vs. 15a). Once we allow the dragging away, once we entertain temptation long enough, we end up in sin. That’s what happened to Adam and Eve. Gen. 3:1-6. They were entitled to everything except one tree. Curiosity got the best of them. They were able to be dragged away and enticed by the lust of their eyes and their greedy desire for gaining wisdom that only God had. They felt deprived. They believed Satan’s lies and because of it they became disobedient to God.
• Death (vs. 15b). When desire gives birth to sin, sin gives birth to more sin. On and on it goes, growing bigger and bigger, dragging us further and further away until the end result is we get so far away we are completely given over to sin and we have brought ourselves to the state of death instead of persevering and getting the crown of life. Therefore, if you think just because you are a Christian you can go on sinning and it won’t matter in the end think again. James tells us where that will get us. It’s very sobering to think of but we need this reality check. It doesn’t happen overnight either. It’s usually a slow process where Satan pulls us away, little by little; sin by sin. All the while as it rolls along like a snowball becoming bigger and bigger and picking up speed. We heap sin upon sin thinking it’s not that big of a deal; nothing to worry about. But then we are sinning more; spending more time in sin and less time with God. We make compromises; except when it comes to our sin. We get dragged further and further away until we’re completely out of touch with God and his people to the point of not even caring anymore. All we care about now is getting our fill of sin-dying more and more as we go until we reach the end of the road where our sin is now “fully grown” and we die.
3) How can we resist temptation?
• Take responsibility for it (Vs. 13). James had to clear up the confusion that since God created everything and he created me, then this desire to sin within me was a product of God so therefore, when I sin it’s his fault. When the believer sins he can’t say it’s God’s fault. And he can’t even say it’s the devil’s fault; even though Satan is the tempter. We have to take responsibility and we bear the blame. Gen. 3:10-13-blame game. Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the serpent yet God didn’t release them of responsibility or consequence (vs. 16-19, 22-24). But wasn’t it God’s fault since he put the tree there in the first place? No tree; no temptation. The tree was there to test; not tempt. We need to have our faith tested. This is how God did it. Satan took the tree and used it to tempt Adam and Eve to sin. There are influencers, and Satan is the tempter but we have the power, as God’s children to not give in. 1:16, “Do not be deceived, my dear brothers.” Don’t be deceived into thinking it’s God’s fault. Don’t be tricked into blaming God for your sin. With this mindset I will never overcome temptation. Proverbs. 19:3, “A man’s own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the Lord.” I commit the folly but yet instead of taking responsibility I blame God. I need to take responsibility for giving into my desires if I’m going to overcome temptation.
• Scripture. Matt. 4:1-10. Every time Satan tempted Jesus, the response was scripture. Jesus combated Satan’s lies with truth. Satan would tempt Jesus with logic and reason. “You’re hungry? Make some bread.” “God’s on your side? Why not make sure.” Jesus could’ve been sucked in to Satan’s reasoning but instead he used the scripture that said different. Satan’s lies will sound logical and sensible but if we know the bible we will have the weapon we need to resist temptation. But the scary thing is that Satan knows the bible too. This means we need to commit to knowing it so he can’t take advantage of us by his misuse of it. Knowledge of scripture is needed if I’m going to be able to resist temptation.
• Watch and Pray. The inclination to have a wandering heart highlights the need for a watchful eye. Jesus told his disciples in Matt. 26:41 to watch and pray so they will not fall into temptation. The Spirit is willing but the body is weak. We need to remember that. 1st Peter 5:8-9. In the Lord’s Prayer in Matt 6, Jesus said part of our prayer needs to be to ask God to not lead us into temptation but to deliver us from the evil one. Jesus knew from experience because he was lead out to the desert to be tempted by Satan. Therefore, knowing how difficult that was Jesus wanted us to pray that God doesn’t do that to us. What that means is that we should be praying for God to protect us from heading into a tempting situation. Temptation is part of life as a Christian. We cannot escape temptation entirely but we can escape the things that tempt us time after time. If you’re trying to overcome drug addiction you pray for God to protect you from being led into a place or situation where you would be tempted to use. You might be tempted to use anyway, because of your propensity to desire the drug but you certainly don’t need any help getting there. We need to watch out for dangerous situations and pray to be steered clear of any and all danger zones. We need to understand what’s going on around us so awareness is key. Satan is the master manipulator, the master deceiver. He is subtle, patient and crafty. When Cain was upset at his brother Able, God warned him. Gen. 4:6-8. The desire was there and sin was waiting at the door; crouching so that it might not be easily detected. Sin wants to be our master but we need to master it. We can do that if we watch and pray.
• Believe we can. One of the ways Satan gets us is when we think we can’t resist. I keep falling into sin and I can’t fight it. That’s a lie. Satan’s temptations are powerfully persuasive but we have the greater power at work within us. Greater is he who is in me that he who is in the world. We have the power to choose to give in or resist. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. When temptation knocks let Jesus get the door. When Satan sees him at the door he will turn tail and flee. We need Jesus to help us. And he wants to help us. Heb 2:18, “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” He understands what we’re going through because he dealt with it. Heb 4:15-16, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” That is motivating. We can go to him in godly confidence, knowing we will get the power we need to resist. We become encouraged through the success of our resistance. Every resistance to temptation is a victory in Jesus. 1st Cor. 10:13. There is always a way out. You never have the business saying, “I can’t resist”. If I find myself in this situation then it’s inevitable that I will sin. That’s defeatism. If you are a baptized believer in Jesus you have the power of the Holy Spirit to resist any and all temptation. Now, this doesn’t mean you test God. If you’re trying to quit drinking you don’t walk into a bar and sit down and tell yourself you’re going to resist temptation and drink soda all night. It doesn’t mean you don’t act in wisdom it means you don’t act in disbelief.
• Hate and cling. Romans 12:9, “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil cling to what is good.” We can’t be tempted by something we hate. I said before I could be tempted to eat a plate of cookies but not a plate of cauliflower. Why? Because I hate cauliflower. It’s the same here. If I can come to hate evil like God hates it then I will not be able to be dragged away and enticed. I will resist like Jesus did because he hated what was evil and he clung to what is good. It’s not enough that we would hate what is evil. We must also cling (grip, adhere to, stick to) whatever is good. I can’t be dragged away unless I choose to “uncling” myself. When I let go of God all bets are off and I’m in serious trouble. Vs. 18. Part of clinging to what is good is in realizing what we are. God chose to give us birth into a new life through the truth of the gospel. In order that we would be like a kind of first fruits. As the first fruits were the best, so we are to give him our best. We are to give God all that we are because he deserves it. We need to be devoted to the giver of perfect gifts, instead of being devoted to Satan who gives the most imperfect gifts.
