The Source Of Our Temptation Series

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. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. [James 1:13-15, ESV]

It is no secret that we are fallen beings, incapable of saving ourselves from the punishment for our sins. It is because of our fallen state that Jesus Christ died for our sins, so that we may be justified by His sacrifice. If one man was all it took to bring sin into the world (Adam), and it took one Man to pay for the sins of the world, why did Jesus have to come to earth at all? If man could pay for the sins of man, why did Jesus die for our sins?

Those questions are completely understandable, and they can be answered very easily. The reason why Jesus died for our sins, rather than another fallen man, is because Jesus was perfect. When God told the Israelites how they needed to pay for their sins, He specifically mentioned that the animal to be sacrificed was to be an animal “without blemish”. Leviticus is the book of the Bible where most of the Mosaic Law is explained, and there are many passages that describe the kind of animal that should be sacrificed in order to pay for sins.

“...If anyone sins unintentionally in any of the LORD’s commandments about things not to be done, and does any one of them, if it is the anointed priest who sins, thus bringing guilt on the people, then he shall for the sin that he has committed a bull from the herd without blemish to the LORD for a sin offering…” [Leviticus 4:2-3, ESV]

“When a leader sins, doing unintentionally any one of the things that by the commandments of the LORD his God ought not to be done, and realizes his guilt, or the sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring as his offering a goat, a male without blemish…” [Leviticus 4:22-23, ESV]

“If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally in doing any one of the things that by the LORD’s commandments ought not to be done, and realizes his guilt, or the sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without blemish…” [Leviticus 4:27-28, ESV]

In Leviticus 4, there are four instances where God calls for the sacrifice of an animal that is “without blemish”, and there is a reason for this. If a person sins, what good would it do for the person to sacrifice another sinful creature, or a creature with blemishes? In order to fully atone for sin, there must be a sacrifice of an animal without blemish.

As humans, we are born into sin, and unless we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we shall die in our sin. The reason why Jesus died for our sins, rather than an average person, is because unlike every other human, Jesus is God, and God is entirely separate from sin. Jesus died for our sins, just as the Jewish people would sacrifice animals that were without blemishes. Jesus did no wrong, yet He died for us because He loves us.

The reason for me explaining the difference between man’s sinfulness and God’s sinlessness is that it is incredibly important to understand the difference between man and God, especially in the context of James 1:13-15. Let us examine the passage, understand its meaning, and understand how we can apply it to our lives.

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.

The first of the three verses within this passage is designed to address the deception that had become increasingly prevalent among the recipients of James’ epistle. In order for one to explain why he sinned against God, he may have claimed that he had been tempted by the Lord. Such a claim, James explains, cannot be true. As for why man cannot be tempted by God, James explains how God is unable to be tempted by evil, and therefore He cannot tempt people.

It is a very easy excuse to say, when one is tempted, that he has been tempted by God. However, such an excuse is theologically incorrect, and the person who blames his sin on “temptation from God” is a liar.

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.

In Galatians 5:17, Paul tells us how the desires of the flesh (our sinful desires) are against the desires of the Spirit. God is perfect, God is entirely separate from sin, and God is not tempted by evil. Therefore, if we are tempted, it must come from within.