Daily Bible Reading – 9.27.2021
James 1:13-15, When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
The word for “testing” has a wide range, including, the understanding of temptation. However, this is where James wants to make a clear distinction for his readers. God cannot be tempted by evil nor does God does tempt anyone to succumb to evil.
Throughout history, people tested God in the sense they tried his patience but never in the sense that they could lead Him to sin. God has tested His people, like he did with Abraham in asking him to offer up Isaac as a sacrifice.
However, God never tests or tempts anyone with the intention of causing them to sin. Instead, God’s motive in testing is always, in love, seeking to develop a persevering strength of character in His followers. Satan’s motive in temptation is to entice people to fall away from their faith in God which would lead to their eternal destruction.
Because God is perfect and holy, He cannot be tempted nor is there anything in His nature open to any form of evil. Scripture is clear that God hates evil.
So, for God to become fully human, through His Son Jesus, was a remarkable feat on His part to enter into our sinful brokenness. In His humanity, Jesus was tempted as we are. However, unlike us, He never yielded to one single temptation.
Hebrews 4:15-16, For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Whenever we go through various times of testing, we have a God of grace who is willing to show mercy and help us through these difficult moments to resist temptation and persevere in faith.
Question to Consider:
What is the help you have been given when you have confidently gone to God’s throne of grace?
Weekly Memory Verse:
James 4:7, Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.