Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. — James 1:13–18 (NKJV)
There’s an amazing lesson in the Greek word (πειρασμός, pay-ras-mos) that is translated as “tempted.” It’s the same root word that’s translated as “trials” back in verse two at the beginning of the book.
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, — James 1:2 (NKJV)
This is hard for English speakers to wrap their brains around, but payrasmos doesn’t mean temptation or trial depending on the context. It means both.
How can it be both?
Temptations and trials are the same thing. Every temptation is a trial, and every trial is a temptation. They’re both payrasmos.
Spend a moment letting that sink in. This is how God’s “school of hard knocks” works. Trials (temptations) have a purpose.
You’ve made that point before.
But James lays on an important caveat. Do not say, “I am tempted by God.” That’s not how it works; trials are rooted in our sinfulness. One is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. (This is not to ignore Satan’s role. See https://www.ailbe.org/columns/the-deep/the-first-cause.)
Thus, there is danger in these trials. Our sin can blossom; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. The lack of agapé that we mentioned yesterday can get extreme.
So even though trials have a purpose, they can lead to disaster?!? What’s God’s purpose in that?
Good question. They’re called trials for a reason. The possibility of failure is real. James is writing this letter to help the recipients endure the trial (that is, pass the test).
It’s all dreadfully serious.
What if they fail?
One sure result is that they fail to glorify God. If you’re wondering if their failure sends them to hell, I’m not going to go there. That’s way too advanced a lesson.
So, do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. The Greek word translated as be deceived (πλανᾶσθε, plan-as-theh) is not in the future tense; it’s in the present. This hints that some of the people James is writing to are struggling with the belief that God tempts.
So James kills this view once and for all by showing God to be the exact opposite.
God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. … Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights.
You already taught that in the Job lessons.
Right, but the big takeaway here is in the final sentence, which gives the purpose behind all this.
Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
As you keep saying, the purpose of everything is His glory.
Right. It’s not all about us. Even gifts that come down from the Father of lights are not all about us. Sure, we benefit, but for the purpose that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
However, this is best understood by interpreting “we” in that sentence as the early Christians that James was writing to.
They were the firstfruits of the most consequential movement in the history of man.
So, how can we use this if it’s not really for us?
Fair question. We are not the firstfruits. We can only learn about the firstfruits. Obviously, the lessons for the firstfruits apply to us in a general sense, but their trials are not our trials.
We should be both humbled and grateful for that. While all Christians should be prepared for martyrdom, no one should want to be a martyr.
I should hope not.
Yeah, anyone with that attitude has issues I cannot help with.
I don’t think that’s a common problem.
Right. See you tomorrow.
