In my previous message, we have considered trials that are testings on the outside. Now we shall consider what James says about trials that are testings on the inside which are tempations.
The mature person is patient in trials. Sometimes the trials are testings on the outside, and sometimes they are temptations on the inside. Trials may be tests sent by God, or they may be temptations sent by Satan and encouraged by our own fallen nature. We shall now study, in some details, how James deals with temptations.
We may ask, "Why did James connect the two? What is the relationship between testings without and temptations within?" I believe, if we are not careful, the testings on the outside may become temptations on the inside. When our circumstances are difficult, we may find ourselves complaining against God, questioning His love, and resisting His will. At this point, Satan provides us with an opportunity to excape the difficulty. This opportunity is a temptation.
There are many illustrations of this truth found in the Bible. Abraham arrived in Canaan and discovered a famine there. He was able to care for his flocks and herds. This trials was an opportunity to prove God; but Abraham turned it into temptation and went down to Egypt. God had to chasten Abraham to bring him back to the place of obedience and blessing.
While Israel was wandering in the wilderness, the nation often turned testings into temptations and tempted the Lord. No sooner had they been delivered from Egypt they began to murmur and blame God when they could not find good (not bitter) water to drink. When they did find water, it was so bitter they could not drink it. They turned their testing into a temptation, and they failed.
Certainly, God does not want us to yield to temptation, yet neither can He spare us the experience of temptation. We are not God's sheltered people; we are God's scattered people. If we are to mature, we must face testings and temptations. James gives us three facts that we must consider if we are to overcome temptation. In other words, these are three barriers against yielding to temptation.
God's Judgment - Temptation leads to death
James said: "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 desires has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren" (James 1:13 - 16, emphasis added).
James says we should not blame God for tempation. He is too holy to be tempted, and He is too loving to tempt others. God does test us, as He did Abraham (Gen. 22); but He does not and cannot tempt us. It is we who turn occasions of testing into temptations.
A temptation is an opportunity to accomplish a good thing in a bad way, out of the will of God. It is not wrong to pass an examination. But if you cheat to pass it, then you have sinned. The temptation to cheat is an opportunity to accomplish a good thing (Passing the examination) in a bad way. It is not wrong to eat; but if you consider stealing the food, you are tempting yourself.
The process of sin - in four stages
We think of sin as a single act, but God sees it as a process. Adam committed one act of sin, and yet that one act brought sin, death, and judgment upon the whole human race. James described this process of sin in four stages - desire, deception, disobedience and death. Let us consider each one of them:
1. Desire (James 1:14)
The word "lust" means any kind of desire, and not necessarity sexual passions. The normal desires of life were given to us by God and, of themselves, are not sinful. Without these desire, we could not function. Unless we felt hunger and thirst, we would not eat and drink, and we would die. Without fatigue, the body would never rest and would eventually wear out. Sex is a normal desire, without it the human race could not continue.
It is when we want to satisfy these desires in ways outside God's will that we get into trouble. Eating is normal; gluttony is sin. Sleep is normal; laziness is sin. As for sexual desire, the writer of Hebrews said: "Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge" (Heb. 13:4).
We need to have these desires under constant control. These desires must be our servants and not our masters; and this we can do through Jesus Christ.
2. Deception - being enticed (James 1:14, 16)
No temptation appears as temptation; it always seems more alluring than it realy is. Temptation always carries with it some bait that appeals to our natural desires. The bait not only attracts us, but it also hides the fact that yielding to the desire will eventually bring sorrow and punishment. It is the bait that is the exciting thing.
Lot would never have moved toward Sodom had he not seen the "well-watered plains of Jorden" (Gen. 13). When David looked upon his neighbor's wife, he woul never have committed adultery had he seen the tragic consequences - the death of Bathsheba's son, the murder of a brave soldier (Uriah), and the violation of a daughter (Tarmas). The bait keeps us from seeing the consequences of sin.
When Jesus ws tempted by Satan. He always dealt with the temptation on the basis of the Word of God. Three times He said, "It is written." When you know Bible, you can detect the bait and deal with it decisively. This is what it means to walk by faith and not by sight.
3. Disobedience (James 1:15)
James changed the picture from hunting and fishing (the use of bait) to the conception and birth of a baby. Desire conceives a method for taking the bait. The will approves and acts; and the result is sin. Whether we feel it or not we are hooked and trapped. The baby is born, and just waits until it matures!
Christian living is a matter of the will, not the feelings. I often hear believers say, "I don't feel like studying the Bible." Or, "I don't feel like attending prayer meeting." Children operate on the basis of feelings, but adults operate on the basis of will. They act because it is right, no matter how they feel. This explains why immature Christians easily fall into temptation - they let their feelings make the decisions.
Christians need to let God take full control of their life - in total obedient to His will.
Paul said: "... for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13).
4. Death (James 1:15)
Disobedience gives birth to death, not life. It may take years for the sin to mature, but when it does, the result will be death. If we will only believe God's Word and see this final tragedy, it will encourage us not to yield to temptation.
Whenever you are faced with temptation, get your eyes off the bait and look ahead to see the consequences of sin - the judgment of God.
Paul said: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 6:23).
God's goodness (James 1:17)
The goodness of God is a great barrier against yielding to tempatation. Since God is good, we do not need any other person (including Satan) to meet our needs. It is better to be hungry in the will of God than full outside the will of God. Once we start to doubt God's goodness, we will be attracted to Satan's offer; and the natural desires within will reach out for his bait. Moses warned Israel not to forget God's goodness when they began to enjoy the blessings of the Promised Land (Deut. 6:10 - 15). We need this warning today.
James said: "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" (James 1:17).
James presented four facts about the goodness of God:
1. God give only good gifts
Everything good in this world comes from God. If it did not come from God, it is not good. If it come from God, it must be good, even if we do not see the goodness in it immediately. Paul's thorn in the flesh was given to him by God and it seemed to be a strange gift; yet it became a tremendous blessing to him (2 Cor. 12:1 - 10).
2. The way God gives is good
It is possible for someone to give us a gift in a manner that is less than loving. The value of a gift can be diminished by the way it is given to us. But when God gives us a blessing, He does it in a loving, gracious manner. What He gives and how He gives are both good.
3. God gives constantly
In the original language "comes down" is a present participle - "it keeps on coming down." God does not give occasionally; He gives constantly. Even when we do not see His gifts, He is sending them.
How do we know this? Because He tells us so and we believe His Word.
4. God does not change
There are no shadows with the Father of lights. It is impossible for God to change. He cannot change for the worse because He is holy; He cannot change for the better because He is already perfect. The light of the sun varies as the earth changes, but the sun itself is still shining. If shadows come between us and the Father, He did not cause them. He is the unchanging God. This means that we should never question His love or doubt His goodness when difficulties come or temptations appear.
If king David had remembered the goodness of the Lord, he would not have taken Bathsheba and committed those terrible sins. At least this is what Nathan the prophet told the king (2 Sam. 12:7, 8). God had been good to David, yet David forgot God's goodness and took the bait.
The first barrier against temptation is a negative one - the judgment of God. The second barrier is positive - the goodness of God.
It was this positive attitude that helped to keep Joseph from sinning when he was tempted by his master's wife (Gen. 39:7 - 9). Joseph knew that all these blessings had come from God. It was the goodness of God, through the hands of his emplyer that restrained him in the hour temptation.
God's gifts are always better than Satan's bargains. Satan never gives any gifts, because you end up paying for them dearly. The next time you are tempted, meditate on the goodness of God in your life. If you think you need something, wait on the Lord to provide it. Never toy with the Devil's bait. One purpose for temptation is to teach us patience. David was tempted twice to kill king Saul and hasten his own coronation, but he resisted the temptation and waited of God's time.
God's divine nature within (James 1:18)
James said: "Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of fistfruits of His creatures" (James 1:18).
In the first barrier against yielding to temptation, God says, "Look ahead and beware of judgment." In the second barrier, He says, "Look around and see how good I have been to you." But with this third barrier, God says, "Look within and realize that you have been born from above and posses the divine nature."
James used birth as a picture of desire leading to sin and death (James 1:15). He also used it to explain how we can enjoy victory over temptation and sin. The apostle John used a similar approach - "Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God" (1 John 3:9, emphasis added).
"His seed" refers to the divine life and nature within the believer. There are four characteristics of this second birth (the born-again experience):
1. It is divine
Nicodemus thought he had to reenter his mother's womb to be born again, but he was wrong. This birth is not of the flesh - it is from above (John 3:1 - 7). Just as we cannot generate our own human birth, we cannot generate our own spiritual birth. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, it was God who performed the miracle.
2. It is gracious
We did not earn it or deserve it; God gave us spiritual birth because of His own grace and will (John 1:13). The new birth is the work of God.
3. It is through God's Word
Just as human birth requires two parents, so divine birth has two Persons - the Word of God and the Spirit of God.
John said: "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6).
Peter said: "... having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever" (1 Peter 1:23).
The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to bring about the miracle of the new birth. The word of God generates life in the heart of the sinner who trust Christ; and that life is God's life.
4. It is the finest birth possible
James said: "... we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures" (James 1:18).
The Old Testament Jews brought the firstfruits to the Lord as the expression of their devotion and obedience - "Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; ..." (Proverbs 3:9).
Of all the creatures God has in the universe, Christians are the very highest and the finest! We share God's nature. For this reason, it is beneath our dignity to accept Satan's bait or to desire sinful things. A higher birth must mean a higher life.
By granting us a new birth, God declares that He cannot accept the old birth. throughout the Bible, God rejects the firstborn and accepts the secondborn. He accepted Abel, not Cain; Isaac, not Ishmael; Jacob, not Esau. He rejects your first birth, and He announces that you need a second birth.
It is the experience of the new birth that helps us overcome temptation. If we let the old nature take over, we will fail. We received our old nature (the flesh) from Adam, and was a failure. But if we yield to the new nature we will succeed; for that new nature comes from Christ, and He is the Victor!
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