Think about God's Judgment (1:13–16)

HOW TO DEAL WITH TEMPTATION (James 1:13-18)

The grown-up person is patient when things get tough. Sometimes the tests are on the outside, and sometimes they are on the inside. Trials could be tests from God or temptations from Satan that our sinful nature makes worse. In this section, James talked about the second part of trials: the temptations that come from within.

We might wonder, "Why did James put the two together? What is the connection between tests that are outside of us and temptations that are inside of us? This: if we're not careful, the tests on the outside can turn into temptations on the inside. When things are hard for us, we might complain about God, doubt His love, and go against His will. At this point, Satan may offer us a way out of the trouble. This chance is a test.

The Bible has many examples of this truth. When Abraham got to Canaan, he found there was a famine there. He couldn't take care of his sheep and cows. This test was a chance to prove God, but Abraham made it a temptation and went to Egypt. God had to punish Abraham to get him back to the place where he could be obedient and blessed.

While Israel was lost in the desert, the people often turned tests into temptations and tempted the Lord. As soon as they were free from Egypt, their water supply ran out, and they had to walk for three days without water. They couldn't drink the water they found because it was so bitter. They started to murmur and blame God right away. They made their tests into temptations, and they failed.

God doesn't want us to succumb to temptation, but He also can't keep us from it. We are not God's sheltered  people; we are God's scattered people. We must face tests and temptations if we want to grow up. If we want to resist temptation, we need to think about three things.
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First, think about God's Judgment (1:13–16)

This is an adverse way to do things, but it's an important one. In essence, James said, 'Look ahead and see where sin ends—death!' Don't blame God for temptation that may "knock at your door." He is too holy to be tempted and too loving to tempt others. God tests us, like He did Abraham in Genesis 22, but He does not and cannot tempt us. We are the ones who turn tests into temptations.

A temptation is a chance to do something good in a bad way, which is against God's will. Is it bad to want to pass a test? No, but if you cheat to pass it, you have done something wrong. The temptation to cheat is a chance to do something good (passing the test) in a bad way. It is not wrong to eat, but if you think about stealing the food, you are putting yourself in danger.

We think of sin as one thing, but God sees it as a series of events. Adam did one wrong deed, but that one thing brought sin, death, and judgment on all of humanity. James outlined this process of sin in four stages.

Want (v. 14). "Lust" is a word that means any kind of desire, not just sexual ones. God gave us the normal desires of life, and they are not sinful on their own. We wouldn't be able to do anything without these wants. We eat and drink because we feel hungry or thirsty; otherwise, we would die. The body would never rest and would eventually wear out if it didn't become tired. Wanting sex is normal; without it, people wouldn't be able to have babies.

We run into trouble when we try to satisfy these wants in ways that go against God's will. It is normal to eat; being a glutton is a sin. Sleeping is normal; being lazy is a sin. “Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled; but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge” (Heb. 13:4).

Some people try to become "spiritual" by denying or trying to suppress these normal desires, but their refusal only makes them less than human. These are the basic needs of life that keep the machine running. You can't do anything if you turn off the steam. If you don't control the steam, it will destroy everything. The secret is to always have the necessary control. We can make these desires our servants instead of our masters through Jesus Christ.

Lying (v. 14). No temptation looks like a temptation; it always looks more appealing than it really is. James used two examples from sports to make his point. The word "drawn away" means "to bait a trap," and the word "enticed" in the Greek means "to bait a hook." To catch their prey, the hunter and the fisherman need to use bait. No animal will willingly step into a trap, and no fish will willingly bite a hook that is not covered. The goal is to keep the trap and the hook out of sight.

There is always something about temptation that makes us want to give in to it. The bait lures us in and conceals the pain and punishment that will follow. The bait is what makes it exciting. Lot would not have gone to Sodom if he hadn't seen the "well-watered plains of Jordan" (Gen. 13:10ff.). If David had seen the terrible results of his actions—Bathsheba's son dying, Uriah being killed, and Tamar being raped—he would never have cheated on his wife. We can't see the wicked things that happen when we sin because of the bait.

Satan tempted Jesus, but He always used the Word of God to deal with the temptation. "It is written," He said three times. It makes sense for people to turn stones into bread to satisfy their hunger, but not for God. When you know the Bible, you can spot the bait and deal with it right away. This is what it means to walk by faith instead of by sight.

Disobedience (v. 15). We have gone from the heart (desire) and the mind (deception) to the will. James changed the picture from one of hunting and fishing to one of a baby being born. Desire figures out a way to take the bait. Will agrees to take action that is considered a sin. We are stuck and hooked, whether we know it or not. The baby is born, and just wait until it grows up!

Living as a Christian is about what you want, not how you feel. A lot of the time, people who believe say, "I don't feel like reading the Bible." Or, "I don't want to go to church." Kids act on their feelings, but adults act on their will. They do the right thing, no matter how they feel. This is why immature Christians are easily tempted: they let their emotions make their choices. The more you resist temptation, the more God will take control of your life. "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13).

Death (v. 15). Disobedience leads to death, not life. It could take years for the sin to grow, but when it does, it will lead to death. This last tragedy will help us resist temptation if we just believe what God says. Because He loves us, God has put up this wall. "Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?" (Ezek. 18:23).

The Bible's first recorded sin in Genesis 3 perfectly illustrates these four stages of temptation and sin.

The serpent used Eve's desire to tempt her: "For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." (Gen. 3:5). Is there anything wrong with learning? Is it harmful to eat food? Eve saw that "the tree was good for food" (Gen. 3:6), and it made her want it.

In 2 Corinthians 11:3, Paul talked about how Eve was tricked: "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." This is similar to how the serpent deceived Eve with his cunning ways. Satan is the liar, and he wants to trick the mind. He used the forbidden tree's goodness and Eve's wisdom as bait. She saw the bait but forgot what the Lord had said: "In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Gen. 2:17).

Eve disobeyed God by eating the fruit of the tree. Then she gave it to her husband, who didn't listen to God. Because Adam was not deceived but sinned with his eyes wide open, it is his sin that plunged the human race into tragedy (read Rom. 5:12–21; 1 Tim. 2:12–15).

Both Adam and Eve experienced immediate spiritual death (separation from God) and ultimate physical death. All men die because of Adam (1 Cor. 15:21–22). The person who dies without Jesus Christ will experience eternal death, the lake of fire (Rev. 20:11–15).

Whenever you are faced with temptation, take your eyes off the bait and look ahead to see the consequences of sin: the judgment of God. "Sin results in death" (Rom. 6:23). 6:23).