James 1:13-18

Introduction

Hello, and thank you for joining us for our third study in the book of James. This study is going to take place in James chapter 1, verses 13 through 18. Where James begins, let no one say when he is tempted, I’m tempted by God. For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he himself tempt anyone. James continues his discussion on trials and temptations, and says that we should never consider God as the source of our temptation. Now, is James saying that some were already making that accusation? We’re already believing and maybe even teaching that God was tempting them to sin. Or is he simply saying that some may misunderstand what he said in the first twelve verses? When he says, My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience, as he said in verses two and three.

1. God Does Not Tempt Us With Evil

Would some conclude from that, since trials can be a good thing, that God is sending those trials. Or in verse 12, where it says, Blessed is the man who endures temptation. For when he’s been proved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those that love him. Again, the result of successfully enduring temptation is a good thing. So might some misunderstand that to think that God is the source of temptation. But either way, James clears up that potential misunderstanding by saying, God does not tempt us with evil. In fact, he says that because of the holiness of God, that God himself cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone. And so let no one say, I am tempted by God.

God is not the source of temptation. God is not the source of the inducement to sin. Well, if God’s not the source, what is the source? Now we might immediately jump to the other end of the spectrum and say, Well, God doesn’t tempt us to evil. It’s Satan that tempts us to evil. And we could find several passages of scripture that speak to the fact of Satan being the tempter and being one who would induce us to sin and pull us away and out of the fellowship with the Father. But that’s not what James tells us here. James tells us that there’s another source.

2. Drawn Away by Our Own Desires

It’s my desires, my lust that can be the source of temptation. Now, Satan can surely find that weakness in me, and through his wiles and cunning, he can use temptation and use my desires as a means of temptation. But here James is cautioning us to consider our own temptations, our own desires, and to maybe put up a guard and to know where sin and temptation truly comes from. And so we can be drawn away by our own desires and enticed. One thing we’ll say about the idea of own desires is that your desires may be different than mine. We’re drawn away by our own desires. Things that may tempt you to sin may be of little temptation to me. But things that may not be tempting to you at all, they can truly be an inducement for me to sin.

3. The Progression of Sin

And so we’re drawn away by our own desires and enticed. Now notice the progression here that James talks about. He says we’re drawn away by our own desires and enticed. Then, that’s the next step. When desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin when it is full grown, brings forth death. Obviously, using the analogy of conception and birth and life, he uses that same progression to describe temptation and sin. And so desire is first conceived, and then it gives birth to sin, and then it is full grown, and then there’s death. There’s the progression of sin, drawn away by our own desires, conceived, gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it brings forth death. Now, obviously, death is the end result that we’re trying to avoid.

We contrast that to what he had said earlier in verse 12 that if we endure temptation, we’ll receive the crown of life. But now he tells us if we don’t endure temptation, the end result will be death. And so somewhere in this progression, we need to put a stop to temptation and sin. Conception, birth, full grown, and death. Now I ask you if you want to stop this process that ends in death, where’s the wisest place to put a stop to it? Obviously, it wouldn’t be in death, it’s too late then. The obvious answer is we want to stop it at its conception. Desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin when it is full grown, brings forth death. I need to learn self-control.

4. Every Good and Perfect Gift Is From Above

I need to be able to control my own desires that might entice me to sin and stop sin before it is ever conceived and leads to death. So God’s not the source of temptation. My own desires are the source of temptation. And so don’t be deceived, he now says in verse 16. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Don’t be deceived by maybe the belief that God is the source of temptation. But know this, verse 17 every good gift and every perfect gift is from above. It comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there’s no variation or shadow of turning. So not only is God not the source of bad gifts, namely temptation, but he’s the source of good and perfect gifts. Now, the expression good gift and perfect gift may speak to the idea of both the giving and the gift.

The gift received, as well as the one giving it and the way that he gives them are good and perfect. And they come from above. Above, of course, is referencing heaven where God is. And so God is that Father of lights who gives every good and perfect gift. And he says of this Father, keying in on the word lights, that there’s no shadow of turning and no variation. God is consistent. He always gives good gifts. And there’s no variation, there’s no prejudice with our Father who is the giver of every good and perfect gifts.

5. Of His Own Will He Brought Us Forth

One of those gifts is mentioned in verse 18. Of his own will, he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. So earlier he said that sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death. But now he says that God has brought us forth, not to death, but to life, and he’s done so by the word of truth. Of his own will, he brought us forth by the word of truth. Now the expression of his own will just simply means that it was God’s decision, it was God’s idea. No one made God do it, as if anybody could make God do anything. But what a wonderful thought that not only has God saved us, not only is he brought us forth by his word, but it was his decision.

He’d earlier talked about the gifts that God gives. Now he’s talking about the thought behind that gift. You know, we have an expression when it comes to the idea of gifts and gift giving. We say it’s the thought that counts. That’s not to diminish the value of the gift, but it says that the gift is meaningful because somebody put some thought behind it. Somebody decided to think of me and purchase a gift and give it to me.

This giver of every good and perfect gift gave those gifts out of thought, of his own will, he brought us forth. He gave us life, and that life was by the word of his truth. You’re going to have more to say in the remainder of chapter one about this idea of the word of truth. This is the gospel, of course. The gospel that Paul said is the power of God into salvation. James says here that this word is what gives us life. God gives life by means of his word, the word of his truth. And he brought us forth that we might be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. The first fruits were always the best, the first and the best of the crops, the crops that were to be devoted in service to God.

And so while everyone is a creature of God, that is, has been created by God. If we as Christians are brought forth by the word of truth, that we’ve been brought forth not only to physical life, but to spiritual life. And that makes us special part of his creation. Kind of the first fruits of that creation. Not arrogantly or proudly, we say this, but we become the best of that creation. That not only have we been made in the image of God by having a spirit put within us, but we’re molding our spirit, ourselves, into the image of God as revealed in his word. So God doesn’t give bad gifts, he doesn’t tempt us to evil, but he gives good and perfect gifts. And one of the greatest gifts that he has given us is life.

And that life has been brought forth by the word of truth.

Conclusion

Gives us greater incentive to study his word, to read this word of God on a daily basis and to read it and meditate upon it because it brings us forth to eternal life. Well, thank you for joining us today, and hopefully you be with us as we continue our study in the book of James. May God bless you.