" Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." James 1:12-15 (NIV)
James, the half brother of Jesus, offers statements on wise living, on practical examples of Godly behavior. Christians are blessed when they exercise Godly behavior when they are tempted. They are blessed when they persevere under trials and withstand the test. James makes it clear that God is not testing them by tempting them. Temptation comes from their own sinful nature and desires which lead to sin.
The temptation to sin is a trial, a test that we endure. God is not tempting us, but through His permissive will, He is allowing the temptation to occur. Our sinful nature causes us to desire to commit sin. The temptation is not sin, the yielding to the temptation is the sin. We are blessed when we do not give in to the temptation to sin. We need to pray for God's help to withstand, and not yield to the temptation to sin.
No comments:
Post a Comment