“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.” James 1:13-16
Introduction:
These verses in the book of James end with a command and a warning. The command is “do not be deceived.” It’s in the passive tense, which means do not let oneself be misled or go astray. It also is a present imperative, which demands that its readers must not allow this danger of being led astray to continue. Even now, some who listen are deceived about certain things. The Holy Spirit, through the writer James, says, “Stop being deceived!”
Whenever we hear the words, “do not be deceived,” it automatically implies that the subject at hand is something that you can be deceived about if you are not careful. The ringing warning that James gives about deception occurs in at least four other places in the New Testament.
- In 1 Corinthians 6:9, Paul warns us not to be deceived about the fact that unrighteous people shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
- Later in 1 Corinthians 15:33, he offers another warning to beware of being deceived about the truth that bad company corrupts good morals.
- In Galatians 6:7, the Apostle warns us to beware of misunderstanding the nature of God and the built-in judgment that sin contains when he says, “God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”
- In 1 John 3:7, John cautions us to beware of deception about the fact that your actions, not your intentions or your profession, truly reveal the real character of your life and your spiritual condition before God.
Now, here in the book of James, another warning is set before us about the subtle danger of temptation and the results of it. Having dealt with the causes of sin in verses 13 and 14, James continues by telling us that if we fail to come to God’s throne of grace in the moment of temptation (Heb.4:16), but instead yield to some evil desire, we must not be deceived about the consequences of sin (Cf. Ecclesiastes 8:11).
An insight to remember
C.H. Spurgeon was quite right when he said:
The children of God are all subject to temptation; some of them are tempted more than others, but I am persuaded that there is not one, except those who are too young to be conscious of evil, who will enter heaven without having endured some temptation. The fact that we are tempted ought to humble us, for it is a sad evidence that sin is still remaining in us…the fact that we are tempted also ought to remind us of our weakness....
The man or woman who hasn’t come to know their own weakness doesn’t know themselves! In this lesson, we want to discover some clarity about the nature, source and strategy of dealing with temptation in our lives.
A lesson from the past
In the pastoral masterpiece, Pilgrim’s Progress, the most dangerous part of the road to heaven is not the Valley of the Shadow of Death. We do not find that Christian went to sleep there when the hobgoblins were all about him or when he found it hard to feel the path and keep to it. However, when he and Hopeful came to the Enchanted Ground "whose air naturally tended to make one drowsy," then were the pilgrims in great peril until Christian reminded his fellow traveler that they were warned by the shepherds not to sleep when they came to that treacherous part of the way.
Temptations come in many shapes and forms, but the most dangerous are those that we take in as a natural part of life and living. These are the times that “naturally tend to make one drowsy.” Our miseries as well as our mercies; our blessings as well as our shortcomings can tempt us. Temptations can be painful as well as pleasant. What warning does the Word of God give about the nature and source of temptation?
What are the warnings about the nature and source of temptation?
- Beware of harboring false concepts that God tempts people and thus cast suspicion on His character (Proverbs 19:3; Ecclesiastes 15:11-13).
- Universally, temptation is an individual matter from which no one is exempt (Cf.1 Corinthians 10:13).
- The true source of temptation lies in the combustible material that each person carries within himself, namely lust (Gk. epithumia, strong cravings or desires).
- Lust is so powerful that it has the intensity to drag one forcefully toward the object of its desire. Beware!
- Being tempted is not sin, but the tragic consequences are sure to come into operation when we sanction the alluring temptation in our heart and yield to it with our will.
- Nothing is said about Satan in temptation because James wants to emphasize that we have a responsibility to resist (Jas.4:7, 3:6) and refuse to blame God.
What are the consequences?
Death (Gk. thanatos) means separation. Death is never seen in the Bible as the cessation of existence, but rather the loss of fellowship with God. The types of death spoken of in Scripture are physical death, spiritual death and eternal death (Romans 5:12, 6:23). R.J. Knowling speaks of death in this verse as “undefined terror.”
- What do we know about death? (Romans 5:12)
- How does death apply to the believer? (Romans 8:1, 38-39; Revelation 21:8)
- What consequences came to these believers because of sin (Leviticus 10:1-2; Acts 5:10; 1 Corinthians 11:30)
- So what sin does John warn us about in 1 John 5:16?
Strategy for overcoming temptation
#1: Know where it comes from
- Galatians 5:17
- John 15:17-19
- 1 Peter 5:8
#2: Know how to fight each source of temptation
- How do you deal with the flesh? (Gal.5:16; 2 Tim.2:22; Rom.13:14)
- How do you deal with the world? (Rom.12:1-2; 1 Jn.2:15)
- How do you deal with the devil? (Jas.4:7; 1 Pet.5:8-9; Eph.6:10ff; Ps.119:11)
Each of these conflicts must be saturated with prayer (Heb.4:16; Lk.21:36) and the Word of God (Ps.119:9, 11, 105).
#3: Remember the promise you are given by God
1 Corinthians 10:13—“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”
To state it plainly: God does not permit His children to be tempted beyond the power of genuine faith to endure.
#4: Acknowledge that the only way the promise of God is realized is that you come to and rely upon Jesus Christ (Heb.2:16-18, 4:14-16, 7:25).
John 16:33—“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
2 Corinthians 1:20—“For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.”
1 John 5:4-5—“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
Application:
- Write down one area where you are being tempted at this time.
- Now look at the strategy above, and the verses with it, and find the one that applies to your area of temptation. Commit these verses to memory this week and apply them when you are tempted.
Suggested Resources
 | True Freedom In this booklet, Pastor Marvin R. Knight shows us how the gospel is God's way of rescue from a trapped life. |
 | Winning the War on Lust Lust. What is it? Where does it come from? Are you befriending it? We encourage not just men to read this study, but women also. |
 | Overcoming Ingrained Habits True change is as easy as Teaching, Conviction, Correction, and Disciplined Training in Righteousness. |