Immanuel Lutheran Church, Mankato
Study of James -- Lesson #4
January 23, 2000
James 1:13-18

James 1:13-18 [NKJV]

"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 desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good 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. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures"

Verse 13: "Let no one who is being tempted say, ‘I am tempted by God.’ For God is incapable of being tempted by evil, and he tempts no one."

James encouraged his readers to "count it all joy when you fall into various trials" (1:2), which is extremely difficult to do at times even for a seasoned child of God. He also promised that the individual who "endures temptation" and who is "approved" —that is found to have a genuine faith—will be blessed (1:12). James now turns to an issue, which is bound to arise within the minds of many given the fact that believing children of God constantly face temptations in view of the unending opposition to God on the part of Satan, this world, and our own sinful flesh. That issue is who is the source and who bears responsibility for temptation and its results—sin and death. James recognizes the tendency among human beings to place blame on others, including God Himself. He, therefore, preempts any such suggestion explaining that to blame God for temptations is improper, for two reasons: 1) God cannot be tempted by evil; and 2) God tempts no one! While it is true that God at times permits temptations to occur (cf. Job 1:12; 2:6), He is neither the source of such temptations, nor is He the agent.

James’ warning, while applicable and necessary for all Christians, was particularly relevant for the Jewish Christians of his day. These were first generation believers, whose training in their youth had been at the feet of the rabbis. As Martin Franzmann notes, "The rabbis attributed to God the creation of the evil impulse in man (for which the Law was given as the cure)…" [Concordia Bible with Notes, p. 461]. Consequently, James wanted to clarify this situation and remove any excuse for sin as he laid the basis for his discussion to come on the problem of unproductive faith. Paul Kretzmann summarizes James’ thoughts so succinctly when he writes, "No man may offer the excuse that he, in giving way to wrong, is doing so at the instigation of God. This evasion is used to this day by people that refer to their temper, or to their propensity for the one or the other sin as something, which they cannot help, for which they cannot be held responsible. Such persons should remember a double truth: in the first place, that God is incapable of being tempted by evil, and, secondly that He will under no circumstances tempt men to evil. He is in no sense the author of sin and can in no way be held responsible for its existence, for He is the essence of holiness and purity" [Popular Commentary, p. 499f].

Verse 14-15: "For each one is tempted by his own desires being dragged away and enticed. Then desire, conceiving, gives birth to sin, and sin, being fully formed, brings forth death."

James now turns to the source of the problem. Human beings are by nature sinful—sinful from the time their mothers conceived them (cf. Psalm 51:5). The problem, consequently, is not one with God, but with the human heart (cf. Matthew 15:19). Its desires, contrary to the will of God, lead to sin. The word "desire" can be pictured as an animated being "breathing after or upon" something almost as if it is stalking its prey. Two words, translated "drawn away" and "enticed," imply two different types of action. First of all, "desires" forcefully "drag us" away from that which is good and into that which is evil. Secondly, "desires" are pictured as being "lured" with bait, just as a fisherman baits a hook to lure a fish, for a hunter baits a trap to lure an animal. "Desire" then gives birth to "sin," and "sin" ultimately leads directly to "death" (cf. Romans 6:23a). Contrary to human tendencies to blame others and God (cf. Genesis 3:12-13), the blame for sin and falling into sin must be placed on human beings themselves and the sinful world around them.

Paul Kretzmann again summarizes the thoughts so very precisely: "The carnal part of man, his evil nature, the tendency and desire for all that is wrong which he has inherited from his parents, is continually beguiling, alluring, enticing, deceiving him, trying to lead also the Christians into various sins against all the commandments of the Lord. If this lustful condition of the heart succeeds in making an impression on the mind, in overcoming any objections which the new man or conscience may have to offer, then it will break forth in actual sins. And if this sin is not hindered in time, if it is not overcome and suppressed, if it takes possession of the body with all its members, and works its own will in the person concerned, and thus reaches its full maturity, then the end will be death, eternal death, unless such a sinner returns to the Lord in true repentance" [Popular Commentary, p. 500].

Verse 15: "Stop deceiving yourselves my beloved brethren!"

The grammar involved implies that James is urging his readers to stop doing what they are already doing, which in this case is deceiving themselves into thinking that blame for sin can be placed upon God. As long as any such thoughts are in our minds, we will not and cannot properly repent of sins. It is when we are led by the Spirit of God to understand our full responsibility for sin, that we can then repent of and receive forgiveness for sin (cf. 1 John 1:6-10).

Verse 16: "All good giving and every complete gift is from above and is coming down from the father of lights, with whom there is no change or shadow of variation."

Contrary to natural man’s tendency to think evil of God, James points out that God is the source of all that is good, whether one focuses on the act of giving (cf. John 3:16), or whether one considers that which is given (cf. John 2:10)! The Psalmist David assures us that our God "formed" our inwards parts and "fashioned" our days for us. His "thoughts" towards us are "precious" and "more in number than the sand" ( Psalm 139:13,16-18).

This being the case, we can rest assured that we will not be tempted to sin by our Savior God, but rather upheld by His power, His grace, and His gifts. He has declared, "I am the LORD, I do not change" ( Malachi 3:6). He informs us, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" ( Hebrews 13:8).

Carl Zorn coments: "This "do not err" in all these cases introduces a divinely certain statement through which one made previously is confirmed, and an opposite false idea is to be rejected. That is the case here. James has just shown that God tempts no one to evil, that it therefore is false when some one says: ‘I am tempted of God.’ Now he says: ‘Do not err!’ and with that introduces the following, which confirms that. And by adding ‘dear brethren’ or, as it reads in the Greek ‘my beloved brethren’, he wants to make the statement following especially important and impress it on their hearts" [An Exposition of the Epistle of James, p. 11].

Verse 18: "According to His will he brought us forth by word of truth, in order that we might be a kind of first fruits of His creatures."

As it is God alone who gives "wisdom" to those who ask (cf. 1:5); and as it is God alone who exalts the "lowly brother" and humbles the "rich" (cf. 1:9-10); and as it is God alone who bestows "the crown of life" on those who have been tested and proven faithful (cf. 1:12); even so it is God alone who brings us forth from spiritual death to spiritual life through the preaching of the gospel (cf. John 3:3; 6:29, 44, 63, 65; Romans 10:17; 1 Corinthians 12:3). This is entirely a matter of God’s grace and blessing and not one of human works (cf. Romans 3:20, 23-24, 28; Ephesians 2:8-9). But God has a purpose, and that purpose is that we are to be "a kind of firstfruits" to demonstrate to the world the effects of His grace to His glory. "For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" ( Ephesians 2:10). "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:8).

Carl Zorn comments: "For what purpose has God begotten us through the word of Truth? For what purpose has God made Christians of us? What are we Christians to be according to God’s intention? ‘A kind of firstfruits of His creatures.’ James indicates that he is speaking figuratively, when he says that we are ‘firstfruits’ of His creatures. According to the Law of Moses all the firstfruits of grain, of cattle, and of men were sanctified unto the Lord. Ex. 23:29; 34:26; Lev. 2:12; 23:10; 11:17-20; Num. 15:17-21; Ex. 13:2; 12:15; Deut. 15:19; Ex. 22:39; Luke 2:22-23. Similarly we Christians are a kind of firstfruits, because we are begotten of God. And therewith God has sanctified us for Himself, as His property (1 Peter 2:9), set us apart, designated us for His service ( Eph. 2:10). Through this also James verifies what was said previously. For if God, with such a purpose in Mind, has made us Christians through the word of Truth, how then can temptation to evil come from God? But with this James at the same time lays the foundation for what he now wants to teach" [An Exposition of the Epistle of James, p. 14].