Lesson Three: Dealing With Temptation: James 1:9-18

Notice the two alternate progressions of life that James is describing:

Faith - Trials that test our faith - Perseverence - Maturity (1:2-4)

James 1:2 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not
lacking anything."

Desire - Temptation - Sin - Death (1:14-15)

14 "but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."

We can go from tested faith to maturity, or from indulged desire to death. Each process can be slow or quick, but takes place based on daily choices with seemingly inperceptible consequences at the time. Choices lead to habits, and habits set our character either toward God or against God.

Let's Get the Facts Straight
God is NEVER the source of temptation to evil. He is the source of every good and perfect gift.

James 1:13 "When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ... 16Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created."

God is the author of truth and light - never darkness.

1 John 1:5 "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all."

(Remember: temptations and trials are different. trails are hardships or difficulties that by faith lead to our perseverence. temptations are when we turn away from God and turn to sin by entertaining our sinful desires, which is the opposite of faith.)

The real source of temptations to sin - evil desires from our own hearts.

James 1: 14 "but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged
away and enticed.

The Devil Made Me Do It?
Wait a minute... don't our temptations come from Satan? Satan is certainly a liar, a thief and a murder who wants to deceive God's children. He started doing it back in the very beginning - at the creation of the world (Genesis 3:6-22). His M.O. (modus operandi) is to use something that God originally created as a good desire and to twist it into an idol and abomination from what God said was good and right and noble. We are dragged away when we embrace the lie by following our sinful nature rather than believing what God said.

Father of heavenly lights
God is the father of light. It is fact that He created the sun, moon, stars, and planets. They are splendid works and symbols of His good and perfect nature and His truth and moral purity. "God is light; in Him there is no darkness." Yet, these glittering examples fall short of His perfection, as eclipses and clouds shade their light. But we know that in God "is no variation" and he does not "change like shifting shadows." Stars and moons do change, but the father of heavenly lights is perfect, true, and good -- and He never changes.

A kind of firstfruits
Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God, was the true firstfruit of creation who gave Himself up for the forgiveness of our sins. Through Him, we have fellowship with God and are being restored to the image-bearers we were originally created to be - a kind of firstfruits of creation.

James 1:18 "He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created."

We are born again when we believe the Word of God, and as a result of the belief, we are called to be firstfruits. We are being restored as original image-bearers of our Holy God.

For Thought:
Meditate on what this means to be a kind of firstfruits of all creation. What difference should it make in our daily lives each of us individually and that Chrsitians collectively, as the church, are called 'a kind of firstfruits of all he created?' Ask God to show you how He is leading you to be more like Christ.