Bible Study on James 1:13-16 [NIV]
"The Truth About Trials and Temptations"
- As shared by Rev Don Schink, (C) 2005
13When
tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by
evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14but each one is tempted when, by
his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15Then, after
desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is fullgrown,
gives birth to death.
16Don't
be deceived, my dear brothers. 17Every good and perfect gift is from
above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change
like shifting shadows. 18He chose to give us birth through the word
of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
The issue of temptation is a real life
struggle for every one of us. If you
think otherwise then you are only deceiving yourself! That’s for sure. So many
times, people will try to make excuses for yielding to temptation. For example, how many times have we hear
someone say, “The devil made me do it,” or “I can’t help it. I was created this way.” Any such comments simply show ignorance or
denial on the part of the guy or gal who says such things.
It
is the thorough purity of God (never tempted, never tempting, never changing)
that calls us to holiness. The Bible
has a lot to say regarding the importance of being over-comers, resulting in
holiness of heart and holiness of lifestyle.
In Exodus 5:11, we read, “Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you-
majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?”
In 1 Chronicles 16:29, the Bible admonishes, “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his
name. Bring an offering and come before him; worship the LORD in the splendor
of his [Or LORD with the splendor of] holiness.”
In Isaiah 35:8, The Bible says, “And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness.
The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way;
wicked fools will not go about on it.”
Romans
6:19 states, “I put this in
human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to
offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing
wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.”
Holiness is not an option. It is
a divine requirement. Romans 6:22 relates,
“But now that you have been
set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness,
and the result is eternal life.” In 2 Corinthians 7:1,
we are challenged, “Since we
have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that
contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for
God.” One more Scripture that we need to take not
of is in Hebrews 12:14, “Make
every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness
no one will see the Lord.”
Common
sense should tell each of us that such a loving God as we serve simply does not
ask you and me to do anything that we could not accomplish. We can do it! Why? How? Simply stated, God is described in the Bible
as one of love! He loves us deeply and
intimately. As we do not approve of
everything that our kids do, nor does He approve of a lot of what His kids (us)
do! But, as the most loving parent
ever, He loves us so much that He is not willing that any of us should be lost.
So, as such, He has given us His Son, Jesus
Christ, Who gave His life as a willing sacrifice for each of us. He Who died did not deserve what He got. We, who deserve what He got, receive what He
did on our behalf as a free gift. He
has also given us the Holy Spirit to teach us, to guide us, and to direct us
along the path of righteousness from here to eternity! He has also given us His Word. The Bible is our Guidebook for successful
living in this life, to enable us to live above the filth of the world, to
enable us to go on and be saved for all eternity. As we yield to His saving and sanctifying fullness, He, true to
His word, gives us what we need to make it through!
Our
human natures often lead us into denying guilt. We know very well that we’ve committed certain acts yet we seem
to think that denial will fix it. Nope!
In reality, it simply doesn’t work that way.
There are evil influences. But
we do what we do by our own choices.
The devil didn’t make you or me do it.
God would never force or influence us to do anything contrary to His
Word! James admonishes us, “13When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For
God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.” Remember, God loves us.
God cares for us. God wants His
very best for His kids. Remember, you
and me are His kids. He’s the
greatest parent of all time! As such,
He gives us every chance to do that which is right.
Now,
in reality, Galatians 6:7, the Bible warns, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A
man reaps what he sows.” We are not puppets. We are created as free moral agents. That means that we have freedom to
choose. We can either accept or reject
whatever we are presented with.
James
goes on to explain the process: “14but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is
dragged away and enticed. 15Then, after desire has conceived, it
gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is fullgrown, gives birth to death.
As
free moral agents, suddenly we need to realize our own personal responsibility
for our choices and our actions. So if
we are exposing ourselves to those things that can breed wrongful desires,
leading us to make sinful choices, we, ourselves are to blame. For example, if a person feeds on
pornography, for example, long enough, the temptation to participate in what is
portrayed in those publications or films is dangerously real. And the results are often devastating. When such actions result in sinful behavior,
such behavior willfully becomes a part of one’s heart and lifestyle, leading
such a one away from the holiness and purity and God admonishes each of us to
live. Left to those actions and failing
to forsake them, repent, and live for the Lord, ends in eternal damnation as the
sinful soul enters eternity after having yielded to such a lifestyle. I just use this as one example. But whatever the sin is, sin is still sin
and the results are just as deadly.
So,
how do we know what is of the Lord and what is not? James says, “16Don't
be deceived, my dear brothers. 17Every good and perfect gift is from
above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change
like shifting shadows. 18He chose to give us birth through the word
of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.”
We
know that we are given common sense if we choose to use it. We also know that the Holy Spirit is very
much at work and willingly ministering in our hearts and lives if we allow Him
to do so. As such, common sense, as
well as the witness of the Spirit, assures us that as a loving heavenly Father,
He will give us His best. The question
is, will we reverence and respect and obey Him for Whom He really is? Will we accept Jesus Christ, His Son, as our
personal Savior, and, as such, allow Him into our hearts and lives in His
sanctifying fullness? Will we yield to
allow Him to be Lord of every area of our hearts and lives? Will we seek Him daily? Before we step out in action, are we willing
to ask, “What would Jesus do if He were confronted with this situation?” As such, if we will read, study and cherish
the Bible daily, allowing it to be the guidebook for our decisions, we will
learn how to overcome temptation, wrongful decisions which lead to sinful
lifestyles, leading us away from evil and to a more pure and holy
lifestyle. Then life is so much more
fun as we do so with a clean conscience, knowing that we are allowing His
Spirit to have full control, daily!
So,
let’s consider some basic truths out of Scripture:
In
Romans 3:10-12, the Bible says, “10As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even
one; 11there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12All
have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does
good, not even one.””
So, left to our own, we’re in deep trouble
folks! But it doesn’t end there!
In
John 3:16, the Bible says, ““For
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes
in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” In verse 17, we
read, “17For God
did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world
through him.” So we clearly see His will and that is not to
condemn but to redeem. We are not
puppets, however, and so we have the freedom to choose to live or to lose!
In
John 14:6, we read, “6Jesus
answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me.” Not Buddha or Allah or Harry-What’s-his-name
or anyone else! It’s Jesus! It’s only Jesus. He is our One precious Savior and Lord! He in the only road to
salvation! Take your time and
prayerfully review the following from a study that I often share regarding this
entitled:
"Eternity Is Too Long To Be Wrong"
As we go through
life with so many different background, teachings, beliefs, opinions, and so
on, there is one truth that can be tragic beyond description for anyonewho
fails to take it seriously. That is considering where we will spend
eternity. Once we've slipped from this life into our eternal destiny, all
decisions that have been made up to that point are ultimately final. There is
no turning back. There is no 2nd chance. What is done is done at that point. We
can't back up and take another shot at it. Once we "wake up dead"
(for we have never-dying souls), the past life as we know it, today, will
suddenly be yesterday. Once yesterday's gone, we can't afford to be wrong! So
if you need to settle the direction of your eternal destiny, don't delay. Today
may be the last day that you or I have on this earth. So, I'm posting the
following simply so that anyone who might need help either finding the truth as
outlined in God's Word, the Bible, or needing help in sharing with others, then
you can find the basics of what is needed here:
In John 14:6, Jesus said, "I
am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through Me." [New International Version]
So, for those who need to know how to accept Jesus Christ as your personal
Savior, here are some very important Scriptures to guide you, for, as I so
often say, "Eternity is too long to be wrong!":
SOUL-WINNING PLAN SUMMARIZED:
New Birth Necessary John 3:3,7. "[3] In reply, Jesus
declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless
he is born again"" ""[7] You should not be surprised at My
saying, 'You must be born again.'"" [NIV]
All Have Sinned Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God." and Galatians
3:22 "But the Scripture declares that the whole
world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised , being given through
faith in Jesus Christ , might be given to those who believe."
Consequences of Sin Romans 5:12 "Therefore just as sin
entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death
came to all men, because all sinned." and Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
God’s Great Desire 2 Peter 3:18 "For Christ died for
sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He
was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.
Sinner’s Responsibility:
REPENT - Acts 17:30 "In the past God overlooked such
ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent."
BELIEVE - John 3:36 "Whoever believes in the Son has
eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath
remains on him."
CONFESS - Romans 10:9-10 "[9] That if you
confes with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart
that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For it is with your
heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you
confess and are saved."
RECEIVE - John 1:12 "Yet to all who received Him, to
those who velieved in His name, He gave the right to become children of
God."
HOW TO RECEIVE - Rev. 3:20 "Here I am! I stand at
the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in
and eat with him, and he with Me.
We are a new creation in Christ - 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore
if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has
come!"
NEW CONVERT’S RESPONSIBILITY:
BAPTISM - Romans 6:4 "We were therefore buried with Him
through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the
dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."
ATTENDANCE - Hebrews 10:25 "Let us not give up
meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one
another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
WITNESSING - Mark 5:19 "Jesus did not let him, but said,
"Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you,
and how He has had mercy on you.""
WIN YOUR FAMILY - John 1:41 "The first thing
Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the
Messiah (that is, the Christ)."
STUDY THE WORD - 2 Timothy 2:15 "Do your best to
present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be
ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."
IMMEDIATE FOLLOW-UP:
PRAYER - 1 Thessalonians 5:17 "Pray
continually"
READ THE BIBLE - 2 Timothy 2:15 "Do your best to
present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be
ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."
WITNESSING - Mark 5:19 [Again,] "Jesus did not let
him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has
done for you, and how He has had mercy on you.""
CHURCH ATTENDANCE - Hebrews 10:25 [Again,] "Let
us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us
encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
PUBLIC CONFESSION - Matthew 10:32-33 "[32] Whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will also acknowledge him
before My Father in heaven. [33] But whoever disowns Me before men, I will
disown him before My Father in heaven."
It’s
just like this: I work for a major
Internet company. They’ve trained me to
do a job. They expect me to do it and
to do it right. I do my best to do
so. As long as I follow the guidelines
and do that which is right, I have a job and take home a paycheck. If I chose to do otherwise, I wouldn’t have
a job long. I’d have to turn in my
badge and hit the street, locked out and on my own. Likewise, the basics of this whole issue are simple. God has given us everything that we need to
live in line with His Word and His will, with Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord,
allowing the Holy Spirit to have His way in our hearts and lives. As such, we are guaranteed that if we’ll
allow Him to indwell us in His saving and sanctifying fullness, we have nothing
to fear. So, as my old buddy Larry the
Cable Guy is so fond of saying, “Let’s get her done!”… trusting the Lord for
His best in each of our hearts and lives, to live victoriously from now to
eternity!
As
we pray and contemplate today’s Bible lesson:
1.
What truths
from the Word stand out the most?
2.
How do
these speak to me most effectively?
3.
What am
I going to do with the truths that I’ve gleaned from today’s study, both in
personal application as well as sharing these truths with others that God leads
into my pathway?
Please note:
You are welcome to share this Bible study in your local churches, but I suggest that you personalize it. You do not have permission to publicize it or to make money from it in any form. May God richly bless you as you minister for Him with rich spiritual rewards of seeing many souls saved and sanctified for all eternity! Please let me know whatever helpful results you may get from this!
With Warm Sincerity in Jesus’ Love,
Rev. Don Schink, Pastor-Evangelist
Sonlight Ministries
Tijeras, NM
Pastor Don's Ministry & Evangelism Outreach Page