Why are we tempted in so many ways, physically, financially,
psychologically, and spiritually? Temptations of greed are poised to threaten
to swallow up humanity. So many stories of failures and troubles are echoing
the difficulties of handling the mundane temptations. All kinds of lustful
desires and greed for money, sex, power, success are hurting and ruining
humanity since the fall of man. Apostle James reveals what’s the cause of
temptation which threatens to give birth to sin and death. He also gives the
fundamental reason not to be deceived by the world any longer. It is that we’ve
been born again as the good and perfect gift of the Father of the heavenly lights.
We’ve been liberated from the deception of the world and can obey the Lord God
and the Son Jesus Christ now and forevermore.
“When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For
God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is
tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then,
after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is
full-grown, gives birth to death.” (James 1:13-15)
No one should say that God is tempting them when tempted. It’s
because God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone. God is truth
and light. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is good all the
time, which means he never makes any compromise, nor bends the measurement of goodness
by any circumstance. He acts truthfully and faithfully forever. He is not like
the fallen race who changes the course of action circumstance by circumstance. But
the Lord God runs and operates the universe which he created in the beginning
according to his truthfulness and justice forever.
There is no evil in God. What is evil? It is rebellion
against the Sovereign God. The fallen angel wanted to ascend above the tops of
the glory of God and would make himself like the Most High. But he was brought
down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit. The evil is not an
independent agent but a creature made by God the Creator.
“How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the
dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!
You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne
above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the
utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I
will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to the realm of
the dead, to the depths of the pit.” (Isaiah 14:12-15)
God does not tempt anyone either because he is forever love
and truth. God cannot lie. Moses says, “God is not human, that he should lie,
not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act?
Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19) But each person is tempted
when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. This is
exactly what happened to the woman in the Garden. The woman was tempted by the
serpent, a shining one (morning star). The woman was sinless and yet was
tempted by the devil who approached to her in disguise.
The Satan in disguise planted a provoking question to arouse
doubt about God, saying “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in
the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1) Then she answered him, saying “We may eat fruit
from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the
tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you
will die.’” (Genesis 3:2-3) There is nothing wrong gone at this point during
the conversation between the devil and the woman. She exactly remembered what
the Lord God had said to her and Adam. She could still overcome the evil
because she didn’t yet commit any wrongs.
But the serpent told the lie to her, saying “’You will not
certainly die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat
from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and
evil.’” (Genesis 3:4-5) This is the lie. The devil was a liar and the father of
lies, and a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44). God is only Person who can
tell good and evil. How does he know good and evil? He is forever good, so he
cannot experience evil. So, he knows evil by measuring things to his goodness. Whatever
complies to the Law of God is good and whatever not is evil.
What the devil said is not completely wrong but half true. When
she ate it that’s what exactly happened to her, knowing good and evil. Their
eyes were opened and they felt ashamed because of nakedness each other and made
coverings for themselves out of fig leaves (Genesis 3:7). What’s wrong was that
they were not made to tell good and evil by themselves. Adam was made to know
good and evil by relying on the Lord God. When he was naming all the animals,
he must have frequently asked the questions to the Lord.
The woman could still defeat the cunningness of the devil by
simply obeying the word of truth given to her and Adam. There is nothing further
the devil could do to her. See that the devil disappeared from the scene where
the woman left alone, being tempted. But she was enticed by desire to eat the fruit
of the tree. The Scripture says, “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree
was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining
wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was
with her, and he ate it.” (Genesis 3:6)
When she saw that fruit of the tree before she was tempted
by the devil, it was a reminder for the word of God. It was the guidance and instruction
and light for her and Adam to live true life in full. But when she saw that
same tree after she was enticed by the devil the tree looked entirely different
from before. It was so good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also
desirable for gaining wisdom. The enticed desire swallowed her up and the tree
looked so different from before. She was lost in greed to have the fruit of the
tree, being deceived by the devil’s lie. In this way, she became the victim of
the devil’s idea that she could know good and evil, being like God. Without
further provoking words from the devil, she took some and ate it. She also gave
some to her husband and he ate it.
That’s how man fell and got lost in direction. Although it
is impossible to tell good and evil by themselves, man continues to try to do
it over and over again. How true it is to all mankind! How true it is that
every mankind is enticed and tempted to have authority and power over the
lives! A popular song goes like “I did it my way,” and a popular poem, “I am
the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” This is the lie. We’re not
God but made by him in his image and his likeness. We cannot run our lives on
our own but must depend on him who is liberally and generously giving us
whatever we ask. Living on the lie, no one can escape from falling into sin and
death.
“Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good
and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly
lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth
through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he
created.” (James 1:16-18)
Now Apostle James warns the scattered Christians not to be
deceived. This is a serious warning that no one can deceive God the Father of
the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. To what do we not
be deceived? It is that we cannot run our lives on our own ever. The world and
its leaders say that we can. But it is not true. The world is in darkness and
confusion, so the people in the world are being deceived over and over again. When
they fail miserably they blame everything on others, especially on an unknown
God to them, who is the true God.
As a matter of fact, we cannot live without depending on
something else. We can’t breathe without depending on air. We can’t survive
without depending on food. We can’t move without depending on various kinds of
vehicles. We can’t live without depending on others like parents, families,
neighbors, and others. We can’t enjoy music without depending on devices. We can’t
walk or see in darkness without depending on electric lights. Every day and all
the days of our lives we will continue to depend on someone and something else.
Why then does Apostle James talk about gift, saying “Every
good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the
heavenly lights?” Here the gift means a new birth in our Lord Jesus Christ
through faith. Every believer in Christ has been born again through the blood
of him who was crucified and died for the sin and death of the world. We’ve
been delivered and liberated from the bondage and iron grip of sin and death
under the power of the devil through the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. We’ve
been made alive and set free by the grace and mercy of God.
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in
mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is
by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us
with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming
ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his
kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through
faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so
that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:4-9)
Having been made alive by grace and mercy, there is nothing
we have contributed to be born again. By the gift of faith in his unsearchable
riches and marvelous patience, we simply believed in Christ whom God the Father
sent. Since we’ve been born again in Christ, we no longer belong to the prince
of the world, the devil, but to the God of light and truth. The way has been
open to us in Christ not to be deceived by the world anymore because we may be
a kind of the firstfruits of all he created through the birth by the blood of
Christ Jesus the Lord. This gift of birth is good and perfect. So, it is
incomparably rich and powerful to keep us from falling in temptations.
Prayer: Our heavenly Father, thank you once again for
teaching the truth that we live by the word of truth, by the gift, and by the
mercy and grace in our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you Father for teaching us that
you are the same yesterday, today, and forever. In you, there is no change like
shifting shadows. Thank you Father for being our eternal Rock and Shelter that
we can forever find peace, joy, and love. In Christ’s name. Amen.
June 24, 2016
© 2015-2016 David
Lee Ministries – All Rights Reserved.
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