This section of James, spanning verses 2-18, begins by commanding Christians to see trials in our lives as meaningful, and therefore ultimately beneficial. He wants us to see that struggles during our lives are opportunities to trust God at a deeper level. You see, the temptation that we face during trials is to trust God less. We could end up deciding that he’s not faithful to us, or compassionate during our times of pain and heartbreak. These kinds of thoughts may enter our minds: “Maybe He isn’t good, or loving, or powerful if we’re facing challenges…”
What we see in this verse, is how we choose to answer those questions/doubts about God during our worst days. He’s making it clear that blaming God for tempting us is not a valid response.
There is an important difference between the concepts of “test” and “tempt.”
God never orchestrates events in our lives to lure us away from Himself. But, God does test people. A lot of people use the time Jesus spent in the wilderness as proof that God tempts, but that is either a misunderstanding of the Scripture or false teaching. Jesus, in the wilderness, was tested by God and tempted by Satan.
Further, it’s important to recognize that there are temptations that result from our own sinful tendencies (internal) and those coming from without sinful inclinations (external). Jesus was never tempted internally, as he was without original sin – but was tempted externally.
As Christians, we are never guaranteed an easier life than nonbelievers. In fact, all through Scripture we see the opposite remain true. Being a friend to God means being an enemy in a fallen world (John 16:1-4). We will have trials (John 15:18-20). And undoubtedly, these trials will test our faith. But be careful to recognize that the temptation to stop trusting God during these trials is not from Him. It is only from evil. God is, by definition, good.
As you go about your day, keep this in your mind: as Christians, life is guaranteed to not be easy. We are in a fallen world, and as allies of God, we are enemies of the fallen world. God will test us. We will have trials. Look at the struggles you are facing, and ask yourself whether you have blamed God or evil or if you think He is tempting you to sin. If so, repent of such an attitude, and reflect on today’s verse.
