SATAN, TEMPTATION AND THE END
By
Ron McRay
13.
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted
with evil, neither tempteth he (himself) any man:
James
here makes the transition from outward trials to inner trials, i.e., temptations.
The word “temptation” carries the idea of luring one into sin. Verse 14 will
go into detail of how this is done by way of examples that are inherent in the
original words.
In
Genesis 22:1, God is said to have “tempted Abraham;” but in that verse, the
tempting is trying or proving, not seducement (to do evil).
Instead
of blaming God for one’s sins, or blaming it on “Satan,” man must take personal
responsibility for the evil that he does. It is his own lust that allows him
to be drawn away to sin. We are taught that God is not the author of any person’s
sins. There is nothing in the nature of our holy God upon
Whom we can lay blame. The thought here is that God
is “untemptable” rather than “untempted.”
The
original Greek shows that the word “apo” means origin,
i.e., “from God,” rather than agency “hupo.”
Throughout
the scriptures, it appears that the word “tempt” has two meanings – (1) solicitation
to sin and (2) trial from providential situations or circumstances.
The
believers of the twelve tribes of Israel, to whom James addressed this letter,
were being told that they could stop sinning and turn from their desire or lust
to return to the old covenant system that was about to “die.” The “temptation”
to do so would have a way of escape by God [I Cor.
10:13]. They were not to give in to the “pressure.”
14.
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
If
you desire to find Satan today, look in the mirror. This verse shows the tempter
to be the individual, as he has been drawn away of his own lusts. The word “Satan”
(and parallel designations) means an “adversary” or “the opposing one.” Who
is your worst “adversary?” Who opposes you the most? I have found my enemy,
and he is me! How about you?
Sin
first draws away, then it entices. As one studies the bible, he will notice
that holiness consists of two parts: (1) forsaking that which is evil, and (2)
cleaving to that which is good. Sin has two parts also. They are reversed: (1)
Man’s heart is carried away from that which is good and then (2) enticed to
cleave to that which is evil. It is first by coveting a “worldly” thing, becoming
estranged from the life of God, and by degrees, fixed on and in the course of
sin. The context of the entire letter of James is metaphorically showing that
the allurement of going back to Judaism with its natural, seen things were seemingly
better than the unseen things of a believer. Reflect upon James 1:1. The letter
was written to the Israelites, not to all of the people on planet Earth. It
was the Jewish “world” that was alluring them back again. They were being told
that the “bait” had a hook in it and the end was death. The lust that they were
seeing, along with their “world” was “passing away” as this was being written.
Those who were led astray were destroyed in AD 67-70 by the Romans (at God’s
direction) who destroyed
The
fountain or source of that temptation to return to the old covenant system was
the “lust” that was within the believers. They could and must “endure to the
end” and they would be saved [Mark 13:13]. It is true that the verses before
James 1:13 showed that there were external inducements to sin. However, they
would have no force if there was not something in man himself to which those
inducements corresponded, and over which they possibly might have some power.
Those believers who had a “lust” for the old natural elements of Judaism were
being led along and beguiled until they fell into sin, as a snare that springs
suddenly upon the hunted. They were admonished not to have a desire to look
back. “Remember
In
all of these words, there is a double metaphor. These are “hunting” and “fishing”
words that are used in metaphorical language. The definition of a metaphor is:
“A figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of
object or idea is used in place of another to suggest
a likeness or analogy between them” [Merriam – Webster Dictionary].
The
first metaphor is the dragging of a fish out of water with a hook because his
lust for the bait had blinded him to the presence of the hook.
The
second metaphor is like the enticements of impure women, who draw the unwary
person into their chamber snares and involve them in ruin. Illicit attachments
of this kind, the writer has clearly in view. Lusts give birth to sin and sin
produces death. The cause of sin
is in ourselves. Every Greek word that James used
refers to something of this nature. The next verse very clearly shows this to
be true.
The
expression, “drawn away,” shows the beginning step, drawn away from truth and
virtue. This is like a fish that is secure under a log in a brush pile. What
would cause him to come out? The desire for food.
But the hook that has the “bait” is deceptive, it is the deceiver, but where
does the deceit take place? In the mind of the fish.
He is fooled. He doesn’t look for the hook; he bites the bait and is then taken
away. Where did the “taking away” begin? When he was “drawn away” in his own
mind, he left the security of the log to take the bait. Inherit in the original
word is violence. This step is man allowing himself (middle voice) to be enticed.
There
is much deceit, cunning and flattery in sin to gain people to its interests.
And, there is much violence done to man’s conscience by the power of deceit
and corruption. The power of sin could never draw away were it not for its guile
and cunning. Man destroys himself.
His sin is at his own door and therefore his blood lies upon his own head. The
believer would be “enticed” by some pleasure. In the “new testament,” it is
only used here and 2 Peter 2:14,18, allured by some
definite “bait,” which was the seen elements of natural
15.
Then when (the) lust hath conceived, it bringeth
forth sin: and (the) sin, when it is finished, bringeth
forth death.
“Then” is the next step.
Consider
the thoughts in the sense of a pregnancy. First there is the (the Greek has
the article “the”) lust, then the union, then the conception, then the bringing
forth. For this scenario that the apostle James is bringing out, that which
is born is sin, and the end of sin is “death.” The end of a natural conception
to birth process normally does not bring forth “death,” but “life.” However,
to have a lust to return to natural
At
conception, sin truly exists, though it be but in the embryo stage. This point
of sin’s conception is now only the size of a “spider thread,” which should
have been broken in the stage of lust.
Those
persons who are knowledgeable of the Greek words will recognize that this is
certainly a metaphor (see verse 14 for the definition of a metaphor). James
does not exhaust the uses of this metaphor.
“Lust”
is personified as the harlot that allures man. It is the deceitfulness of sin
that causes the man to give in to the harlot.
The
way that the rabbinical studies render this metaphor is that sin is a very insignificant
thing in its beginning. It is like a spider’s thread, that can be easily broken
at that point, but if left unbroken, it can grow into a very large rope. At
that point, it produces a very strong desire, as well as something that is delightful
to seek after, and that produces consent. Eventually, that which the individual’s
own mind has produced, and finished in the purpose, is consummated by action.
Again, nip sin in the bud of lust.
At
this stage, after the conception, sin is strengthened by frequent acts and settled
into a habit. James was still telling his audience to stop returning to the
natural Israelite system, as its end was death. Theirs was a covenant of death.
They now had access to the development of the covenant of life. They were urged
not to turn their back on the “new covenant.”
In
this case, sin is the union of the will with lust. Let us look at the same metaphor
in Psalms 7:14—16:
Behold,
he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived
mischief, and brought forth falsehood. He made a pit, and
digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he
made. His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall
come down upon his own pate.
“Finished”
does not mean “full-grown” as we usually use it, but rather a completeness of
parts or functions as opposed to rudimentary state, like the butterfly in contrast
to the caterpillar.
“Death”
stands in very striking contrast to the “crown of life” [James 1:12], which
“patience” has brought forth when it had its “perfect work” [James 1:4].
The
term “bringing forth death” is a compound word, to be pregnant, to give birth
to. The child of lust is sin, the child of sin is
death. The child is dead at birth. For death as the fruit of sin, observe the
following verses:
What
fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? For the end of
those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants
to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For
the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus
Christ our Lord [Rom. 6:21-23].
For
to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace
[
Outside
of Jesus, the Israelites had much of which to be ashamed. The end of those things
that they brought forth was death. But they had become believers and could obtain
life and peace. What was the warning that James was telling those twelve Israelite
tribes that were scattered abroad? Do not go back to natural
as of 9-2006