|















| |
INDEX
PREVIOUS
NEXT
|
COLLECTIONS
Commentaries,
Word Studies, Devotionals, Sermons, Illustrations
Old and New Testament. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
James 1:13 Let
no
one
say when he is
tempted, "I am
being
tempted by
God"; for
God
cannot be
tempted by
evil, and He
Himself does
not
tempt
anyone. (NASB:
Lockman) |
|
Greek:
medeis
peirazomenos
legeto
hoti
apo
theou
peirazomai;
o
gar
theos
apeirastos
estin
kakon,
peirazei
de
autos
oudena.
Amplified: Let no one say when he is tempted, I am
tempted from God; for God is incapable of being tempted by [what is]
evil and He Himself tempts no one.
(Amplified
Bible - Lockman)
KJV: Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of
God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
NLT: And remember, no one who wants to do wrong should
ever say, "God is tempting me." God is never tempted to do wrong, and
he never tempts anyone else either. (NLT
- Tyndale House)
Phillips: A man must not say when he is tempted, "God is
tempting me." For God has no dealings with evil, and does not himself
tempt anyone. (Phillips:
Touchstone)
Wuest: Let no man be saying when he is being solicited to
sin, By God I am being solicited to sin, for God is incapable of being
solicited to sin, the source of the solicitations being evils,, and He
himself solicits no one to sin. (Eerdmans)
Young's Literal: Let no one say, being tempted--`From
God I am tempted,' for God is not tempted of evil, and Himself doth
tempt no one,
|
|
|
|
|
LET
NO ONE
SAY
WHEN HE IS
TEMPTED, "I AM BEING TEMPTED BY GOD": medeis peirazomenos (PPPMSN)
legeto (3SPAM) hoti apo theou peirazomai; (1SPPI):
(James 1:2,12; Genesis 3:12; Isaiah 63:17; Habakkuk 2:12,13; Romans
9:19,20) Note:
Hold mouse pointer over underlined links for pop up of Scripture (which
stays open and can be copied).
As William Kelly observes...
The Epistle then turns from our
holy trials to our unholy ones, and shows their source to
be, not in God, but in sinful man. (Comment: The former must be
endured, the latter resisted.)
Wuest has an interesting
paraphrase adding the word "sin" (not in the Greek) to emphasize that
the test is not for good but for evil. God does test men, but He does
not tempt men to do evil. There is a substantial difference and that
is what Wuest's paraphrase accentuates...
Let no man be saying when he is
being solicited to sin, "By God I am being solicited to sin", for God
is incapable of being solicited to sin, the source of the
solicitations being evils, and He himself solicits no one to sin
Let...say
(3004)
means to speak or talk, with an
apparent focus upon content of what is said. Note that this is not a
suggestion but a command in the
present imperative
with a negative, which means in essence "Stop accusing God!". "Cease
saying when you are being tempted that it's God's fault!"
When he is tempted - Notice
he does not say "if" but "when". Temptation is a sure thing! If you
feel you are not being tempted then chances are you are already
deceived by the temptation and you don't even realize your dire state!
As J C Ryle writes...
Let us beware of making light of
temptation because they seem little and insignificant. There is
nothing little that concerns our souls.
F P Wood wisely says
instructs us regarding the "value" of temptations when he says...
Temptation is not sin; it is the
call to battle.
The point is that we are in a
war, a continual war against our soul, and it is not simply a momentary
skirmish. Our flesh, the evil world system and the evil one are
resolutely determined to take us down (cp 1Pe 5:8-note
"devour")! Stop being deceived (James 1:15) regarding
this strategic truth, lest you be swept downstream by the strong pull
of the temptation that comes from within.
Peter warned his readers
(who were being tested/tempted - 1Pe 1:6,7 notes
1Pe 1:6;
1:7)...
Beloved (note his affectionate
address [similar to James] before he explains a serious, hard truth),
I urge (present
tense
= continually. Parakaleo = I come alongside you. I know the power and
pull of temptation first hand. I fell. But God poured out mercy and gave grace to repent
and return that I might now strengthen you with this warning. See Luke
22:32, 33, 34, Mt 26:74, 75, Acts 2:14f, cp Acts 3:19, 20) you as
aliens
and
strangers to
abstain
from fleshly
lusts,
which
wage war
(continually =
present tense)
against the
soul.
(see note
1 Peter 2:11)
John Quincy Adams wrote
that...
Every temptation is an
opportunity of our getting nearer to God.
Martin Luther spoke of
what the flesh means for evil God can use for good writing that...
My temptations have been my
masters in divinity....Temptation and adversity are the two best books
in my library.
Tempt
(3985)(peirazo
from the noun peira = test from peíro = perforate,
pierce through to test durability of things) is a morally neutral word
simply meaning “to test”. Whether the test is for a good (as it
proved to be in Heb 11:17) or evil (Mt 4:1 "Then Jesus was led up
by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil")
depends on the intent of the one giving the test and also on the
response of the one tested. (See study of similar word
dokimazo) (Related resources:
Temptation - Dictionary Articles) W H Griffith said that...
Satan tempts to bring out the bad;
God tests to bring out the good.
Or as someone else has said
Satan tempts us to bring out
the worst in us but God tests us to bring out the best.
Wiersbe writes that...
A temptation is an opportunity to
accomplish a good thing in a bad way, out of the will of God. We think
of sin as a single act, but God sees it as a process. Adam committed
one act of sin, and yet that one act brought sin, death, and judgment
on the whole human race. James described this process of sin in four
stages. (Desire, Deception, Disobedience, Death)
(Wiersbe,
W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor
or
Logos)
Note that the verb
peirazo
here translated as tempted is in the same word group as the
noun
peirasmos
which is translated trial (James 1:2-note;
James 1:12-note).
Peirazo/peirasmos when used of God reflects His testing or trying a
believer's faith, but never in the sense of tempting the believer to
sin. In Peter's first epistle it is clear that God's purpose is not to
cause to sin or to destroy but to refine.
In this you greatly rejoice, even
though now for a little while, if necessary (his implication is trials
are necessary), you have been distressed by various trials (peirasmos),
that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is
perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in
praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ (see
notes
1 Peter 1:6;
1:7)
Beloved (he is addressing
believers), do not be
surprised (present
imperative
+ a negative = "Stop being surprised") at the fiery ordeal among you,
which comes upon you for your testing (peirasmos),
as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree
that you share the sufferings of Christ,
keep on rejoicing
(present
imperative
= command to make rejoicing your "lifestyle" even in trials - only
possible by the manifold grace of God and the inner strengthening by
the indwelling Holy Spirit); so that (introduces the purpose of
the testing) also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with
exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are
blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. (see
notes
1 Peter 4:12;
13;
14)
Comment: God has never
promised that we would miss the storm, but He has promised that we
would make the harbor. When God puts His own people into the furnace,
He keeps His eye on the clock and His hand on the thermostat. He knows
how long and how much. (Warren Wiersbe)
Peirazo is used 3 times in
this passage each in the
present tense
("continually
tested"). In the first use, it is clear that this tense indicates that
the test is never-ending in this life but it will end in the life to
come when we are delivered not only from the presence of sin but the
pleasure of sin.
Peirazo can have several
nuances depending on the
context:
(1) trials with a beneficial purpose and effect, (2) divinely
permitted or sent, (3) with a good or neutral significance, (4) of a
varied character, (5) definitely designed to lead to wrong doing,
temptation, (6) of men trying or challenging God.
As alluded to above, the trials may come from God or
under His permissive will from Satan (cp Job 1:6,7,8, 9, 10,
11, 12) or may be the result of our own
wrong doing. The solicitations to do evil come from the world, the
evil nature (the "flesh"), or the
Devil.
When the Scriptural context clearly indicates the testing is an
enticement to evil, the word is most frequently translated by a form
of the English tempt, which carries that negative
connotation and to reemphasize this NEVER refers to a test from God.
In a sermon titled Faith
Tested and Crowned (on
Genesis 22:1-14)
the able expositor Alexander Maclaren distinguished between
being tempted and being tried writing that
the former word (tempted)
conveys the idea of appealing to the worst part of man, with the wish
that he may yield and do the wrong. The latter (tested) means
an appeal to the better part of man, with the desire that he should
stand." "Temptation says, 'Do this pleasant thing; do not be
hindered by the fact that it is wrong.' Trial or proving says,
'Do this right and noble thing; do not be hindered by the fact that it
is painful.'
Character is revealed by
what you do in secret, when no one else is around to see. If you are
not a person of integrity (think of integer - whole, entire) then you will not be a person of character.
Maturity is revealed by what you do in your free time. A person of
integrity uses their free time wisely.
The testing of one's
faith/obedience is not unique to the New Testament but is a basic
principle found throughout the Scriptures. For example...
(Moses warning Israel) And you
shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the
wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing
you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His
commandments or not. (Deuteronomy
8:2)
(Speaking of King Hezekiah) And
even in the matter of the envoys of the rulers of Babylon, who sent to
him to inquire of the wonder that had happened in the land, God left
him alone only to test (Lxx = ekpeirazo, same verb used of
testing Jesus Mt 4:7, Lk 4:12) him, that He might know all that was in
his heart. (2 Chronicles
32:31)
Comment:
King Hezekiah acted
foolishly and in pride showed the Babylonian envoys his treasures,
arousing their desire to possess them, a desire that would soon be
fulfilled. See 2Ki 20:12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19
The refining pot is for silver and
the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests hearts. (Proverbs
17:3)
The point that is emphasized in
these verses on testing is that with the tests God provides
opportunities for His children to demonstrate and grow their faith. In
fact it is fair to state that every test the Father allows becomes
either a stumbling block (King Hezekiah) or a stepping stone
(as in Abraham's case in this passage).
In an interesting passage in 2 Samuel, at first one might conclude
that this passage appears to contradict the idea that God does not
tempt anyone. However, examination of the best commentary (which is
always Scripture) reveals that the parallel passage in 1 Chronicles
21:1 teaches that it was Satan that tempted David, not God. The truth is that
God is sovereign Proverbs
17:3 and as the absolute Ruler of the universe, He allowed
Satan to tempt David. Below are these parallel passages...
Again the anger of the
LORD was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to
say, ‘Go, number Israel and Judah' (2 Samuel 24:1)
Now Satan stood up
against Israel, and moved David to number Israel (1 Chronicles 21:1)
Jonathan Edwards wrote
that...
The surest way to know our gold is
to look upon it and examine it in God’s furnace, where He tries it for
that end that we may see what it is. If we have a mind to know whether
a building stands strong or no, we must look upon it when the wind
blows. If we would know whether that which appears in the form of
wheat has the real substance of wheat, or be only chaff, we must
observe it when it is winnowed. If we would know whether a staff be
strong, or a rotten, broken reed, we must see it when it is leaned on,
and weight is borne upon it. If we would weigh ourselves justly, we
must weigh ourselves in God’s scales, that He makes use of to weigh
us.
><>><>><>
Cookies or Radishes? - A study of temptation was conducted at
Case Western Reserve University. Some participants were told to skip a
meal before being left alone with a plate of radishes and a plate of
cookies. The radishes could be eaten; the cookies were forbidden.
Everyone resisted the urge to eat the cookies, but in some cases not
without a struggle. Interestingly, the temptation made it difficult
for them to perform intellectual tasks immediately after the test.
Dr. Roy Baumeister, who directed the research, drew the conclusion
that self-control is "something that gets used up. It needs time to
get replenished before you use it again."
Temptation--the urge to do something we know is wrong--troubles all of
us. It may be some terrible evil, or it may be something we tend to
excuse, like impatience, pride, gossip, or a short temper.
Victory over temptation is not simply a matter of willpower.
Self-control is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22,23). Our weak
human spirit cries out for the Spirit's strength.
There's only one sure way to beat temptation. We must rely on God's
help continually. As we trust Him and do what we know is right, He
will guide us into His truth and holiness. — Vernon C. Grounds
(Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
HOW TO RESIST TEMPTATION
Use God's Word (Mt. 4:1-11).
Pray for the Holy Spirit's help (Jn. 14:26).
Make a daily commitment to walk with God.
Every temptation is an opportunity to say no to sin and yes to God.
The Forest and the Tree - All of us have been so close to a
temptation that we've lost our perspective. It may have involved
something as small as a rumor that we knew shouldn't be passed along,
but the urge to gossip blocked out our sense of love and good
judgment.
Adam and Eve faced a similar problem. They became so preoccupied with
one plant in their garden paradise that they couldn't see the forest
for the tree.
Just look at what it cost them. The Garden of Eden had been created
especially for them. In it they knew no evil, no trials, no sickness,
no death. They enjoyed the company of the Creator Himself. Yet they
gave up everything they had—just to eat the fruit of that one
forbidden tree.
Their mistake still plagues us. How often do we miss the whole forest
of God's goodness for a single tree of testing? The moment of
temptation seems so overwhelming, the idea so irresistible, our
twisted logic so justifiable.
Think about all that Adam and Eve left behind in the Garden. Fill your
mind with the truths of God's Word and rely on the Holy Spirit's
moment-by-moment guidance and strength. Then you'll experience the
lasting joy of God's blessing rather than temporary pleasure.— Mart De
Haan
(Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
How To Handle Temptation
Seek God with your whole heart (Psalm 119:9-16).
Listen to wisdom (Proverbs 8:1-11).
Resist the devil; draw near to God (James 4:7-8).
Your response to temptation will make you or break you.
FOR GOD CANNOT BE TEMPTED BY EVIL AND HE HIMSELF DOES NOT TEMPT
ANYONE: o gar theos
apeirastos estin (3SPAI) kakon, peirazei (3SPAI) de autos oudena:
For (gar) means because and introduces an explanation.
It is always worth taking a moment to pause and ponder (meditate),
asking "What is the author explaining?" In this case James is
explaining why the claim that God tempts us to do evil is bogus and
without merit. First reason - God's character. He is "untemptable" by
evil. He is pure and holy in His very essence. Second reason - God
does not engage in tempting people to perform evil deeds or to sin.
God's character makes this conduct impossible.
Hiebert explains that...
The words of James are an important declaration concerning God's
nature. Seesemann notes that it is "a statement about the nature of
God which we do not find elsewhere in the Bible."' It is thoroughly in
keeping with the biblical presentation of the divine nature as good,
perfect, and unchangeably holy. God is unsusceptible to evil; evil
never has any appeal for Him. It is repugnant and abhorrent to Him.
The fact that God is untemptable of evil is the foundation for the
Christian belief in a moral universe. Carpenter well observes:
In the stainless purity of His character lies our security. If saints
can give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness, struggling men may
take courage also, since God's purity is not against us, but for us in
our conflict with evil. It is madness to throw away this sheet anchor
of faith. This anchor holds.'
Johnstone calls attention to the contrast between this picture of God
and the character of the gods in pagan mythology:
The gods of heathen imagination are always conceived both as liable to
temptation to moral evil, and as themselves tempters. The conception
of their character comes from man's wicked heart, and the stream
cannot rise higher than its source. ( Commentary
on James)
Tempted
( 551)
(apeirastos
from a = negative +
peirazo
= to test) is an adjective which means literally untempted or untried.
It speaks of not being able to be tempted.
Himself (autos)
emphasizes God and the fact that He never solicits to sin. As stated
elsewhere, God does allow "tests" in our life, but His purpose is
never to cause us to stumble, but to humble us and refine us and make
us more like His Son. We are the problem when the tests come, not God!
Every test is an opportunity to grow in grace or stumble into sin. In
the present context however James has shifted from actual tests to
true temptations to do evil.
Cannot be tempted - Combines
the adjective apeirastos with eimi (to be) in the
present tense
(estin).
God's is continually untempted by evil. Wuest says "God is incapable
of being solicited to sin".
God is Light, and in Him is no
darkness at all (1 John 1:5)
Your eyes are too pure to approve
evil, and You can not look on wickedness with favor (Hab 1:13)
Evil ( 2556)
(kakos) basically denotes a lack of something and so it means
bad or not as it ought to be. Kakos is a neuter plural adjective
without an article which denotes those things that have the moral
quality of being base, bad, degrading, and clearly the very opposite
of those things that are ethically and morally good, wholesome and
beneficial.
In the "Lord's Prayer" we pray “And
lead us not into temptation” (Mt 6:13) but this is not implying that God
tempts us to do evil. What it means is something like “don’t allow us
to come under the sway of temptation that will over power us and cause
us to sin.” (see note
Matthew 6:13)
MacDonald comments that...
Man is always ready to shift
responsibility for his sins. If he cannot blame God, he will adopt an
approach of modern psychology by saying that sin is a sickness. In
this way he hopes to escape judgment. But sin is not a sickness; it is
a moral failure for which man must give account. Some even try to
blame inanimate things for sin. But material “things” are not sinful
in themselves. Sin does not originate there. James tracks the lion to
its den when he says: “Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by
his own desires and enticed.” Sin comes from within us, from our old,
evil, fallen, unregenerate nature (flesh). Jesus said, “Out of the heart
proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts,
false witness, blasphemies” (Mt. 15:19).
Matthew Poole explains some
objections that might be raised...
“Objection.” God is said
to be tempted, Ex 17:2, 7 Deut 6:16 Ps 78:41; and to tempt,
Ge 22:1, (KJV "tempt", NAS - "test") Deut 8:2 13:3.
“Answer.” Both are to be
understood of temptations of exploration, or for the discovery of
something that was before hidden. Men tempt God, that they may know
what he will do; God tempts men, that they (not he, for he knows it
already) may know what themselves will do, which then appears, when
the temptation draws it out; but neither is to be understood of the
temptation here spoken of, viz. of seduction, or drawing into sin. God
tempts by giving hard commands, Ge 22:1; by afflicting, as in Job’s
case; by letting loose Satan or other wicked instruments to tempt, 1
Ki 22:22; by withholding his grace and deserting men, 1Sam 28:15;
by presenting occasions which corruption within improves unto sin, and
by ordering and governing the evil wills of men, as that a thief
should steal out of this flock rather than that, that Nebuchadnezzar
should come against Jerusalem rather than Rabbah, Eze 21:21, 22.
But God doth not tempt by commanding, suggesting, soliciting, or
persuading to sin. (Matthew Poole's Commentary on the New Testament)
F B Hole writes...
God Himself is above all evil. It
is absolutely foreign to His nature. It is as impossible for Him to be
tempted with evil as it is impossible for Him to lie. Equally so it is
impossible for Him to tempt anyone with evil though He may permit His
people to be tempted with evil, knowing well how to overrule even that
for their ultimate good. The real root of all temptation lies within
ourselves, in our own lusts. We may blame the enticing thing which
from without was presented to us, but the trouble really lies in the
desires of the flesh within.
Let us lay hold of this fact and
honestly face it. When we sin the tendency is for us to lay a great
deal of the blame on our circumstances, or at all events on things
without, when if only we are honest before God we have no one and
nothing to blame but ourselves. How important it is that we should
thus be honest before God and judge ourselves rightly in His presence,
for that is the high road to recovery of soul. Moreover it will help
us to judge and refuse the lusts of our hearts, and thus sin will be
nipped in the bud. Lust is the mother of sin. If it works it brings
forth sin, and sin carried to completion brings forth death. (James
Commentary -Plymouth Brethren)
A B Simpson writes that...
While temptation is not directly
from God, yet it is overruled by God, and made one of His
instrumentalities of blessing to us. God does not "tempt any man,
neither is tempted with evil," yet God permits us to be tempted. God
put our first parents into temptation and He made it possible for them
either to choose or refuse; gave them a nature subject to temptation,
and while it might overcome them, it might also be overcome. God does
not tempt any man, yet He does allow this to be one of the classes in
the school of faith and holiness. He even led Jesus Christ, His own
Son, into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted of the devil.
Think it not a strange thing then, dear friends, if your life is
called to pass through the ordeal of the conflict, evil from within
and from without, not merely things that grieve, afflict and distress
you, but things that tend to make you do wrong and draw you from the
path of righteousness, truth and godliness. They will come. God wants
you to be forewarned and forearmed, and to know it is better that they
should come to you, if you but take the panoply of God and come
through in victory. (A. B. Simpson. Christ in the Bible - James)
|
|
|
|
|
BUT EACH ONE IS TEMPTED: hekastos de peirazetai (3SPPI):
But (de) introduces
the contrast with the thought that God could tempt us to sin. James says to
the contrary that is not so and explains what is so. God is not the
culprit. Lust that dwells within us is the agent of deceit.
Each one (1538)
(hekastos) means each one of an aggregate. Hekastos
stresses the universal experience of temptation individually. The idea is every
single person! In short, there is not man or woman so "holy" or "pious" that
they are beyond temptation. Neither is there anything anyone can do to
completely escape this temptation. Even age does not remove the
temptation. Like the 78 year old saint who responded to the pastor at
his surprise that this elderly saint was still vulnerable to sexual
temptation at his age...
Son, just because I’m old
doesn’t mean the blood doesn’t flow through my veins. The difference
between we old men and you young men is this: we know we’re sinners.
We’ve had plenty of experience. You kids haven’t figured that out yet.
(in Leadership [Fall, 1992], pp. 74-75).
The saintly pastor Charles
Simeon referred to the source of temptation in each one
using the metaphor that we are all carrying around highly flammable
material within our bodies! His point of course was that we need to be
very careful not to light the fuse, lest the powder flare up and
explode!
Calvin wrote that
James’ object in this section is
to teach us that there is in
us the root of our own destruction.
Don't let anyone deceive you into
thinking our old
Sin
nature or the wicked
flesh
has been eradicated in the
believer (1Jn 1:8), for Scripture does not teach this aberration, at least not
until we attain glory!
The point is that since temptation
never comes from God, we can (should) never blame Him when we are
tempted. When God asked Adam if he had eaten from the tree he was
commanded not to eat from, he actually did not answer directly instead
indirectly blaming God for his predicament...
And the man said, "The woman
whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and
I ate." (Genesis 3:12, see context Ge 3:8, 9, 10, 11, 13)
So don't try to shift the blame
onto God when you are tempted and sin! Don't use the lame logic
that since God is sovereign over all, He is also sovereign over my
sin. So it's not my fault. He could have stopped me! Don't say things
like -
"God, You expect too much from me",
"God, You have made things too
difficult for me",
"God, You have not given me the
same grace and power to resist temptation that you have given others;
this is just my temperament; I can't help myself",
"God, You created me this way".
Don't blame God for your temptation
to sin!
So as you learn to deal correctly
with temptation first recognize that you cannot blame anyone else but
yourself. You need to take personal responsibility. There is a
tendency in us to find excuses for our sin. There is no place for
always saying “The
Devil made me do it”. He may have enticed us, but we still made the
choice to follow the temptation because we listened to the flesh. And don't blame bad circumstances,
"bad" genes or the bad culture.
Fairbairn asked...
What is temptation? Seduction
to evil, solicitation to wrong. It stands distinguished from trial
thus: trial tests, seeks to discover the man’s moral qualities or
character; but temptation persuades to evil, deludes, that it may
ruin. The one means to undeceive, the other to deceive. The one aims
at the man’s good, making him conscious of his true moral self; but
the other at his evil, leading him more or less unconsciously into
sin. God tries; Satan tempts.
Ropes writes that ...
Paul in 1Cor 10:13 makes a
similar exhortation in curiously different form: “Do not excuse
yourselves by thinking that your temptation is greater than man can
bear.” (Ropes, J. H. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the
Epistle of St. James)
Notice that James does not blame
parents, spouses, jobs, kids, etc. He doesn't label
it as a disease or a dysfunction. He doesn't even blame the devil in
this section because he wants to be sure we first acknowledge that we
are the primary source for temptation. When you get up tomorrow
morning and look at your face in the mirror, you are seeing your
greatest problem! D L Moody recognized this basic principle quipping
that...
I have more trouble with D. L.
Moody than with any man I know.
This reminds one of that
cartoon strip Pogo where the hero says...
We have met the enemy and he is us.
Thomas a Kempis put it this
way...
There is no order so holy, no
place so secret, where there will be no temptation.
Those who think there are capable
of attaining to sinlessness in this life are deceived and are in a
precarious state for Paul writes...
let him who thinks he stands
take heed
(present
imperative)
lest he fall. (1Cor 10:12) (for as Matthew Henry rightly warned "The
best of saints may be tempted to the worst of sins.")
Steven Cole has the
following illustration on the subtle, persistent nature of
temptation...
A man was on a diet and struggling.
He had to go downtown and as he started out, he remembered that his
route would take him by the doughnut shop. As he got closer, he
thought that a cup of coffee would hit the spot. Then he remembered
his diet. That’s when he
prayed, “Lord, if You want me to stop for a doughnut and
coffee, let there be a parking place in front of the shop.” He said,
“Sure enough, I found a parking place right in front—on my seventh
time around the block!”
As Robert Orben said,
Most people want to be delivered
from temptation but would like it to keep in touch (Reader's Digest
[8/86], p. 35).
Allow me to state the obvious: You
will not make it as a Christian if you do not learn to overcome
temptation. In the parable of the sower, Jesus taught that some make a
profession of faith and begin to show signs of growth, but the heat of
trials or the more subtle thorns of worldly desires cause the plant to
die (see Luke 8:11, 12, 13, 14, 15, cp Mark 4:19). As I understand that parable, it is only those
plants that endure and produce fruit that represent true believers.
Because the enemy is strong and the lusts of the flesh are so
powerful, you must learn to recognize and overcome temptation. If you
do not, James says, you are on the path that leads to death.
I think that as he wrote this,
James probably had in mind the graphic story in Proverbs 7 of the
young man lacking sense, who succumbs to the loose woman’s enticement.
His first mistake was that he passed near the corner where she lived
(Pr 7:8). As “luck” would have it, at that very moment, she happens
to come out of her door. As further “luck” would have it, her husband
has gone on a long trip. “With her many persuasions she entices him;
with her flattering lips she seduces him. Suddenly he follows her as
an ox goes to the slaughter, or as one in fetters to the discipline of
a fool, until an arrow pierces through his liver; as a bird hastens to
the snare, so he does not know that it will cost him his life” (Pr
7:21, 22, 23). Proverbs 7:26, 27 concludes,
For many are the victims she has
cast down, and numerous are all her slain. Her house is the way to
Sheol, descending to the chambers of death.
James gives us a strategy for
overcoming the deadly lure of temptation: To overcome temptation,
recognize its source, its force, and its course. (James 1:13-15 The
Source, Force, and Course of Temptation)
The flesh is evil and still lives
in believers and will do so until we go to be with Jesus. Don't try to
get rid of it like some tribes of primitive Indians did! In Chicago's
Field Museum are skulls from ancient Indians and some are called
trepanned skulls because they have holes bored in them. The
primitive people used would bore holes in the skulls of living people
in a vain attempt to let the demons out.
F B Meyer has an interesting
illustration...
Let me illustrate by the use of
botany. You know that flowers have their sex, and the bees gathering
honey in one flower carry the pollen to another, and the result is
flower and fruit. Precisely in the same way the heart of man is always
open, and bees of all kinds seem to bring the pollen of unholy
thoughts; when these are sown in the desires of our nature, there is
at once the result of which St. James speaks. As soon as you allow the
evil thought to mingle with your nature, it bringeth forth the act of
sin, and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. (from Back to
Bethel)
Tempted (3985)(peirazo
-
click discussion of this verb in
verse 13) is in
the which once again emphasizes that temptation is a lifelong issue.
The Bible does not teach a temptation free nor a sinless state in this
life but only in the one to come. Notice the verb is in the
present tense
indicating that we are continually being (passive
voice
= another source, in this context the old flesh) tempted.
All temptation tests
your faith...
All testing of your faith is a temptation
to forsake the faith
- John Piper
John Piper although
discussing Satan and not our fallen flesh as the source of temptation
(in this specific sermon) has a useful analysis of the relationship of
testing (James discusses this in
James 1:2ff - see notes)
and temptation (James
1:13;
14;
15)...
The word for temptation in
Greek (peirasmos
- see definition) is the same for both testing and
tempting. The reason is that all temptation tests your faith,
and all testing of your faith is a temptation to forsake the faith.
So when 1 John 2:14b says, “You are
strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the
evil one,” it includes: You have overcome the temptation to live in
sin, and you have passed the test that might have destroyed your
faith.
Satan Lies...
"God is bad"
"Sin is better"
How does the word of God help us do
that? I will put it in a very few sentences. Satan tempts and
tests in only one way: He lies. And in all his lying, it boils
down to two lies. In every test, his lie is: God is bad. And in every
temptation his lie is: Sin is better. God is bad and sin is better. He
has one tune to play, and he plays it in a thousand ways.
The word of God gives you the
strength to overcome the evil one because by God’s grace, through the
Spirit, it liberates from these lies with the truth.
John 8:32, “You will know the truth, and the
truth will set you free.” John 17:17, “Sanctify them in the
truth; your word is truth.” Your word is truth.
There it is. The word of God makes us strong to overcome the evil one
because it saturates our mind with truth—truth about Christ,
and truth about the cross, and the Spirit, and faith, and who
we are in Christ, and the meaning of sin and calamity and sickness,
and the sovereignty and goodness of God.
Not a Quick Fix...
A Way of Life
And by this Spirit-ignited,
passion-producing truth, we are made strong against the lies of
the evil one. We are not deceived. We hold fast to the word of life.
We abide in Christ. This is not a quick fix for every problem. It is a
way of life. Paul called Timothy to "fight the good fight of faith" (1Ti 6:12) and then said at the end of his life, “I have fought the
good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2Ti 4:7-note).
All the way to the end, we fight the evil one. And we fight with the
faith-sustaining word and we win. “This is the victory that overcomes
the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4). “You are strong and word of God
abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one” (1Jn 2:14).
(Read the entire message
The Word of God Abides in You, and
You Have Overcome the Evil One)
(It is even better in
Mp3)
><>><>><>
Illustration - "Watch and
pray
(both verbs in
present imperative
- command for continual vigilance and dependence, because we are all
constantly one choice, one decision, one step from the snare of sin!), lest you enter into
temptation" (Mark 14:38).
When we recognize the ugliness of
temptations, we will be better able to resist them. Someone wrote,
"If only I could see my
temptations as I see other people's, they wouldn't be a bit hard to
fight. Other people's temptations look so ugly and foolish. But my own
temptations come with a rosy light about them so that I don't see how
hateful they are until afterward. There are two ways to see temptations in
their true colors. One is to pray about them and thus bring them into the
clear light of God's presence. The other is to say, `How would this look
if someone else yielded to it?"
To the one being tempted, enticement to
sin may be appealing. But if we yield, we start down a path of
self-destruction.
In Matthew 4, the first temptation
Satan presented to Christ seemed harmless. He tempted Jesus to satisfy His
hunger (Mt 4:3, 4). Then he posed another concerning God's protection Mt
4:5,6, 7). In the third,
he openly requested Christ to worship him (Mt 4:8, 9, 10). But the Savior
saw Satan's true intent—to divert Him from going to Calvary and thus
prevent Him from paying sin's penalty. Christ met every appeal by quoting
the Scriptures. Jesus was saying to Satan,
"I am living under the authority of My
Father and His Word."
If we know God's Word, which is the
sword of the Spirit (Ep 6:17-note), and understand how to wield it, we too can be
victorious over Satan. To resist temptation, we must be strong in the
Lord (Ep 6:10-note), filled with His Spirit
(Ep 5:18-note), and quick to recognize the ugliness of sin.
—R. W. De Haan. Our Daily Bread
If you want to master temptation,
let
Christ master you.
><>><>><>
Here's a practical reminder - If you fly from temptation remember
not to leave a forwarding address. (cp Paul's related exhortation
in Ro 13:14-note)
F B Meyer writes that...
Idleness is the devil's opportunity
(cp David's slippery slope beginning with sloth - 2Sa 11:1). There are
times when we are summoned to do God's bidding against His foes. If we
refuse and linger in self-indulgence, we expose ourselves to terrific
assaults of our great adversary. The devil tempts all men; but idle
men tempt the devil! David had just risen from his mid-day siesta when
he was tempted. Temptation entered through the look (2Sa 11:2). So too
with Eve (Ge 3:6) and Achan (Josh 7:21). Well may we put our eyes into
the Lord's keeping! (cp Pr 4:23-note)
How often temptation enters through them! (cp Ps 101:3-note)
Whatever be our attainments in the Divine life, we are never beyond
the peril of falling into sin (1Co 10:12), which will blacken our
record, and bring sorrow on all our days (Gal 6:7, 8, Pr 22:8, Job
4:8, Hosea 8:7, 10:12, 13, Pr 5:22-note).
The more intimate you are with God, and honored in His service, the
more virulent the devil's hate, and his attempt to cast you down from
your excellency (Job 1:6, 7, 8, 9,10, 11, 12).
Sow a thought, and you reap an act;
Sow an act, and you reap a habit;
Sow a habit, and you reap a character;
Sow a character, and you reap a destiny.
—Samuel Smiles
Erwin Lutzer reminds of the
sobering truth that...
Each temptation leaves us better or
worse; neutrality is impossible... Our response to temptation is an
accurate barometer of our love for God (cp John 14:15).
We need to remember that times of
prosperity can easily become times of temptation to do evil if we
receive the gifts of God but fail to thank the Giver (Dt 6:10, 11, 12,
13, 14, 15). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
A B Simpson writes about...
The source of temptation; whence it
comes.
"Every man is tempted when he is
drawn away of his own lust."
Temptation comes from your own
heart. There are innumerable tempters, men, women and fallen spirits
of wickedness. But none have any power unless we have ourselves a
traitor in the citadel of the heart (cp Pr 4:23-note). The enemy cannot get in unless
you let him in. You hold the key of the fortress. Therefore it is in
your own heart that the crucial battle is fought, the secret foe is
hidden, your own lust, your own desire or "coveting," which is the
literal translation, the thing in you that wants to do the wrong; your
wish for it, even if it is not yet your will. This is the starting
place of temptation. It is the blossom of sin. And this is where God
wants to bring His sanctifying grace (2Co 12:9, 10, Titus 2:11-note,
Titus 2:12-note,
Titus 2:13-note)
and take away the very desire (cp Gal 5:16-note).
Just as the sea fowl plunging in the miry water comes up undefiled
because its wing is oiled and burnished, and the filth around cannot
adhere to it, so the Lord Jesus passed through the powers of darkness
and the allurements of the world and all the evil that was around Him
and was proof against it (He 4:15-note).
He could say "the prince of this world cometh and hath nothing in me."
It is in the heart that temptation has its starting point. Ask God to
give you a true and holy desire to please Him (cp Php 2:13-note,
He 13:20, 21-note,
Ezek 36:27),
and an instinctive repugnance and recoil from evil (cp Job 1:1, 28:28,
Pr 8:13, 16:6, 14:16, 27, Ne 5:15 Ps 34:11, 12, 13, 14
Eccl 12:13 2Co 7:1-note), and
so long as you have this, you shall not fall into temptation (cp Mt
26:41).
Then we have the blessedness of
resisting and enduring temptation... "Blessed is the man that endureth
temptation." (James 1:12-note)
The battle does you good (cp Dt 8:2,3). The conflict educates you,
strengthens you, establishes you, and is necessary for you that you
may be grounded and settled and finally approved and rewarded.
One of the best results of
temptation is that it shows you what is in your own heart. It
reveals yourself. Until temptation comes, you feel strong and
self-confident, but when the keen edge of the adversary's weapon has
pierced your soul, you have more sympathy with others and less
confidence in your own self-sufficiency, and you are humiliated and
broken at His feet, a poor, helpless thing, and this is the best thing
that can happen to you. God wants to disarm you and lay you low, and
then He can lift and save you and give you His strength (cp James 4:6,
1Pe 5:5-note,
2Co 12:9, 10). It makes you
humble and doubtful of yourself. You find you must not take the
aggressive, but fly to your refuge in Christ (cp Pr 30:5, Pr 18:10-note). He will "make a
(Ed: not just "a" way, but "the" specific way) way of
escape that you may be able to bear it." (1Cor 10:13) Like the little
conies that hide in the rock and do not face their enemies, but fly
for shelter, you will find your only safeguard is Jesus Christ; He is
the shield to cover you, and you will be safe not by fighting, but by
hiding behind the cross and in the bosom of your Savior.
If you have
had much spiritual conflict, it has humbled you, shown you your
helplessness, and taught you sympathy for others.
Temptation exercises our faith and teaches us to pray (cp Mt
26:41). It is like
military drill and a taste of battle to the young soldier. It puts us
under fire and compels us to exercise our weapons and prove their
potency. It shows us the resources of Christ and the preciousness of
the promises of God (cp 2Pe 1:4-note). It teaches us the reality of the Holy Spirit and
compels us to walk closely with Him and hide continually behind His
strength and all-sufficiency (Gal 5:16, 17, 18, 24-notes). Every victory gives us new confidence in
our victorious Leader, and new courage for the next onset of the foe,
so that we become not only victors, but more than conquerors, taking
the strength of our conquered foes and gathering precious spoil from
each new battle field. So that temptation strengthens what we have
received and establishes us in all our spiritual qualities and graces
(cp Peter in Lk 22:32).
You will find the forest trees which stand apart, exposed to the
double violence of the storm, are always the sturdiest and strike
their roots the deepest in the soil.
And so it is true in the
spiritual world, as the apostle Peter expressed it; "The God of all
grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus,
after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish,
strengthen, settle you." (1Pe 5:10-note)
At the same time temptation teaches us to watch as well as pray (Mt
26:41), to avoid the things that bring temptation (Ro 13:14-note), and to keep off the
enemy's ground (cp Ep 4:26, 27 where opportunity = space, land,
territory, an occasion). It is only the inexperienced Christian that plays
lightly with evil.
Luther used to say
He must needs have a long spoon who
sups with the devil.
"Pray," says Bishop Hamlin, "from God's side of the
fence."
Don't jump over into the devil's garden, and then ask God to
help you, but keep on God's side, and watch and pray that ye enter not
into temptation. Often our overconfidence betrays us. Like the man who
had escaped the bailiff who tried to serve him with a warrant for
arrest, and had just got across the State line, where the law
protected him, when his pursuer, exchanging guile for force, laughed
and said, "You have the best of me. And now let us shake hands and
part friends." The foolish fellow reached out his hand, and in a
moment the bailiff had pulled him over to his side of the line and
clapped the handcuffs on him. So if Satan cannot beat us fairly, he
will allure us so near the borders of danger that we shall be caught
by his wiles. Some people sail so near the lake of fire that they get
their sails scorched and find it impossible to get away. The maturest
Christian is always the humblest and most watchful. Let us be not
high-minded, but fear, and learn to combine the two blessed safeguards
of hope and fear, which God has so wisely blended in these two
passages: 1Co 10:12: "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed
lest he fall," and then adds in the thirteenth verse, "God is
faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are
able." (1Co 10:13-note) And yet once more, in the fourteenth verse, he returns to the
language of warning and caution, "Wherefore, my dearly beloved,
flee
(present
imperative
= command to keep on running from it, because our old nature is ever
attracted toward it! In this life believers will never get over the
continual need to flee)
from idolatry." (1Co 10:14)
Temptation also teaches us patience. "But let patience
have
(present
imperative
= command to keep on allowing) her
perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."
(James 1:4-note)
This implies that patience is the finishing grace of the Christian
(race) life. Therefore, God usually puts His children through the school of
suffering last. It is the graduation class in the discipline of
Christ. Let us not, therefore, be surprised if God puts us through the
hottest of all furnaces, namely, that which is fired with the devil's
brimstone, before He makes us vessels for His glory. (A. B. Simpson.
Christ in the Bible - James)
WHEN HE IS CARRIED AWAY AND
ENTICED BY HIS OWN LUST: hupo tes idias epithumias exelkomenos (PPPMSN) kai deleazomenos (PPPMSN):
(James 4:1,2; Genesis 6:5; 8:21; Joshua 7:21, 22, 23, 24; 2Samuel
11:1, 2,3, 4, 5; 1Kings 21:2, 3, 4; Job 31:1, 9; Job 31:27; Proverbs 4:23; Isaiah
44:20; Hosea 13:9; Matthew 5:28; 15:18,20; Mark 7:21; Mark 7:22;
Romans 7:11,13; Ephesians 4:22; Hebrews 3:13)
F B Meyer offers an
interesting illustration of James 1:14, 15...
Let me illustrate by the use of
botany. You know that flowers have their sex, and the bees gathering
honey in one flower carry the pollen to another, and the result is
flower and fruit. Precisely in the same way the heart of man is always
open, and bees of all kinds seem to bring the pollen of unholy
thoughts; when these are sown in the desires of our nature, there is
at once the result of which St. James speaks. As soon as you allow the
evil thought to mingle with your nature, it bringeth forth the act of
sin, and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. (F. B. Meyer.
Back To Bethel)
Carried away...enticed -
Brian Bell
feels "This speaks of a “2-fold enticing process” that takes place
when we are being tempted. First we are drawn out of our place of
safety, then we are allured by a specific bait."
Note the
present tense
which
indicates this is a continual danger, for our unredeemed, resident
rancid flesh is ever lurking to catch us off guard with its deceptive
lusts.
Vincent comments that the
present tense
participle
indicates
the progress of the temptation: “is
being drawn away.”
In view of the fact that we are
continually being carried away and enticed MacDonald asks...
Are we helpless victims then, when
we are drawn away by our own desires and enticed? No, we may expel all
thoughts of sin from our mind and concentrate on subjects that are
pure and holy (Phil 4:8-note). Also in the moment of fierce temptation, we
may call on the Lord, remembering that “The name of the Lord is a
strong tower: the righteous run to it, and are safe” (Pr 18:10-note).
(MacDonald,
W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson or
Logos)
He is carried away
(1828)
(exelko
from ek = out or away + hélko = draw) means to draw out,
drag forth, draw away, like a fish is drawn out from its retreat. So
just as in hunting and fishing the game is lured from its hiding
place, so too man is allured by temptation allured from the safety of
self-control (even Spirit enabled self control - see note
Galatians 5:23)
to commit acts of sin.
Bengel says that initially "we are drawn away from truth and
virtue." Cole
explains that...
The fish sees the bait and it lures
him toward it, thinking that he will get a meal. Instead, he gets
hooked and carried away, where he becomes the meal. The temptation to
sin is like that. We think that sin will satisfy us and get us
something good that we’re missing. But instead, it hooks us and drags
us to destruction. There is always that deceptive element to
temptation. It is strengthened by the powerful emotions involved. As
believers, we are not to live by our feelings, but by faith and
obedience (Ed: see the good old hymn -Trust
& Obey), based on the knowledge of God’s word of truth. We need to
follow it, no matter how strongly our feelings pull us in a different
direction.
One time Marla and I were hiking
off trail up on Mount Agassiz. It’s an area where we’ve hiked often,
but we’ve often gotten turned around. On this occasion, we came out
under some power lines, and I sensed that we needed to go uphill to
get back to where we started. But when we had crossed the lines the
first time, I had looked at my altimeter. When we crossed the lines
again, my altimeter said that we were 500 feet higher. So, I trusted
the altimeter, not my feelings, and we went downhill. Sure enough, we
came to where we needed to be. God’s Word is like that altimeter.
Temptation makes us feel like heading toward sin, but we need to
follow God’s Word, no matter what we feel. (James 1:13-15 The
Source, Force, and Course of Temptation)
D L Moody rightly said
that...
Temptations are never so dangerous
as when they come to us in a religious garb.
Enticed (1185)
(deleazo
from delear = a bait) means to to beguile, entice by
blandishments, entrap, delude, allure, entice. Deleazo was commonly
used as fishing term to refer to bait. The idea of deleazo then is to catch
by use of bait as does a trapper (bait in a trap or snare) or fisherman who lures prey from
their place of hiding. Evil desires act as a bait to "hook" us and get us in trouble.
Lust hides the hook so to speak! The point is that no temptation
appears as temptation but always seems more alluring and promising
than it proves to be.
Note again the
present tense
pictures
continual enticement. Temptation continually prods and baits us by
appealing to our dark side.
An illustration of enticing
words - Knowing how much an acquaintance despises his wife’s
parakeet, I was surprised one day to hear him coaxing it to speak.
Upon listening more closely, however, I nearly choked holding back my
laughter. Now, along with its constant, annoying jabbering, the bird
also calls out a suicidal, “Here kitty, kitty, kitty.” (Contributed by
Lisa French Reader’s Digest, September 1983, p. 130)
Richison has an interesting
thought writing that...
Knowledge does not seem to prevent
us from yielding to temptation. Temptation is more powerful than our
knowledge. (Ed Note: Knowing about God is one thing.
Knowing God intimately is quite different and it is this
intimate, experiential "knowledge" associated with sweet fellowship,
that motivates and empowers the saint's walk of victory over sin, self
and Satan. cp 1Th 4:5 which implies that the solution for "lustful
passion" is "knowing God" - see
note,
cp knowledge in James 2:19 - see
note)
Mayor mentions a number of
examples where deleazo is used to describe the "drawing of the fish
out of its original retreat."
Burdick observes that...
James pictures man's "evil desire"
first, as attracting his attention and persuading him to approach the
forbidden thing and second, as luring him by means of bait to yield to
the temptation. Robertson entitles this verse "Snared by One's Own
Bait."
(Gaebelein,
F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary 6-Volume New Testament.
Zondervan Publishing)
In short, the first effect of lust
is to draw man out of his original repose and the second is to allure
him to a definite bait.
Vaughan writes that...
The suggestion is that man's lust,
like a harlot, entices and seduces him. Man surrenders his will to
lust, conception takes place, and lust gives birth to sin.
Warren Wiersbe explains
that...
Temptation always carries with it
some bait that appeals to our natural desires. The bait not only
attracts us, but it also hides the fact that yielding to the desire
will eventually bring sorrow and punishment. It is the bait that is
the exciting thing. Lot would never have moved toward Sodom had he not
seen the “well-watered plains of Jordan” (Ge 13:10, 11). When David
looked on his neighbor’s wife (1Sa 11:1, 2, 3, 4, 5), he would never have committed adultery
had he seen the tragic consequences: the death of a baby (Bathsheba’s
son), the murder of a brave soldier (Uriah), the violation of a
daughter (Tamar). The bait keeps us from seeing the consequences of
sin.
(Wiersbe,
W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor
or
Logos)
Entice is an interesting
word in terms of derivation Webster writing that it comes from the
Latin Latin in- + titio = firebrand. "The sense, in these
languages, is to lay the firebrands together, or to stir the fire; to
provoke; to incense. The sense in English is a little varied." Entice
means to to draw towards oneself (what a picture of temptations
originating from our depraved strong inner desires or lusts!) or to
attract artfully or adroitly or by arousing hope or desire. Entice is
usually used in a bad sense (as entice to evil) and hence, means to
seduce; to lead astray; to induce to sin, by promises or persuasions.
There are 3 uses of deleazo,
here and two other uses in 2 Peter where we see false teachers “entice
unsteady souls” and those who have once escaped from error.
2 Peter 2:14 (note)
having eyes full of adultery and that never cease from sin, enticing
unstable souls (Asteriktous. Why unstable?
2 Peter 1:12-note
explains the opposite character using the related verb -
sterizo in the
perfect tense
-
Ephesians 6:14-note
also instructs believers to stand firm. Note carefully in both cases
the foundational, stabilizing effect of Truth, the Word of Truth. Why
are so many saints seemingly not experiencing the abundant life Christ
promised? I fear it is because they are not being stabilized by the
regular eating of "every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God"!
And don't just read it but
memorize it
so you will be able to
meditate
and be blessed and like a tree firmly planted by streams of
living water! See notes
Psalm 1:1;
1:2;
1:3), having a heart trained in greed, accursed children...18
(note) For
speaking out arrogant words of vanity (false
teachers Peter describes would dangle the "baited lure" in front of
their unsteady victims causing them to look away from the Lord Jesus
and His Word. They offer
people a kind of religion that they can embrace and still hold on to
their fleshly desires and sensuality.) they entice (present
tense
= continually) by fleshly desires,
by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in
error,
John MacArthur rightly notes
that...
Animals and fish are successfully
lured to traps and hooks because the bait is too attractive for them
to resist. It looks good and smells good, appealing strongly to their
senses. Their desire for the bait is so intense that it causes them to
lose caution and to overlook or ignore the trap or the hook until it
is too late.
In exactly the same way, we succumb
to temptation when our own lust draws us toward evil things that are
appealing to fleshly desire. Although in contemporary use, lust has
long been associated almost exclusively with illicit sexual desire,
the Greek term epithumia that it translates refers to a deep, strong
desire or longing of any kind, good or bad.
Sin can look attractive and
pleasurable, and usually is, at least for a while (cp Heb 11:25-note,
Heb 3:13-note). Otherwise it would
have little power over us. Satan tries to make sin as attractive as
possible, as do the evil and seductive men and women just described
above by Peter. But there would be no attraction of sin were it not
for man’s own sinful lust, which makes evil seem more appealing than
righteousness, falsehood more appealing than truth, immorality more
appealing than moral purity, the things of the world more appealing
than the things of God. We cannot blame Satan, his demons, ungodly
people, or the world in general for our own lust. Even more certainly,
we cannot blame God. The problem is not a tempter from without, but
the traitor within. (James:
The MacArthur NT Commentary)
Thomas Watson said that...
It is not laying the bait that
hurts the fish if the fish do not bite.
John Dryden gave good advice
when he said...
Better shun the bait than struggle
in the snare.
J. J. Bonar rightly said...
How daily, hourly, is the struggle
with sin and fear and temptation—it is never over! Enticed by his own
lust - Lust always promises more than it produces. That is, more
than it produces in a positive (beneficial) sense. It's fruit is never
ripe and good but ever rotten!
James is not teaching that Satan never has a role in
tempting us and in fact later alludes to the devil's tactics
writing...
Submit
therefore to God. Resist
the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7) (Comment: The
devil is left out of the present discussion as a source of temptation
for the mention of his role as Tempter would only have provided the
sinner with an alternative excuse. James wants us to focus on the
heart of the problem which is the problem with our heart!)
Lust (epithumia) (see
discussion on epithumia below)
is a neutral word that describes for example even the normal God given
desires of hunger, thirst, etc. Even sexual desire is God given and
without it the human race may never have procreated! Sadly, this
desire (among many) has been grossly distorted and perverted by our
fallen flesh, the godless world system and the devil. In an attempt to
control these lusts many have gone to non-biblical extremes, Paul
writing that...
These are matters which have, to be
sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and
self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no
value against fleshly indulgence (no effect when it comes to
conquering a person's evil thoughts and desires). (See note
Colossians 2:23)
So what James is explaining is that
the source of temptation is not actually in external "lure" (like a
fishhook) but emanates from the inherent lust in every man.
Donald Robert Perry Marquis wrote a
poem based on an imaginary conversation between a rat and a moth. -
The rat asked some hard questions: Why did moths fly into candles and
other bright lights and risk getting themselves fried to death? The
answer, written in the poet's unpunctuated style, is very instructive:
we get bored with routine - and crave beauty - and excitement - fire
is beautiful - and we know that if we get - too close it will kill us
- and what does that matter - it is better to be happy - for a moment
- and be burned up with beauty - than to live a long time - and be
bored all the while. (Brian
Bell)
James is saying we have met the
enemy and the enemy is within us. The enemy is not just out there
somewhere but is on the inside.
Although lust is the main
fisherman described by James, Thomas Adams adds that...
Satan, like a fisher, baits his
hook according to the appetite of the fish.
Steven Cole has some
practical thoughts about how we overcome temptation and sin writing...
To overcome temptation, it is
important to realize that although the initial thought to sin stems
from my sinful flesh, it is not sin unless I pursue it. For example,
if I’m flipping through a magazine and come to a picture of a
seductive woman, the thought will probably pop into my mind, “Wow,
she’s quite a woman!” Right there, I face a critical decision: Will I
go farther, entertaining sinful thoughts of what it might be like to
have sex with such a woman, or will I turn from the temptation and
“put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in
regard to its lusts” (Ro 13:14 -note)?
Sin always begins in the mind. No
one ever falls into adultery without first entertaining it in his (or
her) thought life. If we judge these sinful thoughts the instant they
pop into our minds, we will not head down the path toward outwardly
sinful behavior. If we do entertain such sinful thoughts, sooner or
later Satan will present the outward opportunity to sin, and we will
fall. But in such cases, the actual sin has been going on mentally for
some time. If we make it our habit to take “every thought captive to
the obedience of Christ” (2Cor 10:5-note), we will not sin in thought or
deed. We differ from person to person with regard to the things that
tempt us. Men differ from women, but also men differ among men, and
women among women. Pride leads us to judge those who yield to sins
that have little appeal for us: “How could they do such a thing?” But
the same pride lets us excuse our “weakness.” “That’s just the way I
am!” Humility says, “Let him who thinks he stands take heed that he
does not fall” (1Co 10:12).
Also, when we yield to a particular
sin, it becomes a point of vulnerability for future temptation. For
example, you could leave me in a room with a bag of cocaine, and it
would not tempt me in the least. I’ve never yielded to that sin, and
it just doesn’t have any appeal to me. On the other hand, in certain
circumstances I am tempted to look at pornography, because as a young
man I did yield to that sin. So I now have to be on guard against
every form of that temptation.
So James’ first point is that to
overcome temptation, we must recognize its source. It does not come
from God. It comes from our own sinful desires. (James 1:13-15 The
Source, Force, and Course of Temptation)
Steven Cole in his sermon
series on 1Timothy writes...
moral purity (must be) not just
outwardly, but in the thought life. Sexual immorality always begins in
the mind. Walking with Christ means taking “every thought captive to
the obedience of Christ” (2Cor 10:5-note). As soon as a wrong thought pops
into your mind, you confess it and turn from it (Job 1:1, 1Co
6:18). You “put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the
flesh in regard to its lusts” (Ro 13:14-note).
Moral failure among pastors is
happening with shocking frequency in the American church. A Leadership
survey (Winter, 1988, pp. 12-13) revealed that one out of eight
pastors have committed adultery since they’ve been in local church
ministry. Almost one out of four admitted to doing something they feel
was sexually in-appropriate. One out of five acknowledged fantasizing
at least weekly about sex with someone other than their spouse. If you
widen the question to monthly, the number grows to over one out of
three.
><>><>><>
It's My Fault - The first
step in overcoming sin is to admit that we are the ones who are
responsible. To look for someone else to blame is to evade the real
issue.
A man in a parking lot backed into another car. He simply didn't look
to see if the way was clear, and he was obviously at fault. But he
jumped out of his car, yelled furiously at the woman driving the car
he hit, and told her it was her fault for getting in his way. I
learned later that he continued to blame her when he spoke to his
insurance agent. Eventually she was cleared, but only after going
through tremendous anguish.
This is similar to what happened in the Garden of Eden. After Adam ate
the forbidden fruit, he said he wasn't to blame. It was the fault of
the woman God had made.
Sometimes we respond like that. When we do something wrong, we
immediately look for someone to blame, even if it's God. But James
says we sin because we listen to our own selfish desires.
Troubled by a sin that won't go away? Maybe you're not overcoming it
because you are blaming someone else. You might even be blaming God
because He didn't stop you from doing it. Nonsense! You'll never
conquer your sin until you're willing to say, "It's my fault!" --
David C. Egner
God cannot prosper those who try
To cover sin and wrong deny;
But all who humbly will confess,
The Savior with His love will bless. - DJD
You can never conquer sin with an
excuse. |
|
|
James
1:15 Then
when
lust has
conceived, it
gives
birth to
sin; and when
sin is
accomplished,
it
brings
forth
death. (NASB:
Lockman) |
|
Greek:
eita
e
epithumia
sullabousa
tiktei
hamartian,
e
de
hamartia
apotelestheisa
apokuei
thanaton.
Amplified: Then the evil desire, when it has
conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully matured,
brings forth death.
(Amplified
Bible - Lockman)
KJV: Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth
sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
NLT: These evil desires lead to evil actions, and evil actions
lead to death. (NLT
- Tyndale House)
Phillips: His own desire takes hold of him, and that produces
sin. And sin in the long run means death (Phillips:
Touchstone)
Wuest: Then when the aforementioned craving has conceived, it
gives birth to sin, and this sin when it is full grown brings forth
death. (Eerdmans)
Young's Literal: afterward the desire having conceived,
doth give birth to sin, and the sin having been perfected, doth bring
forth death.
|
|
|
THEN WHEN LUST HAS
CONCEIVED, IT GIVES BIRTH TO SIN: eita e epithumia sullabousa (AAPFSN) tiktei
(3SPAI) hamartian: (Genesis 3:6; 4:5, 6, 7, 8; Job 15:35;
Psalms 7:14; Isaiah 59:4; Micah 2:1, 2, 3; Matthew 26:14,48, 49, 50,
51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59; Acts 5:1, 2, 3 )
Then (1534)
(eita) often serves as a time phrase (be alert for this word
especially when reading prophetic passages for it often
serves as a distinctive marker of the sequence of events--always stop
and ask "When is then?") but in this
context James uses it as a marker of transition to a new point in his
argument, introducing the result of temptation arising from lust.
So here we see the "life cycle of
sin" with lust at the inception, sin as the conception and death as
the consequence.
Hiebert writes that...
The inner craving demands action.
It must either be acted on or be resolutely repulsed. When indulged, a
chain of results surely follows... The craving is an inner reaction of
the individual's own nature, but when it is indulged it becomes
malignant and is destructive of personal well-being. Our nature may
involuntarily and instinctively feel a longing .for a certain object
when it is presented, but the craving becomes sinful when it is
encouraged and acted upon, the will surrendering to the enticement of
the harlot and uniting with it in a guilty union. When the will
consents to the illicit union, the lustful feeling becomes impregnated
with sin.
Wiersbe feels that in this
passage describing disobedience...
We have moved from the emotions
(desire) and the intellect (deception) to the will...Christian
living is a matter of the will, not the feelings. I often hear
believers say, “I don’t feel like reading the Bible.” Or, “I don’t
feel like attending prayer meeting.” Children operate on the basis of
feeling, but adults operate on the basis of will. They act because it
is right, no matter how they feel. This explains why immature
Christians easily fall into temptation: they let their feelings make
the decisions. The more you exercise your will in saying a decisive
"no"
to temptation (because you have already said "yes" to the Spirit of
Christ - note the order in Gal 5:16 - "Yes" to Spirit, "no" to lust.), the more God will take control of your life.
And Paul writes that God
even gives us the "want to" to say "no"...
for it is God Who is at work
(energeo - in the
present tense
= He is
continually "energizing" us) in you, both to will (present
tense
= continually giving us the
"want to") and to work (again the verb is energeo -
present tense
= continually
working in us) for His good pleasure (His sovereign purpose). (Phil
2:13-note)
God also provides the grace
to say "no" Paul writing that the grace of God is
continually (present
tense)...
instructing (disciplining,
teaching, educating like a loving school master) us to deny (say "no"
to) ungodliness (living as if He did not exist - "pragmatic atheists"
as it were) and worldly (anti-God) desires and to live sensibly
(self-controlled - inward), righteously (right conduct before men -
outward) and godly (as in the presence of God - Coram Deo) in the
present age (see note
Titus 2:12)
(This aspect of "grace" is known as sanctifying grace. It is His
divine enablement to carry out His divine commands and instructions.)
Lust (1939)(epithumia
from
epi = at, toward
{the preposition "epi-" in the compound is directive conveying the
picture of "having one’s passion toward"} + thumos = passion.
Root verb epithumeo = set heart upon) is a morally and
spiritually neutral term which simply denotes the presence of strong
desire or impulse, a longing or a passionate craving. The NT uses
epithumia to describe legitimate desires (Luke 22:15; Phil 1:23-note;
1Th 2:17-note). Whether
the desire is good or evil (sinful) is determined from the
context which in turn depends in part
on the nature of the object being desired and in part on how and for
what purpose the object is desired.
Initially lust manifests
itself as an emotion which comes from within our (inner) being. For
unbelievers, the only source of this emotion is the
fallen flesh.
For believers, the source can also be the fallen flesh since believers
still possess an unredeemed
flesh
(eg, see discussion of this continual warfare in notes on 1Pe 2:11-note).
But by virtue of their position in Christ, believers now possess a new
and holy nature, by virtue of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Now, as
believers learn to listen to, yield to and be controlled by the
Spirit, He gives them the "want to" or the desire to seek to walk in a
manner worthy of the Lord, carrying out conduct which pleases Him
(Phil 2:13-Note).
Fleshly
lusts or desires can be stimulated by a number of things, but
especially the "data" that enters our body through the five senses,
taste, smell, touch, hearing, and especially sight. For men it is too
often the "eye gate" that opens the soul to the wrong commercial, the
wrong internet site, the wrong bill board, etc, etc, and which begins
to produce an intense longing to possess that which has been
visualized (cp covetousness equating with idolatry, see Col 3:5-note).
If this
fleshly
desire is not dealt with quickly (eg, see Romans 8:13-note),
the evil desire germinates in the mind to the point that it eventually
consumes and deceives our thinking rightly about the object desired,
the cost, the consequences, etc. Think of the fish that sees the
attractive worm wiggling on the hook, all the while totally unaware of
the danger that lurks ahead when thoughts are translated into actions.
Somewhere in this continuum, lust is "fertilized" and sin
is conceived and begins to incubate and grow. It is not long before
provision is made to gratify the evil desire (Romans 13:14-note)
and this usually leads to a choice of our wills to carry out specific
evil actions which are a clear reflection of our willful disobedience
to God's law, the consummation of which is overt willful sin.
As you might imagine the earlier we
"nip lust in the bud" the better. If lust is ultimately a lure which
presents a lie, it follows that the most effective antidote is the
Truth of God, the Word of Life (Eph 6:14 -note,
scroll down to see Wayne Barber's discussion of "girding your loins
with truth"). And so clearly, the chief battleground is the mind, for
that is where the lusts are processed and where sin is
conceived and brought forth. Enabled by the Spirit we must take
captive lying, lustful thoughts raised up against God's Law (2Co 10:3,
4, 5), His holy standard, and allow God's Truth to renew our minds (Ro
12:2-note)
and quicken our conscience so that it functions effectively much like
an "anti-viral" software program that monitors for and detects corrupt
incoming lustful thoughts, serving as our soul’s warning system. At
that point it is up to each individual not to "turn off the
anti-viral" software so as to ignore the warning signals from the
conscience. Instead, empowered by the grace of God, we must
choose to say "no" ungodliness to worldly desires and and
replace those lust filled lies with the truth which is sensible,
righteous and godly (see notes
Titus 2:11;
12,
cp continually letting your mind reflect on God's truth - see Phil
4:8-note,
continually setting your mind on the things above - Col 3:2-note)
Lust has an interesting
derivation in Webster's 1828 Dictionary which identifies the
origin through the Irish, Hiberno-Celtic and Gaelic language,
specifically the Irish word lasadh which means "lust
or a burning. The primary sense is to extend, reach, expand, to
stretch forward."
Lusts occur in one's mind
and are not physical actions per se although they may (and often do)
lead to physical actions.
As Richison rightly observes...
There is enormous power in a
lustful thought. The Christian must deal with sin at the point of
temptation, not at the point where we choose to sin. Once we choose to
open ourselves to sin, the overt action of sin is almost inevitable.
We most effectively deal with sin at the point of temptation.
None of us can avoid temptation. It is not a sin to be tempted but it
is a sin to yield to temptation. Evil ideas will birth in our minds
until we go to meet the Saviour.
The Internet, movies and television today present great temptation to
the believer. Lust comes charging into our minds through these
vehicles. It comes unexpectedly and quickly. That is why we must guard
against temptation by first preparing our minds with the Word of God.
Lusts denote the varied
cravings of fallen human nature pursued in the interest of self in
self-sufficient independence of God.
Alexander Pope wrote that...
Vice is a monster of such frightful mien**
As to be hated needs but to be seen;
Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,
We first endure, then pity, then embrace.
**Mien = one's manner, bearing, appearance
Warren Wiersbe writes of
lusts (which can be good or bad) that
these
fundamental desires of life are the steam in the boiler that
makes the machinery go. Turn off the steam and you have no power. Let
the steam go its own way and you have destruction. The secret is in
constant control (cp Eph 5:18-note). These desires must be our servants and not our
masters; and this we can do through Jesus Christ. (Wiersbe,
W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor)
Oswald Chambers wrote that
Love
can wait and worship
endlessly; lust says, "I must have it at once."
Hiebert has an interesting
note that the
degeneration in the meaning of the term epithumia from God given
desires to perverted desires is a revealing commentary on human
nature. Left to himself, instead of gaining mastery over his base
desires and steadfastly adhering to the good, the individual is
characteristically overcome by his evil cravings, so that they become
the dominating force of his life. (Hiebert, D. Edmond: 1 Peter. Page
94. Moody)
In his sermon entitled
Battling the Unbelief of Lust ( or
listen to the Mp3)
John Piper defines lust as
a
sexual desire that dishonors its object and disregards God. It's the
corruption of a good thing by the absence of honorable commitment and
by the absence of a supreme regard for God. If your sexual desire is
not guided by respect for the honor of others and regard for the
holiness of God, it is lust." (As an aside if you are in the grips of
"lusts",
click here to read John Piper's
sobering words on a subject that is too easily avoided from the pulpit
lest the "comfortable be afflicted"!)
Here are some
other
quotes on lust...
A
little will satisfy nature; less will satisfy grace; nothing will
satisfy men's lusts. - Thomas Brooks
Our
eyes, when gazing on sinful objects, are out of their calling and
God's keeping. - Thomas Fuller
A man
may be said to be given to covetousness when he takes more pains for
getting earth than for getting heaven. - Thomas Watson
Covetous men, though they have enough to sink them yet have they never
enough to satisfy them. - John Trapp
What
lust is so sweet or profitable that is worth burning in hell for? -
William Gurnall
Beware... of the beginnings of covetousness, for you know not where it
will end. - Thomas Manton
Lust is
appetite run wild. - F. B. Meyer
Covetousness is not only in getting riches unjustly, but in loving
them inordinately, which is a key that opens the door to all sin. -
Thomas Watson
Natural
desires are at rest when that which is desired is obtained, but
corrupt desires are insatiable. Nature is content with little, grace
with less, but lust with nothing. - Matthew Henry
Covetousness is commonly a master-sin and has the command of other
lusts. - Matthew Henry
There
is no better antidote against coveting that which is another's than
being content with that which is our own. - Thomas Watson
One can
be covetous when he has little, much, or anything between, for
covetousness comes from the heart, not from the circumstances of life.
- C H Ryrie
Covetousness is spiritual idolatry; it is the giving of that love and
regard to worldly wealth which are due to God only. - Matthew Henry
(see note
Colossians 3:5)
Vine adds that lust
describes the inner motions of the soul, the natural tendency of men
in their fallen estate toward things evil and toward things forbidden.
(Vine,
W. Collected writings of W. E. Vine. Nashville: Thomas Nelson
)
W. E. Vine
summarizes epithumia as follows:
epithumia denotes
"strong desire" of any kind, the various kinds being frequently
specified by some adjective (see below). The word is used of a good
desire only in
Lu 22:15;
Philippians 1:23 [note];
1Thessalonians 2:17 [note].
Everywhere else it has a bad sense.
In
Romans 6:12 [note]
the injunction against letting sin reign in our mortal body to obey
the "lust" thereof, refers to those evil desires which are ready to
express themselves in bodily activity.
They are equally the "lusts"
of the flesh,
Romans 13:14 [note];
Gal 5:16,24;
Ephesians 2:3
[note];
2 Peter 2:18 [note];
1Jn 2:16, a
phrase which describes the emotions of the soul, the natural tendency
towards things evil.
Such "lusts" are not necessarily
base and immoral, they may be refined in character, but are evil if
inconsistent with the will of God. (Vine,
W E: Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament
Words. 1996. Nelson)
Barclay has an
illustrative note on epithumia as it related to the downfall of
one of the great minds of the nineteenth century writing that
The word for desire is
epithumia which characteristically means desire for the
wrong and the forbidden thing. To succumb to that is inevitably to
come to disaster. One of the tragedies of the nineteenth century was
the career of Oscar Wilde. He had a brilliant mind, and won the
highest academic honours; he was a scintillating writer, and won the
highest rewards in literature; he had all the charm in the world and
was a man whose instinct it was to be kind; yet he fell to temptation
and came to prison and disgrace. When he was suffering for his fall,
he wrote his book De Profundis and in it he said: “The gods had given
me almost everything. But I let myself be lured into long spells of
senseless and sensual ease. … Tired of being on the heights I
deliberately went to the depths in search for new sensation. What the
paradox was to me in the sphere of thought, perversity became to me in
the sphere of passion. I grew careless of the lives of others. I took
pleasure where it pleased me, and passed on. I forgot that every
little action of the common day makes or unmakes character, and that
therefore what one has done in the secret chamber, one has some day to
cry aloud from the house-top. I ceased to be lord over myself. I was
no longer the captain of my soul, and did not know it (Ed note: he was
deceived for the only man who is truly captain of his soul is the man
who has surrendered his will to Christ). I allowed pleasure to
dominate me. I ended in horrible disgrace.” (Barclay concludes that )
Desire is a bad master, and to be at the mercy of desire is to
be a slave. And desire is not simply a fleshly thing; it
is the craving for any forbidden thing. (Bolding added) (Barclay,
W: The Daily Study Bible Series. The Westminster Press
or
Logos)
Billy Sunday wrote that...
One reason that sin flourishes
is that it is treated like a cream-puff instead of a rattle-snake.
James Wilbur Chapman said
that...
Temptation is the tempter
looking through the keyhole into the room where you are living; sin is
your drawing back the bolt and making it possible for him to enter.
When lust has conceived -
James now shifts his metaphors from hunting and fishing to maternity,
personifying lust as a mother who gives birth to an evil child
named "sin".
Hiebert explains that
lust or...
The craving is an inner reaction of
the individual's own nature, but when it is indulged it becomes
malignant and is destructive of personal well-being. Our nature may
involuntarily and instinctively feel a longing for a certain object
when it is presented, but the craving becomes sinful when it is
encouraged and acted upon, the will surrendering to the enticement of
the harlot and uniting with it in a guilty union. When the will
consents to the illicit union, the lustful feeling becomes impregnated
with sin.
Conceived
(4815)(sullambano
from
sun/syn
= together with + lambáno =
to take, to seize) means literally to seize or take together and
conveys the picture of clasping. To bring
together. To enclose. To seize. To trap or capture.
Sullambano has several
meanings depending on the context, the most common meaning being to
arrest someone (7/16 uses) or take them into custody. To apprehend
someone by virtue of a warrant from authority.
The next most frequent use is to
conceive (become pregnant) (5/16 uses) picking up on the basic meaning
of clasping in a sexual sense. James using sullambano in
the metaphorical sense (picturing it as childbirth) to describe
lust the woman who like a harlot who conceives and gives birth to a
horrible child, sin.
Luke uses sullambano with a
variety of meanings including conceiving (Luke 1:24, 31, 36, 2:21), to
help (in sense of take hold of together) or come to the aid of (Luke
5:7) and to catch or capture an animal (Luke 5:9)
J Vernon McGee wrote that
sullambano...
actually means “to become
pregnant.” Conception is the joining or union of two. The desire of
this old nature of ours joins with the outward temptation that faces
us and thus becomes sin. The Lord Jesus said, “If you are angry with
your brother, you are guilty of murder”—because it begins in the heart
and moves out into action. He also said, “If you look upon a woman to
lust after her, you have already committed adultery with her”—because
it begins in your heart. That is where sin always begins.
The natural question at this
point is: Is temptation sin? Of course it’s not sin; the answer is
definitely no. It is when the conception takes place—when the thought
in the heart is carried out in action—that temptation becomes sin.
Martin Luther expressed it in this novel way:
You cannot
keep birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from
nesting in your hair.
Sin is the consummation of the
act inwardly and outwardly.
Temptation in and of itself is
not sin. We all have an evil nature—there is no use trying to kid
ourselves concerning that. We all have been tempted to do evil;
everyone has a weakness in the flesh. One person may be a glutton and
another may be a gossip. Both sins are absolutely of the flesh; both
come from within...
There cannot be a stillbirth.
Lust is going to bring forth something. When that evil thought in the
heart is joined to the outward temptation, there is a birth—a birth of
the act, a birth of sin.
(McGee,
J V: Thru the Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson
or
Logos)
(Or listen to the Mp3's -
James 1:13.mp3;
1:14.mp3;
1:15.mp3;
1:15 mp3)
A T Robertson commenting on
the use of sullambano in James 1:15 notes that it is a...
second
aorist
active participle, an old word (meaning) to grasp together, in
hostile sense (Acts 26:21), in friendly sense of help
(see note
Philippians 4:3),
in technical sense of a woman taking a man’s seed in conception (Luke
1:24), here also of lust (as a woman), “having conceived.” The will
yields to lust and conception takes place. (Word
Pictures in the New Testament)
Here are the 16 NT uses of
sullambano...
Matthew 26:55 At that
time Jesus said to the multitudes, "Have you come out with swords and
clubs to arrest Me as against a robber? Every day I used to sit
in the temple teaching and you did not seize Me.
Mark 14:48 And Jesus answered and said to them, "Have you come
out with swords and clubs to arrest Me, as against a robber?
Luke 1:24 And after these days Elizabeth his wife became
pregnant; and she kept herself in seclusion for five months,
saying,
Luke 1:31 "And behold, you will conceive in your
womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.
Luke 1:36 "And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also
conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is
now in her sixth month.
Luke 2:21 And when eight days were completed before His
circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the
angel before He was conceived in the womb.
Luke 5:7 and they signaled to their partners in the other boat,
for them to come and help them. And they came, and filled both
of the boats, so that they began to sink.
Luke 5:9 For amazement had seized him and all his companions
because of the catch of fish which they had taken;
Luke 22:54 And having arrested Him, they led Him away,
and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but Peter was
following at a distance.
John 18:12 So the Roman cohort and the commander, and the
officers of the Jews, arrested Jesus and bound Him,
Acts 1:16 "Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which
the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who
became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.
Acts 12:3 And when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he
proceeded to arrest Peter also. Now it was during the days of
Unleavened Bread.
Acts 23:27 "When this man was arrested by the Jews and
was about to be slain by them, I came upon them with the troops and
rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman.
Acts 26:21 "For this reason some Jews seized me in the
temple and tried to put me to death.
Philippians 4:3 (note) Indeed, true comrade, I ask you also to help
these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel,
together with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose
names are in the book of life.
James 1:15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth
to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
Gives birth to (5088)
(tikto) means to bring forth and so to be born (of children in
Mt 1:21 speaking of Mary declaring "she will bear a
Son...").
Hebrews 6:7 (note)
uses tikto to describe the earth producing or yielding
vegetation.
A T Robertson writes that
titko is a...
Present active indicative of
tiktō to bring forth as a mother or fruit from seed, old verb,
often in N.T., here only in James. Sin is the union of the will with
lust. See Ps. 7:14 for this same metaphor (see below). (Word
Pictures in the New Testament)
Psalm 7:14 Behold, he
travails (LXX
= odino = feels the pains of childbirth, suffer birth pains) with
wickedness, and he conceives mischief, and brings forth falsehood.
Steven Cole wisely points
out that...
The force of temptation is
that it has a life of its own. James pictures lust and sin as having
the ability to conceive and give birth. While the Bible is strongly
against aborting babies, when lust conceives, we need to abort as soon
as we can! We’ve all seen a tree growing out of a concrete sidewalk,
where it has split the concrete. It began as a tiny seed, falling into
a crack. But that seed had life in it, and the power of that life
produced a tree that broke up the sidewalk. Temptation has that kind
of destructive life in it. Don’t let it take root in your life!
Sin (266)
(hamartia) originally conveyed the idea of missing mark as when
hunting with a bow and arrow then missing or falling short of any
goal, standard, or purpose. See this literal use of similar Hebrew
word in Judges 20:16
(see note).
Sin is missing and falling short of God’s standard of holiness. Sin is
missing the true ultimate purpose God has for each individual. It is
an offense in relation to God with emphasis on guilt.
Trench observes that
hamartia describes
a failing and missing the true
end and scope of our lives, which is God.
MacDonald asks that...
why then do we sin? Here is
the answer: Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin.
Instead of expelling the vile thought, we may encourage, nourish, and
enjoy it. This act of acquiescence is likened to sexual intercourse.
Lust conceives and a hideous baby named SIN is born. Which is another
way of saying that if we think about a forbidden act long enough, we
will eventually do it. The whole process of lust conceiving and
bringing forth sin is vividly illustrated in the incident of David and
Bathsheba (2Sa 11:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6-27). (Ibid)
Hiebert notes that sin
speaks of...
an actual sin of one kind or
another. Its exact identity is immaterial. Each lust gives birth to
its own kind of sin...In New Testament usage, the concept
conveyed is not merely negative; it is a positive act "in which a
person is knowingly disobedient to the perfect will of God, something
to which in a measure at least he gives his consent."
><>><>><>
Pet Sins - For 8 years,
Sally had been the Romero family pet. She was only 1 foot long when
they brought her home. But Sally grew and grew until eventually she
reached a length of 11 feet and weighed 80 pounds.
Then one day Sally, a Burmese python, turned on 15-year-old Derek,
strangling the unsuspecting teenager until he died of suffocation.
Police said that the snake was "quite aggressive, hissing, and
reacting" when they arrived to investigate the young man's death.
Sin is like that snake. When a sin first enters our lives, we think of
it as harmless, almost cute. Yet it doesn't stay small. Sin has a way
of growing. We think we can handle it, but then it begins to handle
us. And it always leads to death—sometimes physical death, and often
emotional death. At other times it leads to the death of a
relationship.
And if sin is not confessed and forsaken, it will bring spiritual
death. That's why James warned us that "sin, when it is full-grown,
brings forth death" (1:15). His purpose in saying that was not to
spoil our fun but to preserve our highest joys.
If you are playing with a pet sin in your life, God urges you to
beware. It's a life-and-death matter. — Haddon W. Robinson
(Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
Just one little sin, what harm
can it do?
But give it free rein and soon there are two,
And then sinful deeds and habits ensue;
So guard well your thoughts or they'll destroy you. —DJD
Toying with sin invites disaster.
AND WHEN SIN IS
ACCOMPLISHED, IT BRINGS FORTH DEATH: he de hamartia apotelestheisa (APPFSN) apokuei
(3SPAI) thanaton: (Genesis 2:17; 3:17, 18, 19; Psalms 9:17;
Romans 5:12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19,20, 21; 6:21,22, 23;
Revelation 20:14,15)
Burdick well remarks that...
The details of the illustration
must not be pressed too far. The author's intention is simply to trace
the results of temptation when one yields to it. The order is evil
desire, sin, death.
(Gaebelein,
F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary 6-Volume New Testament.
Zondervan Publishing)
Sin - Here sin does
have the definite article (the) so that James is now focusing on the
specific act of sin that has just been birthed. This sin is personified as
living and maturing. At this stage, we can still confess and repent,
and if we don't sin will develop until it is fully grown!
John Blanchard has some
pithy remarks on sin noting that...
Sin keeps us from knowing the true
nature of sin....To understand the deceitfulness of sin, compare its
promises and its payments...If sin was not such a pleasure it would
not be such a problem....No sin is to be regarded as small, because
the God who forbids all sin is so great. (The Complete Gathered Gold)
Wiersbe makes the point
that...
It may take years for the sin to
mature, but when it does, the result will be death (cp Nu 32:23, Ps
90:8, Is 3:11). If we will only
believe God’s Word and see this final tragedy, it will encourage us
not to yield to temptation. God has erected this barrier because He
loves us. “Have I any
pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” (Ezek 18:23)
Fully accomplished
(658)
(apoteleo
from apó = intensifies the meaning + teléo
= complete) means to perfect, accomplish or achieve the natural
purpose. It conveys the idea of completeness in parts and function
accompanying full growth as opposed to a rudimentary or incomplete
state. Here in James apoteleo describes personifies sin as "running
its course" and of reaching its goal (the final stage).
Apoteleo is a strong word, implying an ultimate and final
consummation. As alluded to below, if sin is allowed to continue
unabated in one's life without ever exhibiting repentance or
experiencing redemption by Christ the result is eternal and
irrevocable spiritual death.
A T Robertson explains that
apoteleo in this passage...
It does not mean “full-grown”
like teleioō, but rather completeness of parts or functions
as opposed to rudimentary state (Hort) like the winged insect in
contrast with the chrysalis or grub (Plato). The sin at birth is fully
equipped for its career (Ro 6:6-note;
Col 3:5-note).
(Word
Pictures in the New Testament)
Apoteleo is used only one
other time in the NT, in the gospel of Luke where Jesus is speaking...
Luke 13:32 And He said
to them, "Go and tell
that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform (apoteleo in
the
present tense
= continually) cures today and
tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.' (Comment: Here
Jesus uses apoteleo in a literal sense of completing or finishing, in
the context of curing).
Brings forth
(616)
(apekueo
from apo = from, used
with the sense of "to cease from" + kuéo = swell, be pregnant)
means to "cease from" pregnancy and thus literally describes the
birthing process. To bring forth from the womb. To begat, to bear, to
give birth.
Brings forth is in the
present tense
which speaks
of a this bringing forth as the continual expected result of lust that
conceives.
Death (2288)
(thanatos
from thnesko = to die)
refers
literally to physical death and to separation of the soul from the
body. Death in
all its forms is traceable to sin.
Paul described a similar
association of sin and death writing that "the wages of
sin is death" (Ro 6:23-note)
Scripture describes (1) physical
death, in which there is separation of the soul from the body (2)
spiritual death, in which there is separation of the soul from
God and which characterizes the state of every man born for all are
born into Adam (Ro 5:12-note)
and are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1-note)
and lastly (3) eternal death in the Lake of fire (Click this
link for references
in the Revelation), in
which both the body and soul (the self-conscious personality) are separated from God forever and which
is the fate of the every person who dies without receiving Christ as
Savior by grace through faith. And contrary to some false teaching
eternal death is not cessation of existence but rather the loss of
a life of fellowship with God, the blessed state which alone making
life worth living! (See also
Two births, Two Deaths, and Two
Resurrections.)
What does death mean in regard to
believers? Clearly, unconfessed sin in a believer's life results in
"death" in regard to the fellowship or communion with God and
quenching of His Spirit. There is also a loss of blessing (cp Lk
11:28). This "death" can be restored by genuine
confession and repentance. However, if a true believer persists in
sin, the "death" they experience may also be physical death.
For example writing to the church
at Corinth, Paul warned them of taking the cup of communion in
an unholy manner (unclean hands and an impure heart, cp Ps 24:4)
declaring that...
For this reason many among you are
weak and sick, and a number sleep (have died) (1 Cor 11:30)
Persistent, unconfessed sin by a
Christian, especially when hypocritically partaking of the Lord's
Supper, risks serious judgment by the Lord, including physical death!
John has a similar
warning...
If anyone sees his brother
committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for
him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a
sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for
this. (1Jn 5:16)
Comment: He is not talking
about a believer losing their salvation. J Vernon McGee writes
"John is saying that believers can commit a sin for which their
heavenly Father will call them home; that is, He will remove them from
this life physically, perhaps because they are disgracing Him."
MacDonald adds these
comments about how this verse applies to a believer noting that...
in 1 Timothy 5:6 we read that
a believing widow who lives in pleasure (Ed note: Verb
for "lives in pleasure" or "self indulgent" [ESV] = spatalao = to live
a self indulgent life, a life of wanton pleasure, "live in luxury" [present
tense
= continuously, as her lifestyle, not just an occasional "splurge"!]
and used in the
Septuagint (LXX)
translation of Ezek 16:49, where God condemns Sodom because "she
and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food, careless ease, but did
not help the poor and needy") is dead while she lives. This
means that she is wasting her life and utterly failing to fulfill the
purpose for which God saved her (Ed note: She is insensitive to
the things of God and so as regards His purpose for her life is in
effect "dead" and all she "accomplishes" is in a sense "dead works"
and of no eternal value! How sad for this widow who could have been so
productive for the Kingdom of God. She is alive physically but of no
value to the King and His eternal work. Are you a believer and living
in a self indulgent manner? First, make sure you are a genuine
believer [2Cor 13:5] and are not self-deceived! And if you are indeed
a true believer in Jesus Christ, then may you hear what the Spirit is
saying to the churches in these last days - "Repent! Turn around!
Return to the path of righteousness and holiness!" See especially Rev
2:5-note) To be
out of fellowship with God is
for a Christian a form of living death. (Ibid)
Cole comments on 1Ti 5:6 --
This verse sounds a warning to us American Christians. The spirit of
our age is, “I’ve worked hard all my life. I’ve saved up enough to
enjoy myself. Now that I’m retired, I don’t want to be bugged. I’m
going to block out the world and its problems and live for me.” But a
godly person approaching retirement should see it as an opportunity to
be freed up so that he or she can devote more time to serving the
Lord. Real fulfillment is not found in living for pleasure and
self-gratification; that is death. Real fulfillment is found in
living for Christ and serving others for His sake.
Death primarily means
separation and thus when sin is born in one's life that person's
fellowship with God is broken because sin has brought about death and
separation. Beloved, you cannot enjoy fellowship with the
Holy One while succumbing to temptation, sin and death. John
writes that...
If we say that we have fellowship
with Him and yet walk [present
tense =
live continuously, as our lifestyle] in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the
truth (1 John 1:6) (Comment: Notice that truth is not
only something we should believe and teach, but something we are to
practice.)
The Puritan writer John Bunyan
rightly said that...
One leak will sink a ship; and one
sin will destroy a sinner.
Richison writes that...
Our will is influenced by our
desire. Sin is more than a single action; it is the result of a
process. The sequence of lust, deception, choice and disobedience will
produce spiritual death. The earlier we address ourselves in this
process, the easier it will be to overcome sin. Conversely, the longer
we wait in the process the more difficulty we will have in overcoming
the sin.
Steven Cole concludes this
James' discussion of temptation and sin noting that...
James shows that sin is never
stationary. It moves steadily in its course toward its ultimate,
hideous end—death. Sin is like a small crack in a dam
(cp Pr 25:28). At first, it
doesn’t seem threatening. But if it is not repaired quickly, it can
lead to the collapse of the entire dam, causing terrible destruction.
Death (James 1:15) stands in contrast to the crown of life (James 1:12). They are
two totally separate destinies. At first, the two paths may seem like
just a small fork in the road. But follow them out to the end and
you’re in two very different places: life or death.
At the outset, temptation always
promises excitement and fulfillment. It never comes along with the
pitch,
“Would you like to destroy yourself
and your family? Would you like to disgrace the name of your God?”
Rather, it comes on with the
enticement,
“This will be fun! This will meet
your needs. This will get you what you have been looking for. What can
it hurt to try it?”
If you take that bait, you’re on
the course that leads to death. If you do not repent and get back on
the path of righteousness, it may indicate that you never were truly
saved (as with the seed on the rocky or thorny ground).
Someone has said,
“Watch your thoughts, they become
words.
Watch your words, they become
actions.
Watch your actions, they become
habits.
Watch your habits, they become
character.
Watch your character, for it
becomes your destiny.”
Conclusion - I close with four
practical ways to overcome temptation:
(1) Study and know yourself. Know
where you’re vulnerable and devise strategies to protect yourself.
Others may be able to handle situations where you will fall. Don’t go
with them if it is a source of temptation for you. Develop a deep
distrust in yourself that drives you to a desperate clinging to the
Lord.
(2) Avoid tempting situations. If
you are vulnerable to lust, don’t rent videos that are rated R or even
PG-13 because of sex (Ed: Or even PG because of the moral
drift!). Don’t go into bookstores where there is
pornography. Don’t have unaccountable access to the internet (Ed:
Covenant Eyes
is strongly recommended as one of the most fool proof because
it is not a filter but a monitor of every site you go to). If you
do, you’re just pouring gasoline on the fire.
(3) Have a predetermined commitment
to follow Christ and to flee temptation. You have to decide this
before you get into a tempting situation, because when temptation
hits, your emotions and the deception
factor kick in. As we saw in our last study, those who receive the
crown of life love the Lord (James 1:12, cp 2Ti 4:8, Ed: Knowing God
is one of the most powerful impediments to lustful passions - see
1Thes 4:5 - See sermons by John Piper on this vitally important
principle -
This is the Will of God for you -
That you Abstain from Sexual Immorality
and
Battling the Unbelief of Lust). Keep your love for Christ fresh and the
lure of the flesh and the world will not seem so attractive (cp John
3:30, Gal 5:16 - surrender to the Spirit first and your obedience
becomes a strong fortress against the attacks of lust of the flesh).
(4) Keep before you the gruesome
end of temptation -- death. The world glamorizes sin. Movies and
magazines portray beautiful people enjoying illicit sex or living in
selfish luxury as the ultimate in pleasure. Skeletons or rotting
corpses would be a more accurate picture! I’ve counseled with many
that have fallen into adultery, but I’ve yet to find one that is
really happy. But even if they professed to be happy now, they won’t
be when they stand before God!
This is really serious because, as
I said, you won't make it as a Christian if you do not learn to
overcome temptation!
Recognize its source. It does not
come from God, but from your own lusts.
Recognize its force. It dwells
within and it is powerfully deceptive, with a life of its own.
Recognize its course. If you do not
abort it, it leads inevitably, not to life, but to death.
The Puritan Thomas Manton
(Exposition of the Epistle of James [Sovereign Grace Book Club], p.
86) put it this way, “Either sin must die or the sinner.” (James 1:13-15 The
Source, Force, and Course of Temptation)
John MacArthur has some very
helpful notes on the process that one goes through when
confronted with lust...
1. The process of lust
a) Desire
Sin starts with lust (Gk., epithumia, "strong desire"). Desire is
related to emotion. It is a desire to be satisfied by acquiring
something. It may be something you saw in a jewelry store, a car
dealership, a shopping mall, or a real-estate office. You have an
emotional longing to possess what you saw.
b) Deception
Temptation next affects your mind through deception. You begin to
justify and rationalize your right to possess what you desire. Your
mind is deceived into believing that fulfilling your lust will satisfy
you and meet your need.
c) Design
Next your will gets involved plotting how you're going to get what you
want. The Greek word translated "conceived" (sullambano) means "to
grasp together" and refers in a technical sense to a woman's taking
hold of a man's seed, and thereby conceiving a child. When lust, so to
speak, is seduced by the prostitution of that baited hook, it becomes
pregnant in the womb of a person's will.
d) Disobedience
Finally the act of sin occurs. Any child that is born follows a
similar process. First there is a desire between husband and wife to
have a child. That is followed by the decision to do so and the act of
the will in bringing about conception, all of which result in the
birth of the child. Temptation follows that sequence until it results
in sinful behavior.
The Greek word translated "bringeth forth" (tikto) means "to give
birth." Lust gives birth to sin because it influenced the mind to
justify sin, and the mind convinced the will to give birth to sinful
behavior.
Dealing a Deathblow to Sinful Desires
At what point do we deal with sin? Not at the point of behavior--for
that's too late--but at the point of desire. It's the person who is
able to control his emotional responses who is able to deal
effectively with sin. Or, if the person who is being bombarded by
negative emotional responses has a mind that is sanctified, those
desires can deactivated before they can be activated by the will. But
once they capture the will, their birth is inevitable. You must deal
with lustful emotions if you want to effectively deal with sin in your
life. If you expose your emotions to the baited hook, you may find
yourself getting hooked unless you take immediate action.
2. The prevention of lust
So many things in our evil society attempt to work on your emotions:
movies, television, books, music, clothing, advertisments--all the
alluring sights and sounds that attract our attention are designed to
capture the emotion. For example, advertising executives know that
buying is ultimately an emotional decision. Few people know or even
care about the mechanics of a car being advertised, yet they are
impressed by a car that looks like a race car, or by a pretty girl
behind the wheel, or by other kinds of emotional bait that has nothing
to do with how the car functions.
We need to guard our minds, emotions, and wills, "bringing into
captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (2Cor. 10:5-see
note). We
need to seek God's will by meditating on His Word and letting His will
become ours. An unprotected, uncontrolled, and unyielded mind is going
to be filled with evil desires that will result in evil deeds. So we
must control how our emotions and minds respond to the tempting bait
they encounter. That's where sin gets started.
In spite of that, emotional responses can be a wonderful blessing if
they are expressed in a godly manner. Music elicits primarily an
emotional response and Christians have the privilege of receiving and
experiencing the emotional enjoyment that comes from hearing and
producing music that honors God rather than worldly values. But we
cannot continually expose our emotions to that which lures us away
from the things of God without paying the price. And because we can't
always regulate what our emotions are exposed to, it is necessary for
us to have "the mind of Christ" (1Cor 2:16), set "on things above,
not on things on the earth" (Col 3:2-note),
saturated with the "word of Christ" (Col 3:16-note),
and renewed and able to transform us rather than conform us to the
world (Ro 12:2-note).
We need to love the Lord with all our mind (Mark 12:30). If our minds
feed on the Word of God and our emotions are under the Spirit's
control, we're going to stop sin before it ever starts. If we fail in
those areas, we will conceive sin and carry out unrighteous acts. (See
the entire message
James 1:13-17: Whose Fault is our Temptation?)
Related Resource: See John
Piper's Messages on
Sexuality |
|
|
DOWNLOAD
InstaVerse
for free. It is an easy
to install and simple to use Bible Verse pop up tool that allows you to
read cross references
in context and in the
Version you prefer. Only the KJV is free with this download but
you can also download a free copy of
Bible Explorer
which in turn offers
free Bibles
that work with
InstaVerse,
including the excellent, literal translation, the English Standard
Version (ESV). Other popular versions are available for purchase.
When you hold the mouse pointer over a Scripture reference anywhere on
the Web (as well as offline in Word for Windows, email, etc) the passage
pops up immediately.
InstaVerse
can be disabled if the
popups become distractive. This utility really does work and makes it
easy to read the actual passage in context and not just the chapter and
verse reference. |
|