James 1:13 No one, when tempted, should say, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one.
I'll be honest: James is not one of my favorite books of the Bible: guess I'm a Lutheran. As such, I'm not as familiar with it as I am with others. I'd forgotten about this little nugget until writing this devotion and using the daily lectionary we use. I love it.
This is one of my biggest theological pet peeves: when people say "God is tempting me" or "God is testing my faith." I understand it's a way for folks to understand hard times or difficult things that are happening in their lives. But the consequences of that belief are not healthy spiritually. If we believe God tempts us, then how does that jive with our more over-arching belief in a loving and gracious and merciful God? Would the same God who stands ready to forgive any sin then tempt us into sin? Doesn't make any sense.
We experience temptations and sin and brokenness not because God sends it to us. We experience those things precisely as a consequence of our separation from God. We are tempted because we are separated spiritually from God. God resists temptation with us. God forgives our sin. That's God's role in the equation: not tempter, but forgiver.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
This weekend brings to an end our summer worship schedule: 5 pm on Saturday and 9 am on Sunday. Visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org for full calendar and newsletter
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