1.2.11 Who Tempts Us?

James 1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. Satan is the ultimate – if not direct – source of temptation. God does not tempt. Temptation is not just an enticement to do wrong in exchange for pleasure. The pleasure is a lie because after you’ve sinned you always feel empty, dirty, sick, and there is no pleasure. Most people would call this your conscience. The promise of pleasure was a lie. Duh: it was Satan making you the promise. What else did you expect?

Heb 12:7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? The source of discipline is God. Discipline may seem unpleasant at the time, but the results are good – unlike temptation which is manifested in sin. (Heb 12:11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.)

Tests/trials may be of God, of Satan, or of man. Not necessarily enjoyable themselves, still God uses for good what was intended for evil. We are told to test (prove – KJV) all things and hold onto the good (1 Thess 5:21), so testing can certainly be humanly induced. Testing (proving) is the kind of righteous judgment we are authorized to undertake. Testing by God divides good from bad, like the pruning of Jn 15. Satan is also judgmental, but he’s looking for prey. Unrighteous judgment is a tool, in fact a temptation, he uses to lure us into division.

	DISCIPLINE	TEST/TRIAL	TEMPTATION
FROM	God	God/World/Satan	Satan
RESULT OF	Disobedience / Ignorance	Following God	Pride/Exposure
HOW TO TELL	Fits Crime	Proves Faith	Leads Astray
FEELING	Painful	Challenging	Enticing
RIGHT RESPONSE	Repent	Persevere	Resist
DO NOT	Make light of	Shrink Back	Fall Into
GOD SAYS	We’re sons	His name’s in us	Flesh is weak
ENDS WITH	Fear & Holiness	Death & Glory	Sin or Victory