GOD IS NOT TO BLAME

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone. JAMES 1:13 Although some believe in the ancient idea that God is responsible for our temptation and sin, James forbids such a thought in today’s verse. James warns against rationalizing our sin and blaming God in the midst of our battle against temptation. When you are fighting temptation and near to yielding, don’t make the excuse that God is tempting you. Assuming that no one would accuse God of directly causing him to sin, James is saying that we should not even think of God as the ultimate cause of our sins. Most people don’t go as far as to see God as the direct tempter, but they do believe God is indirectly to blame by having permitted the situation and the possibility of failure. But God is not the near agency of temptation, nor is He even its remote cause. Don’t ever look at yourself as a victim of God’s providence. John MacArthur, Truth for Today : A Daily Touch of God’s Grace (Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2001), 322.