Tuesday, August 23, 2005
James 1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. (NIV)
TEST AND TEMPTATION
The verse above clearly says that God doesn't "tempt" people. But there are places where the Bible clearly says that God tests people. Like in Exodus 20:20: "Do not fear; for God has come to test you . . ." (NKJV TM)
How do we make sense of this?
When we examine the scriptures, we find that there are two kinds of tests that are faced in life. One kind of test is meant to make us fail. We call these "temptations." God does not send us tests meant to make us fail. The tests which are meant to make us fail come from the devil, from other people, or from the evil that lives within our own hearts.
The tests that come from God are meant to help us. They are meant to strengthen our faith, and to show the world, through our perseverance, that our God is powerful and trustworthy.
And for our comfort concerning temptation, God assures us that He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. (1 Cor. 10:13) We can be confident that whenever God lays a burden ON us, He has already placed His hands UNDERNEATH us, to bear us up.
