ON THE VANGUARD

ENTICEMENT
“When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”
James 1:13-15

Just recently I was watching Looney Tunes with my kids and saw an episode where, sure enough, in order to have the character run faster they dangled a carrot in front of him. In his attempt to reach out for the carrot, he missed. But he also kept reaching, wanting the carrot desperately. With each step he took the carrot stayed the same distance ahead of him, yet still the character thought that by running faster and faster he could eventually obtain it. I cannot help but think, though, that that is how we look at God at times.
Would it be safe to say that we at times believe He too is dangling a carrot in front of our eyes? Now according to James 1:13, we are told that God does not tempt us for He Himself is not tempted, but does it not feel like that at times? Let’s just be frank and take sex as an example. We hear people say sex is good, yet God tells us to wait till marriage for it. But the waiting can be hard, yes? Trust me, as one who was married and now isn’t, I can vouch for how hard the waiting can be. So is God tempting us by creating something so enjoyable and then placing parameters around it? I dare say no, and here is why. “For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone.”
Still, let us breakdown these words for a full understanding. The beginning portion of James 1:13 reads that when tempted, no one can say it is God tempting them. The word ‘tempted’ in these two uses is the word PEIRAZO in the Greek, and it means to test maliciously or to prove feelings or judgments. Does this sound like our God? Do we know Him as one who maliciously tests us? No! In fact, we read in I Corinthians 10:13 that in moments of temptation He makes a way out for us. So how can we say He is tempting us?
So if God is not tempting us or dangling a carrot in front of us, then how should we determine where temptation is coming from? James answers this for us in saying, “…but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.” We are maliciously tested when we are lured out. In the Greek, the term ‘dragged away’ is EXELKO, and we are given the illustration of a hunter setting a trap for his prey as he lures him out, or even that of a harlot luring her victim. The desire or lust of the one being trapped becomes DELEAZO, the bait used to catch him. This is where the temptation comes from, but also where the death begins.
In looking at James 1:15 we see that the desire we let trap us gives way to sin, which in the end gives way to death. It is because I care about you, that I do not want to see you make this mistake. I do not want you to think it is God tempting you, as this is not a true statement of God’s character. But just as much, I do not want us to fall victim to an enticement that in the end will only be our demise. So where in lies the answer? I feel for that we must look at James 1:16 where we read to not err. In other words, do not PLANAO, do not allow ourselves to be led astray. Do not let ourselves wander or roam aimlessly. I would also venture to say again via I Corinthians 10:13, we must make a point to look for the ways out. Enticements are all around us, but let us not fall into them.