The letter of James to the church is filled with short proverbs. In verses 12 - 15, James is revisiting the concept of being under trials that is found in James 1:1-4. It does not override what he has already stated, rather it extends the understanding of temptation.
Overall, James teaches moral responsibility in verses 12 - 15. There are blessings for those who remain steadfast, but desire is ruinous for those who act upon sinful nature.
We'll also address the seemingly contradictory statements from the gospel, that Jesus is tempted, and verse 13 here which states that God is never tempted. Many critics use this verse as proof of a contradiction that Jesus cannot be God. Therefore, I aim to quickly dismantle this argument and show its toothless bite.
Meaning of James 1:12
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
James 1:12 ESV
This first verse is easy to read and grasp, it requires only a little exegesis. We can summarise the passage as: A person who remains faithful and loving [to God] is rewarded [by God] with a crown of life.
If there is any difficulty in this verse it comes in the form of two points:
What is the crown of life and when do we receive it?
How can we love God and receive said crown of life?
The crown of life is figurative, it points to many verses that speak of God's children as heirs (Galatians 3:29, Titus 3:7, Romans 8:17), we receive an inheritance from God (Colossians 3:24), and when Christ appears we likewise receive crowns of glory (1 Peter 5:4) and righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8).
We should consider the metaphor to mean we will be given eternal life, an imperishable body to glorify God for eternity. These 'crowns' are with us now and not yet; we are to let nobody snatch our promised crowns (Revelation 3:11), but we are awaiting to be crowned on the day of the Lord.
God has promised to those who love him, this sentence affirms that which I have expounded already: eternal life comes by promise and therefore it is already ours, but not yet. However, the question arises as to who can say they love God? Can anyone say that they love God and receive eternal life?
Those who love God are under the covenant of Christ (Hebrews 9:15), for he is heir of the promise to Abraham (Galatians 3:16-29, Genesis 17:1-21) via the promised line of Isaac (Matthew 1:1-17). The promise of the new covenant is eternal life, but without faith it is impossible to please him (Hebrews 11:6).
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Those who love God are those who trust in him to save, not by man's will or works, but by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). They are obedient to his commandments (John 14:21).
We love God, because God first loved us (1 John 4:19). We know God, because we are known by God (Galatians 4:9). We show mercy, because God showed mercy to us (Matthew 5:7, Ephesians 2:4). It is by faith alone we are justified, but by sanctification we grow in love towards God.
Meaning of 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.
James 1:13 ESV
We now move onto a verse that appears, on the surface, problematic to the divinity of Christ. This verse states God is never tempted but elsewhere it is stated that Jesus is tempted (Matthew 4:1, Luke 4:2, Mark 1:13). Does this verse confirm that Jesus was just a man and not God?
We begin by highlighting key arguments that need to be understood:
What is temptation?
Was Jesus tempted?
Is it the same temptation?
Let's start with an acknowledgement that Jesus was in a sense 'tempted'. The three synoptic gospels all say as much (Matthew 4:1, Mark 1:13, Luke 4:2) and it also written: 'who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15).'
In all of these passages, as well as our verse in James, it is the same Ancient Greek verb peirazó, which means to test, attempt, or tempt to sin. Sometimes it is a benign test or attempt to do something (John 6:6; Acts 9:26, 16:7), yet other times the Spirit of the Lord was put to test, leading to spontaneous death (Acts 5:9-10). The verb has a wide range of meaning, which means the context is crucial for interpretation.
Therefore it's worth noting that scripture is clear that God can and often is tested (Psalm 78:18, 78:41, 106:14), and that God tests his people (Judges 7:4, Jeremiah 9:7, Exodus 16:4). The key distinction in our passage is the context 'tempted with evil', which suggests a meaningful consideration to act with evil intent.
In the dialogue between Jesus and Satan, there are three tests:
A test of hunger
A test of providence
A test of his obedience
After Jesus had fasted for forty days, he was hungry (Matthew 4:2). The tempter encourages him to eat, but crucially Satan demands a sign. Jesus refuses and thereby becomes greater than Israel who were tested in the wilderness (Exodus 16:4), but they were humbled by God (Deuteronomy 8:2-3).
The second test includes scripture twisted out of context as a means to have Jesus test the Father's providence. Jesus replies from scripture we shall not put God to the test (Deuteronomy 6:22), a passage referring to when Israel questioned if God really was with them (Exodus 17:2-7).
For the final test, Satan takes Jesus to the mountains and offers kingship if he worships Satan. Satan is not offering a new thing, but he is testing the obedience of Christ. Jesus rebukes Satan and responds from scripture that you shall worship only the Lord and serve no other gods (Deuteronomy 6:13).
Our passage in James wears a different tone. The key distinctions are that Jesus is tempted by Satan, not by God, and that there is no indication that Jesus meaningfully considers evil, he immediately rebukes it. The sense in which Jesus is 'tempted' is a choice was set before him, but not a sense he was appetised by the choice in such a way that he might act with evil intent. If we stretch the definition of temptation to be evil choice put before God means he is tempted, God has been tempted by evil from eternity when he first considered man and their fall.
I have written elsewhere about the Humanity of Christ, and the Deity of Christ. If people foolishly consider this verse as the gotcha moment, there are many other examples such as Christ's hunger, fatigue, birth, and death that all point to his humanity. None of which dismiss the claim that Jesus is fully God and fully man.
Meaning of James 1:14-15
But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
James 1:14-15 ESV
Having clarified that James is not building a case against Christ, it is clear in these following verses what is truly meant; some had a habit of accrediting the allure of their own sinful desire as being a test by God.
The metaphor that desire gives birth to sin highlights the fruitless argument that Christ was tempted. Desire when seized upon leads to sin, an act of evil intent to disobey God. Christ did no such thing. For he did not hesitate to rebuke the devil and obey God, though he was tested, his desire was obedience—even to death on the cross!
Altogether the teaching is this: temptations and trials will come, but like Christ we are to remain steadfast. God never tempts with evil, nevertheless we will face trials. They are from our own sinful desires and encouraged by the one who tempts. But we have a faithful high-priest who intercedes for us, his atoning sacrifice is the propitiation for our sins, and his righteousness is counted to those who believe in him. Persevering in love for God, we are promised the eternal crown of life.
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