What does "God cannot be tempted by evil" reveal about His nature? God’s Immutable Purity • James 1:13: “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone.” • “Cannot” shows absolute impossibility—no circumstance can draw God toward sin. • Purity is not merely what God does; it is who He is (Exodus 34:6–7). A Nature Totally Insulated from Evil • No inner desire for wrong: evil offers nothing attractive to Him. • No external pressure can sway Him: He is self‐sufficient (Acts 17:25). • Unlike humans who are “dragged away by their own desires” (James 1:14), God has no conflicting impulses. Absolute Holiness Affirmed Across Scripture • 1 John 1:5 — “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” • Habakkuk 1:13 — “Your eyes are too pure to behold evil; You cannot look on wrongdoing.” • Psalm 5:4 — “For You are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil cannot dwell with You.” • Deuteronomy 32:4 — “He is the Rock; His work is perfect, for all His ways are just.” Immutability: Purity that Never Changes • James 1:17 — “With whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” • Malachi 3:6 — “I, the LORD, do not change.” • Eternally, God’s moral character remains flawless; He is never at risk of moral decay. Sovereign over Temptation, Never the Source • God tests for growth (Genesis 22:1; 1 Peter 1:6-7) but never entices to sin. • 1 Corinthians 10:13 — He provides “a way of escape” in every temptation. • Evil originates from Satan (Matthew 4:1) and human hearts (Mark 7:21-23), not from God. Christ: The Holy One in Human Flesh • Hebrews 4:15 — Jesus “has been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet was without sin.” • His victory demonstrates that even in humanity, God’s holiness remains untainted. Implications for Believers Today • Unshakable trust: a God who cannot be tempted will never betray righteousness. • Steadfast refuge: His goodness is not situational; it is intrinsic. • Clear accountability: blame for sin rests on human choice, not on God. • Motivation for holiness: “Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). God’s inability to be tempted unveils a perfectly pure, unchanging, sovereign, and trustworthy nature—an anchor for faith and a call to live in alignment with His flawless character. |
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