Dr. Kim Riddlebarger comments on James 1:13-17
Now, it is absolutely vital that we are clear about the fact that while God allows us to go through trials so as to strengthen our faith, God never tempts us to sin. In verses 13-17, James writes,
“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. 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. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
James makes very critical two points in these verses.
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The first is that God does indeed allow trials to come our way.
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The second is that sin arises in us (because we have a sinful nature), not because God somehow tempts us to sin.
What this means in practical terms is simply this: you cannot blame God for your sin no matter how difficult your circumstances. The devil did not make you do it. We sin because sin begins with our own sinful desires, these desires pop into our minds, and then we make a conscious decision to act upon those desires. And our sinful actions earn for us the appropriate wage, death. So, while God allows trials to come our way, God does not “tempt” us to sin. This means that God is not in any sense the author of evil, although God has decreed that evil (which arises in his creatures, not in himself) is part of his grand purpose for human history. On the contrary, says James, God is the giver of every good and perfect gift. God has no sinful desires. God never changes. This is why James says that if we blame God (or someone else) for our own sin, we are self-deceived.
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