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bigmike

1 Corinthians 10:13 (LSB) 13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
We recently had a question posed regarding temptation, and whether God purposely exposes us to temptation to refine us.
It is a valid question that we can all learn from, so let us address it here and see what God’s word tells us.
Does God tempt us, or does He allow us to be tempted?
This is the first distinction we need to make.
There is a significant difference between being the one who tempts and allowing us to be tempted.
God’s word clearly tells us that God will never tempt anyone. It also states that we should never blame God for our temptations.
James 1:13 (LSB) 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.
Who does the Bible say the tempter is?
We can see clearly who it is when we examine Jesus being tempted in the desert.
Matthew 4:3 (LSB) 3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
It is also important to note that 1 Corinthians 10:13 (above) says that he will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can endure.
The word, “allow”, indicates that God is aware of all temptation we encounter, and that in some circumstances, just as He did with Job, gave His permission for it to happen.
To summarize, based on the verses above, we can determine that God never tempts us. And, in fact, it is the devil who is referred to as “the tempter”.
So, when we are tempted, how or why does it befall us?
We will investigate this tomorrow.
We hope you will join us!
Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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