Charles Spurgeon Commentary James 1:13

"Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempteth no man:" — James 1:13 (ASV)

Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

God tests men, but the motive of a trial is what distinguishes it from a temptation. In a temptation, we test a man with the aim of inducing him to do wrong; but God tests men to prove them, so that they may, by discovering their weakness, be saved from doing wrong. He never inclines a heart to evil. While he does all things, and is in all things, yet not in such a way that he himself does evil, or can be charged with it.

Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.

That is to say, if God permits or sends temptation to any man, it is not an inducement to sin. In that sense, God tempts no man.

Those temptations which are said to come from God are trials or tests. In that sense, God does tempt all his people, even as it is written, God did tempt (or, prove) Abraham. He tries and tests them, so that they may see, and so that he may see, whether their faith and their profession are genuine or not, even as the Angel of the Lord said to Abraham, after the trial of his faith, Now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

For when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God:

That would be nonsense, and falsehood. When a man is seduced to evil, when evil casts its attractive spell over him, let him not blame God.