John Calvin 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, when he is tempted. Here, no doubt, he speaks of another kind of temptation. It is abundantly evident that the external temptations, until now mentioned, are sent to us by God. In this way God tempted Abraham (Genesis 22:1) and daily tempts us; that is, He tries us as to what we are by laying before us an occasion by which our hearts are made known. But to draw out what is hidden in our hearts is a far different thing from inwardly alluring our hearts by wicked lusts.

He then discusses here inward temptations, which are nothing else than the inordinate desires that entice to sin. He justly denies that God is the author of these, because they flow from the corruption of our nature.

This warning is very necessary, for nothing is more common among men than to transfer to another the blame of the evils they commit; and they then especially seem to free themselves when they ascribe it to God Himself. This kind of evasion we constantly imitate, handed down to us as it is from the first man. For this reason, James calls us to confess our own guilt and not to implicate God, as though He compelled us to sin.

But the whole doctrine of Scripture seems to be inconsistent with this passage, for it teaches us that men are blinded by God, are given up to a reprobate mind, and delivered over to filthy and shameful lusts. To this I answer that James was likely induced to deny that we are tempted by God because the ungodly, in order to form an excuse, armed themselves with testimonies of Scripture.

However, there are two things to be noticed here: when Scripture ascribes blindness or hardness of heart to God, it does not attribute to Him the beginning of this blindness, nor does it make Him the author of sin, so as to ascribe to Him the blame. And on these two things only does James dwell.

Scripture asserts that the reprobate are delivered up to depraved lusts. But is it because the Lord depraves or corrupts their hearts? By no means; for their hearts are subjected to depraved lusts because they are already corrupt and vicious.

But since God blinds or hardens, is He not the author or minister of evil? No, but in this manner He punishes sins and renders a just reward to the ungodly who have refused to be ruled by His Spirit (Romans 1:26).

Hence, it follows that the origin of sin is not in God, and no blame can be imputed to Him, as though He took pleasure in evils (Genesis 6:6).

The meaning is that man evades in vain when he attempts to cast the blame of his vices on God, because every evil proceeds from no other fountain than from the wicked lust of man. And the fact really is that we are led astray only because our own inclination leads and impels us.

But that God tempts no one, He proves by this: because He is not tempted with evils. For it is the devil who allures us to sin, because he wholly burns with the mad lust of sinning. But God does not desire what is evil; He is not, therefore, the author of doing evil in us.