The Caution About Temptation

DON’T BE DECEIVED ABOUT SIN

The truth is, many of us are deceived about sin. Today’s secular academia looks at sin as an archaic concept. In our age of widespread unbelief, with few restraints on behavior and an almost universal cultural acceptance that no real moral absolutes exist, we should not be surprised that many people end up doing “what [is] right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). But while our culture tells us, “If it feels good, do it,” James was cupping his hands to his mouth and calling to us across the centuries, “Do not be deceived!”

We in the Western world have raised a couple of generations who have few, if any, absolutes. Relativism guides their thought processes, so it is increasingly difficult to convince them that sin exists. Consider sex as an example. It is God’s beautiful and special gift to us. However, used wrongly, sex has a destructive and often debilitating effect on those involved. Most people don’t realize that sexual sin is different from all other sin. It is the sole sin a person commits not only against God but against himself or herself as well (1 Corinthians 6:18). Furthermore, our bodies are the temple, the dwelling place, of the Holy Spirit (v. 19). In Old Covenant times, God had a temple for His people. But, in our dispensation of grace, God has a people for His temple. You—your very body—is His dwelling place. Do not be deceived about sin. Keep pure for Him.

DON’T BE DECEIVED ABOUT THE SAVIOR

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). God is the Author of all that is good. He is not the cause of sin or of suffering. So don’t be deceived: anything and everything good comes from God alone.

James spoke of the good and perfect “gifts” that come from above. The value of a gift, however, can be diminished by the way it is given. If someone simply tosses a gift in your direction as though she were simply fulfilling some obligation, that action would take away some of the joy of receiving it. When God gives gifts, He always does so in a loving way.

James reminded us that our “Father of lights” does not change like some shifting shadow. Life may have its shadows, but they are never caused by God’s turning away. Don’t be deceived about the light and love of your Savior, Jesus Christ. There is no “shadow of turning” with Him.

Yes, that phrase appears in the classic hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” Throughout the years, one of my great joys has been repeating hymns of praise to the Father. I suppose this is the stanza I have prayed the most:

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God, my Father;

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;

As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see.

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!^a

DON’T BE DECEIVED ABOUT SALVATION

The only way to have victory over temptation and sin is to know Christ personally. When you confess your sin, accept God’s forgiveness, and acknowledge Jesus as His Son and your Savior and Lord, you receive a new nature, a God-given nature. Remember that the Devil never gives such good gifts. His gifts may look quite enticing, but they have hooks in them. James was calling upon us not to be deceived by the Devil’s bait. God alone offers the good gift of salvation, and He offers it to any and all who ask and receive. Again, “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights” (1:17).

It is important to note that the gift of salvation is “from above.” Jesus called salvation the “new birth” because, among other ways salvation impacts our lives, salvation changes our desires. Salvation causes old things to go away and new things to come into our lives (2 Corinthians 5:17). When I acknowledged my sin, asked God to forgive me, stated my belief in His death and resurrection, and placed my entire trust in Him, He came into my life. Although decades later I am still not the person I want to be, I haven’t been the same since that day. When Christ took up residence in my life, I immediately began to love what I used to hate and hate what I used to love. Things I used to like to do and places I used to like to go held no attraction anymore. And things I never thought I’d like to do—like read a Bible or fellowship in a church—became my new passion. Only God can give a good gift like that.

Maybe you know the song “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree.” It tells the story of a young man going home from prison who wondered if his love wanted him back. He told her of the appointed day of his return and asked that if he was welcome, she would tie a single yellow ribbon on the oak tree in the front yard. If he saw the ribbon, he would go in; if he didn’t, he would start life anew somewhere else. When he came down the street, he saw to his delight “a hundred yellow ribbons” on that oak tree.

Some of us who have wandered off course may, like that young man, want to go back home and begin again. If that’s true for you, know that God has tied His own red ribbon around Calvary’s tree. Know, too, that “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

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