When was the last time you disappointed yourself by giving into
a temptation that harmed you or someone you love?
When was the last time you disappointed yourself by giving into a temptation that harmed you or someone you love? Perhaps understanding how temptation works can help us avoid recycling our same old mistakes. James 1:14-15 describes temptation as a process which has four steps:
Step one in the process is desire. “Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desires …” (vs. 14). Now desire is not bad in itself. God gives us desires that are good: he gives us the desire to eat, drink, sleep, have sex, etc., and there is no inherent sin in these desires. It’s when we abuse them that trouble arises. For example, sex is one of God’s greatest gifts, but when we engage in it in a way that is outside God’s will, it may damage us physically, and it will damage us spiritually, emotionally and relationally (though often we are oblivious to it at the time).
Step two in the process is deception. “Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desires, he is dragged away and enticed …” (vs. 14). Here James uses two terms from the sportsman’s world. “Dragged away” is a hunter’s term which could be literally translated “snared in a trap,” while the word “enticed” is a fisherman’s term which means “lured by bait.” Animals don’t knowingly walk into traps and fish don’t knowingly bite hooks. The idea is to hide the trap and hook. Temptation always carries with it some bait that appeals to our natural desires. The bait not only attracts us, but conceals the fact that if we yield to it we will eventually suffer. Question: what kind of bait works on you? Some of us are suckers for wealth, others for power, still others for pleasure. The crazy thing is that many times we recognize the hook hiding under the bait, but we keep nibbling around the edges anyway (no doubt thinking, like many a fish on ice at the market, that we won’t get caught). That, dear friends, is what being deceived is all about.
And if we can’t see the deception, step three will follow: disobedience. Verse 15: “Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin …” In other words, what begins in your mind results in an action. If you think about something long enough, you will be moved to do it. Can fantasies be dangerous? What’s the harm in imagining yourself in bed with a coworker, neighbor, or your best friend’s mate? After all, you’d never really do anything like that … of course not … so why do you suppose God warns us here in no uncertain terms that improper desires will deceive us and move us to disobedience?
James uses an analogy from childbirth, pointing out that when desire and deception mate, they have a baby: sin … and babies grow. When sin grows up, it, too, has a baby, the 4th step in the process: death. “And sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (vs. 15). Here we finally see the tragic consequences of giving in to evil desires. It may not happen right away, but eventually sin brings devastating results. If Lot had known what would happen to him in Sodom, he would never have went, but the bait (his desire for wealth and power) kept him from seeing the consequences. If David had foreseen the tragic consequences of committing adultery with his neighbor’s wife, he would have never contacted her, but the bait (his lust) blinded him.
How old is this fourfold process? As old as the very first sin: The Serpent told Eve that the fruit was something to be desired. The bait (increased power) made her bite on the hook before considering the consequences of her disobedience. She then told her husband about it, and he, too, took the hook. The result, of course, was sin, which, in turn, gave birth to death. Thus we see the very first victory of temptation over our race. But many more victories have followed.
Are you tired of being conquered by temptation? Next week we’ll look at how we can do the conquering!
