The Devil Made Me Do It!

​James 1
 
James, the brother of Jesus, continuously focuses us on how we should express our faith practically in his Letter; faith and works in interdependent tandem. One of the issues that he takes believers to task is the responsibility for sin. Few take seriously our propensity for sin and as a result, it is often relegated to our subconscious. Hence, self is often regarded as righteous, and sin is almost always attributable to the other. This defensive posture inures us towards making excuses for it when it rears its ugly head. However, given God’s inviolable holiness, James instructs us on the operational elements of sin and the responsibility for it. 
 
The birthing of sin entails a developmental process that has a beginning and an inevitable devastating end. According to James, to imagine that its fruition is a sudden overnight event is psychologically self-deluding (Jas 1:14-16). In fact, the foundation for sin is laid well before any temptation surfaces (Rom 7:7-12), but despite our inherent sinfulness, we have a clear choice when temptation arrives at our doorstep, since to be tempted does not imply a predictable follow through into sinning. Our perspective, determined by the depth of our grounding in Christ and love for Him, will decide how we respond to our initial desires when tempted, and it is here that the encounter is either won or lost (Rom 6:12-23). 
 
It seems superfluous to attribute to God our own fall, but man has an appalling history of allocating blame to other than self, beginning with Adam (Gen 3:12). James, however, informs us that sinning is an intentional process when our desires interface with the presenting temptations, and that blaming God do not detract sinning as our responsibility, as he unequivocally states that God does not tempt (Jam 1:13-16). Although our adversary, the devil, is adamant in his plans to trip us out by offering us the forbidden fruit of our own self-centered desires, blaming him or anyone else becomes illogical when we become the victims of our own cravings. However, God will not allow those who love Him to be tempted beyond their capacity to endure, not unlike Job, and will provide a way of escape for them, as they express their faith in Him (1 Cor 10:13). In a similar vein, James addresses the issue of God allowing various trials to come alongside His people to strengthen their faith and endurance, wisdom and humility (Jam 1:2-11).
 
What would be the outcome if we are enticed by our lust, and give way to sin? Sinning is always a matter of an intentional choice, and the option is always available to renege, repent, and step back into faith. The alternative is its cultivation, encouragement, and participation, till it becomes an addiction or a way of life, with its resulting estrangement from God and men, and the eventual consequence of death (Jam 1:15; it literally means physical death). It is therefore important to keep close to God in obedience, and when temptations do emerge, sometimes it is best to just flee from it (2 Tim 2:22), or to deny it its power by drawing near to our Lord Jesus. What constitutes ‘nearness’ would depend on our ongoing palpable relationship with the Almighty. God has assured us that His Spirit would help us in our weakness as He intercedes for us, as He has predestined us to become conformed to the image of His Son (Rom 8:26-30).