Theology Thursday: Does God tempt us?

Welcome to Theology Thursday! Theology is the study of God, his relation to the world, and our relation to him. I hope these newsletters help enhance your faith and deepen your love for God and his people, the church.

Today's question:
Does God tempt us? James 1:13 vs Matthew 5:13

Pastor Brady's thoughts:
James 1:13 says: When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone…

But, famously, when Jesus teaches his followers to pray when he’s preaching the Sermon on the Mount, he asks, “And lead us not into temptation...” (Matthew 5:13).

So, what’s going on here? If God can’t tempt us, why does Jesus pray that he won’t? Isn’t that already decided as an implication of God’s good character?

Here’s how I think we can understand this:

God does not cause temptation, but he does permit testing
The Bible makes a clear distinction between temptation and testing. Temptation is the lure toward sin, which comes from the world, the flesh, and the devil. Testing, on the other hand, is when God allows circumstances to prove and strengthen our faith.

Think of Abraham in Genesis 22. God tested him by asking him to sacrifice Isaac — not to cause sin, but to refine his trust. Or think of Job and Peter, who God allowed to be tested by Satan — not because God desired their failure, but to display the power of steadfast faith under pressure.

In the same way, when we pray “Lead us not into temptation,” we are not accusing God of wanting to trip us up. We’re pleading for his mercy and protection in the testing that life inevitably brings. We’re saying, “Lord, don’t let me be overwhelmed. Don’t let me go down paths where I’m too weak to stand.” And the good news is, God will answer this particular prayer every single time. We know from Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth that there is no test we are destined to fail; God provides an escape from even the strongest temptation:

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. - 1st Corinthians 10:13

“Lead us not into temptation" is a humble recognition that we’re not as strong on our own as we like to think.

When we pray “Lead us…” we’re acknowledging who’s in control
The word “lead” reminds us that we are followers. Every day, we walk through a world filled with what the timeless hymn Amazing Grace calls “toils and snares,” distractions and disappointments that could easily pull our hearts away from God. Jesus taught us to pray, not for a trouble-free life, but for divine direction through the dangers of it.

The psalmist prayed something similar: “Make me know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths” (Psalm 25:4). In other words, “Father, please lead me along the paths of righteousness. Keep me from the detours that lead to sin. May my eyes always be focused on you.”

When we say “Lead us not into temptation,” we are acknowledging that the wrong kind of leadership—following our own desires, following the crowd, or following our enemy, the devil—can lead us into spiritual ruin. So this line in the Lord’s Prayer is a daily confession of dependence. It’s saying, “God, if I followed my own compass, I’d walk straight off a cliff. Show me a better way.”

Temptation kills
It can be…tempting - ha - to think that temptation is not that big of a deal. We can give in on some of the little ones, some of the fun ones, and resist the big ones, and we’ll be ok. When we’re honest, though, we know our own experience agrees with the Bible that this is no good.
 
So, why should we allow the Holy Spirit to help us avoid temptation? I already quoted James 1:13 above, but here’s the full thought from that section of James:

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. - James 1:13-15

Temptation leads to sin which leads to death. Spiritual death; the worst kind.
 
David, in Psalm 141:4, petitions God in a similar way: “Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers; do not let me eat their delicacies.” He wants to, sometimes, but he knows it’s bad for him and bad for everyone around him.

That’s true for us, too.
 
The flesh is weak
Jesus knew the weakness of the human condition better than anyone. In the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before his crucifixion, he warned his disciples: “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).

That’s the same idea as “Lead us not into temptation.” Jesus isn’t saying God might lead us into sin; he’s saying our hearts are fragile enough to fall if God does not uphold us. Temptation is not just an external force — it’s an internal vulnerability. When we pray this line, we’re recognizing our frailty and asking for God’s grace to keep us upright. We’re praying for spiritual discernment, for strength to resist what’s wrong, and for wisdom to flee from whatever draws us away from Christ.

“But deliver us from evil”
Or, depending on your translation, “deliver us from the evil one.” Jesus pairs these two ideas intentionally. The first line is preventive — “Don’t let me be led into temptation.” The second is defensive — “Rescue me when I am under attack.”

Together, they express a complete posture of spiritual humility. We’re asking God both to guard our steps and to save us when the battle is on.

It’s not a fearful prayer, but a faithful one. It recognizes that life is spiritual warfare, and we are not equipped to win it without the Father’s hand guiding us.

God is our deliverer, and when we seek his power to conquer sin, he gives it to us.
 
One more thing
It didn’t hit me until reading through the Lord’s Prayer to write this Theology Thursday, but one of the beautiful parts of Jesus’ teaching here is that this isn’t a “do what I say, not what I do” situation. Jesus walked the walk. He not only told us to pray this way - he lived it. Christ himself faced temptation in the wilderness, famished from weeks of fasting, when Satan showed up and offered him food, power, relief - if only Jesus would forsake God and worship God’s enemy instead.

Jesus, of course, despite his wearied and weakened state, stood firm and refused. He overcame what we could not, so that his victory could become ours.  
 
When we pray these words in his name, we are not just asking for protection — we are aligning our hearts with His obedience.

…Little ones to him belong; they are weak, but he is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me…
 
TO KNOW GOD AND TO MAKE HIM KNOWN!
- Pastor Brady

Have a question for Theology Thursday? Send an email to office@minierchristian.org and we'll respond, or we'll include in a future Theology Thursday Buffet.