The average believer would never consider the word joy to be an appropriate descriptive term for temptations. There is a great explanation for this as the average believer experiences little to no victory when tempted. Temptations put a man’s faith on trial. When his faith stands the test, he learns patience. Therefore, he sees temptation as a means by which he can grow in the Lord and add virtues such as patience. It is not that he finds joy in the temptation itself, but that God can and will use that temptation to make him "perfect and entire, wanting nothing" (James 1:4). Believers who fight through and obtain victory find joy in knowing that their faith pleases God (Hebrews 11:6).
Man never sins without willingly doing so. Unfortunately, man’s vocabulary infers that sin is simply an uncontrollable accident or unfortunate mistake. Yet, in reality, we choose to sin. This is extremely obvious when one considers that the Lord promises “a way to escape” during every temptation. It is not that the Lord offers a way to avoid temptation altogether, but He offers help that man “may be able to bear it [the temptation].” Man can never point his finger toward God in an attempt to assign some level of guilt for man’s sins. God always makes a way for man to righteously endure and conquer every type of temptation known to man. The failure to escape from any temptation is not for lack of opportunity to do so.
The context of today’s passage confirms that it involves the temptation to do evil. This shows that the author of the temptation is not God, nor can it ever be Him in this context. The death of the one being tempted is the end result. This is why it is so very important for every believer to achieve a scriptural understanding of the source of his temptation. According to James 1:14, “every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” The first step of any temptation is a drawing away. If a man refuses to be drawn away, he simply cannot be tempted to do wrong. If a man allows himself to be drawn away, the Devil’s next step involves enticement. It is often at this point that the Devil captures his prey leading him into sin.
Discerning the difference between the workings of God and the mischief of Satan sometimes serves as a difficult task for believers. Although the Devil is called the tempter in Matthew 4:3 and 1 Thessalonians 3:5, the Bible also shows that God uses temptation to try a man (Genesis 22:1). Other than the association to instigating temptation, God and Satan have no other common ground in this matter. The Devil’s motive and method of temptation is simply wicked. On the other hand, the Lord tempts only for the sake of trying one’s faith to bring about a righteous outcome. Do not discount the fact that God never tempted anyone with evil (James 1:13).
When a believer considers the Bible’s use of “temptation,” he most often associates its usage to something sinful. Though this may be the scripture’s most common usage of the word, context must always be the determining factor. God undeniably tempted Abraham, yet the temptation was not meant to bring about sin. The temptation served as a test of Abraham’s faith. Basically, temptation functions as a means to try one’s faith. James 1:2-3 clearly offers the connection as it incorporates the words “temptations” and “trying” interchangeably. The author, the purpose, and the circumstances surrounding temptations will vary, but the underlying premise remains constant. Each believer must learn how to discern the specifics when tempted.
The Bible associates several qualities to the truly humble person. The book of James lists a few of these prominent traits as follows. The humble man submits to the will of God (James 4:7). Additionally, he repents of his sins (James 4:8) and mourns over his disobedience (James 4:9). He refuses to speak evil of his brother (James 4:11), but rather chooses to leave judgment to the Lord because He is the righteous Judge (James 4:12). He refuses to boast about what he is doing (James 4:13-16) because he knows that his failure to do right is a sin (James 4:17). Yet, the greatest truth concerning the humble man is not what he does or gives for God, but what God gives to him. The Bible says that God gives grace to the humble and resists the proud (1 Peter 5:5-6). Think about this profound truth. God gives a man what he needs if that man will simply remain humble.
The Bible repeatedly emphasizes that honour follows humility! But how does this work? According to our passage, “whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” Abased means to be brought low, while exalted means to be elevated. Matthew 23:12 and Luke 18:14 reiterate the truth found in Luke 14:11, yet none of the verses expound upon how this takes place. What or who is at work behind the scenes to make this principle true? The answer is found in James 4:10—“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” Man’s finite mind-set leads him to think that the way up is up and the way down is down; but according to the Bible, the opposite is true. The way up (to be exalted) is down (through humility) and the way down (to be abased) is up (self-exaltation). Those who seek to be exalted by others will find themselves frustrated through their own efforts; yet those who seek humility will be exalted by God.
Our previous studies have discussed the Bible's built-in dictionary. Interestingly, the discovery of this method of defining words is not new. In fact, men like King James VI (also known as King James I) commented on God's graciousness concerning His word. He pointed out that the definitions of many Bible words could be found by considering surrounding words. John Eadie explains this in his book: The English Bible, vol. 2, London, Macmillan, 1876, p. 191. Our study in humility is a case in point. The true riches of this word can only be gleaned when one considers some of the words used in close proximity of the word humble (along with its variations). These words include: croucheth (Psalm 10:10), lowly (Proverbs 16:19), boweth down (Isaiah 2:9), bowed down (Isaiah 2:11), brought down (Isaiah 5:15), hewn down (Isaiah 10:33), and abased (Luke 14:11; Luke 18:14). God wants the Bible student to understand the depths and riches of His word and words. In this case, He clearly indicated that humility results from one being brought low.
