by Tom Cairns

Created on: January 07, 2007   Last Updated: September 17, 2010

I have often heard it said that God does not tempt people. Others may argue that point. They may reason that God created all things, even us, and that he is in control of everything; especially those things that impact our lives. One of the things that impacts all of our lives is temptation, and lots of it. If God is in control of all things, and I am tempted, God must be tempting me. So goes the argument.

Whether or not God tempts man is a topic clearly discussed in scripture. Anyone with a copy of the Bible and an interest in the subject can easily settle the question for themselves by reading what it has to say on the subject.

Less clear, is the answer to another question: Can God be tempted? If the answer is yes, does that mean he is capable of sin? We teach that God cannot sin. If God cannot sin, can he truly be tempted? I have yet to be tempted to do something I am incapable of. I've never been tempted to levitate above the kitchen table during dinner. I've never been tempted speak Bulgarian at inopportune times. I am incapable of levitating or speaking Bulgarian. If God cannot sin, can he be tempted to sin?

The scriptures teach that Jesus is God, and that he was tempted. Could Jesus have sinned?

We know that God cannot lie, and God foretold through the prophets that the Messiah Jesus would come, and conquer sin and death. Jesus could not conquer sin if he himself sinned. Since God cannot lie, Jesus must conquer. If he must conquer, he cannot sin. Yet the scriptures say that he was tempted in every way, just like the rest of us.

Did Jesus have the prerogative to do as he pleased, or was he bound to the prophecies? How about the rest of us? Are we able to do as we please? The scriptures teach that God is in control of everything, from beginning to end. They also teach that he is never the author of sin. The world is full of sin. So God is in complete control of a world that appears to be out of control. It seems to strain our tolerance for the bending of definitions to say that God's will is for men not to do his will. Do we have a contradiction? Have we reached an impasse?

It is true that God is in control, or else God is not God. It is also true that God is never the author of sin, or else the scriptures cannot be trusted. It is true that all men are full of sin. Therefore, God, who is never causes sin, is in complete control of a world full of sin. How can this be?

There must be room for mystery in theology. The God who made everything does not fit easily into little boxes we make for him in our minds. He does not bend and mold himself into easily managed concepts for our convenience.

God, in his sovereignty, ordained that even the free will of men would fall under the umbrella of his control. Our will is ours. God has ordained that it should be so, and so it is. We are free to do as we will. We are free to sin. And this free choice takes place within the bounds of God's control, yet he makes no one sin.

We do not surrender our free will to satisfy the requirements of the providence of God. Nor does God surrender any of his control in order to grant us free will. These two realities are not at odds. They do not work against each other. And, I might add, this is impossible to understand. We can know the reality, but not the mechanism by which it is accomplished. And that too, is God's will.

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