Does Temptation Come from God?

Human nature is weak and temptations to wrongdoing are abundant Occasionally we hear, at a church meeting, or elsewhere, some dissatisfied soul complaining that he has been tempted and he is disposed to lay the blame for his condition on the Heavenly Father. Now, God does not tempt any one. He permits us to be placed in positions where, if left to our own resources, we would fail; but he does not tempt us to evil, and if we call for his aid, we will assuredly receive it. It is the evil spirit within us and the evil influences about us that bring us into temptation. In I Cor. 10:13 and James 1:13 it is explicitly stated that while God may permit us to be tested, he is not the tempter, and that he "tempts no man." The withdrawal of the Holy Spirit exposes us to temptations by leaving the heart open to the attack of the tempter; but nothing is more erroneous than to assume that temptation, or the placing of any agent in man's spiritual path which may cause him to fall, comes from God.

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