Temptation: is God testing us with evil?

At the beginning of this article, I would like to look at the topic of temptation, its sources and how to resist it. By temptation, I mean various tricks and designs designed to somehow undermine someone’s faith or bring someone into a state of spiritual inaction or sterility. Therefore, when this article talks about trials, we mean designs aimed at destroying faith, and not trials sent to a person with good intentions to test his abilities and allow him to improve, as, for example, is done by teachers at school or parents in the family. The tests, which will be discussed in this article, are nothing more than traps, set up in order to destroy anyone caught in them.

Why all of the above? To the fact that we are dealing with the following problem: many do not make any distinction between tests sent with good intentions and tests-traps and attribute which are absolutely not a trial from God! Here’s how this point of view is revealed: did someone have a car accident? It is the Lord who is testing him! Is someone being persecuted for their faith? It is the Lord who is testing him! Has anyone fallen into the net of their own lust? Again, it is the Lord who tests him and sends him this kind of temptations! This point of view is completely contrary to the bible, and therefore unacceptable. In addition, it will ultimately dishonor the One who “so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16) and accuses Him of every trial and temptation that come our way. Who needs a relationship with such an allegedly inconsistent God, Who, on the one hand, gives His Son for the sins of people, and on the other hand, tempts the very people whom He seems to love so much with various evil tests? However, not only are such views inconsistent and contradictory, but they are not from God, about whom the Bible clearly says:

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

How many does God tempt by evil? What does the Bible, His Word, say? NO ONE!

Is God Testing His People? Yes, but not by evil. On the contrary, He tests us as a teacher tests students and as parents test a child. Notice how Jesus tests Philip, one of the twelve, in the following situation:

John 6: 5-10
“Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Festival was near. When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there).“

Jesus didn’t ask Philip the question because He didn’t know the answer Himself. The question was asked for the purpose of testing. The Greek word here translated “to test” is translated “to tempt” in almost all other passages. It is obvious, however, that in this case we are not talking about temptation as such, but about a test, about a kind of exam that the teacher, that is, Jesus, arranges for His disciples. He asked them a question not because He Himself did not know the answer, but because He wanted to check if they knew Him! Such a testing is based on good intentions and is not aimed at causing harm. God sends us such tests, similar to those that a teacher can arrange for His students or parents for His child. And, by the way, judging by the answers, neither Philip nor Andrei passed the test.

Source: Искушение: испытывает ли Бог нас злом? (bibletruths.ru)