the parable of Luke 8: 13: "They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive

the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of

temptation fall away."  The withering of the burning heat of the sun (Matt. 13: 6;

Mark 4: 5, 6), is likened to "affliction or persecution for the word's sake" (Mark 4: 17).

This being the case, we are prepared to find, and do find, a reference to temptation

similar to that found in Hebrews:

The introduction of the words "approved" and "crown" brings the passage into line

with the epistle to the Hebrews, which also urges the believer to endure and to run with

patience the race set before him, and which more than once speaks of reward for such

James now turns to the aspect of temptation that arises from, and leads to, sin.

If these words be taken literally, we are immediately faced with a problem, for we get

the two contrary statements, "Neither tempteth He any man" (James 1: 13), and "God did

tempt Abraham" (Gen. 22: 1). But this is the case only if the words be taken literally,

for the reader of the Scriptures will probably be aware that throughout the Old and New

Testaments there appears a figure of speech called Ellipsis, or "Omission", and that in

many passages the sense is found by supplying by repetition a word that has already gone

before. If in James 1: 13 we repeat the governing clause, "with evil", all will be clear.

"Let no man say when he is tempted (to do evil things), I am tempted of God; for God

cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man (with evil)". This, however, is

negative; the positive follows, "But every man is tempted (to do evil things) when he is

drawn away of his own lust and enticed" (James 1: 14).

That these two aspects of temptation are in mind in the epistle of James is evident, for

he could not teach, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye shall fall into divers

temptations, and are led away by your own lust, and enticed, bringing forth sin and

ending in death" (James 1: 2, 14, 15), yet such must be the implication of James 1: 2 if

there be no difference between that testing which comes from God, and is associated with

going on unto perfection, and those temptations that spring from our own depravity.

Returning to the positive teaching of James 1: 14 let us note its bearing upon the text,

"He was tempted in all points like as we are". It is one thing for a congregation to stand

and say, "We are all miserable offenders", and quite another for one member to stand and

publicly confess that he is a "thief". In the same way it is one thing to quote the passage

from Heb. 4:, which says that Christ was tempted in all points like as we are, and quite

another to be specific and say that Christ was actually tempted to steal. What is it that

causes the presence of an unprotected pound note to be a temptation to a man? Is it an

outside temptation or is it something within?  It is difficult, without a feeling of