Stages Of Sinful Temptation To Death

Steven Garofalo M.A.A., March 14, 2025

All of us experience temptations daily. Whether that is temptation with food, money, power or sex, Satan and our fallen modern world is bent on tempting us in every area, on every level.

Today, we are going to dig into the Book of James, Chapter 1, verses 13-18 in explaining the pedigree of trials-explaining temptation in verses 13-15.

In James 1:1-12, James in the Book of James not only explains, but outlines the “purpose of trials”. Today, we are going to study what James has to say about the mechanics of “temptation(s)”.

GOD DOES NOT TEMPT ANYONE

James makes clear that God himself does not tempt anyone, saying: “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and He himself tempts no one” (James 1:13 ESV). James goes onto write about God as only being able to give good things. This includes the Holy Spirit and the Word of God that is key to the spiritual battle that entails deterring temptation. This begs the question as to “what is temptation?”

TEMPTED DEFINED: For starters, to tempt is to test, try, prove, or solicit to evil. In verse 2 and 12, the same Greek word is used to mean those trials that are designed to prove the quality of one’s character. In verse 13 the word “tempt” means “a solicitation to evil”; and this, James says, is not from God but from man’s own inner lust (v.14). Any attempt at self-excuse is ignorance about God and of the nature of temptation.

LURED AND ENTICED: James 1:14 says, “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire”. The word “LURE” is the same word used for “fishing lure”. We lure fish by placing artificial or live bait on a line with a HOOK to entice, hook, and reel them in. The devil or his angels do the same with us-luring (soliciting) us to evil through our own inner lust. Again, the word picture behind these words is that of the hunter or fisherman (the lustful flesh, secular world or evil spirit) luring his prey (us) from its safe retreat into sinful thinking and/or actions.

THE PROGRESSIVE PATH OF SIN

Verse 15 goes onto explain the progressive path from lure to moral failure in the mind to sinful action, saying: “Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death”. What James is saying here is that there is a progression of sin. As sin festers it eventually grows to the point that can lead to death (like Eve’s temptation in Gen. 3:6-22). In the end, the path starts with our being tempted or lured through our own moral weakness through being enticed by our own desire. Each person has their own weakness trigger-points founded on their fleshly desires. Those desires can include money, power, sex, prestige and many other areas. Either way, it’s by “HIS (our) OWN DESIRE” (v.14). And this process can be broken down into three stages.

THE STAGES OF SIN FROM TEMPTATAION TO DEATH

1)    First, when we fail to flee from sin our desires give birth-becoming fully conceived, suggesting the image of a person’s will bending toward and finally seizing evil.  

2)    Second, in turn those desires give BIRTH to literal “SIN.”

3)    And third, sin when sin is fully grown it can lead to physical death if not dealt with).

SUMMARY

In closing, let’s remember that God tempts no one. Enticement to sin does not come from God. God will never deliberately lead a person to commit sin because that would not only go against His nature, but would be opposed to His purpose, which includes molding His creation into His holy image. That said, God sometimes places His people in adverse circumstances for the purpose of trials and tribulations for the purpose of building godly character (Gen. 22:1, 12).

We must always be on guard and remember that the whole purpose of “LURED” or more explicitly, “DRAWN AWAY ENTICED” is to be drawn away (from God) and enticed by the evil one. Sin does not force itself on the unwilling but is chosen because of its attraction. When James uses the word of “CONCEIVED” sin, it’s the same idea so prevalent in today’s world of the tragic path of an addict: a habit once acquired by an individual in the end completely controls that person. And when sin is fully grown up, it brings its goal to completion. This is the idea that sin has reached its maturity and has possessed the very character of the individual to the point of “death”. And death, while often spoken about in the spiritual context, here it specks specially to physical death (Prov. 10:27; 11:19; Rom. 8:13). And these are the stages of sin that we ought to study and prepare against through our daily living.

Everybody Is An Investor-So What Then? PT2

Steven Garofalo M.A.A.  March 10, 2025

WELCOME to Part2 of Everybody is an investor. In Part One, we looked at what king Solomon said about investing in Ecclesiastes along with other biblical Scriptures as a general template. Today, we are going to look at the Book of James, chapter one, verses 9-12 to gain God’s wisdom regarding what we are to do with the fruits of our investment once God has blessed us with them. Let’s get started.

The Bible makes clear that a person who “IS NOT RICH TOWARD GOD” lives to accumulate and enjoy wealth only to die with nothing permanent or eternal to show for his efforts. This is quite the opposite of what the world will tell you. Godly living-and all that God esteems to be true riches-is eternal. To think of life only in terms of physical riches in terms of physical things is both foolish and fatal because life is not comprised and enhanced even by abundant material possessions but by spiritual and eternal things (James 2:5). If we place God first rather than the accumulation of wealth, then we will use whatever He allows us to have, no matter how little or how much, to glorify Him (1 Corinthians 10:31). Let’s jump in with today’s Truth text.

TODAY’S TRUTH TEXT: JAMES 1:9-12

^“9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, ¹⁰ and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass^[a] he will pass away. ¹¹ For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits”. ¹² Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:9-12 ESV).

BREAKING DOWN JAMES 1:9-12

1)    ⁹ Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation: Lowly probably means “poor”, in contrast to the other man who is rich. The poor believer is to “glory” (“count it all joy” v.2) in the fact that God has exalted him by allowing him to experience difficult circumstances. For these will only perfect his character and faith (v.4). Simply put, we are to increase and personify a character that exalts God and not ourselves in seeing God above ourselves, and even others are greater than us.

2)    ¹⁰ and the rich in his humiliation: The rich believer can also glory when a trial brings him low because it teaches him that life is short (because like a flower of the grass he will pass away.), and that “his pursuits”, that is, his business, will “fade away”. The rich man should always trust the Lord, not himself or his money. What James means by “his humiliation” is that either by losing his money or by being brought through circumstance in order to realize that money means little and is at best transitory. To have humility is to understand that wealth and our investments are temporal, not eternal.

3)    ¹¹ For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. God makes clear here through James that the rich are no different from the beautiful, but temporary, “flowering grass”. James probably had in mind physical death for the rich person, which might come suddenly, even “in the midst of” one’s “pursuits”. At that time, wealth is of no advantage. Simply put, the sun rises the same exact time for the poor, middle class, and the rich. The same is true in the length of time (generally speaking). And like the withering grass, we all grow old if God allows such a blessing and pass into His presence. No amount of money can buy eternal life-only God can grant that to us.

4)    ^“12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Verse 12 hinges upon six key words which are “when he has stood the test”. After having stood the test-crown of life. The crown is eternal life, one of the rewards or prizes for the Christian. 1 Corinthians 3:14 tells us “If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward”. The REWARD spoken about there is ETERNAL SALVATION. It's important to note that salvation is a free gift, but rewards, for those who are saved are earned. Going one extra verse to v.13, the quality of our service (v.13) is the criterion. Rewards are often spoken of as crowns (9:25); 1 Thess. 2:19; 2 Tim. 4:8; James 1:12.

BREAKING DOWN JAMES 1:9-12

1)    ARROGENCE

2)    ⁹ Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation: Lowly probably means “poor”, in contrast to the other man who is rich. The poor believer is to “glory” (“count it all joy” v.2) in the fact that God has exalted him by allowing him to experience difficult circumstances. For these will only perfect his character and faith (v.4).

3)    ¹⁰ and the rich in his humiliation: The rich believer can also glory when a trial brings him low because it teaches him that life is short (because like a flower of the grass he will pass away.), and that “his pursuits”, that is, his business, will “fade away”. The rich man should always trust the Lord, not himself or his money. What James means by “his humiliation” is that either by losing his money or by being brought through circumstance for him to realize that money means little and is at best transitory.

4)    ¹¹ For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. The rich are no different from the beautiful, but temporary, “flowering grass”. James probably had in mind physical death for the rich person, which might come suddenly, even “in the midst of” one’s “pursuits”. At that time, wealth is of no advantage.

5)    ^“12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Verse 12 hinges upon six key words which are “when he has stood the test”. After having stood the test-crown of life. The crown is eternal life, one of the rewards or prizes for the Christian. 1 Corinthians 3:14 tells us “If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward”. The REWARD is SALVATION and salvation is a free gift, but rewards, for those who are saved are earned. Going one extra verse to v.13, the quality of our service (v.13) is the criterion. Rewards are often spoken of as crowns (9:25); 1 Thess. 2:19; 2 Tim. 4:8; James 1:12.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, God powerfully gave us the Book of James, and in chapter one, verses 9-12 He provides us His wisdom regarding what we are to do with the fruits of our investment in light of ALL He has lent to us during our short lifetime.

As such, the Bible makes clear that a person who “IS NOT RICH TOWARD GOD” lives to accumulate and enjoy wealth only to die with nothing permanent or eternal to show for his efforts. This is quite the opposite of what the world will tell you. Remember-to think of life only in terms of physical riches in terms of physical things is both foolish and fatal because life is not comprised and enhanced even by abundant material possessions but by spiritual and eternal things (James 2:5). If we place God first rather than the accumulation of wealth, then we will use whatever He allows us to have, no matter how little or how much, to glorify Him (1 Corinthians 10:31). And this answers the question as to WHAT THEN once God has blessed us regarding our investments.

Everybody Is An Investor PT1

Steven Garofalo M.A.A. March 7, 2025

In 2024, 62% of US adults invested in the stock market, according to Statista. This is a 20 year high. 87% of upper-income, 65% of middle-income, and 25% of lower-income Americans own stocks.

TODAY, through James 1:9-12, I am going to show you how we as Christians are to invest above all other means. Furthermore, we are going to learn what God tells us considering how we are to act and think in relation to the amount, levels and value of our earthly investments.

While a large percentage of people participate, the wealthiest individuals own a disproportionately large share of stocks. According to an article by the BUSINESS INSIDER, written by Jennifer Sor, January 10, 2024, the wealthiest 10% of Americans own 93% of stocks even with market participation at a record high.

·       The richest Americans own the vast majority of the US stock market, according to Fed data.

·       The top 10% of Americans held 93% of all stocks, the highest level ever recorded.

·       Meanwhile, the bottom 50% of Americans held just 1% of all stocks in the third quarter of 2023.

The wealthiest Americans have never owned so much of the stock market, with the top 10% now holding a record 93% of US equities, according to Federal Reserve data. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/wealthiest-10-americans-own-93-033623827.html

ARE CHRISTIANS TO INVEST?

Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 makes clear that monetary investing is good with king Solomon telling us to: “Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. ² Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth. ³ If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie. ⁴ He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. ⁵ As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.”

WHAT IS KING SOLOMON SAYING?

King Solomon is saying that we are invest, and as a wise investor we ought not always be averse to taking some risk, especially when there is genuine possibility of real gain (v.1). The adverse is to become like the lazy sluggard and fail laid in verse four which says, “HE WHO OBSERVES THE WIND WILL NOT SOW, AND HE WHO RAGARDS THE CLOUDS WILL NOT REAP”. In other words, there is a real danger in being overly cautious in light of life and nature’s unpredictability. Investing part of life and the only way to get ahead and have a more rewarding life. Reckless or taking excess risk by the can be bad, especially in your older years. But taking some risk can always be good. Risk to move to a new city, state or country can be good in our older years. In the end, taking some risk to start a business in retirement can be very good for our minds and our financial well-being. Risk at most any time in life is biblical and can be exciting and rewarding.

WARNING-INVESTMENT OF ANOTHER KIND IS MORE IMPORTANT

But then Luke 12:33-34 makes clear that investment of another kind is even more important, saying to: “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

God warns us through Luke what we might do with the fruits of our investments in that you are to “sell what you have”. This contrasts with the world’s hoarding of possessions; the disciple must be generous with what God gives. “MONEY BAGS WHICH DO NOT GROW OLD”: By serving God and others, you can invest in your eternal future. You cannot take possessions with you in the next life, but you can store up an eternal treasure by giving to others. In the end, as verse 34 makes clear, what people consider valuable is WHERE their energy will be spent. Knowing God and investing in His purposes should be where we invest and the TREASURE we seek.

Please allow me to leave you with one thought about today’s investor. In 2024, 62% of US adults invested in the stock market, according to Statista. This is a 20-year high. 87% of upper-income, 65% of middle-income, and 25% of lower-income Americans own stocks. Perhaps the truth is a good portion of that 87% of today’s upper-income investors have been investing a bit too much in the wrong places. Perhaps a good portion of the 65% of middle-income have been investing in the wrong areas of life. And what about the 25% of lower-income Americans who own stocks? Perhaps they are “watching the clouds” (v.4) and not investing enough. Or maybe, just maybe, they are investing properly in God’s kingdom. God’s authentic followers are found across all three classes of income and people. I think the question becomes an issue of where their heart is and where they are with their relationship to Jesus Christ and the biblical teachings. In any case, let’s remember that EVERYONE IS AN INVESTOR. It’s not a matter of IF but WHERE. Let’s choose wisely.