{"id":47060,"date":"2022-11-28T09:56:11","date_gmt":"2022-11-28T06:56:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/?p=47060"},"modified":"2025-05-23T07:51:21","modified_gmt":"2025-05-23T04:51:21","slug":"god-is-not-tested-by-evil-but-by-good","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2022\/11\/28\/god-is-not-tested-by-evil-but-by-good\/","title":{"rendered":"God Is Not Tested by Evil, But by Good"},"content":{"rendered":"
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James 1:13 (ESV)<\/em>:
\u201cLet no one say when he is tempted, \u2018I am being tempted by God,\u2019 for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This verse clearly teaches that God cannot be tested or tempted by evil. In fact, the opposite is true: God is tested by good. What does this mean? When we do good \u2014 acts of righteousness and obedience to God\u2019s Word \u2014 we are in a sense putting God to the test, expecting Him to bless us for our faithfulness. God, in His covenant faithfulness, must then release His blessings upon us.<\/p>\n

However, if we rebel against God\u2019s Word and seek blessings while engaging in evil, then we are testing God by evil. A prime example is the children of Israel in the wilderness. They demanded miraculous provision from the Lord while simultaneously turning away from Him in their hearts. They became proud, complaining, disrespectful, and shameless before God \u2014 all of which led them into judgment (Hebrews 3:7\u201311, NIV):<\/p>\n

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\u201cToday, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
on the day of testing in the wilderness,
where your ancestors tested and tried me,
though for forty years they saw what I did…
As I swore in my wrath, \u2018They shall never enter my rest.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). The warnings He gave thousands of years ago still stand. He cannot be tempted by evil, but He is tested by good \u2014 meaning, when we offer Him perfect sacrifices according to His Word and with sincere hearts, we are essentially putting God to the test to bless us. This is a righteous testing rooted in faith.<\/p>\n

For example, when you bring God a sacrifice without blemish \u2014 that is, an offering that aligns perfectly with His Word and done with a pure heart \u2014 you are testing God to bless you. Malachi 3:8\u201311 (NIV) says:<\/p>\n

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\u201cWill a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.
But you ask, \u2018How are we robbing you?\u2019
\u2018In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse\u2014your whole nation\u2014because you are robbing me.
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.
Test me in this,\u2019 says the Lord Almighty,
\u2018and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven
and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Any good deeds we perform that align with God\u2019s Word become a \u201ctrap\u201d for Him in the sense that He cannot withhold His blessings from us. These righteous acts draw down His favor and speak to us with His voice of grace.<\/p>\n

But if in your heart you have forsaken the Lord and yet seek His voice through prophets or other means to find out what He says about you, you are testing God in a way that displeases Him, leading to judgment rather than blessing. Ezekiel 14:4\u20138 (NIV) explains:<\/p>\n

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\u201cSay to them, \u2018This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
When anyone of the house of Israel sets up idols in their heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before their face and then comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer them myself according to their many idols,
so that I may seize the house of Israel by their hearts because they have strayed from me…
Therefore say to the house of Israel, \u201cThis is what the Sovereign Lord says:
Repent! Turn away from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!\u201d\u2019
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If a person is unfaithful and rebels against me by setting up idols in their heart, putting wicked stumbling blocks before their faces, and then comes to a prophet, I the Lord will answer them myself.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In summary, God is not tempted or tested by evil; He is tested by our good works \u2014 our faithful obedience and sincere worship according to His Word. When we offer Him genuine sacrifices and righteous living, we place Him in a position to fulfill His promises of blessing. But if we turn away from Him and seek Him with unfaithful hearts or by wrongful means, we bring judgment upon ourselves.<\/p>\n

May the Lord Jesus help us to walk in faithfulness and receive His abundant blessings.<\/p>\n

Maranatha!<\/strong><\/p>\n

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