James 1:13-27 (KJV)
13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
It is important to note that, while God will test His people, He never tempts them to sin. To be tried (Gk. Dokimos) is to be proved and purified like a metal that is placed into a fire. To be tempted (Gk. Peirazo) is to be tested by being solicited to sin. We find this “proving” done by God to His people many times throughout the Scriptures.
In Exodus 15, we find God leading the nation of Israel to bitter waters which, after Moses had thrown a provided tree into the waters, was made sweet. “There,” scripture tells us, “he made for them a statute and an ordinance and there he proved them.”Again, when giving the children of Israel bread from heaven (manna), God established a certain amount they would be allowed to gather each day in order that He could prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or not (Exodus 16:4). Following the forty years that God led the children of Israel through the wilderness, it is said that God did so in order to “humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or not” (Deut. 8:2).
Later, when angry with the children of Israel for being unfaithful, God told the children of Israel that the nations left after Joshua died would not be driven out from their lands, “that through them I may prove Israel.” (Judges 2:20). God would use the remnant of their enemies as a means to prove the nation of Israel. They would serve as a reminder of their unfaithfulness and hopefully produce a dependence upon God and a devotion to the commandments and purposes of God in their lives.
There is a certain prayer request that we are all uncomfortable praying and it was a prayer that was expressed by King David in the book of Psalms where he asked, “examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.” (26:2). However, in the case of David, the prayer request was prayed with the full certainty of a man who knew that he was favored by God, having walked in the laws of God and, in contrast, had not walked, stood, or partook of fellowship with the actions and mindsets of the wicked. The end goal of being proved is to be approved!
This is the revelation that Job received during his tumultuous trial. Coming to a point where he trusted God, Job declared, “he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined. Nether have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:10-12).
There is no greater joy in life than knowing, when God seeks to prove what is in my heart, that I can rest-assured I will not deviate from the path of righteousness I have promised to always walk. Many times, Paul would speak of those who are acceptable to God and approved (Rom. 14:18; 16:10; II Cor. 10:18; 13:7; II Tim. 2:15). In fact, Paul warned the Corinthian church that there “must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you” (I Cor. 11:19).
Paul was addressing the knowledge of factions that were among those who gathered to worship together. We know from I Corinthians 1:10-12 that the House of Choe had informed Paul of various contentions (differences) among the Corinthian church. There were quite a few contentions among the Corinthian church that went beyond the argument of who had originated as students of Paul, Apollos, Cephas, or Christ. Members of the church came from various cultural, social, and economic backgrounds, as well as, religious backdrops. Thus, differences were inevitable, but Paul was adamant that, while these differences were indeed present and some would result in divisive departures, such things would also make the approved visible.
Once again, while we often think it is convenient to always drive away the enemy or remove those who are in the body that are divisive and full of misleading and misguiding doctrines, it isn’t always God’s plan. Sometimes, allowing things to remain, brings the pure and the righteous to the forefront. Sometimes, allowing the tares to remain, helps ensure an approved harvest is gathered and collected and that none are a casualty of reflex judgments.