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Historic Christianity vs Calvinism  /  Lecture 5: God's Sovereignty and Human Responsibility  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 6
Finny appeals to James 1 (“Let no one say… I am tempted by God… each one is drawn away by his own desires”)—how would you use James’s logic to respond to the claim that God ordains sinful acts, and what does James 1 reveal about the kind of God Scripture wants you to picture when you face temptation?
Another way to ask: Using James 1, how would you answer the claim that God plans or orders sinful acts? What picture of God does James 1 want you to have when you are being tempted?

Direct Answer Using James 1, Finny would respond that temptation and sin should not be attributed to God: God is not the source of temptation, and the immediate moral source of sin is a person’s own desires. James pushes us to picture God as consistently good—“every good and perfect gift” comes from Him—so blaming God for temptation is called deception.

Support from Transcript:

  • Finny quotes James 1: “Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God… nor does he himself tempt anyone.”
  • James’s causal chain: “each one… is drawn away by his own desires and enticed… desire… gives birth to sin… brings forth death.”
  • Finny says James sounds like he’s “anticipating people attributing evil and temptation and bad things to God,” and warns: “Do not be deceived.”
  • He highlights James’s conclusion about God: “Every good and perfect gift is from above… with whom there is no variation.”
  • Finny’s summary: if you’re “going off into sin, that’s not God who’s ultimately behind that. It’s you.”
Discussion Follow-ups How does James’s “do not be deceived” challenge the habit of excusing sin by saying “God must have wanted this”?

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