James 1:13

Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempteth no man:

The purpose of this verse is to take away from men any excuse for their yielding to sin. There is not any need for the commentators to dig up references in the Talmud, or in Wisdom, or in Sirach, or in mythology for something which might have led to James' inclusion of this admonition. The book of Genesis records the fact of Adam's blaming Eve for his sin, with the implied element of blaming God also, "the woman thou gavest me"; and from that day until now, man has loved to blame the Creator for all of his troubles. And yet it is a fact that God allows temptation. Punchard has this regarding God's use of temptation:

Trials and temptations are permitted to strengthen us, if we will, for God's mightier service. Compulsory homage would be worthless to the loving Lord of all; so voluntary must be found instead, and proved, and perfected. Herein is the Christian's conflict, and the secret of God's ways with men.[34]

There are all kinds of ways of shifting the blame to God. After all, did not God create those fleshly appetites which we seek to control; are we not surrounded from the very beginning of life with all kinds of temptations; and did not God make all of these things which tempt me? James' words here were given for the purpose of destroying such fallacious reasoning. Surely, of all the evil doctrines ever advanced by Satan, that of blaming God himself for human transgression must be one of the worst.