James 1:14

Rather than blaming God we need to recognize that we are responsible when we yield to temptation, not God. There is nothing in God that responds positively to sin, but there is much in us that does.

"Desire (epithymia) does not always have a negative meaning (cf. Luke 22:15; Philippians 1:23), but here, as most often in the New Testament, it refers to fleshly, selfish, illicit desire. While the word often describes specifically sexual passions, the use of the singular here suggests a broader conception." [Note: Douglas J. Moo, The Letter of James, p. 73.]

What practical difference does it make if God tempts us or if He allows us to experience temptation from other sources? Perhaps we can better appreciate the difference if we think of God as our Father. No good earthly father would deliberately seduce his child into sin by trying to make him or her fall. However every good father will deliberately allow his child to enter situations in life in which the child must make moral choices. We realize that sending a child to school or into the community, at the proper age, is good for a child because it matures him or her. Likewise God grows us up by allowing certain experiences to assail us, though He Himself only gives good gifts to His children (James 1:18; Luke 11:13). Similarly a schoolteacher will test his students to help them grow, but he should never tempt them to do evil.