What God can’t do – Part 3

Contrary to the common belief that Christians think God can do anything, there are three things that the Bible says God cannot do. We saw in Part 1 that God cannot lie, and then in Part 2 that God cannot deny Himself. Both these facts are encouraging as it assures us that God’s promises to us will be fulfilled, and that, because His good character will never change, those promises will be for our good.

The third thing that the Bible says God cannot do is found in the book of James, a letter written to the early Jewish Christians by the brother of the Lord Jesus. He states that:

“God cannot be tempted with evil” (James 1:13)

What is it about this fact which is so encouraging? In part, it helps us to remember that the all-powerful God who oversees all aspects of our lives, is a good God. He will not suddenly act in a way that will harm us, simply because He has been tempted to do so – rather, we can be assured that no matter what the devil may suggest to Him regarding us, it will not alter His good intentions towards us:

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Unlike us, God is not tempted by false promises or evil desires, and this means that we can rest entirely secure in His good promises, as nothing but good will ever be able to influence His plans for us.

But there is another reason why this is encouraging. Even after God has saved us and we are trusting in Him, Christians know that they can still be tempted with evil, even though they don’t want to be (Romans 7:19). The Apostle Paul tells us that this is because when someone puts their trust in the Lord Jesus, they receive a new nature, which hates sin, but until we go to Heaven to be with the Lord, we still have our old nature. It is this old nature which causes us to be tempted by evil, and the Christian life is a constant battle between the two natures. But God also tells us that:

“when He is revealed, we shall be like Him”. (1 John 3:2)

So even though we have to constantly battle down here on earth, we can know that a day will come when the old nature will be gone completely, and we shall be made to have a character like that of the Lord Jesus. What a marvellous thought!

So, for Christians, the fact that God cannot be tempted with evil is extremely comforting. If you’re reading this and you haven’t yet made that decision to trust the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, know that these truths will be for you too when you make that decision. God has promised that, and He cannot lie. He has promised good and He cannot deny Himself. He will make us like Himself, and He cannot be tempted with evil. Do not delay in putting your trust in Him – He will never disappoint!