Jesus teaches His disciples to pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:13) However, the book of James says, “God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.” (James 1:13) If God does not tempt people to sin, why does Jesus instruct Christians to pray that God will not lead them into temptation?

Leading a person to temptation and tempting a person are incredibly different actions. Leading a person into temptation is putting someone in a position where they will be tempted by another. Tempting someone is actively working to convince a person to sin.

At times God does lead people into situations where they will be tempted. In Matthew 4:1 God the Spirit leads Jesus into temptation, “the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” When God created the world, He put Adam and Eve in a place where they would be tempted. God planted the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden. He could have put the forbidden tree on the other side of the world or not created it in the first place. He chose not to do so. God had a good purpose in forbidding that tree and also in putting it near Adam and Eve. God planted the tree knowing Satan would tempt them to eat from it, but God did not deceive Eve or tempt her to eat from the tree.

First Corinthians 10:13 says, “God will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able.” This means God prevents Christians from being tempted beyond their Spirit-enabled capability, and it means He allows Christians to be tempted. Being led into temptation is being brought to the point where another will do the tempting, but leading one into temptation is not the same as actively tempting someone to sin.

Being tempted is not sinful, though there are some things people call temptation which are actually sin. For example, someone may say he is being tempted to have an immoral relationship with someone who is not his spouse. That is not temptation. That is lust and covetousness. Jesus was led into temptation and that was not sinful. Jesus endured intense temptations and that was not sinful. Jesus faced all the same kinds of temptations we face, but He never sinned. God can lead someone to temptation without violating His holiness or compromising His righteousness.

God promises Christians He will provide a way of escape for them out of every temptation.(1 Corinthians 10:13) Though at times He leads them to be tempted, He never abandons them in their time of temptation. He actively works in them during their temptation, and He provides all they need to stand firm against sin. (Ephesians 6:10-13; James 4:7)

Though God directs people into situations where they will be tempted, He is never the one Who tempts. Satan seeks the destruction of people by tempting them into sinning. A person’s own desires tempt the individual by longing for those things which God has forbidden. (James 1:14)

We pray that God will not lead us into temptation because we know our own tendency to sin. We pray to be kept as far from temptation as possible, but we also pray, “Your will be done.” (Matthew 6:10) When Christians are tempted they can be certain God did not permit that temptation out of a desire to harm His children. He permits temptation for their good. God allows Christians to be tempted that they might be strengthened in obedience, confirmed in their faith, and matured in Christ. (Romans 5:3-5; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:6-7)

None should pray for temptation, but Christians should willingly endure it that they might grow in Christ and God be glorified. Whenever the child of God is tempted he can be confident God has permitted the temptation, the temptation is not more than he can bear, and God will always provide the strength to stand against sin. Whenever we are tempted to sin we can be certain God is not tempting us, and He has allowed it for our good.