God gives/allows us contrary circumstances, an illness, a rude person, an "unmet need", some imminent threat, some alluring thing. We are tested with these things. If we are enticed to do something apart from God, outside of our faith in Jesus, that is the temptation that leads to sin. We can still deny that, denying our flesh, and not sin. When we are not enticed, it shows the work God has done inside us, reforming us into the image of Christ.James uses the same word yet he himself shows us of the two meanings . ONE is the temptations of the flesh
and the other is the trials by which we suffer for His name sake .
One is done by our own flesh and seduces us to entertain evil
the other is simply brought on to cause us to suffer in the flesh and draw us only closer to GOD .
ONE the flesh willing embraces and it actually causes , the other the flesh hates and would run from
Perhaps that crude way of how i explained it might help . BUT I DO notice the same word used yet it
means two different things . AN example is , REMEMBER that JAMES Wrote and said , WHEN We are tempted
IT IS NOT BY GOD BUT BY THE FLESH
YET in another place it says GOD TEMPTED abraham . YET Look at how abraham was tempted , IT WAS A TESTING OF THE FAITH
YET james uses it to show us the evils of the flesh . SO THERE IS TWO DIFFERENT meanings implied
WE JUST have to be able to discern the difference between the two . AND WE CAN if we read the WHOLE explanation .
The test shows us true. If we fail the test, it shows our need.
Much love!
Edit to add . . . I guess I said what I said before . . . not trying to be repetative, but you're words seem to always get my mind working!
<3