In Christian theology, God is never understood as the origin of evil. James rules that out in no uncertain terms: “No one, when tempted, should say, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one” (1:13). Human beings often project our own cruel or foolish inclinations onto God, imagining that God, like us, sometimes lures others into sin just for the fun or meanness of it. But the God we see in Jesus Christ isn’t like that.
