A faith untested is a faith that cannot be
trusted. But a faith that is tested true is trustworthy. Faith is like a
muscle; in order to grow strong, it must be worked. James writes about the
training that God uses to strengthen tests our faith until it is true and in
line what He intends and requires it to be. And then James pains a practical
picture of what such faith that is tested true looks like.
In the Word for Today Bible introduction to
this epistle Pastor Chuck Smith states the following:
James is perhaps the most practical
book in the New Testament. Although it contains some important doctrinal teachings, it is mainly practical
advice on how to live the Christian life.
This book addresses the prejudices that we are so prone to hold. It addresses issues about money, the
tongue, pride, strife, and so many other practical issues we face on a daily basis. James
communicates that the Christian life should not just be a belief system and philosophy to
which we give mental assent; rather it is a way of life. It is something to be believed and acted upon. .
. . If our faith doesn't result in evidence of a changed life, then that faith is dead. Fruit follows faith;
obedience follows belief. [1]
It's
good to read through a portion of scripture a few times in order to get an
overview of it and see the context clearly.
A detailed outline of the Faith
Tested True found in the epistle of James could be as follows:
I.
Why is Faith Tested? To
make it Trustworthy – 1:1-8
A.
The one providing
testimony – 1:1
1.
James is the author of
this epistle – 1:1a
2.
James is a
“bondservant” – 1:1b
3.
James is a bondservant
who serves “God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” – 1:1c
4.
James writes his
testimony to the diaspora – 1:1d
B.
The Purpose of Testing
– 1:2-8
1.
Trials are God’s means
of testing faith – 1:2
a.
The good testing
trials does to faith should cause us to be joyful 1:2a
b.
Trials that test take
“various” forms – 1:2b
2.
Testing trials produce
patience – 1:3
3.
Testing trials produce
Trustworthy faith when we patiently
allow them to work – 1:4
4.
Wisdom for how testing
trials produce spiritual maturity should be sought for from God – 1:5-8
a.
If you lack wisdom ask
God for it – 1:5a
b.
God gives wisdom
liberally – 1:5b
c.
God gives wisdom
“without reproach” – He won’t chastise you for asking for wisdom – 1:5c
d.
Ask God for wisdom and
it will be given – 1:5d
e.
Ask God “in faith” for
wisdom – 1:6
i.
Ask in faith – 1:6a
ii.
Ask without doubting –
1:6b
1.
To doubt is to be
unstable like wave of the sea – 1:6c
f.
Asking God anything
faithlessly with a “double-mind” results in unfulfilled requests – 1:7-8
II.
What does a Tested
True Faith Look Like? Examples of Trustworthy Faith – 1:9 – 5:6
A. Trustworthy Faith has a
proper perspective on worldly wealth – 1:9-11
B. Trustworthy Faith
endures temptation successfully – 1:12-15
C. Trustworthy Faith knows
every good and perfect gift in life comes from God 1:16-18
D. Trustworthy Faith is
self-controlled – 1:19-20
E. Trustworthy Faith
obediently applies the word of God in life – 1:21-25
F. Trustworthy Faith has pure and undefiled
religion – 1:26-27
G. Trustworthy Faith is
fair to all and unprejudiced – 2:2:1-13
H. Trustworthy Faith is
evidenced in tangible works – 2:14-26
I. Trustworthy Faith controls its words – 3:1-12
J. Trustworthy Faith relies
on heavenly wisdom – 3:13-18
K. Trustworthy Faith is not
proud or self-centered – 4:1-6
L. Trustworthy Faith
submits to God and resists the devil – 4:7 – 5:6
1. Trustworthy
Faith is submissive to God – 4:7a
2. Trustworthy
Faith resists the devil – 4:7b-10
a.
Trustworthy Faith draws near to God – 4:8a
b. Trustworthy
Faith cleanses outward works – 4:8b
c. Trustworthy
Faith purifies its heart inwardly – 4:8c
d. Trustworthy
Faith is genuinely remorseful for sin – 4:9
e. Trustworthy
Faith humbles itself before God – 4:10
3. Trustworthy
Faith doesn’t speak evil of others – 4:11-12
4. Trustworthy
Faith relies on God’s will for each day – 4:13-16
5. Trustworthy
Faith acts on opportunities to do good – 4:17
6. Trustworthy
Faith isn’t riches oriented – 5:1-6
III.
Trustworthy Faith is
Triumphant Faith – 5:7-20
A. Trustworthy Faith is
triumphant faith because it patiently waits for Jesus’ return – 5:7-12
B. Trustworthy Faith is
triumphant faith because it is prayerful – 5:13-18
C. Trustworthy Faith is
triumphant faith because it holds others of faith accountable – 5:19-20
James 1 (NKJV)
James, a bondservant of God
and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad:
Greetings.
Who Was James? James was the half brother of Jesus (Matthew 4:21). It's
interesting that James doesn't name drop that he and Jesus were family. If you
or I grew up in the same household as Jesus we might introduce ourselves in
association with Jesus in order to give authority to our writing or to impress
others. But James introduces himself in connection with Jesus in the most
humble way. Living in the same household as Jesus growing up and seeing
firsthand the sinless holy life of his half brother must have been impressive
as well as humbling. He may have at first resisted the reality of who Jesus was
because of sibling rivalry. But when Jesus went to the cross and then rose from
the dead it must have put all such rivalries to bed.
James was also one of the main
leaders in the early church (Acts 12:17; 15:13-29; 21:17-18). He accepted Jesus
as his Savior after Jesus rose from the dead (1 Cor. 15:7). And having been
born again through faith in Jesus he set out to serve His Lord Jesus. James
didn't coast on the coattails of His half brother. It seems to have been quite
the opposite. James fervently served Jesus by faith and eventually gave his
life for His Savior.
James describes himself as a “bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” in 1:1. A "bondservant" (Greek doulos ) is a slave or servant. The
"bond" part of this compound word is distinguished by the translators
to express that this servant was a servant
by choice. In the Old Testament captives of war were often forced into
slavery by the dominant nation. But there was more prevalently a system of
indentured servitude. A person could pay off a debt by putting themselves into
a slave position to the one they owed their debt to. The "bond" part
of servant came into play when one who had served a master, after a certain
amount of time, was given a choice to be free but chose to remain a servant to
their master. This would happen when a good relationship was developed between
the servant and master. The servant would commit to remain a servant for life.
The Master would commit to provide for and protect the servant for life. This
decision was rooted in love (cf. Exodus 21:5-6). The two decided to permanently
bond to one another.
Here James is identifying himself as a "bondservant of God and of the Lord
Jesus Christ" by choice or by
faith. No one had forced James to be a bondservant of his half brother
Jesus. James chose to be a
bondservant of Jesus. To be a servant is to be in subjection to a master. To be
a servant also meant one would depend on the master for their needs. James is
identifying himself as subservient to and in obedient subjection to God and Jesus. That James has taken this
position to his half brother Jesus is an affirmation of Who Jesus is, "the Lord." That he mentions
"God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" is a clear equating of Jesus an
equal to God. James asserts the deity of his half brother Jesus.
"To the twelve tribes
which are scattered abroad: Greetings." There were "twelve tribes" of
Israel (see Genesis 49 and Revelation 7). The “Twelve Tribes” here
likely refer to those who came from the Twelve Tribes of Israel and who had
accepted Jesus as their Savior. Some of the Twelve Tribes (or Jewish people)
were persecuted for their Jewish belief. The Twelve Tribe members written to by
James in this letter were persecuted because they believed in Jesus and "are scattered" (Greek diaspora) or were forced to leave their
homes. They were persecuted by other Jews who did not believe in Jesus (see
Acts 4; 8:1-3) and by Romans who didn’t like the disruptions their preaching
the gospel of Jesus caused. The Romans who had a polytheistic system of belief
which included emperor worship viewed the monotheistic Christians as
"atheists." For these reasons Christians were frequently the target
of severe merciless persecution. It is to these persecuted people that James
writes this letter.
And persecution is a very relevant issue for Christians
today as the following article indicates:
Christian Persecution
Reaches Global Historic High, Thanks to Rise of Radical Islam
by
Donna Rachel
Edmunds - 14 Jan 2016
More than 100 million Christians are
being persecuted globally, according to the 2016 Open
Doors World Watch List, and
more than 80 percent of that persecution is down to religious fundamentalism of some kind.
At least 7,000 Christians have been
killed for their faith in the last year alone, up from 4,000 in 2014, the report notes. But it admits that the figure
is likely to be a significant underestimate
as it does not include murders in Iraq, Syria and North Korea, where violent persecution of Christians has
become the norm, as accurate records do not exist in those countries.
North Korea, where citizens are
required to revere their leader, remains the most dangerous place on earth to be a Christian. It is estimated that
around 70,000 Christians are
currently imprisoned in labour camps, while others who worship in secret risk
death if they are discovered.
An Open Doors partner working with
twelve families in North Korea reported: “They have
only one Bible in the whole group, and each family must take turns to borrow
it. They hide the Bible in a secret
place. Once a month, three families get together and worship together; once a year all believers get together in
a mountain valley to worship and have
secret fellowship.”
However, it is in sub-Saharan Africa
where the greatest numbers of Christians are killed for their faith, thanks to the rapid rise of radical Islam. In
Nigeria, where Boko Haram is carrying
out the systematic slaughter of Christians, more than 4,000 Christians have
been killed in the last year, and
displaced a further 2.1 million people internally. At least 198 church buildings were also targeted.
The report tracks the persecution of
Christians in five different areas: private life, family life, community life, national life and church
life, as well as covering violence such as rapes,
killings and church burnings.
Director of Research Dr. Ronald
Boyd-MacMillan explains: “It is possible for persecution
to be so intense in all areas of life that Christians fear to witness at all,
and so you may find very low
levels of violence as a result since incidents of persecution often result from acts of witness.”
The countries that show where this
squeeze was most intensive were Somalia, North Korea,
Eritrea, Afghanistan, Maldives, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Syria; in
all of these (excluding North Korea)
radical Islam is on the rise.
One church leader from Syria told
the authors: “This morning my village was attacked for the third time within a year.
“Either we take up arms and fight,
knowing we may die, or we flee, knowing we may never
return.”
Another Syrian church leader told an
international Christian conference “Don’t make it easy for us to leave, because we want to show we are part of the
silent majority in the Middle East
who wants peace.”
The highest levels of violence
directed against Christians were in Nigeria, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Myanmar, Central African Republic,
Egypt, Mexico, Sudan and India, illustrating the
global nature of violent Christian persecution.
Lisa Pearce, CEO of Open Doors said:
“The persecution of Christians is getting worse, in every region in which we work – and it’s getting worse
fast. The trend is stark, as are the consequences
for real people.”
The scale of that rapid rise can be
seen in the points system used to compile the report. While the lowest ranking country in 2013 had 35 points, this
year’s lowest ranking country had 53
points – an increase of more than 50 per cent.
The Prime Minister David Cameron has
spoken of the need to protect vulnerable Christians,
saying: “Standing up for religious freedom is a priority for my
Government. We are committed to
promoting and protecting the right to freedom of religion or belief as one of the foundations of human rights. No matter what faith we follow,
charity, compassion,
responsibility and forgiveness are values which speak to us all.”
However, Pearce has called on the
British government to do much more in taking a pro- active stance in tackling Christian persecution. “We should not
expect [a] change unless we are part
of changing the situation,” she said.
“As a key voice within the
international community and a generous provider of aid to a number of the countries on the 2016 World
Watch List, I urge our government to do everything
possible within their spheres of influence to affect what happens next. We will
not get these days back.”[2]
In the United States we see the beginnings of outright
persecution as well. With every derogatory and defaming description of
Christians in the news media as well as various programming on TV and the
Internet Christians are painted in evermore ugly caricatures. A person's
beliefs have been trumped for what kind of briefs a person feels like wearing.
The world is getting more and more chaotic. Christians are being accused of
being intolerant and the root cause of unrest. Christians are being seen more
and more as scapegoats for the world's ills. This should give us all the more
incentive to take the message of James' inspired letter to heart.
When was this
letter written? This epistle is probably one of
the earliest epistles estimated at being written around 45-50 A.D. That’s 12 to
17 years after Jesus walked the earth. Can
you remember anything important that happened 12 –17 years ago or more? How
well can you remember it? As we are writing this study we are almost sixteen
years from the tragic events of September 11th. I assure you many of us can
close our eyes and picture in great detail the events of that day. So too,
James could remember vividly the events surrounding Jesus and His ministry.
2 My
brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
Right away James identifies with those he is writing to.
He writes to "My brethren." There
is a union and family experienced by those who have a common bond in Jesus. In
Christ our fellow men are bros. In
Christ our fellow women are broettes.
That is not said to make light of our relationships in Christ. It is to express
the endearing quality we have or should have with fellow believers.
James approaches his brethren who may be hurting from
persecution or some other difficulties in life and is going to speak to them
about the attitude they should have and why they should have it when they
encounter difficulties in life. He is going to dissect and explain how Christians
are to live in light of trials. He doesn't deny or ignore that there are
difficulties in life for the Christian. He addresses the problem of pain and
difficulty head on.
James opens with an exhortation to a step of faith. "Count it" (Greek hegesasthe Aorist/Middle/Imperative of hegeomai) means lead, guide, think, esteem, or count. James is exhorting his
brethren who are being persecuted to an absolute essential when they encounter
trials. Implied in this exhortation is a faith
action or decision taken by faith. This is not something we do based on feeling. Quite the contrary, we
will likely feel pain and sorrow, disappointment and discouragement, loss and
grief when we go through difficulties. James exhortation tells us there are
alternatives to what he is exhorting us to. We can't follow our feelings. We
need to step out in faith here. By faith
count this, lead out believing what follows, take hold of.
What are we to count on or by faith lay hold of? We are
to count it "all joy" (Greek
pasan charan). "All" (Greek pasan )
means all, any, every, the whole. "Joy" (Greek charan from chara) means joy, delight and
is closely associated with God's "grace" (Greek charis). So James is saying to by faith count the following
situation with full whole joy. This
might seem to be a bit of a masochistic call if we think of joy being equal to
happiness. But joy is so much deeper and broader and substantial than mere
happiness. Joy is the settled assurance
and comfort that comes from trusting that God is in control in every situation.
Happiness depends on happenings or circumstances. Joy depends on Jesus.
James exhorts us to joy when facing trials because God has a plan, God has a purpose, even when you face trials. That
is the way we can weather the storms and trials of life no matter how difficult
or confusing. Be settled and assured that no matter what trial you encounter in
life God is in control and God has a plan,
God has a purpose for what you are experiencing.
Sometimes people assume that because they encounter a
trial God is against them. Sin brings consequences. But the trials we are
speaking of here are not due to sin but due to being a saint. Why then does God
allow them? The Christian author J. Sidlow Baxter explained:
God's call
may lead us to a season of difficulty and opposition from the enemy (Matthew 4:1). Trials do not indicate that we
missed God or somehow lost our way. The very thing that God most desires to accomplish in us and through us is
the very thing that the kingdom of
darkness wants to oppose. We should not allow difficulties and discouragements to prevent us from obeying the
call of God. If we obey and trust God's call,
the Lord will be glorified by our obedience and our faith will grow
exponentially.[3]
Job was persecuted by the devil at no blame to himself
and in the end God restored him as well as gave us a book of the Bible with
rich wisdom about the issue of spiritual warfare, suffering and trials. Job was
greatly used by God at a time in his life when he greatly questioned what God
was allowing in his life. That insight is good reason to rejoice that God might
use us in some way similarly.
When are we to be joyful? When we "fall into various trials." "Fall" (Greek peripipto )
means to fall into something that is all
around, to be surrounded with something, to fall into something and be engulfed
by it. "Fall" here points to situations that come upon us that
are not of our own making. These believers were being persecuted because of
their association with Jesus. They were doing
the right thing and being persecuted for it.
There are trials that we bring upon ourselves because of
sinful choices we make. There is a consequence that comes with every sinful
choice (e.g. Jeremiah 2:17-19; Galatians 6:7-9). James is not so much speaking
about trials due to sinful choices as he is speaking about trials that the
world and the devil throw at us. Indeed, the apostle Paul say those who sought
to live godly lives would be persecuted (2
Timothy 3:12). You can be persecuted and go through trials for doing the right thing! This is true. And when we fall into a
trying situation, especially those we don't understand, then we should take to
heart the truth found in these first verses of James' epistle.
The word "various"
(Greek poikilos ) means motley, divers, manifold, of various sorts. The
word "trials"(Greek peirasmos ) means a putting to proof, proving, an experiment, adversity, temptations,
testing. The word "trial" can be equally translated
"temptation." There are all kinds of situations in life that put us
to the test. Whenever we encounter difficulty we are put in a position where we
have to make a decision to either continue with the Lord or leave Him. A
temptation is a challenge to choose holiness or sin. Such decisions are bound
up in various ways and circumstances in life.
We should mention here that joy is a product of the Holy
Spirit working in us (Romans 14:17). Joy is an aspect of the fruit of the
Spirit which is love (Galatians 5:22-24). We would be safe to assume that what
James speaks about here is part and parcel of the work of the Holy Spirit in
the life of the believer.
Why should we be
joyful when we face trials? What is the basis for James call and exhortation? Verse
two is an exhortation to a step of faith to look at trials in a joyful way. But
this is not blind faith. What follows are substantiating reasons for us to step
out in faith with joy to encounter trials.
3 knowing
that the testing of your faith produces patience.
Various trials
create learning situations. "Knowing"
(Greek ginosko) means know, become aware of, perceive, understand,
become conscious of. Trials are the doors to learning. Through trials we
gain insight to life. It's easy to follow the Lord when everything is going
right. But trials cause us to question ourselves, life and what the plans and
purposes of God are. Trials drive us or draw us to God. Trials are God's
operating room to teach us and sculpt us into His masterpiece. An anonymous
author wrote the following poem that fits well here:
Various trials test
us. "Testing" (Greek dokimion ) refers to a testing, a trial, trying something to
reveal its trustworthiness. A faith untested cannot be trusted. You'll
never know if your faith is trustworthy unless God allows it to be put to the
test. You don't know if you can ride a bicycle until you actually try to ride
one. And the more you ride the better you become at riding. You don't receive a
driver's license until you prove you can drive safely. And the more you drive,
hopefully, the better driver you become. You are given a pilot's license until
you are tested to see if you can operate a plane. And the more you fly the
better pilot you become. You don't get a diploma without having your knowledge
tested in various ways. And once you receive your diploma the value of your
education to yourself and others won't be known until you put it to use in
life. Would you let your child ride their bike in the street before you test to
see if they can ride safely? Would you be a passenger in a car driven by
someone without a driver's license? Would you fly in a plane piloted by someone
with no license or proof of ability to pilot? Would you hire someone with no
proof of experience or knowledge about what you are hiring them for? Testing is
important because it proves competence as well as builds mastery.
Various trials test
our faith. God's target for allowing testing trials into our life is our
faith. "Faith" (Greek pistis ) is defined as trust, belief, assurance, faith, fidelity,
credence, a moral conviction of religious truth or the truthfulness of God. Trails
are the proving grounds for faith. Trials are the work shop of God to build
faith in us. Faith is like a muscle built strong through exercise. God allows
our faith muscle to be tested against the weights of life in order to make it
strong. Lifting heavy weights makes lighter weights easier to lift. Going
through big trials in life prepares us for strength to lift through lesser
ones.
The human capacity for faith is a product of God's human
beings being created in God's image (Genesis 1:26-28) as well as a product of
His grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). Faith is a product of a spiritual diet that
consumes God's graciously provided word (Hebrews 10:17). Faith is not a work of
self-effort. But as we will see in this epistle and especially in James 2, the
faith that saves works; it plays out practically in the life of the Christian.
Various trials are
used by God to produce in us. "Produces"
(Greek katergazomai ) means to work fully, accomplish, to finish, to
fashion, to perform, to work out. Trails are the gym in which God works us
out and gets our faith into shape. If you never go to the gym of trials your
faith will atrophy and become fat and flabby and weak. Trials keep us in
spiritual shape. Trials exercise our faith and keep it strong. Trials are
essential to producing spiritual growth in us.
Various trails test
our faith and produce patience. "Patience"
(Greek hypomone ) is defined as steadfastness, perseverance, hopefulness,
endurance, constancy, continuance, patience. Patience is important to keep
us going. In verse five we will see that James instructs us to seek wisdom to
the Lord to make sense of our trying circumstances. God promises to give us
wisdom and understanding. But here's the thing, that wisdom may take some time
to come. God will give us wisdom but sometimes we aren't ready to receive it.
Sometimes we will have to ask and then wait patiently
for wisdom to come. Sometimes we are only freshmen in the school of life
and need to graduate to upper classmen before we are ready to understand. This
takes patience. God is faithful to deliver on all His promises, including His
promise to provide wisdom to understand trials, but some of that wisdom
requires we grow spiritually in order to be ready to receive God's answer. For
some wisdom we need to be seniors. For other wisdom we need to wait until we
are face to face with our Savior for a personal explanation. True faith presses
on even when the answers and wisdom isn't immediately coming.
Patience is a sign of healthy faith; a faith that has
been tested. When you've been tested in life and seen
the Lord's trustworthiness and faithfulness, it increases your certainty that
God who has been faithful and true before will again be faithful and true. Patience is the confident staying power of a
faith tested by trials. Patient faith keeps us going through and beyond the
trials of life.
Just as joy is a fruit of the Spirit's work in the
believer, so too is the patience mentioned here (Galatians 5:22-24). James
focuses on a lot of to do types of
things. It would be a mistake to attempt to do what he instructs us to do
without the help and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. We need to remember that.
4 But
let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and
complete, lacking nothing.
Trustworthy faith
is tested faith. For our faith to be all that God purposes it to be it must
be tested. Trustworthy faith is exercised faith. Faith will atrophy like an
unused muscle. But faith will grow and be healthy if we exercise it regularly
like a muscle. Trustworthy faith is active. Trustworthy faith is moving
forward. Trustworthy faith is faith in God that looks to Him to use us.
Trustworthy faith looks for ways to bring glory to God. Trustworthy faith is
alert to God, surrendered and submissive to His instructions and ready to step
out as He directs.
Trials can be scary. They surprise us. They have a way of
coming at the worst possible times. Trials upset and interrupt our plans. Trials
push us to our limits. They put a strain on us. Trails can include pain and
suffering. Trials can threaten to keep us from our hopes and dreams. Trails can
serve as roadblocks that keep us from our desired destination. Trials can cause
us to put life on hold. That is the nature of trials. We don't like the things
that scare us. We don't like our plans to be interrupted. We don't like pain
and suffering. We don't want to miss out on our hopes and dreams. We don't like
to be stopped from reaching our desired destinations. We don't want to have our
life put on hold. We want to get on with life. And because of this when we
encounter trials we may flee in fear or force our way through or push trials
and God's purposes in them aside. James tells us that rather than avoiding
trials or impatiently dealing with them, we should "But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect
and complete, lacking nothing." Why should we allow patience to work
in us?
The patience
produced by tested faith leads to God's "perfect work" in us. "Perfect" (Greek teleios ) means perfect, complete, completeness, of full age, mature. "Work" (Greek ergo ) refers to work, toil,
effort in an occupation, deed, doing, labor, work. Work implies some sweat
and effort. There is an objective and purpose bound up in being patient in
faith and trusting in God during trials. It will lead to spiritual maturity.
The patience
produced by tested faith requires a decision on our part. James says "that you may be perfect." "You
may be" (Greek ete subjunctive
of eimi - to be) implies possibility. If you want to become spiritually
mature you will need to make a faith decision to let patience have its perfect
work in you. You have to hang in there by faith when you're going through a
trial. And if you do there is s wonderful promise from God awaiting you.
The patience
produced by tested faith will lead to spiritual maturity and satisfaction. James
says, "that you may be perfect and
complete lacking nothing." "Perfect"
we have said refers to spiritual maturity. The word "complete" (Greek holokleros ) means complete, sound, perfect, entire, nothing missing. "Lacking nothing" means
"nothing" (Greek medeni) nobody, no one, nothing, none "lacking"
(Greek leipomenoi ) means be in need of, lacking, leaving. In
other words when you decide by faith to patiently endure it will lead to a
spiritual maturity characterized by a sense of having all you need in life;
satisfaction. You won't be disappointed if you patiently endure through trials
by trusting in God no matter what.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom,
let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it
will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no
doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the
wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive
anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable
in all his ways.
You may not
understand the plan and purpose of God in your trials. You may be wondering
How can that be? How can God satisfy
me when I go through trials and difficulty in life? James says what we need is
"wisdom." "Wisdom" (Greek
sophia ) means generally, broad full intelligence, applying knowledge
practically. For the Christian wisdom is the ability to apply scripture in
a way to give understanding to life. Wisdom is the ability to put together the
puzzle of life that includes trials.
Pray and ask God
for wisdom. If we lack understanding and wisdom in our given circumstances
James says we should ask God for it. He says God "gives to all liberally." "Liberally" (Greek haplos ) means bountifully, liberally, openly, sincerely. God gives "without reproach."
"Reproach" (Greek oneidizo )
means to defame, to chide or taunt, to
cast the teeth at, reproach, revile, upbraid. If we ask for wisdom God
isn't going to growl at us or put us down. No, if we ask God for wisdom to
understand our circumstances James promises "it will be given to him."
Pray and ask God
for wisdom in faith. James tells us that when we ask God for this wisdom
for life we should do so "in faith,
with no doubting." In other words to
ask in faith means to be willing to obey and act on the wisdom God gives us
about our circumstances. If we are on the fence about receiving and
implementing obediently what God reveals to us in wisdom then we will not
profit anything. Instead we will be like a someone reeling back and forth on
the deck of a stormed tossed ship. If you ask God for wisdom in a "double-minded" (Greek dipsychos ) or two-spirited, vacillating, wavering, uncertain, doubting, double minded
way, then you can be sure you will continue to be "unstable" (Greek akatastatos
) or inconsistent, restless, unstable
in life. If you want the peace that comes from understanding you have to
pray in faith for God to give you the peace that surpasses understanding (e.g.
Philippians 4:6-7).
The story is told of a pastor on a flight that encounters
a severe storm. The turbulence tossed the plane up and down like a cork in the
waves of the sea. Thunder claps were loud and frightening. The pastor and his
fellow passengers were shaken and scared. But over in the corner of the plane,
a little girl, small enough to pull her legs up on the seat and comfortably
play with her toys, played quietly with little evidence of being disturbed by
the storm. How could this be?
Eventually the plane made it through the storm and landed
safely to the applause of all. But the pastor just had to know the little
girl's secret of peace in the storm. So once in the terminal he sought out the
little girl and asked her, "Why weren't you upset by that storm we went
through? Why were you so calm?" The little girl looked up at the pastor
and said simply, "My Daddy is the pilot and he was flying me home."
" My Daddy is the pilot and he was flying me
home." That's the kind of faith God wants to build in us for Him. When
we're being tossed to and fro by the storms of life, just remember, "Our
Dad, God the Father, is flying the plane and He is taking us home." [4]
If you want a strong faith and you ask God for it, don't
be surprised if He allows some trials to come your way. Trials are a necessary
and potentially blessed part of life. Charles Haddon Spurgeon was a man greatly
used by God but he was not without his difficulties in life. He was prone to
bouts of depression so severe that they immobilized him. And yet Spurgeon was
wisely able to say:
"God never gives strong faith
without fiery trial; He will not build a strong ship without subjecting it to very mighty storms; He will
not make you a mighty warrior if He does not
intend to try your skill in battle. The sword of the Lord must be used; the
blades of heaven must be smitten
against the armour of the evil one, and yet they shall not break, for they are of true Jerusalem metal
which shall never snap. We shall conquer, if we begin the battle in the right way. If we have sharpened
our swords on the Cross, we have nothing
whatever to fear; for though we may be sometimes cast down and discomfited, we shall assuredly at last put to flight
all our adversaries, for we are the sons of God even now. Why, then, should we fear? Who shall bid us
"stay" if God bid us advance?" [5]
Count it all joy when you are faced with trials. It is
through trials that our faith is tested true.
What follows in the letter of James are some very
practical examples of what a faith that is tested true or what trustworthy faith will look like. What
we find in the rest of the letter is a picture of what God's wisdom in trials
might look like for the person who seeks to have a tested true faith.
9 Let
the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, 10 but the rich in
his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. 11 For
no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its
flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will
fade away in his pursuits.
Trustworthy faith
has a proper perspective on worldly wealth. Trials have a way of
enlightening a faith to a maturity that realizes how transient and temporary
"wealth" is. There are no U-Haul trailers hooked up to hearses. You
can't take what you accumulate in this world with you to the next. James speaks
of "the lowly brother glory in his
exaltation."James is writing to those who have likely lost much of the
earthly possessions due to persecution. They have been brought low by an enemy.
James now argues that there is good even in such a development. When we are
brought low in this world it forces us to look up. When we look up our
priorities are put in proper order. The heavenly perspective of a trustworthy
faith helps us do this.
In some ways those
who are poor in this world are more exalted than those who are rich. That is
because they have chosen to spend themselves on eternal purposes. I'm the not
talking about those who are lazy and parasitically live off of others in
society. I'm talking about those who rather than use their God-given abilities
to enrich themselves focus God's gifting toward accumulating those things of
eternal worth; like human souls.
It must have been a great temptation to those being
persecuted for their faith to lose out on job opportunities or to live under
constant ridicule. It must have been an even greater temptation to see their
children miss out because of the association with Jesus. It would have been
easy to just remain quiet and private about their Christianity so that they
could climb the ladder of wealth and prosperity and avoid any prejudices for
themselves and family which came with being a Christian. They might have been
tempted by seeing how others prospered while they did not. James addresses this
by putting all material things in their proper place. It's all going to burn.
Every temporal piece of wealth will wither and burn like the grass.
12 Blessed
is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he
will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love
Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by
God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But
each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then,
when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is
full-grown, brings forth death.
Trustworthy faith
endures temptation successfully. In heaven we will have crowns earned in
this life. Our salvation is a free gift of God's grace but rewards represented
by various crowns are earned in this life. And once in heaven we will cast our
crowns before our Savior and Lord Jesus. Wouldn't you be blessed to take off
your crown of life, the crown earned by resisting temptations in this life, and
thankfully in love present it to Jesus at His feet? We should hope and pray for
such a crown with which to bless our Savior (cf. Revelation 4). The greatest
blessing will be hearing Jesus say, "Well done, good and faithful
servant" (Matthew 25:21).
As mentioned in verse two, the word translated "temptations" (Greek peirasmos) here can equally be
translated "trials." Therefore,
verse twelve holds a promise for those who endure trials and temptations. In
both trials and temptations we are brought to a place of decision, to either
continue on trusting in the Lord or choosing to walk away from the Lord. That
decision is a way of proving or testing faith to expose its genuineness or
artificiality. To those who endure trials or temptations God promises a "crown of life."
How can we resist temptation and earn the crown of life?
First, resist
temptation by enduring. " Blessed is the man who endures
temptation." The term "endure"
(Greek hupomeno ) means abide, wait, endure, undergo, be patient,
suffer, stay behind, stand ones ground. By faith we press on even though we
face trials and temptations in life. We may even struggle and stumble, but by
faith we need to endure onward. Sometimes our struggle against temptation or in
a trial will be prolonged. When it is we need to endure by faith until victory
comes.
Second, resist
temptation by seeking God's approval. "; for when he has been approved,
he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised." Temptations try to get us to settle in some
way for less than God's best. Temptation tries to lure people into sex outside
of marriage in some way. Temptation seeks to lure people away from holiness by
getting them to cut corners and compromise with dishonest practices. Temptation
seeks to lure Christians to a lower standard than God's holy standard, to
venture outside the parameters of God's word.
Instead we should endure temptation and be "approved" (Greek dokimos ) or molded, tried, approved. The idea of the word "approved" as
explained by Donald Barnhouse is connected with the acceptance of coins or
money. He explains, "In the ancient world there was no banking system as
we know it today, and no paper money. All money was made from metal, heated
until liquid, poured into moulds and allowed to cool. When the coins were
cooled, it was necessary to smooth off the uneven edges. The coins were
comparatively soft and of course many people shaved them closely. In one
century, more than eighty laws were passed in Athens, to stop the practice of
shaving down the coins then in circulation. But some money changers were men of
integrity, who would accept no counterfeit money. They were men of honor who
put only genuine full weighted money into circulation. Such men were called
"dokimos" or "approved." Don't let trials or temptation lead you into
compromise or less than what God calls for. Instead seek to give what is due to
earthly authorities and to God all He deserves. (Mark 12:17)."[6]
Third, resist
temptation by loving God. "to those who love Him." Jesus
connected love with obedience (John 14:15 and 21). Paul was inspired to exhort
believers to be compelled in life by the love of Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:14-21).
The love of the Spirit is a powerful force and helps us overcome temptations
and trials (e.g. 1 Corinthians 13). When faced with temptation look with your
eyes of faith at the cross of Jesus and see the love of God (Galatians 2:20).
The love of God has a way of empowering us to resist temptation.
Fourth, resist
temptation by not blaming God. "Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am
tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt
anyone." Don't try to
explain away, excuse or rationalize sin by saying, "Well God made me this
way." Don't blame God for your short comings. Don't accuse God of not
being fair or unjust. God is not the Author of evil as some theologies claim.
Satan introduced evil and sin into God's creation (Isaiah 14; Ezekiel 28).
Humanity opted to listen to Satan instead of God and so opened the flood gates
of sin (Genesis 3). God created humanity with free will so that love would be
meaningful. Don't blame God for misusing the freedoms He blessed us with. That
is our fault not God's and we need to own up to that.
Fifth, resist temptation by being honestly
accountable. " But each one is tempted
when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then,
when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is
full-grown, brings forth death." The problem is with us not God. We
are tempted when we allow "our own
desires" to "enticed"
or entice us. This speaks to us about our sinful nature. was not created
originally with a sinful nature. But the fall of Adam into sin led to a sinful
nature infecting the nature of all subsequent offspring of Adam and Eve. Even
after salvation a person must deal with and be wary of their sinful nature.
The sinful nature
is also called "the flesh." This is the part of us that sinfully
works to feed the desires of our "me, myself, and I." The sinful
nature is selfish. It doesn't want to
submit to God or the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It can only be kept under
control and conquered with the help of the Holy Spirit (cf. Romans 7 and 8;
Galatians 5). It is the enemy in the camp of the Christian and we have to be
aware of its presence and sinful selfish inclinations. Thankfully in heaven the
sinful nature will have been eradicated.
Make no mistake
about it, whenever we give into temptation it leads to death. Every sin we do
or think may not be discovered. But every sin we do or think leads to some kind
of death, e.g. death of love, death of a relationship, death of time in the
presence of the Lord, etc. When we give into sin it's as though a death
producing sinful act is conceived and if we don't confess it to the Lord,
repent of it and wash it out with His blood, it will grow and mature and end up
being harder to manage. If we allow it to live on in our lives it will
ultimately produce more and more death in and through us. James nails the
process of sin producing death. Take notice and examine yourselves prayerfully
and seek the cleansing and sanctifying grace of God in Christ.
We need to
confess our sins to God honestly. Only then can we receive forgiveness from Him
(1 John 1:9). Denying sin, trying to hide sin, or rationalize it away is
futile. God sees and knows everything (Hebrews 4:13). We may deceive ourselves
but God knows the heart and will judge justly (Jeremiah 17:9-10).
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved
brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from
above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no
variation or shadow of turning. 18 Of His own will He brought
us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His
creatures.
Trustworthy
faith knows every good and perfect gift
comes from God. Everything and anything that is genuinely good, is a gift
from God. We cannot take credit for anything good. Every doctor who performs
healing surgery was gifted by God with the brain and dexterity to do so. Every
act of bravery, every act of pure love, every accomplishment that is good,
anything and everything that is good in this world - all good comes from God.
And God is not capricious. He has "no variation or shadow of turning." God is perfectly
stable in holiness. God is not capricious like the host of pagan gods fallen
sinful humanity has concocted. God is in nature faithful and true. He is the
same yesterday, today and forever. When you go to God tomorrow He will not have
changed. What He has said in the past is true for the present today as well as
for the future of tomorrow. It's a source of great comfort and joy that God
will always be there for us. It is a source of great assurance and stability to
build our lives on the rock solid foundation of God's word and according to our
King and Author of that word.
It was in this constancy that God according to His holy
love and grace in the gospel of Jesus Christ - "Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we
might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures." Hallelujah Lord! The
word of God is integral to our second birth to eternal life. We are born again
as the Law of God's word convicts us of our sin and the gospel of God's word
shows us how to be forgiven our sin through faith in Jesus. God's word is a
true story of sinful humanity and how they can be reconciled to their Father
Creator God in Christ. It is impossible to grow in your faith apart from the
word of God. God's word is the spiritual food our faith needs to grow and
mature. There are no shortcuts to spiritual growth. If you want to go deeper
with the Lord and grow in your faith, go to the word. Read, study, memorize and
meditate on God's word. Consume God's word in every way possible. Read it,
listen to it, listen to Bible teachers expound its meaning. Saturate yourself
in the word of God. Then you will experience the fruitfulness of being "a kind of firstfruits of His
creatures."
19 So
then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow
to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness
of God.
Trustworthy faith
is self-controlled. Listen up. Don't be proud. You were created with two
ears and one mouth, let that be the proportion of your intake and output listen
twice as much as you speak. Don't get angry with your circumstances. Your
uncontrolled anger will "not
produce the righteousness of God."
"Wrath" (Greek
orge) refers to violent passion, a bubbling over anger into uncontrolled rage. Our
rage doesn't achieve God's purposes. We need to "be angry but do not
sin" (Ephesians 4:26). Not all anger is sinful. But it can become sinful
if not controlled. If we are angry at sin and its death producing effects in
the world, then we need to harness it to motivate and fuel holy actions. Jesus
overturned the tables of the money changers in the Temple (John 2). There is a
time to overturning sinful activity. But we need to make sure that we are
guided by the Holy Spirit as Jesus was. "Self
control" is an aspect of the loving fruit of the Holy Spirit
(Galatians 5:26). When we act out in anger for selfish purposes it undermines
what God desires to do. Be angry but don't sin. Follow the leading of the Holy
Spirit.
When we follow the leading of the Spirit we will be "swift to hear." We will be
good listeners and not jump to conclusions. We will be "slow to speak." We will think things through prayerfully
without lashing out verbally. And if the Holy Spirit is guiding us we will be "slow to wrath." Our anger
will be harnessed and kept under control. This is what trustworthy faith looks
like.
To see fellow believers persecuted must have tempted
other Christians to become enraged with injustices perpetrated on innocents. It
would have been easy to strike out in rage. But to do so would have likely led
to further persecution. It may have given oppressors a reason to further
persecute. And it would have led to a very unchristian testimony to the world.
The onslaught and perpetration of immorality and pervasive sin today can be
enraging. But we can't allow such darkness to overwhelm our soul. Instead
history records that the grace Christians demonstrated under the fires of
persecution led to the spread of the gospel, the saving of souls and the making
of disciples. That is the fruit of trustworthy faith. Remember that.
21 Therefore
lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness
the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be
doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For
if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing
his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes
away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But
he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is
not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what
he does.
Trustworthy faith
obediently applies the word of God in life. Put all the junk of this world
aside, especially the filth and overflowing wickedness of this world. Meekly,
humbly let God's word implant itself in your heart so that you will be
spiritually edified. If all you do is listen to the word and never apply it in
life your just spiritually constipated and self deceived. Bible teacher Jon
Courson states here:
Referring
to the Word of God, “Let every man be swift to hear,” James instructed us in verse nineteen. “But I
can’t hear God’s Word to me,” we say. Perhaps you can’t hear the Word of God for you because your ears are
clogged up with “filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness”—plain
old sin. If I’m filling my ears with the music
and the scenes, gossip, and junk of the
world, I can’t hear properly. I need to get rid of that stuff before I can really be tuned in to God’s frequency. . . .
Perhaps I can’t hear the Word of the Lord
because my mind is made up. James tells us we are
to receive the Word with meekness, the implication being, “Lord, I’m in this
trial or temptation or difficulty, and I
need direction from You. I need Your Word to direct me, or I’m not going to do well. Therefore, I come to You not with my
own agenda or plan, but meekly.
Whatever You say, that’s what I’ll do.”
Many people don’t hear from the Lord when
they read the Word of God because they lack
a spirit of meekness before Him.[7]
Don't be someone with a short spiritual memory who looks
at the word of God, sees something for themselves from the Lord, but then allows
themselves to be distracted in some way before they can apply the word to their
life. If you look in a mirror and see a blemish that needs to be attended to,
but allow yourself to be distracted before you attend to it, you're going to
feel pretty embarrassed later when people see that unattended to blemish. One
commentator states:
James
clearly warns us not to think that seeing our reflection properly means we’re
doers of the Word automatically. If the
Lord shows you in the Word that you need to praise Him, don’t say, “Good point”—but start praising Him right then! If
the Lord shows you in the Word
that you need to get right with a brother, don’t say, “Someday”—do it right then. Be a doer of the Word.[8]
If the Lord reveals something to you about yourself that
needs to be corrected or implemented, make it a priority to apply what He
reveals to you.
26 If anyone among you thinks he
is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this
one’s religion is useless. 27 Pure and undefiled
religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in
their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
Trustworthy faith has pure and undefiled
religion. We will discuss
more on the tongue later in James 3. But suffice it to say here, your words can
undo a lot is not all of you do. We need to watch our words. We should only
speak in ways that build people up spiritually (e.g. Ephesians 4:29). And as
far as religion is concerned, this is the only place where the word
"religion" is presented in a favorable light. Here "pure and undefiled religion before God and
the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep
oneself unspotted from the world." Trustworthy faith is sensitive to discern
who genuine orphans and widows are and to help such in their needs. There is a
social aspect to trustworthy faith. Such faith is pure and undefiled by the
world; it isn't worldly but is holy and birthed through the application of the
word of God in life by the power of the Holy Spirit.
"Pure" (Greek katharos)
means clean, pure, clear. "Undefiled´(Greek amiantos) means unsoiled, free from that by which the nature of a thing id deformed and
debased or impaired. Religion is more often than not mentioned in a
negative light in the Bible. Religion is frequently seen as a fallen human attempt to strive toward
heaven. Such striving and attempts to compensate for sin with good works
are futile and even offensive to God because they are sinful in and of themselves
as they try to circumvent the cross of Christ (cf. Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3). Here
religion that is pure or as it should be and undefiled or unpolluted by sinful
attitudes and actions is religion that loves others sacrificially; especially
the weakest of those around us. Pure and undefiled religion helps the needy who
have no capacity or resource to pay back or benefit those helping them. That is
the product of trustworthy faith.
We can imagine
that persecution produced many widows and orphans. a trustworthy faith endured
such trials. But a trustworthy faith also acted as extended family to such
widows and orphans. The church is the family of God and as such it needs to
care for its own. Instead of shooting our wounded we need to adopt the mindset
of leaving no one behind. This is the nature and true religion produced by
trustworthy faith.
As we come to the
close of our first chapter of study we have already learned the benefit of trials in the proving of our faith. Isaac
Newton (1642-1727) once said:
Trials are medicines which our
gracious and wise Physician prescribes
because we need them; and he
proportions the frequency and weight of them to
what the case requires. Let us trust his skill and thank him for his
prescription.
I pray we all take our medicine and grow into a healthy
trustworthy faith.
[1] Chuck Smith, Word for Today Study Bible (Costa Mesa,
CA: Word for Today, 2012) page 1597.
[2] http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/01/14/christian-persecution-reaches-global-historic-high-thanks-to-rise-of-radical-islam/
[3] http://www.canonglenn.com/category/j-sidlow-baxter/
[4] https://2jesus.org/inspstories/thestorm.html
[5] C.H.
Spurgeon quoted in C.H. Spurgeon on Leadership by Steve Miller (Moody Press: Chicago Il) p. 49.
[6] Donald Grey Barnhouse, Romans:
God's Glory, p. 18
[7]
Courson, J. (2003). Jon Courson’s
Application Commentary (p. 1519). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
[8]
Courson, J. (2003). Jon Courson’s Application
Commentary (p. 1519). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
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