SSL 8 - James 1:2-15
CONTEXT AND PURPOSE: Based on internal evidence in other NT writings, the James who wrote this epistle, was "James the Just," the half-brother of Jesus. James, who was not a believer until after the resurrection, subsequently became the leader of the Jerusalem church and was a prominent figure in the Council of Jerusalem, which took place around 49 A.D. According the Jewish historian Josephus, James was martyred in approximately 62 A.D. Thought to have been written between 40-45 A.D., prior to the Jerusalem Council, James' epistle is possibly the oldest book of the NT. The Book of James is directed at Jewish Christians identified as the "twelve tribes in the Dispersion" (1:1), literally meaning Jews who lived outside the boundaries of Palestine. James wrote this letter to encourage them to continue growing in their newfound Christian faith. While Paul's epistles concentrate on our justification by faith alone in Christ alone, James' teachings concentrate on works which demonstrate a person has been justified. As we will see, he places great emphasis on the principle that good actions will naturally flow from those who are filled with the Spirit, and he questions whether someone may or not actually be saved if the fruits of the Spirit cannot be evidenced in their lives.
THIS WEEK: In today's lesson, Chap. 1:2-15, we'll hear James talks about the testing of faith: to count it as "joy" when you face trials, because the testing of faith produces endurance (vv. 2-3); to pray for wisdom in faith without having any doubts (vv. 5-8); for the poor, to glory in their high position, and to the rich, to be humble in a way appropriate to their short lives (vv. 9-11); those who endure trials will receive the "crown of life" (v. 12); never think that temptations are sent by God because He "temps no one" (v. 13); and to understand that each person is tempted by his own desire, and desire gives birth to sin, and sin, when it's fully grown, brings death (vv. 14-15).
Read James 1:2-4 - TESTING BUILDS CHARACTER
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
v.2: "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds" - Is James making a facetious statement, a joke? Not at all, and he will explain why. First, notice that James says, "when you meet trials," not "if." He's telling us that trials are the rule rather than the exception. The word "meet" is something we run into, something we don't expect most of the time. "Various kinds" means any kind of trial you can imagine: health issues, financial woes, family disagreement, problems at work, etc., just to name a few. Trials might even arise from works of the flesh that we've allowed ourselves to be tempted into. Yet, James tells us we should willingly rejoice in them!
v. 3: "for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness" - These trials, James, asserts, are a testing of our faith, and the hardships these trials bring test the strength of our faith. The word for "steadfastness" (Gk. hypomonē) can also mean patience and endurance. Thus, when we face trials in a faithful manner, knowing that God-the Lord of all-has allowed them in our lives as part of His sanctifying process, it builds endurance-real spiritual stamina.
v. 4: "And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" - Trials are like a stress test, pushing us up and beyond our limits, so that we will under-stand and realize our dependence on God, and call on Him for help in our times of trouble. Trials are designed to build our endurance, and this endurance, over time, perfects our faith so that we will be complete and lack nothing-that's true spiritual wholeness and maturity. Look back on your life: what were the things that really strengthened your faith? The free and easy things or the hardships you faced and survived?
TRUTH 1: Trials are allowed by God as a testing of our faith. The hardships we endure will test the strength of our faith. So, when we face trials in a faithful manner, knowing that God-the Lord of all-has allowed them in our lives as part of His sanctifying process, designed to give us endurance-real spiritual stamina.
Read James 1:5-8 - WISDOM: A DEFICIENCY COMMON TO ALL SUFFERING SAINTS
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
v. 5: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him" - Although James prefaces with the conditional "if," the assumption is that we're all deficient in godly wisdom because it doesn't come natural to us. And if there is ever a time when our godly wisdom is deficient, it's when we are in the midst of trials, correct? We need this wisdom to correctly assess our situation and determine how to respond to it. At times like this, we need divine wisdom, which we do not possess ourselves. It is the kind of wisdom which God possesses and which He promises to give to those who ask for it. The term "without reproach" means we are blameless in asking and never should be afraid to God ask, no matter what kind of difficulty we've gotten ourselves into.
v. 6: "But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind" - The only condition is that we ask in faith: First, we can't come to God with mixed motives or vacillation; we must come in repentance, confession, and humility. Second, we must believe (without doubting) that God will answer it; otherwise, we'll never ever hear His answer. A person who doubts is compared to the "wave of the sea" which is always in motion, restless, and never still; it has no rest.
vv. 7-8: "For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways" - People who approach God with doubt will not receive anything from Him; their prayer won't be answered. The clear meaning is that there is no middle ground: either we believe with no doubts or we do not. The word for "double-minded" (Gk. dipsychos) also means with hesitation and indecision. This describes a person who is trying to serve God and someone or something else at the same time, whose allegiance is divided. They have two opposite opinions and cannot choose which one is right. One moment they believe and the next, they're unsure. You can't depend on people like that. God doesn't answer their prayers.
TRUTH 2: All of us are deficient in godly wisdom because it doesn't come natural to us. And if there is ever a time when our godly wisdom is most deficient, it's when we are in the midst of trials, do you agree? We badly need this wisdom to correctly evaluate the situation and decide how to respond to it. At times like this, we need divine wisdom, which we do not possess ourselves. It is the kind of wisdom which God possesses and which He promises to give to those who ask for it.
Read James 1:9-11 - ON RAGS AND RICHES
9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
vv.. 9-10: "Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away" - First, we should realize that both poverty and riches can put enormous pressure on a person to focus on the world rather than on Christ. Also, "poor" can mean humble and weak as well as being materially poor. But James exhorts the poor person to boast because he can take joy and satisfaction that he is rich with God and can look forward to an eternity in heaven. The rich, whom we assume is a Christian, must not take pride in his material affluence or status and realize "in humiliation" that his wealth and rank on earth means absolutely nothing to God, and like the flower, the material possessions of the rich person will pass away because you can't take it with you, can you? Thus, the only "true riches," those that are imperishable, are heavenly riches, so the rich and poor alike, can look forward to heaven.
v. 11: "For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits" - The church should be a "countercultural" community which reverses the values of the world, regardless of your earthly status, rich or poor, famous or unknown. Given the context here, James seems to be saying that the challenges of poverty or wealth may be one of the greatest trials for Christians. The point he makes is that it is foolish to trust in things that cannot last. We brought nothing into this world and we take nothing with us when we leave it. Rich or poor, we must put our trust in God alone.
TRUTH 3: According to James, the challenges of poverty or wealth can be one of the greatest trials faced by Christians. First, we must realize that both poverty and riches can put enormous pressure on a person to focus on the world rather than on Christ. The church-as the body of Christ-should be a "countercultural" community which reverses the values of the world, regardless of your earthly status, rich or poor, famous or unknown. Whether rich or poor, we must put our trust in God alone.
James 1:12-15 - TEMPTATIONS AND SIN
12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
v. 12: "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him" - Those who have overcome-by faith-the trials of life will experience real joy. Not only have they proved their trust in God, but can look for the blessing that God promised-the "crown of life." This isn't the jewel-incrusted crown of a monarch, but a laurel wreath given to the winner of a race who stood the test. As we grow in the Christian life, we move from innocent, untested faith to the inevitable trials of life in which our faith that is tested and found to be true to the extant that we have a confidence in God that allows us to laugh with joy at our trials. This crown-a reward for faithful perseverance-consists of eternal life itself. And we have that life now and can look forward to the words at the end of our journey, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
TRUTH 4: Those who have overcome-by faith-the trials of life will experience real joy. Not only have they proved their trust in God, but can look for the blessing that God promised-the "crown of life." As we grow in the Christian life, we move from innocent, untested faith to the inevitable trials of life in which our faith that is tested and found to be true to the extant that we have a confidence in God that allows us to laugh with joy at our trials.
v. 13: " Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one" - It's not hard to see a connection between trials and temptation. In the midst of trials, we can be tempted to think or act in a sinful manner. It's one thing to say "the Devil made me do it," but quite another to lay blame on God. Yes, God allows evil in the world-that's part of free will-but God, who cannot sin and is inherently good, did not create the evil and never tempts anyone with evil. We fall into that trap on own without God's help. While God tests us to strengthen out faith, the evil in our struggles doesn't come from God.
v. 14: "But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire" - James answers the question posed by v. 13: what was the source of our own temptation? The source is ourselves; the fault lies in the desires (what Paul referred to as the "works of the flesh" in Gal. 5:19-21) and weakness of our human nature. This is the inner battle in us between the Spirit and the flesh. We cannot allow ourselves to be fooled by the false idea that man is basically good and evil is just an aberration. It is the life of the Spirit within us that delivers us from the powerful attraction of sin (Rom. 8:1-17), and this step-by-step, gradual process is called sanctification.
v. 15: "Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death" - Here James changes the picture to a birth/rebirth metaphor: as the full-grown desire bears its own child-sin-which itself grows to maturity and bears the grandchild-death. To rephrase this, when we say "yes" to evil desires, we sin. Sin starts when we say "yes" to it, then result in wrongdoing which is the act itself. The result, what the sin produces, is death, and all who sin die (our inheritance from Adam - Gen. 3:17-19). But the good news is that God can forgive sin, because Jesus Christ has died for our sins, past, present, and future.
TRUTH 5: In the midst of trials, we can be tempted to think or act in a sinful manner. It's one thing to say "the Devil made me do it," but quite another to lay blame on God. Yes, God allows evil in the world-that's part of free will-but God, who cannot sin and is inherently good, did not create the evil and never tempts anyone with evil. We fall into that trap on own without God's help. The source of temptation is ourselves; the fault lies in the desires-works of the flesh-and the weakness of our human nature. This is the inner battle in us between the Spirit and the flesh. We cannot allow ourselves to be fooled by the false idea that man is basically good and evil is just an aberration. It is the life of the Spirit within us that delivers us from the powerful attraction of sin (Rom. 8:1-17), and this step-by-step, gradual process is called sanctification.
