James 1:19-20 - The Problem of Human Anger

19 Remember this, my dear friends! Everyone must be quick to listen, but slow to speak and slow to become angry.
20 Human anger does not achieve God's righteous purpose.

Up to now: James focuses on tests of true believers & their response to trials and temptations. James writes in this section, 1:19-25; a response to the truth as revealed in the Bible, not in opposition but amplification. He begins by focusing on human anger, and how often it gets us into trouble…

REMEMBER - Hold Your Temper

Vs. 19 - "Remember this, my dear friends! Everyone must be quick to listen, but slow to speak and slow to become angry." - Many of the disagreements I have with my wife involve either one or both of us not listening to what the other person is saying. We have formed in our minds what to say or to be done, and don’t pay attention to their words.

“Quick” - Listen first, react later.

"Slow " - Stop and think before you answer or act. It is difficult, but not impossible. If the person does not seem to make sense to you, perhaps you don’t have the whole picture. Ask for them to clarify and support their position. Understand their motivation. Now, what they say may end up being just as wrong as the one they started with, but you are not jumping to conclusions. An old aphorism says, “Assume makes an ass out of you and me.”

Other times we ‘fly off the handle’ and commit a sin because we let anger rule us. Two examples of this can be seen in Genesis and Numbers.

Judah commits adultery with his widowed daughter-in-law, Tamar (admittedly, he mistakes her for a prostitute), and when he finds out Tamar is pregnant he gets angry and is going to have her killed - obviously she has brought shame on his household. She indicates that before she is killed perhaps the payment given her should be returned to the rightful owner. Whoops! The owner is Judah, and he sees the error of his ways. He knows that his lust and anger has gotten him in trouble. (See: Gen. 38:11-36)

Moses gets frustrated with the Jews as they travel through the desert - they are a complaining bunch of ingrates. They want water, accusing Moses of trying to kill them. God tells him to speak to a rock to bring forth water. Moses instead strikes the rock with his staff because he is frustrated and angry. Water comes out, but Moses loses the chance to enter the promised land. (See: Num 20:8-11)

We also see in the New Testament and Proverbs:

At the arrest of Jesus in garden, Peter rises in anger and cuts of the ear of one the men there. Jesus rebukes Peter and heals the man. (See: Mark 14:47ff - note: this is recorded in all four Gospel accounts.)

The Proverbs have several pieces of wisdom regarding anger. Two of my favorites are: “A man of great anger will bear the penalty, For if you rescue him, you will only have to do it again.” (Pro 19:19) “A fool always loses his temper, But a wise man holds it back.” (Pro 29:11)

How is James focusing on wisdom? He is urging us to keep the focus off our pride and ‘rights’, and on what Jesus has done for us. When I first wrote this section, we were in the middle of an election season - ‘Mid-terms’ - and the candidates and supporters were arguing their positions. Often the discussion cannot be understood because both sides are talking at the same time. They are not ‘slow to speak’; they are not listening at all.

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Vs. 20 - "Human anger does not achieve God's righteous purpose." - God’s purpose is for us to share Jesus Christ with the unsaved so they might receive Him as Savior. Our anger does not bring people to Jesus. Our anger does not help believers become stronger and more faithful in their hope in Jesus. My temper shows that my attention is upon myself and my feelings rather than what Jesus wants.

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James 1:17-18 - Every Perfect Present Comes From Heaven

17 Every good gift and every perfect present comes from heaven; it comes down from God, the Creator of the heavenly lights, who does not change or cause darkness by turning.
18 By his own will he brought us into being through the word of truth, so that we should have first place among all his creatures.

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We Have First Place in God's Creation

Verse 16 ties verses 15 and 17 together. We see in verse 15 the sin that comes in to our lives - either from our succumbing to the temptations or in response to trials - starts within us. But don’t be faked out; don’t let anyone fool you into thinking God is tempting you. God wants you to succeed, and so provides to each one the means and power to not sin. I was going to say, “fall into sin.” But that sounds like an accident, something you have almost no control over. Sin is more like sticking your big toe in the Amazon river just to see if the piranhas are really there.

Vs. 17 - "Every good gift and every perfect present comes from heaven; it comes down from God, the Creator of the heavenly lights, who does not change or cause darkness by turning." - James provides the reason we can know the temptations and trials are not caused by God, but by our own nature. God has created all that we see around us. He is good, not evil. He is the "Father of lights", which is a Jewish expression; God is the creator of the sun, moon, and stars. God has not changed; God does not change like the seasons, or the movement of the moon and stars.

Because God is good, we can expect good things from Him. “You will celebrate all the good things that the LORD your God has given you and your family, along with the Levites and the resident foreigners among you.” (Deut. 26:11)

Plus, God provides instruction to protect us, especially from ourselves. See: “How blessed is the one whom you instruct, O LORD, the one whom you teach from your law, in order to protect him from times of trouble, until the wicked are destroyed.” (Psa. 94:12)

He wants us to ask Him. “So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish?” (Luke 11:9-11)

He provides the light, and it is good. “Now this is the gospel message we have heard from him and announce to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5)

God is light, and His light exposes all - both good and evil. “There is no darkness, and no deep darkness, where evildoers can hide themselves.” (Job 34:22)

When we try to solve the problems ourselves we stumble along getting deeper and deeper. “You will feel your way along at noon like the blind person does in darkness and you will not succeed in anything you do; you will be constantly oppressed and continually robbed, with no one to save you.” (Deut 28:29)

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Vs. 18 - “By his own will he brought us into being through the word of truth, so that we should have first place among all his creatures.” (GNB) - He brings us into new life - a new birth, a re-birth - because these bodies cannot be in eternity with Him. It is a regeneration (see Eph. 2:5,6). The new birth is not your doing, but God's.

“Word of truth” - The Gospel being preached and taught by the apostles as learned from Jesus Christ. Any message of ‘salvation’ that does not focus solely on Jesus Christ - born, lived, died for our sins, and resurrected - is not truth. The great paean from 1 Timothy, “By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.” (1 Tim 3:16) That is truth. Nothing else, no one else can save us from our sin.

It is His sovereign plan, and we get to be part of it, on the positive, glorious side when we see Him face-to-face, and Jesus says, “This one is mine.” God the Father says, “Wecome!” Oh, what a glorious day that will be. And we become first place among all the things God has created. That is mind-boggling - over all the beasts, wild and domestic, all the angels. I don’t know how this happens, but I accept it as true, and am grateful, thankful, giving Him the glory. God has done this and not we ourselves. (See: 2 Cor 3:5; Tit 3:5)

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James 1:14-16 - Do Not Be Deceived

14 But we are tempted when we are drawn away and trapped by our own evil desires.
15 Then our evil desires conceive and give birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
16 Do not be deceived, my dear friends!.

Temptations - Lust, Sin, Death

Vs. 14 - “ But we are tempted when we are drawn away and trapped by our own evil desires.” - Don't blame God if your trials become temptations.

“Lured, or Drawn away” - Think of wild game lured into a trap. I love fly fishing. The lure, the artificial fly, is bits of feather, hair, attached to a fishhook by thread. The fly doesn’t necessarily look exactly like an insect, but the way it floats (a ‘dry’ fly) on the surface, or bounce along the bottom (a ‘wet’ fly) is enough to trick the fish into thinking it is an insect. Luring land animals into a trap involves making sure the trap does not look like a trap. The animal must be unsuspecting, wanting the object or food enough to enter the space and become trapped. If we looked at sin the way God sees it, we would be repelled and not enter in.

“Trapped” - To catch with bait (similar to drawn away, above). Sin is not just a spontaneous act, but the result of a process. Seldom, if ever, does a person move through a day of their life, and then snap and without warning commit a sin. We’ve thought about it; we’ve pondered on it, maybe even wondered what it would be like. There is a predilection within us, that has us leaning in that direction.

“Own evil desires” - Lust is an internal drive, part of our human nature. See Adam & Eve (Gen 2:15-17; 3:1-6) - what does it mean to all people that temptation to sin is not from God? Our flesh (from Adam) has a propensity toward sin. "selfish" best characterizes our nature.

There seems to be two elements in a temptation - outward and inward. The outside (outward) element is an attack from the enemy in which we are enticed to stray. Proverbs 7:10-21 has a good illustration of the lure or temptation. The woman calls out to the foolish young man, telling him that they will enjoy themselves, and won’t get into trouble (her husband is out of the country on a business trip). She’s seductive, and the lies she tells draws him into sin. He is without sense - not understanding the danger sin puts him in.
The inside attack (inward) is the attraction of the evil root of sin, any strong desire, or lust. Evil desire originates from within ourselves. It is the sin nature we are born with.  When we are re-born in Christ, we do not need to follow the old  nature. We now have the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us, and do not need to be trapped by those evil desires.  

How would you Define 'Christian endurance'? How about: Live your life depending upon the power of the Holy Spirit and leave the results to God. That sounds trite or flippant. It is not intended that way. Jesus Christ promised a ‘Helper’ to those who believe and accept Christ as Lord and Savior. He promised the Holy Spirit. We are missing a lot when we do not listen to the Holy Spirit, or do not ask the Spirit to work in us and empower us.

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From a devotion by Oswald Chambers “Not to be tempted would mean that we are already so shameful that we would be beneath contempt. Yet many of us suffer from temptations we should never have to suffer, simply because we have refused to allow God to lift us to a higher level, where we would face temptations of a another kind. A person’s inner nature… determines what he is tempted by on the outside.” (for Sep 17) (see Note 1, below):

Vs. 15 - “ Then our evil desires conceive and give birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” - Paul shows the progression of sin in our life when we succumb to temptation. The three basic phases of temptations are: Conception; Birth; Maturity. The previous verses have discussed the ‘conception’, i.e., being enticed or lured to sin. The next phase, ‘birth’ is giving in to the lure of sin, committing the sin. Death is the ‘maturity’ portion. We can see that temptations are life taking!

I am not saying that we are condemned because we have committed sin. The commission is a result of our sin nature. Without the death of that sin nature we are destined to eternity without Jesus. The sin nature can only be done away with through faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Also be aware that the propensity to sin does not magically disappear when we believe and accept Christ. The sin nature only dies and no longer has an effect when we see Jesus face-to-face when He returns. Our physical death brings us to Jesus in heaven, and the sin nature does not follow us there. We go from damaged goods to pristine and pure just as Jesus is pure. He does this for us, not we ourselves. That means, however, that as long as we are physically alive we have this sin nature in us to lead us to sin. The sin nature remains, but rejoice because “If anyone is in Christ he is a new creature, the old things have passed away. Behold, new things have come.” (2 Cor 5:17) We receive a new nature as well as the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us. No longer are we condemned to sin. We have the power of the Holy Spirit to guide and protect.

Temptations can be considered different from trials. This may not be a hard-and-fast definition of the difference. A trial seems to be an outside influence which brings us to react negatively and commit sin. A temptation is internal, a luring in our imagination or mind that make the situation seem okay, if not wonderful and exciting. The temptation happens within ourselves.

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Vs. 16 - “Do not be deceived, my dear friends!.” - Don't make the mistake... Do not confuse the source of the troubles. (The “Christian Standard Bible” translation sends the warning to “brothers and sisters”. I suppose the ‘modern’ translations are trying to make the scripture ‘inclusive’, making sure that women feel included in the warning. Alrighty, then.)

I think we are seeing a change in focus on this subject.  Our attention is being changed from enduring to resisting. James provides four (4) proofs that God is not responsible for temptation or sin, nor for weakness in giving in to sin:

1. Nature of man - Our flesh (from Adam) has a propensity toward sin. "Selfish" best characterizes our nature.
2. Nature of lust - Our mental and emotional processes (inherited from Adam) tends to lure us into sin. We can convince ourselves that it “isn’t all that bad”; our mind will dwell on a temptation or a trial, we will roll it around and inspect it from all sides and eventually decide it is okay when it is definitely not. In our own power we will walk ourselves into a trap.
3. Nature of God - He is loving and forgiving. He is not soft or manipulated. There are standards which must be kept. Failure leads to death. We are not condemned to sinning. His loving and forgiving nature has provided a means for each of us to avoid sacrificing our lives for sin. Jesus Christ died on the cross for us, to take the penalty of sin for us. We can accept that and be free from the penalty. God does not allow a flippant or cavalier belief. He demands all of our attention and faith. His Holy Spirit lives in each believer that each may be free of sin and its penalty. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). See also, “if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Rom 10:9)
4. It is not about the test, but our response to it. Compare these verses to Rom 7:8-25.

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Note 1: Oswald Chambers; “My Utmost for His Highest”; Oswald Chambers Publications Association, Ltd.; 1992.

James 1:12-13 - Remain Faithful

12 Happy are those who remain faithful under trials, because when they succeed in passing such a test, they will receive as their reward the life which God has promised to those who love him.
13 If we are tempted by such trials, we must not say, “This temptation comes from God.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. (GNB)

Blessings and Trials for Believers

Vs. 12 - “ Happy are those who remain faithful under trials, because when they succeed in passing such a test, they will receive as their reward the life which God has promised to those who love him.” - Compare v.2 to v.12 - which indicate that it is a matter of WHEN not IF. This verse is like a beatitude (e.g., "blessed" or “happy”) which reflects a person’s right relationship with God (seen both in the OT and in Jesus' teaching. (See note 2, below)

A daily devotions book on the Psalms by Timothy Keller has a note on Psa 115:9-18 saying the word “blessed” has the meaning of ‘richness, fullness, multidimensional thriving, and satisfaction.’ We humans are not good with the long term view, we tend to be here-and-now. We cannot see that testing or trials may have a positive result.

As you read through Exodus, the Israelites were continually grumbling about what God was doing. For example: They were slaves doing hard labor under the pharaoh. God brings them out of Egypt after a series of 10 miracles. In most of the plagues the Israelites were not affected, the pain and punishment fell only on the Egyptians. Then, when they left after the Passover (tell me that wasn’t astounding - no Israelite children died, yet even the pharaoh’s son died!), they left Egypt loaded with gold and silver which was gladly given to them. Also, when they saw the pharaoh chasing them across the desert, they accused Moses and God of getting them out there so they could die in the desert! Another major miracle by the Lord saved them once again! They celebrated for a time, but at the next trial…

This was a recurring pattern with the Israelites on their way to the promised land. God accused them of ‘testing’ Him ten (10) times on their journey - See: Num 14:22.

“Endures or perseveres” - They are encouraged to remain faithful. (Gr. "remain" + "under") Therefore to "endure" is not a passive waiting for the storm to pass, but to endure with hope. Why is it important that we persevere? We can use tribulation to develop perseverance; perseverance to build up our character; character can lead us to hope; hope will remind us of God’s love through the Holy Spirit. All this can bring us to being justified by faith, and peace with God (Rom 5:1-5).

We have never been told that our walk of faith will be a snap. We recognize that Satan wants us to fail in our Christian experience.

We are warned by God the Father, Jesus and the Apostles several times that we will be tested. Sometimes it will be discipline to bring us back on course. “No discipline seems pleasant at the time...” (Heb. 12:11). Trials can also be a training ground, teaching us how to depend on the Lord in all things. Peter wrote that trials bring purification, which brings salvation (1 Pet 1:6-9). He is not saying you can only be saved if you succeed in being tested, but that your faith in Jesus Christ saves you, and your faith in Jesus Christ brings you peace and joy in all circumstances. You know when it is all done, you will be with Him in heaven.

Trials are likened to the refinement of gold or silver. These precious metals are heated until they become a liquid, the impurities in the gold ore float to the top and are skimmed off, leaving pure precious metal. (See: John 20:15 - Mal. 3:3)

“They will receive as their reward the life which God has promised to those who love him.” - The NASB translates “reward the life” as the “crown of life”. The "crown" refers to a wreath - (think Olympics) but this one is not perishable. Those who are pummeled by trials, tribulations, and temptations and remain faithful are rewarded by the Lord. I am pretty sure this does not mean that you are lost if you try to remain faithful and fail. One of the images we get from the book of Revelation is that martyrs are blessed in heaven. (Being in heaven with the Lord is truly a blessing, but this is even more honor bestowed on martyrs.)

And this theme of reversal is seen often in NT (e.g. the first shall be last, and the last, first). (See: Matt 19:30) Jesus speaks to this directly in the Sermon on the Mount as He states -

• "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them… 
•  Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth… 
• Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them… 
• Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things about you falsely on account of me. Rejoice and be glad because your reward is great in heaven, for they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.” (Matt 5:3,5,10,11-12.)

Paul adds to this in Colossians, "It is the Lord Christ whom you serve." (Col 3:24)

Vs. 13 - “Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one.” -

James is combating false ideas about a life of faith. Human nature is to deflect responsibility (It's not my fault!). God is not the source of temptation. God is not responsible for our temptations, or our weaknesses. What is the definition of sin? A simple definition is ‘missing the mark’. (Which immediately brings the challenge: Who’s mark? ) Another way of saying sin is: disobeying God’s commands. (Another challenge: Which ones? There are so many!)

However, Jesus said the most important command is “And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ (Matt 22:37) And, also: “The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’” (Matt 22:38)

Why would a person blame God for sending temptation? It most likely is a misunderstanding of God, of who He is and how He interacts with us. You don’t suppose that God is sitting around, and says, “Let’s parade some beautiful young women in excessively skimpy bikinis in front of good old Gary, just to see what’s going on in His brain.” Or They place a task that needs done in front of an inveterate procrastinator… Or, think of all the things that can lead you to sin (if you let it).

Stop a minute, think. How loving is a god (or, God) if He purposely tries to trip you up, leads you into sin, and punishes you for following his lead?

Oswald Chambers noted: “Satan does not tempt us just to make us do wrong things - he tempts us to make us lose what God has put into us through regeneration, namely, the possibility of being value to God. He (Satan) does not come to us on the premise of tempting us to sin, but on the premise of shifting our point of view, and only the Holy Spirit of God can detect this is a temptation of the devil… Temptation means a test of the possessions held within the inner, spiritual part of our being by a power outside of us and foreign to us.” (See note 1, below)

IMPORTANT POINT: God, the Lord Almighty, and Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, will never, ever deliberately lead you into sin. (This does not imply He may “accidentally” lead you to sin!) There are no accidents by God. Your sin is entirely your doing, by choosing to follow Satan's lead and not to follow the Holy spirit. You choose disobedience. God blesses you when you choose to obey!

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Note 1: Oswald Chambers; “My Utmost for His Highest”; Oswald Chambers Publications Association, Ltd.; 1992.

Note 2: Many translations, e.g., NASB, CSB, or ESV, do use 'blessed' in place of 'happy'  as used by the Good News Bible.