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.

***

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)

***

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)

***

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.

***

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.

***

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.

***

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!

***

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.

James 1:9-11 - We Are Like A Flower

9 Those Christians who are poor must be glad when God lifts them up,
10 and the rich Christians must be glad when God brings them down. For the rich will pass away like the flower of a wild plant.
11 The sun rises with its blazing heat and burns the plant; its flower falls off, and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way the rich will be destroyed while they go about their business.

FULL-WIDTH TEXT

Vs. 9 - Those Christians who are poor must be glad when God lifts them up, -

“Christians who are poor” - Some translations, or versions, use the word "Brother", meaning a fellow believer. Trials a make all believers equally dependent on God. Humble circumstances, or ‘low position’ is James’ way of making the point that it doesn’t make any difference if you are rich or poor to God. We humans put great emphasis on how much money or possessions we accumulate. But we who live in humble means can look to our future with God. Sometimes it seems that is our only resource.

“lifts them up” - you are a child of God, an "exalted postion". (See NASB translation.) This is not referring to earthly riches or positions of authority and power, but now you are a child of God. John, in his first letter: “See what great love the Father has given us in naming us the children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not see who we are, because it did not see who he was. My loved ones, now we are children of God, and at present it is not clear what we are to be. We are certain that at his revelation we will be like him; for we will see him as he is.” (1 John 3:1-2)

We honor children of rich or important people. Notice how the children of the Presidents of the United States are granted positions and honors and jobs. Notice how the children of movie stars or TV personalities get preferred treatment. It has always been this way. But in this case, it does not matter what your earthly circumstances may be. If you are a child of God, a believer in our Lord Jesus Christ, you have been elevated by His grace to amazing heights. If you are not a child of God, there is no hope for you. Stop what you are doing and surrender your life to Jesus Christ.

A child of God! There is no better position. See: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. You once were not a people, but now you are God's people. You were shown no mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Pet 2:9-10)

But remember, you did not attain that ‘high position’ by your work or wealth, and so need to have a realistic understanding of how you got where you are and avoid self-love, too high a assessment of yourself; avoid pride.

Trials make all believers equally dependent on God. Wealth is an illusion. Some studies indicate that James is aiming his anger at non-Christians. (I don't think that makes a lot of sense, since the letter is written to believers). Perhaps the anger is to warn believers to not fall in to the trap that non-believers are in (erroneously thinking they have some control).

In fact, I think we make a mistake accusing James of being ‘angry’. Being firm in conviction, and warning us from trouble does not make a person angry. We may perceive his direct comments as anger because he is not ‘sugar-coating’ his statements. He is not explaining to children why they should not be naughty. He is speaking to adults.

James is not referring to troubles that are a result of our sinful actions (i.e., consequences), but those circumstances not opted for. At the cross there are no advantages either way.

Persecution as a result of living for Christ may fall into the ‘trial’ category. Martyrs definitely receive honor and ‘high position’ in God’s eyes.

***

Vs. 10 - and the rich Christians must be glad when God brings them down. For the rich will pass away like the flower of a wild plant. - James leans heavily on the rich. (See Note 1) Trouble pays no attention to social or financial standing. In Jewish culture (and in ours) wealth was a sure sign of God's favor! What are the perils of riches? Trusting in wealth in lieu of God. Wealth does not protect you from cancer, nor does it keep you from lust or greed. Wealth does not prevent you from dying, peacefully or otherwise. You have the same chance of living forever as does a weed or flower growing in the wild.

“the rich … must be glad” - The rich person expects glory and is proud of what he has accomplished.  If a rich person is to be proud, let it be because he has admitted his need for Jesus Christ, and accepted Him as Lord and Savior. Lack of humility can be a road block. It is too easy when you have all the clothes you need, food to eat, homes to live in, and cars to drive to forget or ignore your absolute need for salvation. Is admitting that you need Jesus humiliating? Perhaps. It is difficult for someone who has ‘pulled himself up by his own bootstraps’, who has worked hard to establish a business, support a family, etc., to release oneself to a higher power. Accepting Jesus involves just that - admitting that your plight is hopeless, that you need to be saved. It is liberating, knowing that Jesus has taken care of all; it is tough to reconcile that you can’t ‘do it all’. Paul is saying your pride can stand between you and eternal life. Don’t let that happen.
Let's go back to the prophet Jeremiah, who advises us to focus on the correct things. "Thus says the LORD, 'Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,' declares the LORD." (Jer 9:23-24)

***

Vs. 11 - “The sun rises with its blazing heat and burns the plant; its flower falls off, and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way the rich will be destroyed while they go about their business. - The wilted flower is an image brought forward from the OT. (Isa 40:6; Psa 102:11, 103:15; Job 14:2; ). Think of the prettiest rose blossom you may have in your yard. How long does it last? A few days at most. This is the perfect picture of ‘ephemeral’.
We also see similar comments in Psalms - “Have no fear when wealth comes to a man, and the glory of his house is increased; For at his death, he will take nothing away; his glory will not go down after him. Though he might have pride in his soul in his life-time, and men will give you praise if you do well for yourself, He will go to the generation of his fathers; he will not see the light again. Man, like the animals, does not go on for ever; he comes to an end like the beasts.” (Psa 49:16-20) In other words, don’t be envious of the rich and their wealth, because we all die and take nothing with us. 

***
Note 1: James deals with rich people and riches in four sections of this letter; 1:10-11, 2:3-6, 4:13-17, and 5:1-6. ***

James 1:5-8 - Ask for Wisdom

5 But if any of you lack wisdom, you should pray to God, who will give it to you; because God gives generously and graciously to all.
6 But when you pray, you must believe and not doubt at all. Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is driven and blown about by the wind.
7-8 If you are like that, unable to make up your mind and undecided in all you do, you must not think that you will receive anything from the Lord. (GNB)

God Will Give You Wisdom

Vs. 5 – "But if any of you lack wisdom, you should pray to God, who will give it to you; because God gives generously and graciously to all." - We can almost treat this letter by James as we would the Proverbs, for example, as with this an abrupt change of subject. Ask for wisdom, not cash or stuff. Perhaps the most famous example of this is king Solomon. See 2 Chron 1:7-12. When Solomon assumes the throne, God told Solomon to ask for whatever he wished. Solomon was grateful to God for his blessing and mercy for David. Solomon asked for wisdom to be able to rule the kingdom correctly. God was impressed with Solomon's request and gave him wisdom, as well as other stuff, too. How's that for generously and graciously?

Let’s stop for a bit and ask ourselves, “How would we define/describe 'wisdom'?” We can see wisdom as moral discernment, spiritual insight, right understanding, or responsible words and worthy deeds. We can see how wisdom plays a part in our response to trials and trouble. Look to Proverbs: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.” (Pro 3:5-7) As we grow in our trust in the Lord we see our commitment to Him increase; we learn to be vigilant so as to avoid situations that may lead us to into trouble. Which brings us to look to God and avoid dependence on self. Autonomy will almost always end in disaster for us.
While reading this morning I came across these verses: "The LORD is good and upright; therefore he shows sinners the way. He leads the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. All the LORD’s ways show faithful love and truth to those who keep his covenant and decrees." (Psa 25:8-10) This is telling us that wisdom comes from listening and obeying the Lord's "ways" which He has revealed in Scripture.

Christ is our example in reliance on God. See: “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Heb 12:2-3) We can rejoice that God loves us and has a wonderful plan for our lives. “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thes 5:16-18) Is this amazing? We are to rejoice in all things - even in persecution! We can trust the one whom we ask! He has held nothing back from us!

This tells us that wisdom is a special provision from God. You can keep on doing what you are doing, and gain nothing but frustration and bitterness. Or you can pray to God. Ask Him as commanded. Ask Him because in this way we will come to a greater dependence on Him - which is the only way to a fulfilling life in Christ. And His wisdom will help us see that we are free in Christ, free from sin by His blood shed. We can receive the Holy Spirit (see Eph. 1:7) - non-believers cannot receive the Holy Spirit of God. We can experience the extraordinary greatness of His grace (Eph 2:7). We have access to the unimaginable wealth and riches that Christ has for us (Eph 3:8).
Wisdom does not just 'happen' - it must be fought for, you must make a decision. The result of that decision may be good or bad. And if you learn from that decision, either to "not do that" again or that it is "good to do that", you have gained wisdom.

***

Vs. 6 – "But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind." - Don't doubt that God can answer. We may not know what His answer will be. Especially if we don't ask correctly. We have no right to make demands on God. Is this a matter of attitude? Partially, but also a matter of asking for that which God wants for us - being in His will. We can ask Him to reveal His will for us. See 1 John 5:14-15 - “And this is the confidence that we have before him: that whenever we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, then we know that we have the requests that we have asked from him.”

“Doubts” - a believer who doubts his relationship w/God exposes an unstable faith; not merely indecision, but a loss of trust in God. Who or what are you doubting? Pray with a confident trust in a sovereign God. Picture a rudderless ship - that is prayer without belief.

***  

Vs. 7,8 – "For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." .

“double-minded” - To pursue good and evil at the same time is hypocrisy! Divided between faith and the world - a carnal man- (Whoever does not have the spirit... 1 Cor 2:14) The psalmist knew the frustration of dealing with those who were double-minded. They were uncertain and uncommitted in their lives. In contrast, the law of God is sure and certain.

The following are some quotes from Bible Study authors: “When we love the law it becomes a law of love, and we cling to it with our whole heart.” (Spurgeon)
“ ‘Double-minded’ is akin to the word in Elijah’s taunt at those who hobbled ‘first on one leg and then on the other’ (1 Kings 18:21, Jerusalem Bible).” (Kidner)
“Double-minded people are people who know about God but are not fully determined to worship and serve him only. They are those who want both God and the world. They want the benefits of true religion, but they want their sin too.... The Psalmist hates this double-mindedness; he also hates it in himself.” (Boice)

What should we be asking for? During a trial, ask for an understanding of the purpose behind the divine permission of the difficulty. If we are rebellious during trials, it will bring us to no good.

James 1:2-4 - Facing Trials

2 My friends, consider yourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way,
3 for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure.
4 Make sure that your endurance carries you all the way without failing, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (GNB)

Faith Built Through Trials

Vs. 2 – “My friends, consider yourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way,”

“My friends, consider yourselves fortunate”, (or from the NASB, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,”). I like the GNB translation better – fortunate vs joy. But I am willing to admit that I may be wrong on this one. There too many statements in the NT regarding this. Most of these verses relate to persecutions (trials) because of commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord, not just trouble because we are alive in a world damaged by sin (Mt 5:10-12, Acts 5:21, Rm 8:17-18, 1 Pt 1:6-8, 4:1, 13-16).

I think that James is talking not only about the kind of trouble we face day to day – sickness, accidents, crime, ‘acts of God’, but about living our lives so that people notice that we are His. The margin note in my NASB indicates that ‘trials’ could also be temptations. This makes a lot of sense in the perseverance and endurance thought-line. Endurance, not in the sense of making you a tougher believer, but better able to live the Christian life, a purer and holier life. The pictures that ‘encounter various trials’ (or, 'fall into trials') bring to mind is this ‘encounter’, may be an accident, not by choice. Or the ‘come your way’ is the result of your own actions. Both are possible, but probably not at the same time.

Vs 3 – “for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure.”

"the result is the ability to endure." - Does suffering in this world, sickness, accidents, crime, ‘acts of God’, etc., test our faith? Of course it does. Does being persecuted for Christ test our faith? Most probably. To me the difference is that one seems to be unexplainable – being struck by illness, losing a child, other tragedies. (The old, “Why me? Why now?”) The other, persecution, should be obvious – you live for Christ, therefore, people hate you. Christ said this would happen (Jn 18:18, Lk 6:22).

How does testing produce endurance? Does it automatically produce endurance? See: “Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.” (1 Pet 4:1) We can make sense in this way. Our faith grows when we are reduced to utter dependence on God; when we turn to him rather than shaking our fist at Him or blaming Him. God has not promised relief, or avoidance from trouble and trials. He has promised solace, care, love, and growth. These are not automatic, but come to us as we live each moment depending on Him. We grow most when we depend on Him when in trouble. We can grow when we depend on Him in abundance. I don’t know which is harder, living in dependence on God in abundance, or dependence on Him under trial. Abundance tends to dull our sense of need for dependence on the Lord. Trouble seems to drive us to, “Why are you picking on me, Lord?”, or “What did I do to deserve this?”, and becoming embittered.

If the reference of ‘trials’ is about resisting temptations then the ‘endurance’ part follows the ‘keep yourself pure’ train of thought. See Ps 119:9; 1 Pt 2:11; Col 1:10, 2:18; 1 Thess 2:12, 4:7, etc.) See the comments in verse 2 above.

***

Vs. 4 – “Make sure that your endurance carries you all the way without failing, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” - The acquired endurance will work on you, to help you grow and mature. Heb. 5:12-14 applies here. You need to grow in your faith, to go from baby steps to adult – go from not knowing the difference between right and wrong, to being able to recognize evil.

Don't think the 'perfect' refers to 'without defect', but more about bringing to completion.

Perhaps maturity is a good synonym. What is the growth process shown here? Going through testing can develop perseverance, which develops maturity. This assumes you don’t throw up your hands in defeat, become a blubbering sad-sack or embittered, blaming God or others for all your problems.

James is not writing about perfection, but becoming 'mature, complete', a spiritual maturity. Perfection only comes when Christ returns and we are taken up to be with Him forever. James is urging us to not surrender to trouble. James is trying help us look at trials from God's point of view. The trial is not a JOY, but the resulting stamina promotes joy. A person's genuine mature faith will prove itself in times of trouble.

God intends trials to drive believers to greater dependence on Him. None of us is excused from trials. What makes it hard to be joyful in the midst of difficulty? It might be that we tend to focus on “Why is this happening to me?!” As we mature in our faith, several spiritual truths begin to emerge. This is not an easy-going philosophy. We need to rely on the Holy Spirit to see the deeper reasons.

We can contemplate the Beatitude in Matt 5:10,11 - “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you...” But this is hard! Then we need to remember God will supply all our needs. (Phil 4:19) Surrender yourselves is the key. It is voluntary! We are not forced in any way. We can reject the trial, and learn nothing. Or we can submit to the Lord as His bond-slave. (See: Rom 6:19)

***

James 1:1 - Hello, It’s Me, James.

1 - From James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ: Greetings to all God's people scattered over the whole world. (GNB - See Note 1)

***

Vs. 1 – "James" - Letters written in our time, almost always come with the following format: Hello. Subject. Goodbye from me. Letters in 60 AD combined the hello and the goodby-from-me at the first. This is sort of like  a business letter, with the letterhead, office address and such. We still don’t usually put our name on the letter until the end. The letter is ‘from James’ (no last name - “Last name” is a fairly modern phenomenon). There are several James that could be the likely author - see the discussion on the “Intro to James” page.

‘A servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,’ – James is proudly claiming to be a slave. Other translations (see Note 2, below) use the word ‘bond-slave’, which is the nuts and bolts of the words ‘servant’ seen here. See the following definition: a bond-slave is “metaphysically, one who gives himself up to another's will, those whose service is used by Christ in extending and advancing his cause among men”. In simpler terms: a slave.

The term ‘bond-slave’ comes from the OT. Normally, a person became a slave to another in order to pay off a debt. This situation was not a permanent position for Jews. After the debt was paid, the ‘slave’ was freed. If the debt could not be paid off, the Israelite would be set free in a Jubilee year (see Lev 25).

However, the slave could voluntarily become permanently bonded to the master. See: “It shall come about if he says to you, ‘I will not go out from you,’ because he loves you and your household, since he fares well with you; then you shall take an awl and pierce it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also you shall do likewise to your maidservant.” (Deut. 15:16-17)

James is stating the simple truth that when we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior we do so voluntarily. We are not forced to believe Him or love Him. But when we do, we are completely and permanently His.

James bonds himself to God, and to Jesus. The significance of this: Jesus is not “less” than God. Not that I see that as a possibility, but there are others who question that Jesus indeed may be God Himself. In God’s theology, the trinity is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, three-in-one. Jesus claimed ‘one-ship’ with the Father. Denying that Jesus is Lord places the declarer in jeopardy.

“Greetings to all God's people scattered over the whole world.” - So the letter is going out to Christians, wherever they may be in the empire. It probably was meant for Jewish Christian believers because other translations say, “to the twelve tribes”. This may place this letter about 48-50 AD. Also, the emperor Claudius ejected Jews from Rome about this period. Jewish Christians would have been kicked out along with non-Christian Jews. They moved to far-flung places in the Roman kingdom to escape persecution. It is significant that it was not just devout Jews that were displaced.

About 51 AD Paul and Barnabas made the presentation to the elders (leaders) in Jerusalem. James (who wrote this letter) says that Gentiles do not need to become Jewish before becoming Christian.

This is important because Christianity now becomes its own entity, not just another Jewish sect. (See Acts 15:1-30.) Just as there is various denominations in the Christian churches, there were factions of the Jewish faith (e.g., Pharisees vs Sadducees.) If the trend had continued, if James and the leaders of the Jerusalem church would have come to a different decision, the members of the church would have first had to convert to Judaism. But God announced in Isaiah that Gentiles would come to Him, on their own (Isa 49:10-11, 56:7b). Until Paul and Barnabas got confirmation from the other apostles, Gentile Christians were kind of an afterthought. Note: Paul and Barnabas made the defense of the Gentiles about 57 AD. (Acts 15:12,13) - James, and the other elders, understood that the Gospel was for all, not just some. Forgiveness was purchased for all men (people).

***

A more poetic statement of Jam 1:1 is found in 1 Pet 2:9-10: “But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.” (NASB-1995)(see Note 2, below)

***
Note 1: GNB = Good News Bible - Today’s English Version; American Bible Society; 1992. The ‘Good News for Modern Man’ was the Bible I had when I committed my life to Jesus Christ at Explo ‘72. And I started reading it. The books that affected me most were Colossians and James. At one point (later) I had most of Colossians memorized, and some of James. Unfortunately, I no longer have them completely committed to memory - old age has diminished my ability to memorize or to quickly call up that which I still retain. However, I still love to read Colossians and James in the GNB translation, even though it may not be the most accurate. When I come to a verse that is made more clear by a different translation, I will refer to it.
Note 2: For example, New American Standard Bible (NASB-1995), or Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB-2010), are a couple of the other versions I have used.