James 1:21-25 - Do Not Deceive Yourselves

21 So get rid of every filthy habit and all wicked conduct. Submit to God and accept the word that he plants in your hearts, which is able to save you.
22 Do not deceive yourselves by just listening to his word; instead, put it into practice.
23 If you listen to the word, but do not put it into practice you are like people who look in a mirror and see themselves as they are.
24 They take a good look at themselves and then go away and at once forget what they look like.
25 But if you look closely into the perfect law that sets people free, and keep on paying attention to it and do not simply listen and then forget it, but put it into practice—you will be blessed by God in what you do. (GNB)

Premise: Saving faith is More than Intellectual Assent.

Vs. 21 - “So get rid of every filthy habit and all wicked conduct.” - 

Some versions command us to ‘lay aside” these behaviors. Both ‘get rid of’ and “lay aside” imply a purposeful decision. No longer are you to be hindered by dragging an anchor through your spiritual life. You cut the chain. You throw off the baggage. I used to go backpacking in the Oregon Cascade mountains when I was younger. The backpack holds your tent, sleeping bag and pad, clothes, food, stove and fuel (enough for the number of days you will be there). It was heavy. After several hours of hiking up the trail, what a relief when you ‘laid aside’ that backpack!

“Filthy habit”, or “Filthiness”; “Wicked conduct”, or “Wickedness” - If you have been a Christian for most of your life, or for a significant amount of time, this verse may seem a little odd. In the society at the start of the Christian churches (50-90 AD) there was no influence to ameliorate the lack of morals at that time. The society, whether Greek or Roman or other, was not ‘Christianized’. Temple prostitutes were common - according to some of the sources I have read there were some ‘religions’ where the sexual act was the worship. There may have been no moral teaching - anything goes. This may not have been true in Jewish communities, because they had the Word of God given to them through Moses and the Prophets. So it is probable that sexual misconduct (as we would see it) was not considered a ‘sin’. Who knows about theft, thuggery, etc.

In some ways, we can look at what is going on in some of our larger cities in the U.S. The crime wave raging in our cities is shocking - murders are up 25-50%; vagrancy is rampant; people are being attacked - some have been shoved on to subway tracks or into the street; people have been attacked and beaten; stores have been ransacked. How could ancient cities and societies be any more violent and evil.

Consider the situation from where you and others may have come. You have heard the gospel, and it makes landing within your heart and mind. You accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Now what? How do you act? What do you do? James is clearly talking to people who have come to Christ from rough circumstances. He is telling them, “Don’t do what you did before!” Paul said, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” (2 Cor 5:17)

There are positives and negatives in this verse. The ‘negatives’ are in the command to no longer behave the way you did before you accepted Christ. Why is that a negative? For example, think about losing weight - your have to change your eating habits. This is hard. I love candy bars, apple turnovers, maple bars, burgers and fries. It is hard for me to see a green salad as a meal. I want to eat until I am full, and considering that I am overweight it means that I have done that a lot. Likewise if you have been looking at pornography, or having an affair, you must not do that again. It is hard to make that change. Your are so used to doing something - pornography, lying, cheating on your taxes, cheating on your golf score, speeding through a school zone, abortions, etc., that it may not even register that what you did is a sin!

The positives in this verse is that you don’t have to do this in your own power! The Holy Spirit is in you to guide and teach you. You have the Bible, God’s Word, to give you instructions. One evidence of your new faith - hunger for the Word. God will ‘speak’ to you from the Bible. There may not be a specific command for some behaviors, but the Bible also has tenets and standards that you can apply to your life that will steer you away from sinful activities.

Vs. 22 - "Do not deceive yourselves by just listening to his word; instead, put it into practice." 

In the first century A.D. society most people did not read or write. Most teaching was oral reading of the scriptures or letters. (Mark’s Gospel was probably written about 60 AD, Luke’s and Matthew’s gospels followed. None of the gospels would have been in ‘book’ form.) The Gospels would not have been canonized at the time this letter was written. So the account of Jesus’ life, teaching, death and resurrection was told by those who were with Him, or was taught by those who heard and believed the first-person accounts. The letters written by the apostles were read in the churches.

The NASB puts it that you should be a ‘doer’ and not a ‘hearer’ only. Teaching what God has instructed us has the same importance as reading the Bible. That puts tremendous pressure on the teacher to ‘get it right’. A teacher’s message is most effective and powerful when his life matches his teachings. When his life does not follow his own teachings he is a liar - to himself and to others. His teachings cannot be trusted.

On the other side of this equation, the student has to make a decision when listening to the teacher. Does the student accept and believe the lesson? Does the student take the teaching and apply it to his life? James is clearly saying you cannot claim belief without showing a change in personal behavior. If you believe, you will put it into practice.

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Vs. 23-24 - “If you listen to the word, but do not put it into practice you are like people who look in a mirror and see themselves as they are. They take a good look at themselves and then go away and at once forget what they look like.” - 

This example does not need much explanation. Imagine getting ready to go out on a date with your wife, and as you walk out of the bathroom she asks, “Aren’t you going to comb your hair?” Your response, “What?”, shows that you looked to see if you were ready and didn’t notice. In similar manner, God wants you to be aware the Christian image you portray shows you care about and notice the witness you are presenting. When being taught Christian living principles we can either observe what is said and apply it to our lives or we can be careless about what we were hearing.

Vs. 25 - “But if you look closely into the perfect law that sets people free, and keep on paying attention to it and do not simply listen and then forget it, but put it into practice—you will be blessed by God in what you do.”
James tells us to look into the ‘perfect law’, because it will set us free. What is the perfect law? Remember, the term ‘the Law’, would have a particular significance to Jews who revered the Law as handed down by the Lord to them. Roman citizens and subjects would also understand ‘the law’. Roman law was harsh and completely enforced by the Roman legions. Were those laws perfect? Jews tended to claim the Law was perfect, but their behavior tended to belie those statements.

Jesus came to set us free from the strictures of the Law. The Law did not make it possible to be free from sin. The perfect law that Jesus proclaimed sets us free from sin, both its commission and punishment. Jesus said, ”Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:34-36) No longer are we slaves to sin when we are in Christ.

The perfect law of Jesus Christ is followed by faith, not by works. God aimed us toward this from OT times. See: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit’, says the Lord.” (Zech 4:6) (Yes, I understand this particular message was about freeing the Israelites from Babylon, but it is the heart of God’s message to us - believe in the Lord and you will be saved.)

Paul wrote: “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.’” (Rom 1:17) Paul amplified this in chapter 3, “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.” (Rom 3:21-31)

Lastly, we are reminded, “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.” (Titus 3:5-6)

That is the perfect law!

How can God's Word do a daily saving work in the believer? The Word, as spoken by Jesus, has promised the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to those who accept and believe Jesus as Lord and Savior. The Holy Spirit can control and empower you to live the wonderful life Jesus has promised. The Holy Spirit is your earnest down payment guarantee that when you have Jesus you have eternal life. Your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life! Your life is safe in Jesus Christ for all eternity. Let’s hear a ‘Praise the Lord!’

That is the perfect law!

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.

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.

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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.

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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)

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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.