1. Going Through Trials With God

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James 1

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. 2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. 5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Going Through Trials with God

OUTLINE

  • With Pleasure (v1-2)
  • With Patience (v3-4)
  • With Prayer (v5-8)

INTRODUCTION

James[1], servant of God, to the scattered church, wrote this letter to help believers understand the marks of true faith in Christ. How does a true Christian go through life’s journey victoriously? How to live a victorious transformed life? The Christians in James’s time were facing severe social isolation and persecution for their faith in Jesus Christ. He provided them with practical advice on what to do. True faith is practical, functional, solves life’s problems. But it involves yielding our will to God’s will. Our wisdom to God’s wisdom!

James began by zooming in on meeting his readers’ needs – how to go through the trials in life? He brings them, down to earth, “feet on the ground”, informing that trials are inevitable. Expect trials in your Christian life. What are trials? They are the testing, burdens, afflictions, hardship, difficulty, setback, hard knocks, adversity, suffering, distress, problem, worry in life. Unwelcome, unsought and unexpected happenings in a person’s life.

For the students, I ask you “What is the purpose of a test in school?” Is it not to see what you have learned and to make sure that you have mastered something before you are given more? Can tests be difficult? Why?

What are the tests in life that one can experience? This can include illness, loss of possessions, loss of job, parents fighting over divorce, difficult employer.

You may ask, “Why do you like to talk about trouble? Haven’t we got enough of them already” The word “test” is defined as “putting to proof”. James reminded us that testing is a form of training or discipline, designed to achieve something positive in the believer’s life. This is a regular aspect of life. Test of your personal faith! We talk about them so that we may know how to handle them as they come.

How can are we go through trials as Christian? What are the proper attitudes that we ought to have towards trials? He tells us that the reality of living faith is demonstrated by its reaction to adversity.[2]

Three words to help us – (1) With Pleasure (v1-2) (2) With Patience (v3-4) (3) With Prayer (v5-8)

(1) With Pleasure (v1-2)

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. 

He speaks to the “twelve tribes” of Israel, a term to denote the Jewish people as a whole. And those “scattered” describes these Jews who were dispersed aboard, not living in Israel as a result of persecution. 

2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

He addressed them as brethren, brothers and sisters in Christ. He speaks of a common identity. All washed by the blood of Jesus Christ, made pure and holy, children of the living God. This is who we are before God when we confess our sins and acknowledge Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour.

He tells us “there is a joy which can subsist in the midst of sorrow” [Robert Leighton]. A joy that exists in times of pain and this attitude is commanded of God!

When you face a test, you are to “count it all joy”? What does it mean? 

To count is an accounting term it means to consider, to think, to regard, to come to a decision. And this is in the middle voice. The subject is to do the action. You are to think for yourself! You are to do the action yourself. 

This “joy” is connected with assurance in the heart of the believer that God is with him to help and prosper his ways. “Joy” literally describes a feeling of inner happiness rejoicing, gladness and delight. It is centered upon God in Jesus Christ and this dependence and relationship with Him. Upon His character, His love, and faithfulness. The psalmist defined it well what is the believer’s joy:

Psalm 16:7-11 I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. 8 I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. 10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

The adjective “all” means “fully”, “completely”, “nothing lacking”, “nothing wanting”, fully trusting, fully resting, wholly, pure joy or “nothing but joy”.

We are to bear trials with a cheerful mind. [Calvin] God stands behind every trial. We are to face trials with joy in our hearts and a smile on our faces. The word “greeting” in verse 1 means “wishing joy”. James is continuing the thought.

You are to rejoice, count it all joy or delight! Count it a pleasure! James seemed to be living well in Jerusalem and so he may not be facing the kind of hardship that his readers are facing. But James was not unaware of the trials that his people face. He himself had faced many persecutions. But he speaks as a pastor. He speaks words of encouragement. He exhorted the people to rejoice.[3]

Not only James, Peter exhorted believers to rejoice during the trial of their faith.

1 Peter 1:7-8 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

Paul commanded the Christians in Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” This is not only a command to yield your will to God’s will, to choose to be joyful, but we are to do so continually without let up. Make it a habit in your life, a part of your life. Cultivate this rejoicing. You are to go through trials with pleasure! 

If you look at the trouble, there is no joy! But you are to know that God is with you. You are to look to God. He is able to help you. He cannot fail you. He will not withhold any good from his children.

Matthew 7:11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

Face your trials with full assurance of God’s abiding presence to help you, face your trials with joy, with pleasure, with delight to see the glory of God working out His goodwill in your life.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Romans 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Hebrews 13:6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

The question is, therefore, how to find the spring of joy in the midst of sorrow? It is your relationship with God!

When ye falls into divers temptations – the Greek word is “peirasmos” means God’s examination of man, test or trial. The word “divers” means “manifold, varied”.

How then practically speaking? This joy comes from our relationship with God. It is cultivated? Question for your discussion.

(2) With Patience (v3-4)

3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

“Knowing”[4] – here speaks of experiential knowledge, the acquisition of fresh knowledge from experience [A.T. Robertson].

Trials produce patience or patience is the product of trials. The word “patience” hupomone means “to persevere, remain under a bearing up under, patience, endurance as to things or circumstances.” 

This is in contrast to makrothumia, long-suffering or endurance toward people. Hupomone is associated with hope (1Thess. 1:3) and refers to that quality of character which does not allow one to surrender to circumstances or succumb to trial. 

1 Thessalonians 1:3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;

An athlete develops his muscles by concentrating on strengthening activities. He strains and tests his body to its limit in order to perfect his strength and skill. We need similar discipline to grow and mature as Christians. God is the One who supervises the training process. James wants us to know that the “workout” of the trial is to help us develop patience. Patience is not a natural virtue. Waiting is out of character for us humans. But when we are tested, we learn to see our areas of weakness and to depend on the Lord to resolve a situation, provide a need, or help us in one way or another. Waiting doesn’t mean passively sitting by, but pressing forward by honouring and serving the Lord in spite of obstacles of suffering and difficulty. Developing patience contributes to our “growing up”, our being mature Christians who can be given additional responsibility and blessing – let patience have her perfect [maturing] work (v4).[5]

Consider the spiritual chain that begins with a test: A trial produces patience. Patience, or perseverance, finishes its work by helping us become more mature, more “perfect and entire”, more like Jesus. This is spiritual growth. It is God’s goal to have us conformed to (in the likeness of) the image of His dear Son (Rom. 8:29). Testings are His tools to accomplish this goal.

Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

God allows us to struggle through trials in order to increase our capacity to endure and mature. James 1:2 tells us that we are to be glad for what testing can do for us. 

That we may cultivate the height of patience, of cheerful, joyful patience!

(3) With Prayer (v5-8)

5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally (generously give), and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

And verses 5-6 guarantee that if we really want God’s help in trials, we can be sure that He will give it gladly. These verses aren’t a promise to take trials away. Rather, they are an assurance that if we’re willing to trust God even when we can’t see the sense of it all, He will help us benefit from the experience.

James 1:5-8 stresses the importance of the wisdom that God will give to believers. This wisdom involves more than knowledge. Many people know a lot but can’t apply what they know to their problems. Wisdom means knowing how to put the facts together to come up with a clear understanding.

We seek God through prayer and His Word that we may understand His will. The book of psalms is the saints’ prayer book in times of trials. All kinds of emotions are described there and how the psalmist found joy and victory with God. Take time to read and meditate upon it.

However, James warned against asking the Lord for wisdom without being committed to sticking with the Lord through the trial (v6-8). The person who asks for wisdom but hopes for an easy way out is not spiritually mature. God calls that kind of person a “double-minded” person. Verse 7 warned that a person who has not a firmly fixed faith on the Lord has no right to expect God to answer his or her prayer.[6]

CONCLUSION

We see here how we are to go through trials with God – with pleasure, with patience, with prayer. Amen.

Questions:

  • Does it mean that we are to deny of feelings of sorrow and grief when we “count it all joy” in the midst of trials? How does this work in practice?
  • Is God there during the believer’s trials? If yes, what should be his response? If no, why not?

[1] Who was James? There are several men in the New Testament by that name. We know that this James was not the apostle James, brother of John, because he was martyred in A.D. 44, too early for this epistle. The vast majority of scholars agree that the author of James was the half-brother of Jesus (Matt. 13:55). He became the leader of the church in Jerusalem in the years following the Day of Pentecost (Gal. 2:9; Acts 15:13-29; 21:17-25). He became known as “James the Just” (or, “Righteous”) because of his well-known holiness. [Steve Cole, A Radical Approach to Trials]

[2] D. Edmond Hiebert, James, BMH Books, 1992, Moody Institute, 59.

[3] Simon J. Kistemaker, New Testament Commentary – James, Epistles, of John, Peter and Jude, Baker Academic, 2002, 31.

[4] The contrast between ginosko and oida, is that the first often suggests an acquired knowledge, but oida suggests intuitive knowledge, that is, I know what I know because I am what I am. Man, for example, does not have the intuitive knowledge or instinct that an animal has because he is not an animal, and vice versa. In the same sense, man cannot know as God knows because he is not God.

[5] Jennie Bensen (editor), Reality Check: Book of James, Regular Baptist Press, Vol. 59, No. 1, 9-10.

[6] Ibid., 10-11.