2BC BIBLE STUDY NOTES
Wednesday in the Word
Second Baptist Church
January 11, 2023
James 1:1-12
Minister Joseph Williams
The Setting:
James wrote this letter to address specific problems in the lives of believers. Forced to live far from their homeland, they faced the accompanying pressure applied by the people in their new surroundings. James struck immediately with his initial words aimed at helping his readers learn how to deal with stress and pressure. By urging them to turn to God, he helped them see that the trials they feared could actually be avenues toward spiritual maturity.
Vv. 1. Learning how to react under the pressures of life can propel a person’s faith walk. James urged his readers to grow up spiritually. In so doing, they would more than likely persevere through life’s trials because of their strengthened faith. Although he was the half-brother of Jesus and had risen to lead the church in Jerusalem, James offered only scant details about his identity. He claimed only to be a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. By identifying as a servant (translated “slave”), James subjected himself to the role of a bondservant to God.
Motivated by the spiritual welfare of the believers, James wrote to encourage the twelve tribes scattered far and wide around the world. Their dispersion caused many to live in a Greek culture compelling them to compare new ways of living to include various cults. James provides a primer for living out faith in Christ.
Vv. 2. James knew his readers would experience various trials. James used a vivid word that meant “multi-colored” or “variegated,” giving a clue that believers could expect all kinds of challenges in life. They could expect to experience sickness, accidents, disappointments, tragedies, and even death. Other trials would come because of their commitment to Christ and from the seductive temptations of life. James left the door open to include the entire range and levels of trials anyone might experience in life, including anything from the inward temptations of sin to the most horrible forms of outward persecution.
By choosing the word whenever, James warned about the inevitable nature of these trials. He told Christians to expect trials, but instructed them to consider it pure joy. However, he did not intend for his brothers and sisters to pretend everything would work out in the end as they went through trials. interestingly, James used the past tense for the word consider, signifying the joy would come after the trial. The trial itself would never be a joyful experience. However, James urged his readers to think ahead to the result of the trial. James urged them to have a settled conviction about the times of testing that sometimes erupt suddenly and violently, and at other times seem to simmer gradually to a boil. Rather than becoming angry and wanting to blame God, James directed them to the healthier alternative— joy. He did not suggest Christians facing trials should only respond with joy, as if to say that they can never be saddened by difficult times. James urged them to consider that living through trials can lead them to discovering how their faith can grow, resulting in an occasion for genuine rejoicing. Thinking in this way can turn every trial into a God-given opportunity for spiritual maturity.
Vv 3. James turned to provide the reason for these trials. They fall within the permissive will of God in order to prove the authenticity of faith in those who serve Him. The reason they should consider it great joy to experience various trials was that the testing of their faith would produce the virtue of endurance. The idea behind testing referred to something being put in the crucible of the refiner’s fire (Prov. 27:21), with the implication that only the genuine substance would survive the refining process. The process may be slow and painful, but the difficulties of life can refine a person’s faith. Going through a crucible of suffering will refine away the dross so that what remains might become pure and valuable before God. Going through the experience of the trial can result in a new facet of the believer’s character that previously did not exist.
Vv. 4. James hoped every believer might experience a faith marked by endurance as the result of the various tests of life. However, for him, endurance would never serve as the final goal of the testing, because he did not want believers to miss anything in their relationship with God. James pushed his readers further so that endurance might have its full effect. His use of the present imperative (let endurance “have”) literally means, “let it keep on having.” in other words, a believer’s spiritual growth has no end; development is to continue throughout life and the encounters of trial after trial. By “full effect," James meant a life marked by righteous living. He saw the Christian life as not simply finding initial faith in Christ but daily placing faith in Him, to live for Him, and to imitate His righteousness. The trials of life actually provide the spiritual muscle building experiences necessary for growing to spiritual maturity.
For James, continuing endurance would steadily move the believers so they may be mature and complete. His word for “mature” means “perfect; to carry on work to its end; to become full grown.” Coupled with “complete,” a word which means “complete in all its parts," implied a gradual process of adding virtue upon virtue until the believer lacks nothing. His words should stir believers to envision themselves in the state of complete maturity, devoid of jealousy, laziness, impulsiveness, impatience, bitterness, self-pity, or selfishness that mars the wholeness of fellowship with God and the completeness of spiritual maturity.
Vv. 5. When trials of life threaten to overwhelm us or when a temptation swarms in upon us and overcomes us, can we find an escape? James answered that in these very moments as we live in the thick, messy tangle of life’s circumstances, we should ask God for wisdom. Wisdom involves more than knowledge. Wisdom means the grasping of facts that enables us to cope with trials and temptations. This wisdom cannot be attained by reading a textbook or hearing an expert teacher in a classroom.
James showed his readers that they needed a divine source for the wisdom they lacked. We need this wisdom as we navigate through life’s challenges, stresses, and trials. He linked their lack for wisdom with the same word in the previous verse—(lack) a word that can mean “destitute, wanting, defective." Therefore, James made the connection that if they lacked wisdom, then they would not know how to handle problems they faced. James urged them to ask God for the wisdom they lacked because he knew God’s wisdom would help them understand how to use the circumstances of life for their good and His glory. Paul shared this same burden in his letters (Eph. 1:17; Col. 1:9). Going through the trials of life can cause people to lose perspective and direction, leading them to focus on circumstances and forget the wisdom they need comes from God. To all who ask for wisdom, God will give it generously and ungrudgingly. When God grants wisdom, He does so without reservation or hesitancy. In other words, He does not complain or criticize about anyone continuing to ask for wisdom. God remains totally willing to give wisdom without finding fault because He knows wisdom provides the only path to enduring the testing of faith.
Vv. 6. God will hear the request for wisdom; however, indecision or lack of faith can nullify a request for wisdom. When we ask God to give us wisdom as we encounter some trial or temptation, James warned that we must ask in faith without doubting. Therefore, James called on his readers to exercise confidence in the Lord as they sought wisdom. Doubting means wavering, an image that recalls the temptations of Israel in the wilderness who always looked back to Egypt while looking forward to the promised land. So, James painted a picture of a doubting believer who wavered between being self-centered and being God-centered. Remaining faithful to God stands at the heart of the issue.
Paul used the same word to describe Abraham’s faith who “did not waver in unbelief at God's promise” (Rom. 4:20). Despite moments of doubt over God’s promise that he would have a son through Sarah, over many years Abraham demonstrated a consistency in his faith in God. To ask in faith without doubting should not be understood as asserting prayers will never be answered where any degree of doubt exists. Because of our human condition, we are prone to wonder-—and doubt! God will respond to our prayers when our lives reflect a consistency of faith in Him.
James reflected Jesus’s teaching when His disciples stood amazed at the withered fig tree. Jesus told them that if they had faith and did not doubt, they could move mountains. Furthermore, He promised that if they believed, they would receive whatever they asked for in prayer (Matt. 21:21-22). We should exercise care when claiming God will answer any request if we have enough faith. The context clearly urges us to prioritize seeking after godly wisdom; then we will ask from the correct point of view.
Inserting a vivid analogy, James described the person who wavers in faith as being like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. A person who lacks confident trust in God has no basis to make a request of God. Doubt--the opposite of faith and trust in God—leaves the believer entirely exposed to life’s random assaults. The wave of the sea graphically illustrates the excruciating instability of a life torn between loving God and loving the world. Such a person wavers back and forth and does not truly value God's gifts.
Vv. 7-8. That person who sloshes back and forth in persistent doubt, actually nullifies his prayer and should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. The doubting believer totally misunderstands the Father and has no grasp of the relationship between faith and prayer. James pinned two more descriptors on that person. First, he called him double-minded, literally “two souled." Such a person has not completely aligned himself with God but holds out for ulterior motives. This leads to him being unstable in all his ways. In other words, his basic disloyalty to God results in a complete failure in character and conduct, leaving his whole behavior as unstable and unreliable.
Vv. 9-10. Some have concluded James appears to wander from one topic to another in the early portion of this letter. However, he followed a common practice of establishing the ideas he would address in the letter. James continued on the topic of trials and temptations and the needed wisdom to navigate through them.
At the heart of this section, James made a contrast between the brother of humble circumstances and the rich. In this section, James introduced the theme of riches and poverty, a theme he would address throughout his letter. No matter where a person may be on the economic scale, trials have the remarkable ability to level the playing field. While many of James’s readers would have fallen on the lower end of the economic scale, others may have accumulated some wealth, causing them to rely on it rather than on God. While the word translated as boast only appears in verse 9 in reference to the poorer brother (the Greek word does not appear in v. 10), James’s usage certainly implied the rich should also “boast.” Therefore, the heart of his exhortation comes down to the focus of each group's satisfaction.
James first addressed the one of humble circumstances who belongs to the family of God, a description of someone at the lower end of the socioeconomic scale, relatively poor and powerless. The world might evaluate such individuals as “not worth much," but God thinks otherwise. James encouraged the poor person to boast in his exaltation. In other words, the poor should take pride that as followers of Christ they belong to the heavenly realm and have great worth to God. The impoverished must look beyond physical circumstances and find joy in spiritual values.
Many interpreters conclude James always considered the rich as non-Christian, since in his two other references to rich people (2:1-7; 5:1-6), he saw them as wicked oppressors of God’s people. But the early church also had people who had plenty. Among wealthy believers, we find Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus, and Barnabas. James would have been keenly aware of these men. Therefore, James would have been encouraging the rich not to take pride in their possessions but rather in their identification with Christ and His people. All believers know they will pass away like a flower of the field, regardless of their socioeconomic standing.
In the broader context of the passage, James reminded his readers that trials have a remarkable leveling effect. Those who are poor should boast in the fact that their circumstances actually lead them to trust in God more. The lack of physical resources drives them to their rich status as children of God. On the other hand, those who are rich would do well to exercise caution and not attempt to work through their trials without God, believing that their wealth can solve their problems. Surrounding themselves with possessions and entertainment provides no substitute for a relationship with God. Jesus reminded His followers that “one’s life is not in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15).
Vv. 11. James intensified the folly of trusting in wealth through the use of a proverb referring to a familiar phenomenon in Palestine. The scorching heat translates a word describing the blistering east wind called the sirocco. This desert wind blows constantly both day and night, usually for three or four days during the spring and fall transitions. The intense heat dries up the grass and causes the flowers to fade and fall away.
Similarly, all life pursuits of those who trust in wealth will eventually amount to nothing. Not only that, they will wither away. While James may have been referring to the loss of the rich man’s wealth, he more likely intended the judgment day for the one who trusted in wealth rather than the Lord. He offered this sharp and biting warning against pursuing the seductive attraction of worldly wealth that will end in judgment.
To summarize the implications of verses 9-11, James exhorted both the poor person and the rich person to look toward their spiritual identity in Christ as the measure of their spiritual significance. The poor believers may feel insignificant and powerless because the world often judges on the basis of money and status. To these, James encouraged them to take pride in their exalted status in Christ. To rich believers who may be tempted to think more of themselves than they ought, James pressed them to remain humble because their possessions or social position meant nothing and would fade away.
Vv. 12. Drawing his argument to a conclusion, James returned to the topic of trials. He made references to endurance and testing to tie everything together from earlier in the passage. He promised a reward for the person who endures trials by remaining firm in the midst of testing. The tendency to use happy for blessed misses the meaning of the word. Going through the trials of life, while they will not likely make us happy, can bring about blessings if we endure them with faith and commitment to God.
James spelled out the reason for the blessing— because they have stood the test. In other words, they have persevered. The word test comes from metallurgy, referring to the process through which metals become purified and stronger when tried by fire. Perseverance does not mean a morbid response of a person who sits down, bows his head, and passively endures rebukes and tests". James made a clear connection between faithfulness and reward. Those who meet the conditions of faith will receive the crown of life. Coupled with the idea of a reward, the word “life” indicated the reward might begin in this life but pointed into eternity. Coupled with the idea of a reward, the word “life" indicated the reward might begin in this life but pointed into eternity.
click here to select another lesson