The Purpose of Tests James 1;1-12

James 1;1-12 Christianity 201 The Purpose of Tests

· Considered one of the General Epistles, James, like the epistles of Peter, John, and Jude, is an encyclical addressed not to individual churches or persons but to a larger sphere of believers. The teaching in these general letters complements the doctrine of Paul. Paul emphasized faith; James stressed conduct; Peter, hope; John, love; and Jude, purity
· There was but one James in the early church who was well enough recognized to be able to use such a simple greeting and that was James the son of Joseph, the brother of the Lord. John 7;3-5 indicates that Jesus' family did not believe He was the messiah prior to His resurrection. This is the man who was personally visited by Jesus after the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:7), and it was probably at this time that he was converted.
· Tradition tells us that they called James "camel knees". Camels have those big wads of calluses on their knees so they can get down & carry a person on their back, along w/ all that water in their humps. They say James had calluses from spending so many hours/days on his knees.
· James, along with Peter and John were missionaries to the Jews. James ministered in Jerusalem, Palestine, and Syria; Peter in Babylon and in Rome; and John in Ephesus and Asia Minor. Peter addressed the Jewish Christians scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, while James wrote to the Jewish Christians in general.
· The letter is filled with the teaching of Jesus. No other letter of the NT has as many references to the teaching of Jesus per page as this one does. It is not that James quotes Jesus directly, although he sometimes does (see in 5:12), but he normally simply uses phrases and ideas which come from Jesus. His readers would have memorized much of the Lord’s teaching, so they would recognize the source. Most of these phrases come from the teaching of Jesus now in Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5–7) (see the chart). There is no better example in the NT of a church leader taking the Lord’s teaching and applying it to church problems. The letter of James, then, becomes a model for the modern church on how to apply the teaching of Jesus.

· James 1;1 This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
· It is written to Jewish Christians scattered among the nations.*
· Greetings!
· James identifies himself as a doulos-a bond slave. A slave, not a servant that received a wage, had no rights, no ownership of property, all their needs, cares, and concerns, were met by their master. A bond-slave lived completely for his master, everything he had belonged to his master. He was there only to serve. And in Exodus 21 a slave in the seventh year had the opportunity to go free, if they loved their master, could choose to serve them for life and would receive a golden earring as an outward sign that this slave was property of their master for life.
· He uses the typical Greek greeting here which is the word for grace.
· James 1;2 Dear brothers and sisters,* whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy.

·To persecuted Jewish believers scattered among pagan peoples, James gave the surprising advice, Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds. Trials should be faced with an attitude of joy. Trials should not be seen as a punishment or simply" our lot in life" type of cynicism, which is easy to do. They are designed to produce “pure joy” (lit., “all joy”; i.e., joy that is full or unmixed), not just “some joy” coupled with much grief.
·Though James’ command was direct and forceful, he did not preach at his audience. He identified with them. He addressed them warmly as “my brothers.” This mode of address is characteristic of the epistle. He used this familiar form no less than 15 times. James’ direct commands are coupled with deep compassion.
·It is important to note that James did not say that a believer should be joyous for the trials but in the trials. The verb translated “face” might more literally be expressed as “fall into,” peripesēte, much as the poor man “fell among robbers” (Luke 10:30). The “trials of many kinds” (peirasmois . . . poikilois) were also referred to by Peter, who used the same Greek words, though in reverse order (1 Peter 1:6). When surrounded by these trials, one should respond with joy. Most people count it all joy when they escape trials. James said to count it all joy in the midst of trials (cf. 1 Peter 1:6, 8).
· It is clear that the reference here is to external trials, or tests of stamina (peirasmois) whereas later in the same chapter (James 1:13) the verb form (peirazomai) of that noun is used to speak of inner temptations, or solicitations to sin.
· James, having the advantage of grown up w/ Jesus, knew His kindness, the expressions on His face, etc...So often we misinterpret who Jesus really is when we go thru trials & hardships, & we're thinking," if You really loved me, why would you allow this to happen? Why is thing taking place? And James knows that & he seems to be desiring to communicate to those believers, those that have been scattered abroad about trials, by devoting the first twelve verses to trials.
· It was a difficult time in the history of the church, it seems to be in the mid forties AD, before the conference in Jerusalem, in Acts 15 where James presided as the head of the church, it seems to be earlier on than that. There was persecution mounting against the church, there had been many of those who were converted @ Pentecost, three thousand on the day of Pentecost & 5,000 in response to Peter's sermon in Acts chapter three. Persecution had begun in Jerusalem, many Jews had been driven out, & he addresses them as those that are scattered. In Greek, diaspora is two words; dia=scatter throughout & spora=seed, where we get the word spores from.
· It's interesting to note that James doesh't see the people as children of God under great pressure, though they were, but he sees them as the seed of God scattered throughout the Roman empire. That God so loved the world, that He filled every one of those believers & they became living epistles & they returned to their homelands, & were driven out w/ the living Christ, his older brother in their hearts.
· Again, to count it all joy is not the attitude where we're glad that difficulties are happening, we're to rejoice instead that God is working in our lives.
· He's not wanting us to say," this hurts so much, thank-you Lord"!!!But you can rejoice in the trial, Lord I know you have a plan, I know You're involved.
3 For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.
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· It's the trying or proving of our faith that's needed.
· James says you believe in God? Demons do to. The goal is for us to see where we are in our faith. God already knows. We dissapoint ourselves because we often think we're farther along than we are.
· Patience is a needed quality. So often our failure is neglecting to wait upon God.
·Trials can be faced with joy because, infused with faith, perseverance results, and if perseverance goes full-term it will develop a thoroughly mature Christian who lacks nothing. He will indeed be all God wants him to be.
·James’ argument may seem logical, but it is still difficult to see how trials can be welcomed with an attitude of joy. Where does one turn for help to understand this paradox?
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5 If you need wisdom-if you want to know what God wants you to do-ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 People like that should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 They can’t make up their minds. They waver back and forth in everything they do.

·1:5–8 Prayer. But what is a person supposed to do if they are not ‘mature and complete’? What if one fears failing the test? Paul’s answer would have been that they should live, or be led, by the Spirit (e.g. Gal. 5:16–18, 25). James’s answer is for them to ask God for wisdom, because divine wisdom is the power which James believes counteracts evil in human life. Such a prayer would not be useless, for God is a generous giver. Nor is his generosity hemmed in by a critical spirit: ‘What? You again! What did you do with what I gave you last time?’ Far from having that attitude, God simply gives to all who ask, time after time.
·Yet there is one requirement if we are to receive wisdom: the asking must flow out of faith in, or rather commitment to, God. The ‘doubting’ James warns about is not that of a person who wonders whether or not God will answer this particular request, or that of an introspective doubter who struggles with faith. Instead it is that of a person who is double-minded, a phrase with a close equivalent in the Psalms (Ps. 12:1–2), and which is the opposite of trusting God from one’s whole heart (Dt. 6:5; 8:3). In other words, this kind of a doubter is the person who is not wholly committed to God, but ‘plays safe’ by praying. Their real interest is in advancement in this world, but they also want to enjoy some of God’s blessings now and go to heaven when they die. Such a person will not get wisdom, James says.
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· 9 Christians who are* poor should be glad, for God has honored them. 10 And those who are rich should be glad, for God has humbled them. They will fade away like a flower in the field. 11 The hot sun rises and dries up the grass; the flower withers, and its beauty fades away. So also, wealthy people will fade away with all of their achievements.
· What the poor person can rejoice in is that there is a place reserved for them in heaven. He is a son or a daughter of the most High God. Yes there are struggles in this world but we can rejoice in that we have an inheritance that is undefiled, that doesn't fade away, it's reserved, kept for us in heaven, it's worth more than any earthly treasure.
· The rich=here's the person who's wealthy according to the standards of men, he thought he was above, he could look down on others, all of the sudden that person get's saved, then they realize they're just a sinner saved by grace. And it says in Deut., God gives one man the ability to get wealth & He doesn't give it to another. Paul says we need to learn to be both abased & abound. So let those who are rich be glad in that God has brought life into perspective. He or she is not better than the poorest person on the planet, they are also a sinner saved by grace, & it's remarkable that they're saved because it says that it's harder for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into heaven.
· It doesn't say it's impossible, it says it's harder. Jesus says all things are possible w/ God. So let the rich person rejoice that life has come into perspective, he's been made low. Because They will fade away like a flower in the field. 11 The hot sun rises and dries up the grass; the flower withers, and its beauty fades away. So also, wealthy people will fade away with all of their achievements. They will die, rich or poor, we're all going there. "All of their achievments" are not in the achievments of Christ.
· 12 God blesses the people(rich or poor) who patiently endure testing. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. Whatever trials they may face & there are a host of trials that the rich endure, that those who are struggling go through. So when he is tried=tested out to completion is the idea. And Paul said at the end of his life, I kept the faith, I fought the good fight, I finished my course. There is within the course that God has designed for each of us, trials that we don't even know about today, we will face in God's grace, & in God's time. And a design within that to continue to conform us to the image of His Son.
· And it means blessed is the man who is tested out to completion. And none of this is to destroy. Ps. 121 says : 1 I look up to the mountains—
· does my help come from there?
· 2 My help comes from the Lord,
· who made the heavens and the earth!
· 3 He will not let you stumble and fall;
· the one who watches over you will not sleep.
· 4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel
· never tires and never sleeps.
· 6 The sun will not hurt you by day,
· nor the moon at night. Is speaking of the fact that when they traveled in the wilderness God had the pillar of cloud during the day to shade them, they never took the full brunt of the heat of the sun. The pillar of fire by night to warm them & to protect them & whatever trial they faced in their wilderness journey was what God allowed to happen. It was the restrained version of trial. And the idea is in our life, whatever comes is under what God allows and His protection of us & it will work to our benefit & it proves out to us who we are & what He is.
· Not because He needs to know but because we need to know. When a wedding is going on & you're reading," for richer or poorer", the couple is thinking about the reception & the honeymoon, they have no idea that as the years go by, those terms will define themselves in reality. But the interesting thing is, that is when the value of the relationship becomes evident, that we have something here that has endured years.It has withstood not only the good things but also the pressures of life.
· The idea also is the proving out till the end to realize His goodness, His faithfulness. You're ability to endure, once Christ has moved into your heart. Remember the commercials when they threw the luggage to the gorilla's & they banged them around? The message was this luggage is tough stuff. They're not trying to destroy luggage, they're trying to prove what it's worth.
· "Blessed", there is a blessing, a prosperous position to be in, not w/ worldly wealth or poverty, a blessed position to be in for the person who patiently endure testing. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.