James 1:1-18

Introduction

Josephus wrote that James died in A.D. 62. Josephus did not record the date, but he identified James’ death with that of Portius Festus who died in A.D. 62. So James wrote this letter before that date.

It appears to many scholars and to me that the epistle of James was probably the first divinely inspired one and that James composed it in the middle or late 40s, perhaps A.D. 45–48.

The recipients of this letter were the Jewish Christians of the Diaspora, Jews who had scattered from Palestine and had come to faith in Christ

The writer of this epistle was evidently the half-brother of our Lord Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:19) and the brother of Jude, the writer of the epistle that bears his name (cf. Matt. 13:55)

This James was not the brother of the Apostle John, the son of Zebedee, who suffered martyrdom early in the history of the church (Mark 1:19; Acts 12:2)

According to Eusebius (c. A.D. 263–340), the scribes and Pharisees threw James down from the pinnacle of the temple, which was 170 feet above the Kidron Valley below, then stoned him, and a fuller (a first-century cloth- or clothes-washer) beat out his brains with a club

Luther’s problem was that he thought James was writing about becoming a Christian (justification). James was really writing to Christians about how to live the Christian life (sanctification).

English Standard Version James 1:1

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:

Greetings.

James did not refer to himself as Jesus’ brother or as the church’s leader. He evidently purposed not to know Jesus after the flesh (2 Cor. 5:16) but only as his Lord and God.

He placed Jesus on an equal level with God by saying that he was the bond-servant of both God and the Lord Jesus Christ

The Letter is addressed to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, literally which are in the Dispersion (Gk., Diaspora)

Since all true believers are strangers and pilgrims in this world (Phil. 3:20; 1 Pet. 2:11), we can apply this Letter to ourselves, even if it wasn’t written directly to us.

English Standard Version James 1:2–3

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

Note that James was speaking to Christians: “my brothers and sisters.” This title for the readers occurs 15 times in this epistle

The Greek word for count may also be translated “consider” or “evaluate.”

The natural human response to trials is not to rejoice; therefore, the believer must make a conscious commitment to face them with joy 

What kinds of trials was James talking about? Did he mean troubles such as running out of money, or failing a test in school, or having to stay up all night with a sick child: everyday troubles? Yes.

The Greek word translated trials (peirasmois) means a proving, specifically: “the trial of a man’s fidelity, integrity, virtue, constancy … also an enticement to sin, temptation.

Because the Greek word for both “trial” and “temptation” (KJV says temptation) is the same. You see, what God will send or allow as a trial to strengthen our faith, Satan will seek to exploit to get us to sin.

chair maker vs prankster

Any trial can constitute a test of our faith, namely, a temptation to cease trusting and obeying God.

He did not urge them to rejoice that they were undergoing trials

Rather he commanded them to view their trials as profitable, even if unpleasant

The experiences that come to the children of God are not by accident

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

Christians should expect trials to come; James does not say “if” but “when.”

Testing (Gr. dokimion) implies demonstrating the true quality of something when it undergoes a trial. The true nature of gold becomes evident when the refiner heats gold ore over a fire.

English Standard Version James 1:4

And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

steadfast endurance

the power to withstand hardship or stress; especially the inward fortitude necessary.

The Greek word holokleros (“perfect”) refers to a person who fulfills the purpose for which God created him or her: “those who fully attain to their high calling.”

This is not a reference to sinless perfection (cf. 3:2), but to spiritual maturity (cf. 1 John 2:14). The testing of faith drives believers to deeper communion and greater trust in Christ—qualities that in turn produce a stable, godly, and righteous character (see note on 1 Pet. 5:10; cf. Gal. 4:19). complete. This is from a compound Greek word that literally means “all the portions whole.”

When a trial comes your way, Satan will be there the same day to try to get you to do what Mrs. Job suggested her husband do—to curse God and die (Job 2:9). But God will be there as well, waiting to show you His strength in seeing you through.

Maturity only comes through testing. Faith is made pure only when fiery trials burn away the dross.

English Standard Version James 1:4–6

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

James used the word wisdom (Gr. sophia) in the sense in which the Old Testament wisdom literature used it. There it refers to what God has revealed about His will for human life. Wisdom denotes “a fixed, righteous order to which the wise man submits his life.” The New Testament writers often regarded wisdom as the supreme gift of the Holy Spirit, and they sometimes identified it with the Holy Spirit.54 Consequently the wise Christian is the one who views life in the light of God’s revelation (i.e., His written Word).

What James just explained is divine wisdom, namely, God’s view of life. However the world, which does not have or accept this revealed wisdom, generally fails to appreciate the value of enduring trials. The Christian is apt to take the world’s attitude toward his or her trials, rather than God’s, and try to escape them at any cost. One evidence of this is that the divorce rate among Christians is about the same as the divorce rate among non-Christians, at least in the United States. Most people count it all joy when they escape trials, and they count it all grief when they have to endure them.

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.

English Standard Version James 1:7–8

For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Such a person’s problems are not only subjective, feeling his circumstances are directing him rather than God, but they will also be objective (real). He really is at the mercy of circumstances and events beyond his control. This type of inconsistent (“double-minded” or “unstable,” v. 8) person resists God’s work in his life. Rather than simply perfecting maturity in the person through his trials, God now also has to discipline (educate) him regarding his attitude toward his trials.

In this context the double-minded (dipsychos, lit. two-sided; cf. 4:8) man is one who trusts and obeys God only part of the time, not consistently. A double-minded person is one who has a divided opinion or allegiance

Double-minded Christians are not stable during trials. Their emotions and their decisions waver. One minute they trust God; the next minute, they doubt God. Faith in God during trials will always lead to stability; see 1 Peter 5:10.

1 Peter 5:10 (ESV) 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.  

English Standard Version James 1:8–10

Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away.

Both rich and poor worshiped in the assemblies to which James wrote (2:1–9; 5:1), and James pointed out that trials benefit both groups. Trials remind the poor that they are rich in the Lord and therefore can lose nothing; trials remind the rich that they dare not live for riches or trust in them. Verse 12 is a wonderful beatitude and promise for us to claim in times of testing and trial.

Trials make all believers equally dependent on God and bring them to the same level with each other by keeping them from becoming preoccupied with earthly things.

his humiliation. This refers to the rich believer’s being brought low by trials. Such experiences help him rejoice and realize that genuine happiness and contentment depend on the true riches of God’s grace, not earthly wealth.

Too many Christians go through life rebelling against their sex, their age, their height, and even against life itself. Girls with a flair for baseball wish they were boys. Young people wish they were older, and old people want to be younger. Short people envy those who are tall, and tall ones wish they weren’t so conspicuous. Some people even say, “I wish I were dead!” All this is absurd! The Christian attitude is to accept from God things which we cannot change. They are God’s destiny for us, and we should make the most of them for His glory and for the blessing of others. We should say with the Apostle Paul: “By the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Cor. 15:10).

English Standard Version James 1:11

For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

 The flower of the grass refers to its stage of green, lush growth when it is at the peak of its vitality. Soon it withers and turns brown in the Middle East (cf. Matt. 6:30). Likewise the rich person may fade away quickly (cf. 4:13).

A picture of Palestine’s flowers and flowering grasses, which colorfully flourish in February and dry up by May    

“Speaking of his friend, a poor Christian, a wealthy unbeliever remarked, ‘When I die, I shall leave my riches. When he dies he will go to his.’“

Knowing this, James reminds us that regardless of our financial situation on earth, we’re exalted, elevated above the world system because we’re part of a kingdom whose streets are paved with gold. Thus, whether we’re worried about poverty or weighed down with riches, we can be absolutely free if we keep a heavenly perspective.

English Standard Version James 1:12

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

It is those who persevere under trials out of love for God, while being severely tempted, whom He will reward with the crown of life (cf. Rev. 2:10). Only the person who endures through severe testings and temptations will receive this blessing.

“It is evident that this ‘life that God has promised’ is more than the eternal life given to every believer at the time of his salvation (John 5:24). Since it is a reward for an accomplishment subsequent to initial faith, it must refer to a still higher quality of life.”

Everyone’s cup will be full in heaven but people will have different sized cups—different capacities for enjoying heaven.

“Many Christians are presently following the same path which Esau took (considering the birthright to be of little value), and such Christians will one day come to the end of the matter in the same position as Esau. They, although presently in line to be blessed as the firstborn (every Christian is a firstborn child of God), will have forfeited this right; and they will be rejected for the blessing.

“The idea that all Christians do love God is a fiction. Even our Lord felt it necessary to exhort His inner circle of eleven disciples on this point (cf. John 14:21–24). … In no circumstances more than in trials does the presence or absence of love for God in a Christian become more apparent.

English Standard Version James 1:13–14

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.

“Some Jews reasoned that since God created everything, he must have created the evil impulse. And since it is the evil impulse that tempts man to sin, ultimately God, who created it, is responsible for evil.

Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “do not lead us into temptation” (Matt. 6:13; Luke 11:4). Jesus used a figure of speech (i.e., litotes) in which He expressed a positive idea by negating the contrary. Other examples of litotes are: “not a few,” meaning “many,” and “no rare occurrence,” meaning “a frequent occurrence.” Neither James here, nor Jesus in the Lord’s Prayer, was implying that God sometimes does lead us into temptation. James’ point was that He can help us stay away from it. Essentially Jesus meant that we should ask God to allow us to experience as little temptation as possible (cf. Mark 14:38). James was not contradicting Jesus’ teaching.

What practical difference does it make if God tempts us, or if He allows us to experience temptation from other sources? Perhaps we can better appreciate the difference if we think of God as our Father. No good earthly father would deliberately seduce his child into sin by trying to make him or her sin. However, every good father will deliberately allow his child to enter situations in life in which the child must make moral choices. We realize that sending a child to school or into the community, at the proper age, is good for a child because it matures him or her.

God Himself is not even subject to temptation, because He is totally separate from sin and not susceptible to evil.

Man is always ready to shift responsibility for his sins. If he cannot blame God, he will adopt an approach of modern psychology by saying that sin is a sickness.

drawn away. This Greek word was used to describe wild game being lured into traps. Just as animals can be drawn to their deaths by attractive baits, temptation promises people something good, which is actually harmful.

his own desires. This refers to lust, the strong desire of the human soul to enjoy or acquire something to fulfill the flesh.

enticed. A fishing term that means “to capture” or “to catch with bait” (cf. 2 Pet. 2:14, 18). It is a parallel to “drawn away.”

English Standard Version James 1:15

Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Sin is not merely a spontaneous act, but the result of a process.

Lust in this context is simply the desire to do, have, or be something apart from the will of God. Lust is covert, but sometimes it manifests itself overtly. If we do not quickly control and stop lust, it will lead to sin,

“Martin Luther expressed it in this novel way: ‘You cannot keep birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from nesting in your hair.

English Standard Version James 1:16–18

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Every good … perfect gift is from above. Two different Greek words for gift emphasize the perfection and inclusiveness of God’s graciousness. The first denotes the act of giving, and the second is the object given. Everything related to divine giving is adequate, complete, and beneficial.

When God commanded Abraham to offer Isaac as a human sacrifice (Gen. 22:2), it only appeared to Abraham that God was tempting him to commit murder. But God prevented him from killing his son (Gen. 22:12). This was a test of Abraham’s obedience, not a temptation to sin.

Not only is God good in the gifts He gives, but in who He is. In Him there is no variableness or shadow of turning. That is, He’s not moody. He doesn’t have bad days. He’s not generous with me one day, but grouchy the next—as I can so often be.

The first fruits probably refer to all Christians who persevere in spite of trials. All believers will bring glory to God’s name, but believers who remain faithful to Christ will please Him greatly, as the first fruits in Israel were a special offering to God. The Greek word translated first fruits (aparche) refers to what is first in honor, as well as to what is first in order. The biblical writers used the term “of persons superior in excellence to others of the same class.