Goodness of God

JAMES 1

One of the best tests of Christian maturity is tribulation. When God’s people go through personal trials, they discover what kind of faith they really possess. Trials not only reveal our faith; they also develop our faith and Christian character. The Jews to whom James was writing were experiencing trials, and he wanted to encourage them. The strange thing is that James tells them to rejoice! The word “greeting” in v. 1 can mean “rejoice!” How is the Christian able to have joy in the midst of troubles? James gives the answer in this first chapter by showing the certainties Christians have in times of tribulation.

I. We Can Be Sure of the Purpose of God (1:1–12)

The experiences that come to the children of God are not by accident (Rom. 8:28). We have a loving Heavenly Father who controls the affairs of this world and who has a purpose behind each event. Christians should expect trials to come; James does not say “if” but “when.” (The Gk. word for “temptation” in 1:2 means “testings or trials”; while the Gk. word for “tempt” in 1:13 means “solicitation to do evil.”) What is God’s purpose in trials? It is the perfection of Christian character in His children. He wants His children to be mature (perfect), and maturity is developed only in the laboratory of life. Trials can produce patience (see Rom. 5:3), which means “endurance”; and endurance in turn leads the believer into deeper maturity in Christ. God put young Joseph through thirteen years of testing that He might make a king out of him. Peter spent three years in the school of testing to be changed from sand to rock! Paul went through many testings, and each one helped to mature his character. Of course, it takes faith on the part of the Christian to trust God during testings, but knowing that God has a divine purpose in mind helps us to yield to Him.

In vv. 5–8 James deals with this matter of faith, as expressed in prayer. We do not always understand God’s purposes, and often Satan tempts us to ask, “Does God really care?” This is where prayer comes in: we can ask our Father for wisdom, and He will give it to us. But we must not be double-minded. The word suggests hesitation, doubting; it literally means “two-souled.” 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.

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.

II. We Can Be Sure of the Goodness of God (1:13–20)

Many people seem to have the idea that because God is good, He should not allow His people to suffer or be tempted. They forget that God wants His children to grow up and experience new blessings of His grace; and one way they can mature is by going through trials and temptations. In this passage, James emphasizes the goodness of God and warns Christians about rebelling against God in times of trial (1:13, 20).

First, he makes a careful distinction between trials and temptations. God sends trials to bring out the best in us (see Abraham, Gen. 22:1), but Satan sends temptations to bring out the worst in us. Believers should not say that God tempts them, because temptations to sin arise from our very nature. He describes the “birth” of sin: enticement from without generates lust within; lust conceives and gives birth to sin; and sin brings death! The words “drawn away” and “entice” (v. 14) are hunting terms; they form an image of a hunter or a fisherman using bait to lure the prey.

Then, James reminds these believers that God gives only good gifts, and that good gifts come down from heaven. God is light; His goodness does not flicker like some faraway star. We are God’s children. He begat us through His Word, and we are the firstfruits of His creatures, the “sample” of what is to follow at Christ’s coming (Rom. 8:23). Therefore, Christians should not be swift to speak and complain when trials come. Rather, they should be swift to hear the Word, trust it, and obey it. After all, God works out His will in our lives when we are patient, not when we are angry.

III. We Can Be Sure of the Word of God (1:21–27)

The phrase “swift to hear” (v. 19) reminds us of how the Christian should hear and obey God’s Word, the theme of this section. James uses an illustration from agriculture in v. 21 when he talks about “firstfruits” and “the implanted [engrafted] Word.” James may be referring to the Parable of the Sower (Matt. 13:1–9, 18–23) in which the heart is compared to soil and the Word to seed. If believers are going to receive the Word and get strength from it in trials, then they must pull out the weeds! “Superfluity of naughtiness” can be translated “rank growth of wickedness”—weeds! The soil of the heart must be prepared to receive the Word. If we have unconfessed sin in our hearts, and bitterness against God because of our trials, then we cannot receive the Word and be blessed by it.

In vv. 22–25, James changes the picture and compares the Word to a mirror (glass). The Word of God reveals what we are on the inside, just as a mirror reveals how we appear on the outside. When Christians look into the Word, they see themselves as God sees them and thus are able to examine their hearts and confess their sins. But it is not enough merely to look into the Word and read it; we must obey what we read. A person who merely hears the Word but does not obey it is like a man who glances casually into the mirror, sees that his face is dirty, and goes on his way without doing anything about it. Such a man thinks he has bettered himself spiritually when he has actually harmed himself.

Verse 25 tells us we must gaze carefully (not glance casually) into the Word, study it, and through it see ourselves. We must then obey what the Word says. If we do, we will be happy (blessed). It is not reading the Bible that makes a person happy; it is obeying what it says. He calls the Word “the perfect law of liberty” because obedience to the Word produces spiritual liberty (John 8:30–32). Living the Christian life is not bondage, it is wonderful liberty!

Verses 22–25 speak of the private life of believers as they look into the Word; vv. 26–27 describe their public life, their practice of the Word. The Gk. word for “religious” (v. 26) means “the outward practice of religion.” The Bible nowhere calls the Christian faith “a religion”; it is a miracle, a new birth, a divine life. “If any man imagines himself to be religious,” says James, “then let him prove it by the life he lives.” What are the characteristics of pure religion? They are: (1) self-control—a bridled tongue (see 3:2); (2) love for others; and (3) a clean life. The word “visit” (v. 27) means “care for”; it suggests sacrificial care for those who are in need. True religion is not a matter of forms and ceremonies; it is a matter of a controlled tongue, sacrificial service, and a clean heart.

James uses the word “perfect” several times in this chapter. In vv. 1–2 we have God’s perfect work; in vv. 13–20, God’s perfect gift; and in vv. 21–27, God’s perfect law. God’s perfect work is His purpose to mature us; His perfect gift is His goodness to us in times of testing; and His perfect law is the Word that strengthens and sustains us.