Untitled Sermon (5)

allowing God to use trials in believers’ lives to accomplish his purpose.

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James began with pure encouragement, commending to believers the “pure [lit. “all”; NRSV “nothing but”] joy” that was theirs in the face of “trials of many kinds.” Being brothers in Christ means sharing in the testing of their faith. James encouraged them to embrace their trials not for what they were but for what God could accomplish through them. As in the admonitions of and , James here teaches that trials serve as a test for genuine faith. Earthly hardships and losses put believers on display. Trials form an essential part of God’s plan for his people. The God who will save us from the fate of the world will sustain us with joy in the midst of it. An eschatological joy is in view here (cf. v. 12). Believers know all the more by their suffering () that they belong to God. The knowledge of this truth is the cause of their “pure joy,” which rests upon the future revelation of God and the reversal of their circumstances ().

Richardson, K. A. (1997). James (Vol. 36, p. 58). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

The Bible Reader’s Companion John 18–19

But what a contrast between Peter and Judas. Peter wept bitterly and turned back to Christ. Judas despaired rather than repented. God can forgive our failures if only we turn back to Him.