WHEN TRIALS ROCK YOUR FAITH

Introduction: going through Cathy’s cancer.

Things happen to Christians that rock our faith in God. Cancer, fires, car accidents, persecution. I would guess there isn’t a person here, this morning, who has not experienced a trial of some kind.

Trials can make or break our relationship with God. As we will see, all of us will experience trials in our Christian lives. How, then, are we to respond when trials rock our faith?

This morning we begin a study of a letter written by a pastor to members of his church who were suffering trials of various kinds.

Please turn with me in your Bibles to the book of James, chapter 1.

Making a Good Start in our Study

Whenever we study a book of the Bible, there are key questions we need to ask such as...

Who wrote the book?

When was it written?

To whom was the book written?

What prompted the writing of the book?

As we open the book of James we’re told a man named James wrote this letter.

James 1:1 (ESV)

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

Who Is James?

James 1:1 (ESV)

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

There are several “James’” recorded in the New Testament.

The evidence both within and outside the Bible points to James, the half-brother of Jesus as the author.

Prior to Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, James did not believe Jesus is the Messiah, but after His resurrection Jesus met one on one with James, and James came to faith (John 7:2-5; 1 Cor. 15:3-7).

James became the leader of the Church of Jerusalem (Galatians 1:19; Acts 15:13-21, 21:17-26). He was nicknamed “James the Just” because he was known to be a righteous man even among the unbelieving Jews. He was also nicknamed “Camel-knees” because his knees became broad and knobby from time spent on his knees in prayer.[1]He was a humble man, not boasting in his family ties to Jesus, but describing himself simply as a servant. James himself suffered persecution from the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem. In 62 A.D. they killed James.

To whom did James write?

James 1:1 (ESV)

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.

To Whom Did James Write?

James 1:1 (ESV)

To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.

James wrote to members of his church driven out of Jerusalem by persecution.

The “twelve tribes” refers to the twelve tribes of Israel. James wrote to Messianic Jews, that is, Jews who believed Jesus is the Messiah. The phrase “the Dispersion”, is a technical term referring to Jews living outside the land of Israel (John 7:35; 1 Peter 1:1). In about 33 or 34 A.D., shortly after the resurrection of Jesus, Stephen, a deacon in the Jerusalem Church, was stoned to death. That event ignited persecution against the Church of Jerusalem. Members of the church family scattered to Judea, Samaria and beyond the borders of Israel (Acts 8:1-3; 11:19). These believing Jews were those whom Saul hunted down before his conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). These were members of his church family whom he loved dearly. The original recipients of this letter were believing Jews forced out of Jerusalem by persecution shortly after the ascension of Jesus. This explains why this letter is so Jewish in character.

Not only is the book of James very Jewish, it is very early. In fact, it is the earliest book of the New Testament.

When Was the Book of James Written?

If the persecution recorded in Acts 8 occurred in late 33 or early 34 A.D., then the book of James could have been written any time between 34 and 48 A.D.[2]

The book of James could have been written any time between 34 and 48 A.D. It is the earliest book of the New Testament.

Why Was the Book of James Written?

James wrote this letter to strengthen the faith of his persecuted church members.

As you can imagine, persecuted people face temptation to walk away from the faith. James wrote his scattered flock to encourage them to be faithful and to live righteous lives in the midst of persecution.

As mentioned, the book of James is very Jewish in character. It does not read like the Apostle Paul’s letters. James does not write about theology and doctrine, but about living faithfully. He is writing to some of the earliest believers who are Jewish and undergoing the transition from the Dispensation of the Mosaic Covenant to the Dispensation of the New Covenant. Again, this explains why this letter is so Jewish in character.

In his opening, which deals with trials, James may have been confronting a very Jewish perspective that God rewards the righteous and protects them from adversity – that bad things only happen to bad people. James corrects their thinking to realize hardships are not punishment, but opportunities for significant spiritual growth.

James 1:2–4 ESV

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

From James 1:2-4 we learn that:

Trials, Faithfully Endured, Perfect Us

James 1:2–4 ESV

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

The key word in these opening verses is “trials”.[3]It is very broad and, although it includes persecution, it is not limited to persecution. As we see from verse 3, a trial is an event or experience that in some way challenges your confidence in God.

A trial is an event or experience that in some way challenges my confidence in God.

A trial puts our faith in God to the test.

How can I trust God loves me and my children when He allowed a Muslim mob to burn down our home and murder my husband?

How can I trust that God is good and that all things work together for my good as I hold my dead baby in my arms?

I’m 57 and just got laid off. Who’s going to hire a 57-year-old software programmer? Can I trust God to provide for me and my family?

A trial is an event or experience that in some way challenges my confidence in God.

We must be clear what a “trial” is not.

A “trial” is not the consequence of disobedience to the Law of Man. If I’m caught embezzling and lose my job, the loss of my job is not a “trial”.

A “trial” is not the consequence of defying the Laws of Nature. If I drink alcohol heavily for years and develop cirrhosis of the liver, I am not experiencing a “trial”, I am reaping what I’ve sown.

A ”trial” is not the consequence of disobeying the Law of Messiah. If you are having sex outside of marriage and unexpectedly get pregnant or unexpectedly father a child, the difficulties of that situation are not a “trial”, but the consequences of sexual sin.

Finally, a “trial” is not divine discipline such as experienced by Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11) and carnal members of the church of Corinth (1 Cor. 11:27-32). The people to whom James wrote were not under God’s discipline; they were being persecuted for their faith in Jesus and suffering difficulties common to living in a sin-fallen world.

Having said what “trials” are not, I am not saying people who bring difficulties upon themselves should be rejected or shunned. We are called to love one another wisely in each and every circumstance.

Hopefully we are understanding James accurately when he speaks of “trials”.

A trial is an event or experience that in some way challenges my confidence in God..

Truth is, we will all experience “trials” over the course of our Christian lives. The good news is, as James explains:

Trials, faithfully endured, perfect us.

This is where we will pick up in our next study and unpack what this means.

Until then, I encourage you to read through James at least once this next week. You could even read it all the way through with your Home Group and begin to make observations of you own.

[1]Fruchtenbaum, Arnold G. The Messianic Jewish Epistles: Hebrews, James, First Peter, Second Peter, Jude. 1sted. Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2005, pgs. 207-211. [2]Cf. Wallace’s discussion. Zane Hodges argues for a date of 34-35 A.D. Hodges, Zane C., The Epistle of James: Proven Character Through Testing (Irving, Texas: Grace Evangelical Society, 1997), p. 10. [3] “A state of trial in which God brings His people through adversity and affliction in order to encourage and prove their faith and confidence in Him.” Zodhiates, Spiros. In The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament. Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000.