JAMES 1:1

The Bible says in James 1:1, “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.” There is no doubt who wrote this book. It was written by James. This was not the Apostle James, but was another James who was an associate of the apostles and a leader of the early church in Jerusalem. James may very well have been in Jerusalem when he wrote this epistle by the inspiration of God. Many of the original Christians were Jews. In our day it is somewhat rare for a Jewish person to be a Christian by belief, but it was a very common thing in the first century. James was a Jew. Those to whom he was writing in the epistle of James were primarily those of Jewish background, because he identified them as the “twelve tribes.” Even though this epistle was written by a Jew, and even though it was written to Jews, it is just as applicable to us who are not Jews because in the church of Jesus Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile; there is neither bond nor free, but all are one in Jesus.

In James 1:2 the Bible says, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations.” In this verse the word that is translated temptation really means trial. This is one place where Christian concepts totally depart from the thinking of the world. Of course, what James wrote here is entirely consistent with what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said in Matthew 5:4, “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.” It is easy to praise God when something good happens, but we do not know a lot about living by faith unless we also learn to praise Him when something bad happens. “In all things give thanks.” The reason that we can praise God for all things is because we know there is a purpose to all things. God is in control, and His promises to His children are always in effect. Romans 8:28 says, “We know that all things work together for good to those that love God and to those that are the called according to His purposes.”

James 1:3 tells us one of the main reasons that God allows trials to come into our lives. It says, “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience.” Sometimes the Lord thinks we need more patience. In James chapter five we will be reminded of the patience of Job. The way to get more patience is to go through some trial of your faith, and once the trial is over you will always learn that everything came out just fine in God’s own time. There is a direct relationship between faith and patience. If you believe that God loves you, and you believe that God can do anything, and you believe that God will work things out for the glory of the name of Christ when all is said and done, then you will be able to have the patience to wait on God’s will and God’s time to change things and to fix things.

James 1:4 says, “But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” God allows the trial to come into your life, and then you must allow that trial to create the patience that God meant for it to create. “Let patience have her perfect work.” In other words, do not take things into your own hands. That is the worst thing that you can do. You must get all the way through the trial without escaping it by means of decisions of your own selfish will. That is why James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the man that endures trials.” We are reminded of the same concept again in James 5:11 which says, “We count them happy which endure.” When James 1:4 says, “That you may be perfect,” it means complete. No Christian is complete without a lot of patience. You need patience to live by faith. You need patience to see God’s will accomplished in your life instead of your own will. Sometimes we do not have enough patience, so the Lord gives us trials in order that we might grow in patience.

Other times we do not have enough wisdom, and there is a solution to that problem also. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” Wisdom is a very important thing to have in life. It is a very valuable thing. Proverbs 16:16 says, “How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!” Of course, we are talking about the wisdom of God. There are two basic kinds of wisdom: the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God. Concerning the wisdom of the world, First Corinthians 3:19 says, “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.”

There are those who think themselves to be wise, but they are not wise at all because they do not have spiritual wisdom. This wisdom comes from God. If anyone has this kind of wisdom, it is because God gave it to them. If anyone lacks this kind of wisdom, he can obtain it simply by going to God and asking for it. God is a generous giver. He gave His Son to die on the cross for the sins of the world. He gives love. He gives salvation. And God gives wisdom to all who ask for it. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”

God gives to all liberally, and also God does not upbraid: He “upbraideth not.” To upbraid means to reproach or revile. God does not reproach or revile anyone because of what they lack as far as character or spirituality or wisdom is concerned. When God sees that we lack something, then He wants to give to us what we need so that we will be no longer lacking. God is not a condemner or an accuser. He is a creator and a builder-upper. Negative and critical words or attitudes will not help anyone get better.

One of the things that we need to ask God for is wisdom. While we are on the subject of asking God for things, James makes clear a principle that is important to know when we do ask God for something. James 1:6-7 says, “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.” When we ask, we must “ask in faith.” “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” You may have asked God for things, but did you believe when you asked Him, and did you keep on believing after you asked Him? Jesus said the same thing in Matthew 21:22, “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” If you do not have this kind of confidence in your life where you have assurance that God hears you and that He will answer you according to His will, then your life will have a certain instability to it. James said that you will be “like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” James 1:8 also says, “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

This is one of the reasons that faith is so important. The amount of faith that you have will be directly related to the kind of person that you are. Sometimes the amount of money that you have will be indirectly related to the kind of person that you are. The Bible says in James 1:9-11, “Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted. But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.” Whether you are rich or whether you are poor, you can be saved through faith in Christ, and you can be a spiritual person. But it is also true that when you are rich, you will have a greater temptation to never get saved, and if you do get saved to not be a very spiritually minded person. Jesus said in Mark 10:25, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” A rich person tends to trust in his riches. In order to get saved a person must trust in Christ alone. Nevertheless, some rich people escape that trap and do get saved.

Once they are saved, they are still rich; and a rich person (even a spiritual rich person) gets some of his honor and some of his status because of his wealth. On the other hand, a poor person gets honor and status only from the kind of a person that he or she is. Of course, we know that material things count for nothing in the service of God. Both rich and poor will be judged by the same standard. In this regard the rich person is at a disadvantage. Some of the things going on in his life may be due entirely to his riches and not at all due to the spiritual person that he is. Riches are temporary. Only that which is spiritual will last forever. As James says, “The rich is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.”

One thing that is the same between rich and poor is the fact that both will be tempted. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man.” Concerning temptation that will come into the life of every Christian, James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” In this verse what James is talking about applies to both temptations and trials. When a trial or a temptation comes into your life, something important must be understood about them. They are opportunities to earn a reward. The believer who gains such a victory may not be rewarded in this life, but he will be rewarded in the next one. James says that the reward will come “when he is tried.”

Christians rely upon the forgiveness of the Lord. We were forgiven when we were saved, and we have been forgiven many other times in order to continue to walk in fellowship with Him. It is a wonderful thing to be forgiven. But there is one thing better: not to need forgiveness after going through the fire of some trial or temptation. We are weak. Temptations can be very powerful. It is therefore a very great thing when someone has endured a temptation. It may not be noticed by man, but it certainly is noticed by God. Such a person is blessed. Such a person has something very great to look forward to: the crown of life. Paul spoke of looking forward to receiving the crown of righteousness. The next time that you are tried and tempted, remember that not only are the consequences that you may suffer in this life at stake, but also the rewards that you may gain or lose in the next life. You will stand before Jesus to be judged of the things done in your body, whether they be good or whether they be evil. The crown of life will be given to those that love Jesus. The amount that we truly love Him will be proven by how much we really do endure temptations. When someone gives in to temptation, it simply proves how little they really love the Lord.

When we talk about temptation and someone who fails at temptation, the Bible here in the book of James makes it very clear who is at fault. James 1:13-16 says, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren.” Temptation does not come from God. Sin does not come from God. Sin comes from man. Sometimes you might hear discussions about the origin of sin. If those discussions ever go in the direction where the origin of sin is charged to God, then those discussions are dead wrong.

God did not bring sin into the world. God gave man a choice and a potential: a potential for evil and a potential for good. Because God is all-powerful, He can do anything. What God chose to do is to give man a choice. For every choice that you make, there may be very grave and serious consequences. “Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” This is very clear: if you sin, it is always because you chose to sin. It is always your fault. There is no excuse. It is not the devil’s fault, and it is not God’s fault. “Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed.” You should do the right thing. You will always be held accountable when you do not.

Jesus always did the right thing. He died for our sins, but He also proved that a human being can live on this earth and always do the right thing. That is another reason that we have no excuse. Do not ever use the excuse that you are only human and therefore cannot help yourself. That is not true. The amazing thing is that in spite of the guilt that we would justly bear if left to our own independent destinies, God through Christ Jesus offers us His grace and His mercy. Amazing love, amazing forgiveness, and amazing grace! Do what is right until the starts fall, but if but if you fall, make sure you go quickly to Jesus where you will find all the mercy that you will need to keep you on the right track.

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