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Nate Roten / James / James 1:2-8
Main Idea
Trials are tests to mature your faith.
[opening story] – Acts 5 – The Apostles were persecuted and beaten by the Sanhedrin. Their reaction to the ordeal was rejoicing and praising God for being counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of Christ and a determination to continue to spread the good news of Jesus’ resurrection.
Passage
James 1:2–8 ESV
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
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. 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.
Trials are Tests
James unpacks how to handle yourself in trying times and unfavorable circumstances so that you don’t just pass the trial but thrive in it.
Trials = test, an encounter that teaches you the nature of something or to know by experience.
Tests are not temptations (God does not tempt—James 1:13). Temptation is an enticement to sin. God entices no one. However, He puts His people in situations that will refine and develop their faith. That much is abundantly clear throughout the scriptures.
Car companies will happily take a brand new car hot off the production line and slam it into a wall at high speeds because they are testing its safety features. The testing of a crash will produce proof that the seat belts are secure, the airbags will protect, and the way the metal crumples will ensure the passengers will not be torn apart. For many, this will result in safety awards and consumer confidence… which lead to more sales. But this won’t happen if they aren’t willing to put their product to the test and prove it is reliable.
Carhartt apparel is tested for its ruggedness and durability. Kitchen knives are tested for the quality of the metal to be resistant to rust, the strength of the steel, and the longevity of a sharp edge. Fine metals like gold and silver are tested for their purity. The carat is the unit of measurement to determine how much pure gold is in a piece of jewelry, and it is 1/24 gold… therefore, 24-carat gold is 100% gold.
In His sovereign will, God has designed His people to mature spiritually in a fallen world through trials. We need to grow in our faith in dozens of ways, so don’t be surprised to discover that your current trial is hitting a weak spot. Many of you know our home selling/buying journey. It has been an 8-month journey so far and has been a trial of trust for me. Will I trust that God will provide? Will I wait for Him to move and not spiral into anger or despair? And the same is true for you. When you encounter a trial, your first question should be, “What is God trying to refine in me?” Then, be persistent to grow that way for your good and God’s glory. Think about how Jesus said your faith will grow like a mustard seed. It starts very small and grows slowly over time. A trial is an increment of growth, and over time, you become strong and fruitful.
So, our first lesson is to realize that we all go through various trials different from those of our brothers and sisters. However, two commands are given equally to us all.
Joy amid trials
Joy is = a sustained state of rejoicing, not a fleeting, temporary feeling of happiness. This is important to realize. Happiness comes from an external source and is short-lived. A great example of this is a child receiving a Christmas present. They are happy and excited to tear apart the wrapping and discover what is underneath. This happens repeatedly throughout the morning. By evening, they have played with their new toys, and their enjoyment is back to normal. On the other hand, joy comes from the Spirit of the living God who is within us and can be a perpetual fountain of gladness and rejoicing because it is a natural byproduct of being with God… a fruit of His presence if you will.
We aren’t encouraged to be joyful because of the circumstances. Sometimes, we incorrectly believe that God is commanding us to be happy about a particular circumstance – that I have to be joyful that my son is sick or that I just got laid off from my job. That isn’t what James is telling us. His encouragement is to enter this trial with joy, understanding that it is a part of God’s plan, designed for a particular outcome. In other words, we are encouraged to be joyful because of what the circumstance will produce. God is putting the quality of my faith to the test, and this trial will remove an impurity and give me an additional carat. Paul would later unpack this similar theology in Philippians when he mentions the most misused verse in all of scripture – “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The context for this verse isn’t that I can win the big game, get the impossible job, or literally move a mountain into the sea. Through what he had experienced, Paul learned how to be content in any circumstance, whether clothed or naked, well-fed or hungry.
Pregnant mother. She can endure the months of discomfort and the pain of labor because she has an eager expectation of seeing her son or daughter upon delivery.
Jesus modeled this for us. The writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus faced the agony of the cross with a specific posture. How was that? Even though he was disappointed in his disciples, who couldn’t stay awake with him… even though He was in extreme anguish that manifested in sweaty blood… even though He begged the Father to remove this cup from Him… He had joy in the cross because of what His atonement would produce… a secured redemption and reconciliation for you, me, and all who would call on His name.
Hebrews 12:2 ESV
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
And did you notice who Jesus is to us? The author of and perfecter of our faith. It seems like the author of Hebrews read the book of James a few times, doesn’t it?’
The trick is to remember that the trial has a purpose. The joy comes from knowing God is at work, and this is being used so that you can mature in your faith. If you don’t, you will be frustrated and angry. But, if you pray and ask God to reveal His purpose in this circumstance, you can carry His joy with you in that trial, knowing that your good and gracious Father is making you stronger through it.
Allow the Outcome
The second command for all believers in a trial is to allow the outcome. If our joy comes from what God will produce in the trial, we must also allow God to bring that benefit to fruition.
The key product of faithfulness in a trial is steadfastness, which is the capacity to endure and to stay in place.
Years ago, my brother and I played on the same middle school baseball team. We were both in the outfield, and during one game, the other team hit a pop-fly between where we were positioned. Immediately, we both went for it, not realizing that we both went for it. I don’t think he saw me at all, but I saw him just before we collided, and the result was embarrassing. I might as well have run full force into the Empire State Building. Matt was much bigger and stronger than me. I don’t think he moved at all. He remained steadfast and caught the ball while I crumpled to the ground like I just gotten hit by a bus.
As you encounter trials, God does a work in you that strengthens and refines you. Spiritually speaking, you transition from a small, weak frame like my middle school self to being solid and immovable like my older brother. So, the point of the trial is to develop your capacity to endure, and this will happen repeatedly throughout your lifetime so that you will be complete: not 10-carat gold… not 18-carat gold… but 24-carat gold…. complete and pure, lacking in nothing.
Paul would later elaborate on this exact topic in Romans 5 3-4:
Romans 5:3–4 ESV
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
The reality of the Christian faith is that God has designed our faith to grow under pressure. Without trials, there is no spiritual growth.
That said, the command to let the trials that produce perseverance have their full effect would naturally imply that I can be an obstacle to my own growth. If I don’t endure, I will not be complete. This can happen in many different ways. I can doubt God. I can close my eyes to who He is. Instead of looking at the end result and receiving joy, I can be blinded by the temporary circumstance and allow frustration, anger, envy, a desire for comfort, worldliness, and many other things to become towering obstacles to the natural growth God wants to see in me. So, my encouragement to us all is to understand what roadblocks we are prone to put in the way and actively avoid them in our pursuit of joy, endurance, and purity.
Returning to our pregnant mother analogy – the result (in this case, the baby) is a fully formed human child. Delivering a premature baby will result in a host of health issues and long-term complications. Similarly, trials bring our perseverance to full term so that it is full and complete, void of complications, and ready for a vibrant life.
Could you imagine being in such a state of spiritual strength that you don’t lack anything? If you would love to see yourself in that position one day, you must be willing to put in the reps now. No athlete makes it to the top without a lot of pain and sacrifice. Endurance runners have to long hundreds of miles to develop that endurance level. That is why Paul uses an athlete as a metaphor: run the race, take off anything that hinders, run as to win… then with Timothy, he connects that to spiritual training:
1 Timothy 4:8 ESV
for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
We may never achieve perfect completeness in this life, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strive for it anyway.
And until we get there, if we do lack in some capacity, James tells us there is something we can do about it.
Ask God
In this next paragraph, it might seem like James is moving on to a different subject. He was talking about enduring trials with joy. Now, he transitions to asking for wisdom without doubting, but I want to encourage you not to see this as a subject change. James connects these two parts with the word lack: (1) testing leads to steadfastness to be complete, lacking in nothing; (2) if any of you lacks wisdom, as God…
Wisdom for the trial. Do you see the connection? This leads me to believe that not only are we to seek wisdom confidently from God, but that wisdom is often the missing element in our trials. Is that true of you? Don’t you usually ask questions in times like these, such as: “Why me?” “Why now?” “What for?” Trials and suffering can be disorienting, leaving us feeling anything but joyful. In these moments of confusion and even despair, we should ask God for the clarity we need to pass the test.
If trials are tests that teach me the nature of something or allow me to gain knowledge by experience, then wisdom is crucial because wisdom is correctly applied knowledge to a given situation.
Wisdom is God-given. Therefore, if I am supposed to take joy amid a trial because of a divinely planned outcome (my endurance in the faith and refinement of that faith in specific ways), then that outcome must be spiritually discerned, and worldly wisdom isn’t going to give that to me. Only the Spirit of God knows the mind of God, so the only way I can pass this test is to ask God for His wisdom. Do you see the progression?
God’s generosity. But that’s not all. Beyond recognizing my own lack, I must also recognize God’s abundance. James is calling us to look upon an attribute of God, which is His generosity. God gives freely and abundantly. There is no lack because God is the fullness of all His attributes, including wisdom, and He has made it very clear that He is willing to shower you with the wisdom you require without being reluctant, finding fault, or demeaning you because of your lack. He will give you the wisdom you seek abundantly and without reproach!
This is a clear parallel to what Jesus taught during His sermon on the mount:
Matthew 7:11 ESV
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
So, why do we often feel that God is tired of our ignorance or that we fail to ask Him for His provision? God does not ration His wisdom to His children. He is a generous Father who is far more eager to give than we are to ask. The problem doesn’t lie with Him but with our incorrect view of His love and generosity.
Now that we know we should ask and recognize His provision when we ask, let’s move on to how we ask…
Ask in Faith
There is a duality to how we ask God for wisdom. We must ask in faith (seeing and trusting in His generous nature and abundant provision, even though we don’t see Him physically) and not doubt either one. This doesn’t mean we receive anything we ask for, neither does it mean that receiving is solely dependent on our faith, as if we aren’t receiving because we don’t have enough of it. The focus here is on the refinement of our faith.
James drives home the uncertainty of a doubter with a vivid illustration of a single wave being tossed about on a stormy sea. This is the first of many. Picture that for a moment – a single wave that has no power of its own. It is driven and tossed – horizontally and vertically with no anchor or direction. The external circumstances (the wind, the larger waves, the rain) have their way with this type of wave.
Double-minded. If you are uncertain of God’s character, you won’t trust Him; if you don’t, you will tether your confidence to other things. And, when you get caught in a cycle of trying the next thing, you inevitably get nowhere. A double-minded person is an uncommitted person. Because they don’t have faith in God to give the wisdom they seek, they are like the wave in a stormy sea – tossed around by external circumstances without an anchor and never moving toward a destination. They might kinda believe, but doubt will cause them to have a backup plan and alternate sources of direction, you know… just in case.
This reminds me of a scene from one of the Mummy movies, where the explorers had a guide who was tasked with getting them from one place to another. In a moment of terror when he encountered the Mummy, he grabbed his necklace, which had religious symbols for five or six different religions, and seemed to mutter prayers to them all. If one deity couldn’t save him, maybe another one could!
That isn’t asking in faith. Asking in faith means asking God confidently, burning the ships to other options, and walking forward, knowing that He will generously provide the wisdom you ask for.
Don’t assume blessing in doubt
This leads us to our final command for the day. Don’t assume you will get anything from God if you are double-minded. The word actually means double-souled, showing us how deeply rooted the issue is.
God has always cared about how you pursue Him.
• Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength (Deut 6:5 / Luke 10:27)
• Seek, and you will find me… if you seek me with all of your heart (Deut. 4:29 / Jer. 29:13)
• Ask in faith without doubting.
God doesn’t honor half-hearted requests. He wants your full attention… not because He is a difficult taskmaster, but because loving, seeking, and asking Him in this way refines and matures you in your faith. It’s just as much about your spiritual walk as it is about what He gets from you.
So, don’t think he rejects your request because He’s offended. It’s not that. He focuses on helping you move from being double-minded to being singularly focused on Him. When you are focused on Him, you benefit from His wisdom. When you benefit from wisdom, you will rightly discern the point of the trial. And when you rightly understand the trial, you can have joy in it as you grow in your perseverance and become a more mature son or daughter, gradually moving from a 10-carat gold Christian to a 24-carat gold Christian who lacks nothing.
Takeaways
- The choice is yours. James says, “Consider it all joy when you encounter trials.” Our natural tendency is to be angry, confused, and worried. We must choose to see the trial as a test of our faith that leads to joy and maturity.
- Trials are training grounds. You don’t need hindsight to know this. Endure the trial knowing the outcome – a stronger, enduring faith.
- God is at work in your life. Can we not revel in knowing that these trials are God-given, meaning that God is intimately involved in helping us grow in our faith? Trials are evidence that God is there and that we can trust Him to generously provide what we need!
- The honor of dishonor. The Apostles understood the joy of suffering for Christ. You might not receive a physical beating for your faith like they did, but if that is ever a trial you are given, understand that it is a gift we are given… to be worthy of mistreatment for the name of Christ.
Questions to Consider
- What is the difference between joy and happiness? How does James encourage believers to find joy amid trials?
- How does James emphasize the importance of seeking wisdom from God during trials? What role does wisdom play in navigating and growing through difficult circumstances?
- How does the sermon illustrate the concept of enduring trials to develop steadfastness and spiritual maturity? Can you share a time when a trial strengthened your faith and character?
- What does it mean to ask in faith without doubting? How can believers cultivate a strong and unwavering faith when seeking wisdom and guidance from God during times of trial?