James 1 Endurance in Testing

Prayer: With expectant hearts and minds, we seek your truth, O God. In this study, help us to be attentive as we listen, careful as we speak, and awake to your wisdom. Open our hearts to your Scripture and give us the courage to change in light of what we read. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

With your group, take turns reading the introduction and text and answering the questions in each section.

Introduction

Have you ever been a refugee?

The Christian church started as a large group of Jews in Jerusalem. Life in the ancient world was tough: early on, opponents of Christianity persecuted the church, causing many to flee from the city. Tragically, violence like this was not uncommon in the ancient world. The new Christians in this situation were forced to relocate, living in new cities as transplants. Wherever they went, they were strangers, followers of a new, unpopular religion, and they probably faced all the troubles typical of refugee status. Many of them were poor, disadvantaged, and lacked the social connections needed to get ahead in their new communities.

James¹ is an epistle (letter) probably written by Jesus’ brother James to new Christians who had been driven from their homes.

The epistle draws heavily on the Old Testament Scriptures. Unlike many of the other New Testament epistles, it’s not a message from someone to a single group, but to individuals spread abroad. It evokes both the impersonal style and the content of Jewish Wisdom Literature (like the book of Proverbs). But despite its Jewish style, James is intensely focused on what it means to follow Jesus.

In this study, we will go through chapter 1 of the book of James.

Section 1

James 1:1–8^2
1:1 From James, a slave of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. Greetings!

 ^1:2 My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, ^1:3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. ^1:4 And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything. ^1:5 But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him. ^1:6 But he must ask in faith without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed around by the wind. ^1:7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, ^1:8 since he is a double-minded individual, unstable in all his ways.

The point: James tells his readers to get to the end-point of struggles and become perfect (complete) in the faith. He reminds Christians to pray to God in faith when they need wisdom.

Question: What is the posture James says God has when he gives wisdom? Explain.

Section 2

James 1:9–11
^1:9 Now the believer of humble means should take pride in his high position. ^1:10 But the rich person’s pride should be in his humiliation, because he will pass away like a wildflower in the meadow. ^1:11 For the sun rises with its heat and dries up the meadow; the petal of the flower falls off and its beauty is lost forever. So also the rich person in the midst of his pursuits will wither away.

The point: James immediately follows with how rich and poor people should think of themselves, saying that both should glory in God’s perspective of their status.

Question: Compared to the secular world, which part of James’ words to the rich is a reality check?

Section 3

James 1:12–18
^1:12 Happy is the one who endures testing, because when he has proven to be genuine, he will receive the crown of life that God promised to those who love him. ^1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. ^1:14 But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. ^1:15 Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it gives birth to death. ^1:16 Do not be led astray, my dear brothers and sisters. ^1:17 All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change. ^1:18 By his sovereign plan he gave us birth through the message of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

The point: While we will be rewarded by God for standing strong against temptation, we should know that temptations never come from God, who is the source of all good things.

Question: The passage describes a process that begins with temptation and ends in death. What are the steps between?

Section 4

James 1:19–27
^1:19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. ^1:20 For human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. ^1:21 So put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the message implanted within you, which is able to save your souls. ^1:22 But be sure you live out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves. ^1:23 For if someone merely listens to the message and does not live it out, he is like someone who gazes at his own face in a mirror. ^1:24 For he gazes at himself and then goes out and immediately forgets what sort of person he was.

^1:25 But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out—he will be blessed in what he does. ^1:26 If someone thinks he is religious yet does not bridle his tongue, and so deceives his heart, his religion is futile. ^1:27Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their adversity and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

The point: James suggests three ways to live God’s word out instead of just hearing it: by carefully controlling what we say, caring for the poor, and keeping ourselves pure from the evil influences of our world.

Question: What does James say results from a person fixing their attention in God’s “perfect law of liberty” and then living it out?

Read through the text again below.³

Section 1

James 1:1–8
^1:1 From James, a slave of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. Greetings!

 ^1:2 My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, ^1:3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. ^1:4 And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything. ^1:5 But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him. ^1:6 But he must ask in faith without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed around by the wind. ^1:7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, ^1:8 since he is a double-minded individual, unstable in all his ways.

Section 2

James 1:9–11
^1:9 Now the believer of humble means should take pride in his high position. ^1:10 But the rich person’s pride should be in his humiliation, because he will pass away like a wildflower in the meadow. ^1:11 For the sun rises with its heat and dries up the meadow; the petal of the flower falls off and its beauty is lost forever. So also the rich person in the midst of his pursuits will wither away.

Section 3

James 1:12–18
^1:12 Happy is the one who endures testing, because when he has proven to be genuine, he will receive the crown of life that God promised to those who love him. ^1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. ^1:14 But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. ^1:15 Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it gives birth to death. ^1:16 Do not be led astray, my dear brothers and sisters. ^1:17 All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change. ^1:18 By his sovereign plan he gave us birth through the message of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

Section 4

James 1:19–27
^1:19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. ^1:20 For human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. ^1:21 So put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the message implanted within you, which is able to save your souls. ^1:22 But be sure you live out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves. ^1:23 For if someone merely listens to the message and does not live it out, he is like someone who gazes at his own face in a mirror. ^1:24 For he gazes at himself and then goes out and immediately forgets what sort of person he was.

^1:25 But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out—he will be blessed in what he does. ^1:26 If someone thinks he is religious yet does not bridle his tongue, and so deceives his heart, his religion is futile. ^1:27Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their adversity and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

Discussion and application questions

1. In the first verse of the letter, James calls himself a “slave” of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Does anything surprise you about that? Contrast this perspective to modern, secular devotion to a cause.
2. James says that the testing of our faith through trials and difficulties produces endurance and leads to our not lacking anything. Can you think of a difficulty you went through that made you more well-equipped?
3. James contrasts two types of listeners: the forgetful hearer, and the one who focuses on God’s word. What is the difference in outcomes for these two? How do they speak? How do they listen? How do they impact the disadvantaged?
4. Compare verses 19–20 (James’ perspective on anger) to Genesis 4:1–8. What do these verses tell you about the biblical perspective on human anger?
5. In verse 25, James calls God’s directions “the perfect law of liberty” and then follows it with things we should do. Do you think James’ directions sound like “liberty”? Can you think of a sense in which James’ instructions could be freeing?

Conclusion

Challenge: When you are tempted to speak quickly or in anger this week, slow down. Pray to God that he would help you to be faithful to his commands and merciful like he is.

Blessing: May you see the good fruit of trials and seek God’s wisdom in faith. May your willingness to live out God’s teaching lead to a life of blessing.

1. In the New Testament, a few important people are named James, but this short book was probably written by James the brother of Jesus. We read about this James in the Gospels and in Acts chapters 12 and 15, where he is a leader in Jerusalem.[↩]
2. Scripture and/or notes quoted by permission. Quotations are from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.  All rights reserved.[↩]
3. We find that rereading the text is very helpful—please don’t skip this part of the study![↩]