James 1:1-11 – Enduring Trials in Wisdom

Reverend Leo H. McCrary II

Enduring trials in wisdom requires a deep reliance on God. James 1 examines how tribulation reveals the state of your faith and what to do to overcome your trials.

Introduction

Does God want us to suffer?  Does He take joy in our tribulation? 

A question that often gets asked about God is this:  Why does God let bad things happen?  This is a question that often gets asked by both believers and nonbelievers, which means this is an important question to answer!  So, in this week’s lesson, we are going to examine James 1:1-11 to show the reason why God permits their to be tribulation.

Rejoice in Tribulation?

James’ epistle opens with the half-brother of Jesus saying, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience (Jas. 1:2-3).”

Why tribulation?

These are two verses that I quote quite often in my preaching and in my teaching.  That being said, the thought of rejoicing because of trials we are going through can be rather confusing for some of us to understand.  We will ask, “Why should I be happy when I fall into trials and tribulations?”

It takes a great deal of wisdom and faith for one to be able to make this statement.  You see, so many of us who enter into the faith come into it with the idea that life is suddenly going to get easier.  Yet, the truth of the matter is that Jesus said we are going to have tribulation (John 16:33); they are unavoidable.

So, again, the question is asked:  Why does God permit us to have trials and tribulations, even when we believe in Him?

We must go back to Genesis 2, if we wish to understand why tribulations are even a thing we experience in life.  After God had made the garden of Eden, Genesis 2:15 states that God took Adam and put Him in Eden to tend and keep it.  God left Adam with one rule to follow: “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die (Gen. 2:16-17).”

Interestingly enough, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil sat in the midst of the garden alongside another tree – the tree of life (Gen. 2:9). Neither Adam nor Eve were forbidden from eating the tree of life, but were, again, forbidden from eating from the tree that would lead to death.

Genesis 3 shows that both Adam and Eve ate from the one tree God commanded them not to eat from– they disobeyed.  Because of their sin, God said to Eve, “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you (Gen. 3:16).”

To Adam, the Lord said, “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life.  Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field.  In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return (Gen. 3:17-19).”

The sin of Adam and Eve introduced sorrow to everything.  Even the ground which brought forth all kinds of plant life would suffer because of the sin of Adam and Eve.  God didn’t make life to be that way.  

Let us remember, when God made this world specifically, He crafted it with thought and serious time.  God did not put man into the world until He saw that it was all very good (Gen. 1:31).  So, God put man into a world that was glorious, and all man had to do was tend and keep the garden.  Man could freely eat, not because he needed to eat to live, but from a place of leisure.

However, while sorrow and suffering were introduced into the world because of sin, I want to also note what God said to the serpent.  God cursed the serpent, saying, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel (Gen. 3:15).”

The hope that Genesis 3:15 gives us is that while we will have tribulation, tribulation will never defeat us because sin and the serpent will be defefated.  We know that sin and the serpent were already defeated by Jesus, who laid down His life for the world.  Yet, we still have tribulation, don’t we?

Revelation 12:9 shows us that the serpent of old was the Devil, Satan, who had been cast out of heaven because of his rebellion.  Revelation 12:17 highlights that the dragon, that is, Satan, the Devil, wages war against all of us who keep God’s commands and the testimony of Christ.

So, we endure tribulation today for a few reasons!  We endure tribulation because of the sin in the garden, but also because of our sin and the sin of others.  Life is filled with tribulation!  We also endure tribulation because Satan wages war against us, just as he did with Job.  Satan desires to get you to deny your confession of faith.

Why Does God Permit Tribulation?

When James spoke of tribulation, he spoke of the reason why God permits tribulation to continue, even for those who choose to follow in the path of His only begotten Son.

James said, “The testing of your faith produces patience (Jas. 2:3).”  Now, what kind of patience is James talking about? The testing of your faith produces patience in what?

James’ attention throughout his epistle was on moving by faith according to whom you confess to believe.  If you say you believe in God, then you ought to believe that God will deliver you from all your trouble.  If you believe that God will deliver you from all of your troubles, then should you fear, worry, or panic that God won’t deliver?  

If you doubt that God will do what He promises, then you have no faith and your belief is a lie.  Whether you realize this or not, tribulation is a revealer of truth.  Tribulation will reveal whether or not your faith in God is true or not.  

In tribulation, God’s children should not panic!  Do you know why?  Yes, we are confident that God is going to deliver us in the day of tribulation, but do you know where that confidence comes from?  It comes from the fact that God has already brought you through trials before, when you leaned on Him.

Here’s why God permits us to have tribulation:  Tribulation shows us our inadequacy and need for God.  Yes, tribulation shows us our weakness and that we live in need of help from greater.  Tribulation puts a question in our face and asks, “What are you going to do now?”  Tribulation asks:  Are you going to keep trying to push forward on your own, or will you turn for help?

God’s hope is that you will come to Him in the day of your tribulation.  Let us remember what Solomon said in Proverbs 1:5:  “A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel.”

In the day of tribulation, the wise thing to do would be to turn to the one who is more than able to bring you out of tribulation, rather than try to continue getting any help from Him.  

This is what James said when it comes to seeking help in the day of tribulation.  James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”  God is not going to ignore your cry for help!  Never think to yourself that God won’t help you!

On the notion of thinking that God won’t help you, James wrote in James 1:6-8, “Let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.  For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

When tribulation reveals that you need help from God, do not doubt that He will help, nor doubt the Lord’s ability to help you.  As I said earlier in this commentary, doubt contradicts faith, as there is no faith in doubt.

Money’s Ineffectiveness with Tribulation

Let’s notice that in James 1:9-11, James began to speak of the lowly versus the rich when it comes to tribulation.  The lowly, which is to speak of the meek and humble, are those who turn to the Lord’s guidance  

We have had lessons this quarter where we took a look at the folly of trusting riches, and we have taken a look at which is greater:  wisdom or money?

As I said in the lesson commentary – Seek for Wisdom as for Silver – many are devoted to becoming rich in earthly riches because they believe earthly riches will take away their problems.  I feel it is necessary to remind all of you that while money has the power to pay bills, keep a roof overhead, and put food in our stomachs, money can do nothing long-term for the soul.

We must not assign more power to money than what it actually has.  Tribulation can come in many forms, but in the end, regardless of the tribulation, it will grieve (or trouble) the soul.  Money cannot help the soul to overcome tribulation, but Jesus tells us in John 14:27 that His peace can help with a troubled heart.

 So, when tribulation reveals that you need help from God, do not be so prideful in your money that you don’t turn to Him.  As James said, the lowly will glory in their exaltation because God will bring them through tribulation.  However, the rich will only glory in their humiliation, as they will end up as a flower that withers in the heat of the sun.

The Reward of Faith During Tribulation

In Romans 5, Paul shared the same train of thought as James about tribulation.  In Romans 5:3-5, Paul wrote, “We also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.  Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

Hope is what pushes faith forward.  Keep in mind what the writer of Hebrews said, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  Tribulation increases our hope in God from what God has done.  In that same hope, the next time tribulation comes upon you, you will be filled with confidence in knowing that God will deliver.

We may not enjoy the day of our tribulations, but tribulation strengthens our resolve in the Lord.  Without tribulation, none of us would have the trust or confidence in God that we have today.  The days have been rough, but we are still enduring because of tribulation from years and years ago – we trust God to deliver, and God will deliver.

So, rather than panic about today’s problems, we should do as James said, when he said, “Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing (Jas. 1:4).”

Tribulation will follow us because that is life, yet life, because of sin, will never destroy the meek.  The reason why tribulation will never destroy the meek is because God will never permit that to happen. 

David sang, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”