The entire book of James is to teach us that Christianity is not only a religious
faith, it is a way of life. James concentrates on how we are to act; but our actions are
always a result of what we believe.
The sufferings and trials of many individuals are recorded in Scripture:
Have individuals read the following verses:
Luke 22:28
Disciples
Acts 20:18,19
Paul
1 Peter 1:6
Believers being
persecuted
Hebrews 12:11
Believers
being chastened
Matthew 26:38,39
Jesus
Christ
I. The joy of suffering.
A. Based on the verses just read, we see that we are not to deny the actual pain of
suffering.
B. Our joy in suffering comes from the assurance that the
circumstances of our lives are ordered by a loving God, who only desires that we be
conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. To the exact degree that we know and believe this,
to that degree we can have "all joy" in these sufferings.
C. We are to count it "all joy" or the highest joy. This
is only possible as we understand the purpose of the sufferings God allows--He is making
us like Him and this is precisely what we need to accomplish that goal. We all have the
world so ingrained in our thinking and actions, that it takes drastic measures to conform
us to the image of Christ. God is a doctor who always prescribes exactly the right remedy
in exactly the right doses to cure us of the world, but usually through a slow process;
cold turkey might be so drastic that it kill us.
D. This is a precept to be obeyed, not just an attitude to be
sought. Just as Paul says to imperfect people, "Reckon yourselves dead to sin;"
James says to those who are in pain, "Count it joy." This is not an appeal to
our emotions, but a command for our obedience.
II. The trials we suffer.
A. James says we are to count it joy "when [we] fall
into" trials. God uses every circumstance to mold our character, but we are not to
delight in self-made trials. We can rejoice when we have taken every caution, followed
Godly counsel, sought the Lord, and we still "fall into" trials. We will have
ample testing from the Lord to make us what He wants us to be without adding the tests
that are a result of our foolish, precipitous action. Peter says:
. . . what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye
shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently,
this is acceptable with God.
1 Peter 2:20
B. This implies a responsibility to take every precaution against
trials and sufferings, and to guard against seeking out sufferings. There have been many
groups in church history that, thinking that testing brings joy, looked for opportunities
to suffer. Some have even urged other Believers to kill them, so that they could obtain a
martyr's crown.
III. Divers Temptations.
A. While we tend to separate the "spiritual" from the
"secular," James tells us that the joy we are to know in trials should prevail
in temptations of all kinds. It might be easy to have joy in suffering religious
persecution, but James admonishes us to have joy in all sorts of trials--God's molding of
our character will include tests of a very non-religious kind, and it is these in which we
are to know joy. Paul's shipwrecks and periods of deprivation; Job's loss of cattle and
family; and our trials of varied kinds may not appear to be related to our
"faith" at all. But it is our response to the temptations in these practical
areas that tells of our spiritual maturity and genuine faith.
B. Temptations here is not referring to attractions to sin, but
rather to testings. A test is a means of approval, a measure of ability, or an examination
of knowledge or skill. In this sense, James encourages us to delight in the tests we face,
as an opportunity to show our maturity and our confidence in God. These tests also stretch
our limits, constanting causing us to strive for more maturity, greater confidence, and
fuller understanding of God's work in our lives--all of which make us more like Christ.