James 1:1-4 Lesson 1

The Greeting James 1:1

Verse 1

James begins his letter by describing himself as a servant (slave in other versions δοῦλος dulous referring to a slave or bondservant) of God (the Father) and the Lord Jesus Christ (the Son) since Christ is God as one with the Father (John 10:30). Although Paul also identifies himself as a slave of Christ throughout many of his letters, he sometimes refers to himself as an apostle, which in his case would mean one of the twelve Apostles. This James was one of the half-brothers of our Lord and was not one of the twelve but figured prominently as a well-known leader (see the introduction).

All believers are slaves or servants of the Lord because it is to Him that we seek to please and glorify as much as possible (1 Corinthians 10:31). This description is also very fitting for James (and Paul) to use because although he carried more authority and responsibility within the church, he marks himself out as being no more or greater a servant of the Lord than anyone else (he is just as his congregants are). The only difference was his gifting or calling. It was, therefore, appropriate and truthful of him to put things this way so as not to cause any division within the body (1 Corinthians 12:12-32). True, 1 Corinthians 12:27-31 does describe an order of ranking among some of the spiritual gifts. However, this list (far from comprehensive) orders them regarding their authority (not importance in making the possessor of it better spiritually). God never limits us by things and circumstances out of our control, nor does He set certain people up for greater spiritual reward than others (as if He would ever withhold things from us). Spiritual production and “achievement” are only possible through God’s strength (so that He gets all the glory), and all depend on how well we choose to respond to Him through the free-will faith He has granted us as a gift to exercise.

As far as all believers being “servants,” “bondservants,” or “slaves” of Christ, this refers to our belonging to Him as those whom we seek to obey. It means that we are not slaves to our flesh or the Devil (the very arch nemesis to the Lord and the righteousness He requires), but to Christ to whom we owe our allegiance (Romans 6:4 and Galatians 2:20 describe the believer as being “crucified” and “buried” with Christ). But although we are accountable to God, we (His slaves) can still refuse to submit to and obey Him (although not without consequences). This began to become a problem for many of the Jewish believers James addressed, so he took a humble and truthful approach in describing himself so as not to embitter them. Humility was a crucial characteristic in James’s approach (as was true of all the Apostles and New Testament writers) to have a better chance at winning his readers over (and also because God commands us to be that way). The believer is free from sin and death, can resist sin, and live the righteous life God demands. The best and only way to do this is to grow and advance spiritually, leading to service through the spiritual gifts all believers have received in the ministries God has called them to.

We must remember that the word “slavery” or “servant” is used here only as an analogy and not, of course, in any negative sense. Slavery to Christ is a good thing that liberates the believer from sin, evil, and eternal destruction. However, unlike human masters who can be cruel and unfair (unjust, yes, even good ones who were on occasion), God is always perfectly fair and righteous in His dealings. No human authority can compare to Him, so it is unnecessary mainly to compare, except to highlight the exceptional perfection of our heavenly Father. So there is no need to look at the negatives of this practice (although it has taken more subtle, under-the-radar forms involving millions of people in our recent and present-day) because we know that Christ’s possession of us is the best thing we could have in this world, resulting in true freedom, security, purpose, meaning, fulfillment, joy, happiness, and so forth. And although it is true that the Bible doesn’t describe the practice of slavery as a sin by itself (Paul never condemns Philemon for practicing it with his “ownership” of Onesimus in the book of Philemon), it never condones it either, at least not directly. The best we can say is that it was never ideal but sometimes, unfortunately, necessary (such as when the Israelites would enslave captives when traveling near or into the promised land). Ultimately, whether one was/is a slave or not, we are all accountable to our faithful Lord and Master (only Christ is our true “Father” Matthew 23:9).

Unlike human “overlords” who may occasionally ask those under their charge to do more than they are able, the Lord would never allow us to face or do anything contrary to His will, such as putting us in a situation too much for the level of the faith we have developed to handle (1 Corinthians 10:13). The point (obviously) is that there are similarities but also significant differences between Christ’s ownership of us and that of the relationship between an earthly master and the slave under his charge. We mustn’t err on either extreme of disregarding the similarities or the differences by overlooking one in favor of the other. In other words, just because there are similarities does not mean both are not very different (they are very different in so many important ways). Needless to say, there is no need to delve into a list of either since that is not necessary to explain the point.

On the other hand, if they were not comparable in some way, there would have been no need to use the analogy (Jesus also expresses it in His parable of the Master and His Servant in Luke 17:7-10; see also Matthew 18:21-24, the parable of the unmerciful servant). Therefore, there should be no cause of offense over the word “slave” or “servant.” There is nothing dehumanizing about these words rightly understood in their context (words used to describe the believer’s relationship to God).

As for the “twelve tribes in the dispersion,” this, as we already mentioned in our introduction, refers to the Jewish believers from all the twelve tribes of Israel under James’s care who fled Jerusalem to different parts throughout the Eastern Mediterranean world in response to the persecutions that broke out after Steven’s martyrdom under Saul who later became Paul (although it is possible that this response was due to Herod’s persecutions of the Jerusalem church after having the apostle James executed in Acts 12:1-4). Again, these words apply to all believers of all time just as much as they did to those during this period, even if the recipients were predominantly Jewish.

It is worth noting that the Temple was still standing in Jerusalem at this time and that many of the commands and rituals of the Mosaic (Old Covenant) Law were still in operation even though they no longer should have been since Jesus had ushered in the New Covenant through His death, burial, and resurrection. Many of these believers would faithfully endure through the trials and tribulations they faced elsewhere. All of these things took place before the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. (foreknown and prophesied by Jesus in Matthew 24:1-2).

Trials and Tribulations James 1:2-4

Verse 2

In verse two, James begins instructing these Jewish believers on how to endure difficult circumstances with an imperative command (the word “count” is in the aorist middle imperative). In other words, this was not optional but necessary for these believers to successfully negotiate their hardships. Suppose they did not deem their present situation as something to be joyful about in the proper sense. In that case, they were doing something wrong and could only expect failure (to whatever degree, depending on how long and severely they failed in this area). If we allow anything to take away our joy (χαρὰ, chara), then only depression and discouragement leading to demoralization and spiritual ineffectiveness can result. That is one of the adverse “side effects” of failing to keep one’s attitude/heart/mind adequately aligned to the truth. Verses three and four will then give the positives for having the right mindset. But before we describe the word “trials,” it is necessary to explain the biblical meaning of the word “joy.”

In its biblical usage, the word joy refers to cheerfulness and gladness (of heart). It is a happy state that is not time or circumstance-dependent but a fruit that the Holy Spirit produces through the believer (Galatians 5:22). It is a genuine (not faulty) state of mind or heart based on the comforting truths (derived from the pure milk of the Word) that better things are yet to come and result from even the most trying periods. This fruit is not founded on false hopes but is linked with hope, knowing that only the best spiritual outcome(s) can result in this life and eternity (verses three and four elaborate further). But this requires faithful obedience (a free-will response to do the Lord’s will) because living the Christian life is not automatic and must begin inwardly to work its way outwardly (spiritual growth/change always starts from within first). The believer who remains joyful come what may bases their internal tranquility not on wishful thinking but on knowing that their faithful endurance is not in vain (there will be rewards in this life and the next 1 Timothy 4:8). And since joy rests on true hope, the thinking is not “I hope or think this may happen,” but “I know it will!” The difference could not be more pronounced.

With the above said, James was NOT saying that anyone has to like or enjoy the trials and tribulations as if on a picnic or riding a Ferris wheel. Living the Christian life is no walk in the park and is still difficult even as our faith grows to better handle the tough tests (from the Lord) and temptations (from the Devil) it has become accustomed to. With that, it is worth pointing out that the trials and tribulations we face do grow in proportion to our faith so that there is an equal balance between the extremes of things always being “too easy” or “too difficult (in the sense of our faith not being able to handle it).” So yes, the Christian life can be easy and hard depending on where a believer is in their walk with the Lord and how much they’ve advanced (there will always be hardships). As we shall see later on, James will mention the crown of life as a reward for those who have become “battle tested” by consistently passing the most excruciatingly difficult tests of their faith (James 1:12). But to do that, one has first to become a “veteran” of sorts. “Rookies” will naturally struggle more than those more used to the “pace of the game.” But with time and experience, what used to be “Oh so difficult” becomes second nature to endure.

Chances are, we will not “like” or “enjoy” the experience(s). But just because that is the case does not mean we have to allow it to take away our joy and make us miserable (which can negatively affect our spiritual momentum). Admittedly, no believer is perfect on this score because we don’t always keep our minds in the right place, as if we never step away from the Spirit’s control. Also, it isn’t as if we sin the moment we fail to experience the joy in the Lord that we should. But if we allow it to continue (giving our feelings and emotions the “right of way” over the truth the Spirit speaks to our hearts), it will manifest itself through sinful behavior of some type with its own consequences.

The Greek word for trials is peirasmos and, in our context, would refer to difficult tests and challenging circumstances that put the believer’s faith under a lot of pressure. The believers that James addressed were being persecuted by the Judaizers (and the rich who exploited their poverty James 2:6-7) and were suffering through all kinds of difficult circumstances (a plurality of them not mentioned in the text for obvious reasons) living in foreign lands they now found themselves. Much of these things were direct tests from God meant to refine and strengthen their faith, which is why James, in verse two, explains why it was so important to be joyful in times like those because of the spiritual benefits to be reaped. Faith has to undergo testing for it to grow. One of these benefits is steadfastness, mentioned in verses three and four.

Trials and tribulations are all part of the Christian experience because faith must receive testing to grow. These challenging tests can come in various forms, so it would be impossible and pointless to attempt to give a comprehensive list (although we can/could give many examples). But all believers, especially those advancing as they should, will experience them throughout their lives as they grow spiritually. There is never a point where testing stops just because one has experienced and passed a host of strenuous circumstances in times past because faith never has a limit to which it can attain (there are no limits to how much it can grow even if perfection is unattainable). Although no one can be perfect, faith will (or should) always grow in this life so that not even the most battle-tested veterans ever reach a point where the Lord no longer tests them (even if it becomes easier and less frequent for those individuals).

It is crucial to understand that these tests and trials are signs, indicators, or good things that signify the believer’s faith has grown to such a point as to be strong enough to handle them. We should point out that even though more severe testing usually comes with some experience in spiritual growth (growth that entails seeking out the truth, understanding, believing, and applying it), growth, testing, and production (ministry) can cooccur. However, there will be periods where (take testing as one example) each category will be more pronounced. So, testing (especially of the more challenging kind) will be more frequent and intense once a believer has grown to a certain point. On the other hand, trials and tribulations would have been rare and less intense during the initial stage of their spiritual journey (when the believer’s faith was weaker in the earlier period of their walk).

Speaking of “tests,” I have, throughout this ministry, mentioned the need to distinguish between tests from the Lord and discipline. So, just as James differentiates satanic enticements to sin from genuine tests from the Lord (since God does not tempt anyone to evil), it is critical to briefly examine the stark contrast between discipline and testing. Discipline is for sinful behavior and can, depending on the severity of the offense(s), last for years. King David received some of the most intense discipline mentioned in Scripture that lasted for many years (part of which involved the rebellion and death of his son Absalom). Yes, God continued to bless him after he repented and continued to grow spiritually. But that does not change the fact that God’s disciplining of him continued for many years after the fact. So, although it is indeed unlikely that discipline (or the consequences of whatever sin(s) committed) would carry on for so long for most believers today, we have it from this example that some discipline can remain for sins committed long ago (even long after repentance).

It is vital to take note of the above because although there is a grave spiritual danger in seeing tests as discipline for sins committed and repented of long ago, there is also the grave danger of ignoring genuine discipline as “testing” when that is not the case. So, I would caution against falling into extremes and not emphasize one over the other since both are equally dangerous. As Hebrews 12:5 confirms, we are not to take the Lord’s discipline of us lightly because it is designed to lead us to repentance and spiritual growth. But mistaking it for testing when it isn’t will only produce complacency and spiritual degeneracy. As many have wisely said, you cannot fix a problem unless you know you have one. So if a believer has been in a pattern of sinful behavior (despite growing in other areas of their walk), and they receive divine discipline for said behavior, it would be a terrible mistake to take discipline as testing because said person now has less incentive to repent of their erroneous ways and start improving. So, it is possible to err on both sides of these dangerous extremes. And although it is generally the case that discipline only comes for sins recently or presently committed (not sins committed long ago), David’s case, though unique because of the offenses committed and the high position he held as king (to much has been given, much is expected Luke 12:47-48), do, once again, demonstrate that this can be so in rare cases. In fact, regarding believers caught up in present sin, it may be more common than realized.

However, it would seem to be the case that more believers struggle with letting go of past sins (mistaking testing for discipline) than the other extreme (mistaking discipline for testing). But we cannot confirm this with certainty since we are not God and cannot fully know the hearts of any believer (no matter how close we are to them). But what makes us think God would discipline us for it if we have not been in a bad pattern of sinning? On the other hand, if we are presently engaged in “foul” behavior, what makes us think we can take God’s reaction to it lightly? Generally speaking (all probable exceptions aside), the Lord does not discipline us for sin(s) committed and confessed long ago. Can the natural, inevitable consequences remain for a long time? They most certainly can. Can some discipline carry on for years? Yes, some can, even if that isn’t usually the case. Needless to say, we should understand the point by now.

We don’t want to unwittingly take advantage of the Lord’s grace by patting ourselves on the back, thinking our present troubles are a compliment when they are a warning or corrective measure to steer us back in the right direction (or what have you). That would make us self-deceivers who hear the Word but don’t obey/apply it James 1:22 (speaking of the book of our present study). But we (like Job) also don’t want to blame ourselves for circumstances meant to strengthen our faith and highlight how far it has come. Regardless of which extreme believers take more often, we must avoid BOTH at all costs.

Verses 3 and 4

Verse three gives us one of the reasons why we should take pains to be joyful in trying times with the word “steadfastness.” The word means perseverance or endurance (the Greek word for endurance has perseverance as one of its meanings). It refers to one of the results bearing up under difficult circumstances has on faith.

For example, the more an athlete trains his body through all the stress and strain, the better he becomes at competing. Very similarly, Paul compares the Christian walk to a race to be run and won (Hebrews 12:1). The word endurance, in our context, means having a faith that keeps going (analogous to a runner who has what it takes to “keep on keeping on” despite wear and tear) because it continues to get stronger. The more we bear up under all the difficult trials of life, the better we become at handling them in general. Once we have become accustomed to passing present tests of our faith of whatever difficulty, we are then ready to handle more burdensome ones in the future. Again, there are no limits to how far our faith can go (albeit except for perfection). Again, this scenario is similar to the human body’s reactions to physical training. The more stress it successfully endures, the stronger it becomes and the more it can take moving forward. Testing allows the believer to show the resilience of their faith by continuing to hold fast to it while it grows under pressure. It also separates those who are truly committed to Christ from those who aren’t (Luke 8:13) by demonstrating just how much the person(s) in question loves God and wants to spend eternity with Him (we will discuss this a bit more in verse four). Sadly, we live in the present era of Laodicea, where lukewarmness dominates the hearts of most believers with little interest in spiritual growth and the truth needed for it to occur (Revelation 3:14-22).

So, while we may not (we don’t have to and usually don’t) enjoy the trials themselves, we can have joy knowing that they profit us spiritually in this life and the future. And speaking of the future eternal life that awaits, there are so many aspects worth being joyful about! This point ties in with verse one about being joyful through our trials, even if they are not the most enjoyable, because we know that they strengthen our faith by bringing us closer to the Lord. And the more our faith grows through persevering through hardships of “various kinds” (multiple ones can coincide or at different intervals), the more and greater the eternal rewards we shall accrue. Eternal life is guaranteed for all who hold fast to their faith until the end (1 Corinthians 15:2), and the believer’s joy rests on hope, one of the most critical fruits of the Spirit needed to keep our focus where it should be.

We believers are children of God and were not given a spirit of timidity, bondage, or cowardice (2 Timothy 1:7) but of power, love, and self-control. And since we have the gift of the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit within us, we have the power, strength, and ability to bear up under any obstacles (which means we must learn to better trust in the Lord with time). So although trials, tribulations, and difficulties (whatever proper synonym you want to use) may not be the most enjoyable or easy things to experience, we not only have the ability to keep the right mindset but the knowing that we are not alone through them because the Lord is fighting for us. Well before the book of James existed and the Holy Spirit sent out to indwell the believer permanently, we had much of the Old Testament, especially the book of Psalms, to provide a plethora of examples of God sustaining His people through difficult times (look no further than David and all the marvelous Psalms he wrote or was involved in). The point is that today’s believers need not fear facing their difficulties alone because the Lord and His angels are with and fighting for them. We then have our brothers and sisters in Christ (assuming they’re spiritually mature and not like Job’s friends) praying for and encouraging us. Like us, they, too, have their own hardships to face and deal with, showing that no believer is ever alone in their struggles.

The Greek word for suffering in the passage above is πάθημα pathema and is the same word employed by James in chapter five, verses ten and thirteen, and refers to suffering or affliction. The affliction James’s readers underwent came in the form of persecution (from Saul, who later became Paul, the rich, and foreigners) and was being used by the Lord as tests to grow and strengthen their faith.

Most importantly, what we see in our Peter passage above is the truth that all our brothers and sisters throughout the world are also enduring their own set of trials and difficulties. Once again, we are not alone. Testing is a compliment from the Lord that He sends or way because it helps to verify our faith is strong enough to go to the “next level.” Verse ten then shows us what we already know from James 1:3: suffering confirms, establishes, and strengthens our faith, leading to greater spiritual benefits.

What is there not to be happy about knowing that continued growth and endurance bring us closer to the Lord and make our salvation more secure? We also have eternity, and all that entails to look forward to, such as the New Jerusalem, the New Earth, new flora and fauna, sweet fellowship with all our family members in Christ, and, best of all, eternal fellowship with our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So there is a joy to be had in this life knowing the spiritual benefits we reap now and in eternity (all resulting from spiritual growth and perseverance in bearing up under all of life’s obstacles, physical, mental, and spiritual). The best things in life are those that are the hardest and most challenging to attain, making them all that more rewarding in the end. But for the believer who chooses to “casually trot along” in this spiritual race (Hebrews 12:1-3), there will only be eternal regret and remorse (due to loss of rewards for not giving one’s best or for not staying faithful till the very end: apostasy resulting in the loss of eternal life). As James tells us later in chapter five, we must learn to be patient in all circumstances. The principle of patience through trials and tribulations is especially applicable to the church today because of the seven-year Tribulation we will soon face. How relevant are these words for our modern time when we will need patient endurance more than at any time in history!

We will end this section with verse four, which says, “And let (an imperative command in the Greek) steadfastness (also translated as endurance and patience in some translations) have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” The word “full” can be translated as “perfect” as other English versions have done and means to let these trials (of various types and degrees) have the full effect or purpose for faith that they are designed to have. In other words, James was telling these believers to endure their hardships so that spiritual growth and maturity would result. In doing this, these believers would ensure their faith would not die out. If we fail to mature and grow spiritually, there is always the possibility that we can backslide and (depending on the severity of the test/trial) give up on our faith later on if we are not willing to endure it. So, there is another sense (application we can get from this passage) of the need for the believer to allow endurance to finish its work so that we do not give up and fall away from the faith. Eternal life only comes to believers, those who hold fast to their faith till the very end.

The word for effect is ergon (ἔργον) and means work or product (spiritual growth and maturity are the products of faithful endurance). Therefore, the word “perfect” (teleios) would refer to this idea of maturity (spiritual maturity in this case), while the word “complete” (holoklēros (ὁλόκληρος) as our English transliteration) means complete overall, lacking in nothing. None of this means we become perfect in that we no longer sin (see 1 John 1:10) or struggle with anything because believers have their struggles and sin (most likely every day). But these words refer to this idea of completeness in the sense of general spiritual maturity that is acceptable in God’s eyes, not only because of the level said faith has attained but because it is continuous (this faith leads to eternal life when everything will have been completed once we see the Lord face to face 1 Corinthians 13:10). These individuals mature and KEEP maturing since we will never stop growing spiritually while still in this world. We can’t be perfect, and we all have weak areas that need improvement. So there is always room for improvement. James commands us to keep getting better. The Christian life is a rollercoaster of a ride that is a fight to the finish.