James 1:9-18
9: But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position;
12: Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
10: and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away.
11: For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.
12: Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
13: Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.
14: But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
15: Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
16: Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
17: Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
18: In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.
James continued talking about trials and pointed out that the goal of life is not to obtain worldly riches. The one in humble circumstances is to “glory in his high position” while the rich man glories in his humiliation. Riches are for a season and fade away like flowers (Isaiah 40:6-8). One who pursues riches will fade in the midst of his pursuits.
We learn from James that trials test our faith and our love for the Lord (vs 2-3). When we persevere and come through, approved by God not man, we receive the crown of life which He has promised to those who love Him. These trials prove our faith, and faithfulness to the Lord.
James then addressed temptations—enticements to sin—which are different from the many trials that come and test our faith. God does not send anything our way which would tempt us to sin. While there are things that test our faith and prove our loyalty and love for the Lord, He doesn’t tempt us with evil and He can’t be tempted by evil Himself. There’s a difference between proving a person and seducing them.
Each one is tempted when enticed by his own lust. When he engages with lust, sin is birthed which leads to death. James urged them not to be deceived in this. There is no blaming God for our sin. Jesus was tempted in every way as we are—evil came and presented itself to Him to try and lead Him astray—yet He never sinned (Hebrews 4:15). He has no lust to entice. No hook in Him that evil could snag. No darkness could be found in Him.
Instead, we see that every good thing and every perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights. He gives no evil. He is light and life Himself. His gaze, like the sun, is life-giving. He chose for us to be birthed by the word of truth—a kind of first fruits among His creatures. Jesus was the first-fruit (1 Corinthians 15:20, 23) and those who believe in Him are the first of God’s regenerated creatures having the first fruits of the Spirit (Romans 8:19, 23). Being first-fruits ourselves its important we persevere in trials and give no place to lust. Jesus made this possible.
***
James continued talking about trials and pointed out that the goal of life is not to obtain worldly riches. The one in humble circumstances is to “glory in his high position” while the rich man glories in his humiliation. Riches are for a season and fade away like flowers (Isaiah 40:6-8). One who pursues riches will fade in the midst of his pursuits.
We learn from James that trials test our faith and our love for the Lord (vs 2-3). When we persevere and come through, approved by God not man, we receive the crown of life which He has promised to those who love Him. These trials prove our faith, and faithfulness to the Lord.
James then addressed temptations—enticements to sin—which are different from the many trials that come and test our faith. God does not send anything our way which would tempt us to sin. While there are things that test our faith and prove our loyalty and love for the Lord, He doesn’t tempt us with evil and He can’t be tempted by evil Himself. There’s a difference between proving a person and seducing them.
Each one is tempted when enticed by his own lust. When he engages with lust, sin is birthed which leads to death. James urged them not to be deceived in this. There is no blaming God for our sin. Jesus was tempted in every way as we are—evil came and presented itself to Him to try and lead Him astray—yet He never sinned (Hebrews 4:15). He has no lust to entice. No hook in Him that evil could snag. No darkness could be found in Him.
Instead, we see that every good thing and every perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights. He gives no evil. He is light and life Himself. His gaze, like the sun, is life-giving. He chose for us to be birthed by the word of truth—a kind of first fruits among His creatures. Jesus was the first-fruit (1 Corinthians 15:20, 23) and those who believe in Him are the first of God’s regenerated creatures having the first fruits of the Spirit (Romans 8:19, 23). Being first-fruits ourselves its important we persevere in trials and give no place to lust. Jesus made this possible.
Comments
Post a Comment