Nothing But Joy!

Intro to James:

Most scholars believe the book was written by James the half-brother of Jesus. If so, James went from an unbeliever who openly mocked Jesus to a man gloriously saved when Jesus appeared to him after the resurrection. He became a leader of the church in Jerusalem known for his godliness and devotion to prayer. He was later martyred by an angry crowd of Scribes and Pharisees. 

With such a background, he simply introduces himself as "a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ."  He lived the godliness and humility he preached. 

James writes "to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion". 

Dispersion here has a two-fold meaning: Christians (primarily Jewish Christians) scattered due to persecution, and Christians as exiles and strangers on this earth. Can't we relate to that today?? Most of us in the US haven't seen actual persecution yet, but we're certainly seeing more and more animosity, and the possibility of true persecution in our lifetimes seems more and more real. 

With the current pandemic, we may not be scattered geographically as the Christians to whom James was writing, but we are experiencing such a crazy form of "scattering" through social distancing that is new, different, and for most of us, very uncomfortable. Many aren't able to meet together at church, and their corporate worship is through livestreams or other technology. For those who are able to meet together, things are generally very different due to social distancing guidelines. It is so good to be able to meet together at all, but it's also somewhat awkward and weird. 

As American Christians, we've been really comfortable for a long time. As uncomfortable as these times are, perhaps we needed to be jolted out of our comfortable place. James says that our authentic faith is shown by the way we speak and act during times of trial and hardship, and that those times grow and mature that faith so that we may become perfect and complete in Him. Such a timely message for our time, written 2000ish years ago! 

I loved (and was convicted by!) this from a BSF study on the book of James:

What confusion do you have about your life and your place in the world? Do you struggle to live out what you say you believe? How often do you substitute feelings, fear of consequences, majority opinions, past outcomes, cultural norms, or governmental laws for God's wisdom? Instead, James's message is -- Seek God. Get wisdom. Do the Word." 

James 1:1 
1:1  James describes himself as a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The word "servant" here is the Greek word "doulos", which means "born bondman or slave". It was interesting to me that this is the same word Mary used of herself when Gabriel announced the coming birth of Jesus.

1:2-4  We are so tempted to focus on self, and on the trials themselves, during trials. All the "Why?" questions press in. From the BSF notes on this verse: God answers some of these questions in James, but mostly helps us move from "Why me?" to "What will I do now?" Live by fatih.

Repeated words or ideas in verses 1-4?  trials/testing and steadfastness (perseverance, patience, endurance, depending on translation)

Conditional statements? Trials/faith testing are required for the production of steadfastness, and steadfastness brings maturity and completeness.

James 1:2

"Count it all joy" --Count= Consider, one translation says "Reckon it"

"All"--also translated "pure"-- all, the whole, every kind of
       The Weymouth New Testament translates this verse, "Reckon it nothing but joy, my brethren, whenever you find yourselves hedged in by various trials."
       "nothing but joy"  brings a whole new understanding. Am I trying to squeeze some joy out in my trials along with my grumbling, resentment, worry, etc.? "Nothing but joy" doesn't really leave room for that. We are to "reckon it nothing but joy" when we face these trials. Not that we are "putting on a happy face about the situation itself"--we may definitely grieve, be sad, even wrestle with it--but we can have a deep, all-encompassing joy in the God Who is using that trial for our good and His glory, and for the work He is accomplishing in us through it. As one of the ladies said last night (I'm badly paraphrasing her, but this is the gist), we have to look over the trial to God and the work He is doing. THAT is where our joy is.

"Joy"--gladness, delight, Greek: Chara, xara. Root "xar"--to extend favor, lean towards, be favorably disposed. 
HELPS  Word Study says: properly, "the awareness of God's favor, joy--grace recognized"
linked to xairo, which means "rejoice because of grace", cheerfulness, calm delight.
      I need to letter "calm delight" and hang it on my wall!! "Calm delight" doesn't usually describe my attitude during trials. But what a beautiful goal.

"When you meet" -- also translated "fall into, encounter, face". The Weymouth translation says, "whenever you find yourself hedged in by various trials." At our old house, we had huge hedges around our yard. I was always amazed at the intricacy and strength of the interior of those hedges. There was no way to push through or make a path, short of a chainsaw. To be surrounded by them would definitely be claustrophobic. That's the way our trials can seem at times...like being surrounded by thick, impassable hedges.

"trials of various kinds" -- diverse trials...the trials may be very different, but the purpose, instructions, and results are the same.

James 1:3

For you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance--
The Amplified translates this "Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces  endurance [ leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace].
As my mom said yesterday, that "through experience" part is painful! If only we could learn it just by reading or hearing about it, and not "through experience". But that is how God chooses to do His work in us.

steadfastness--This word is also translated perseverance, patience, endurance.
According to the KJV dictionary, steadfast means firmly fixed or established, constant, firm, resolute, not fickle or wavering; firmness of mind or purpose, fixedness in principle.
      HELPS Word Studies  says "Well-stationed, securely positioned, not given to fluctuation or moving off course.  I don't know about y'all, but that "moving off course" part is convicting for me . When trials come, I tend to go into survival mode, and often veer waaaaay off course from what I know God's calling and purpose for me is.
       Strong's Concordance says the original Greek here is "hypomonen", meaning "to remain under or to stay in place, to bear up under. The characteristic of a man unswerved from his deliberate purpose and loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trails and sufferings."
       This is so good from Ellicott's Commentary!

Do not think the grace will come to its full beauty in an hour. Emotions and sentiment may have their place in the beginning of a Christian career, but the end therof is not yet. Until the soul be quite unmoved by any attack of Satan, the work cannot be deemed "perfect". The doctrine is not mere quietism, much less one of apathy, but rather this, that the conscious strength of patient trust in God is able to say at all times (Psalm 63:8)--My soul hath followed hard on Thee, Thy right hand hath upholden me." And if in this patience we can lean to possess our souls (Luke 21:19), the perfect work of God will be wrought within us. 

A couple of things I notice there--
1. This isn't passive, this steadfastness in trials, but rather very intentional. God does the work, but there is intentional, conscious "work"  on our part in this as well.
2. It doesn't happen all at once. It's a process, the process of sanctification. During each trial, He teaches us more, shows us more of Himself, brings us closer to maturity. The perfection won't be complete until heaven, when the glorification happens.

James 1:4
"And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may  be perfect and complete, lacking nothing"

"Let"--allow, Greek echeto--to have, hold, possess

"have its full effect"--also translated "finish the work"--to complete, to meet the goal.

"perfect and complete"--mature, sound, complete in every part, perfectly sound

"lacking nothing" -- that we are without fault or flaw, a perfect sacrifice offered up to God.

Matthew Henry says of this passage:

"Let us take care, in times of trial, that patience, and not passion, is set to work in us: whatever is said or done, let patience have the saying or doing of it. When the work of patience is complete, it will furnish all that is necessary for our Christian race and warfare. We should not pray so much for the removal of affliction, as for wisdom to make a right use of it." 

Colossians 4:12 says, "That you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God"

I Thessalonians 5:23-24 --Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on these verses, either in the comments here or on FB/IG!