Faith Proved by How We Handle Trials: James 1:1-18

James 1:1‑18  •  30 min. read  •  grade level: 8
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The Salutation
Vs. 1—“James” writes to his fellow countrymen who had professed faith in "the Lord Jesus Christ." He was not one of the twelve apostles (Luke 6:13-16), but was one of the chief elders in the assembly at Jerusalem (Acts 12:17; 15:13-21; 21:17-25; Gal. 2:9). James was "the Lord’s brother," having grown up in the family of Joseph and Mary (Mark 6:3; Gal. 1:19). He was an unbeliever during the Lord’s earthly ministry (John 7:3-10), but was converted shortly after His death. This likely happened when the Lord appeared to him after He rose from the dead (1 Cor. 15:7). Josephus tells us that James was stoned to death by the Sanhedrin (the Jewish council) around A.D. 61-62 in the same fashion as Stephen.
This epistle is classed as a "general" epistle, meaning that it was not written to any specific assembly or individual, but to a wider audience—"to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad" (chap. 1:1). These tribes of Israel had been dispersed for many years, starting with the carrying away of the ten tribes (2 Kings 15:27-31; 17:3-41) and then later the two tribes (2 Kings 24). While a remnant of Jews (the two tribes) returned to their homeland in Ezra 1-2, most remained scattered (John 7:35). James' faith was such that he believed that there were some among these tribes of Israel who had faith in Christ, and addressed his epistle to them. Some of these may have been in Jerusalem and heard the apostles preach at Pentecost (Acts 2), or at some later date, and returned to the various countries where they lived as believers on the Lord Jesus. J. N. Darby points out that by James speaking of "the twelve tribes" in this way, it indicated that the nation had not yet been formally (literally) set aside in the ways of God. This happened later in A.D. 70.
Two Kinds of Temptations (Trials)
Since the brethren to whom James was writing were facing a severe trial of persecution in regard to the Christian stand that they had taken, he addresses the subject of temptations (trials) first. He speaks of two kinds of trials that a believer faces in the path of faith. They are:
Holy trials—These are temptations from without; from external things that God allows to come into our lives to test us (vss. 2-12).
Unholy trials—These are temptations from within that emanate from us allowing the lusts of our sin-nature to gain control of us (vss. 13-15).
(Hebrews 4:15 tells us that the Lord Jesus was tested in all points as we are in the area of the first class of temptations. It says that He was “tempted in all things in like manner, sin apart.” This means that He was tested by trials in His life of every kind that a holy man could be tried, with the exception of temptations that emanate from the “sin” nature within. The Lord never had temptations of the second kind, because He did not have a fallen sin-nature with which to respond to Satan's temptations. John 14:30 indicates that there was nothing "in" Him that could be affected by such things because He had only a holy human nature – Luke 1:35.)
In these verses, James shows that both kinds of temptations are to be met with faith. Not only would faith help a person to rise above them victoriously, but it would also manifest the reality of their profession.
Temptations From Without
Vss. 2-4—The Church, in that day, was predominantly comprised of converted Jews, and they were under tremendous persecution from their unbelieving countrymen for their profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thess. 2:14-16). How this mixed company of professed converts reacted to these trials from without (persecutions) revealed a lot about where they truly were in their souls—that is, whether they were real believers or not. There was a constant temptation before them to avoid the trial of persecution by drawing back into the Jewish fold (Heb. 10:38-39). However, that would prove that their professed faith in Christ was not real.
While persecution was the outstanding trial that these Jewish converts faced, James addresses his remarks to a wide variety of trials which he calls, "divers [various] temptations." This, of course, would include the trial of persecution, but would take in all sorts of things that would test a Christian's faith. It could be health-related things, financial difficulties, family sorrows, marital problems, etc.
James says that we "fall into" these temptations (holy trials). This may sound a little unusual; we could better understand it if he had said this in connection with the second kind of trials relating to sin (vss. 13-18). However, we must remember that the KJV is an old English translation that has some archaic usages of words. The expression "fall into" in this passage is an example. Today we would say "befall." This helps us to understanding what James is talking about. He is saying that there will be certain difficulties and troubles that will befall us, and thus come into our lives quite unexpectedly and beyond our control (compare Acts 27:41).
Four Things Necessary in Order to Profit From Trials
James speaks of four things that we must have in times of trial in order to profit from it spiritually.
A Cheerful Spirit
Firstly, we need to maintain a cheerful spirit (vs. 2). He says, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations." This might appear a little paradoxical. How can anybody be happy about having a trial in his or her life? However, James doesn't say that we are to be happy about the troubles and problems that come our way. God does not want us to laugh off a trial of this sort, as if it were something that is not to be taken seriously. James is simply warning us against the tendency to complain when a trial comes our way. Thus, his exhortation is to be careful to maintain a cheerful spirit. The "joy" that he is speaking about here results from faith looking beyond the trial to its positive outcome. If we lack faith, we will not rejoice but complain about it. Consequently, we will not be in a proper state to gain from the trial.
An Understanding Mind
James goes on to speak of a second thing that we need in order to profit from trials—an understanding mind (vs. 3). He says, "Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience [endurance]." Our ability to rejoice in trials is connected with "knowing" and believing that the Lord wouldn't allow anything to touch us that didn't have a purpose of "love" on His part (Heb. 12:6) and "need be" on our part (1 Peter 1:6). Understanding that the trial has been ordered of God and to work out something in us for our spiritual profit—such as "patience [endurance]" which is an important feature in Christian character—we will be able to pass through the trial with the right attitude. Without this knowledge, we might not know what was happening when trouble assailed us, and as a result, our faith could break down under it and we could become discouraged.
The Apostle Paul speaks of the importance of this kind of knowledge in Romans 8:28: "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." He doesn't say that all things that come into our lives are good—because some of them may be very sad and bad—but that those things "work together for good." We may not see it at the time of the trial, but the trial is meant to work in our lives toward something that is good in the end—as far as our moral being is concerned (Deut. 8:16). Let us remember that every child of God is in the school of God, and thus under His divine training (Job 35:10-11; 36:22; Psa. 94:10; Isa. 48:17; Heb. 12:10-11). God uses trials for our spiritual education—to teach us dependence and obedience (Psa. 119:67-68, 71) and to form the character of Christ in us (Rom. 8:29), etc. Knowing and believing that such things "work together for" our good and profit gives us the ability to endure in times of trial.
J. N. Darby remarked that "trial cannot in itself confer grace, but under God’s hand it can break the will and detect hidden and unsuspected evils, and that if judged, the new life is more fully developed and God has a larger place in the heart. Also, by it lowly dependence is taught; and as a result, there is more distrust of self and the flesh, and a consciousness that the world is nothing, and what is eternally true and divine has a larger place in the soul." Hence, trials have a way of removing superfluous things in our lives and in our personalities. They tend to disconnect us from our material resources and positions in life, and connect us with what is spiritual and eternal.
When trial comes, we quite naturally think, "How can I get out of this." But we really should be saying is, "What can I get out of this!" There are at least ten positive things that result from the trials that the Lord's people pass through, if they are taken rightly:
They are opportunities for God to show His power and grace to sustain His people in times of trouble, and thus manifest His glory (Job 37:7; John 9:3; 11:4).
Through them we are brought to know the love of God in a deeper way, and thus we are drawn closer to the Lord (Rom. 5:3-5).
Through them we are conformed morally to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:28-29), and thus they work toward our moral perfection (James 1:4).
If we are walking in paths of unrighteousness, they are used by God to correct our spirits and our ways, and thus produce in us the peaceable fruit of righteousness (Heb. 12:5-11).
Through them our faith is strengthened (2 Thess. 1:3-4).
They teach us dependence (Psa. 119:67-68, 71).
They wean us from earthly things and thus turn us heavenward; as a result, the heavenly hope burns more brightly in our hearts (Luke 12:22-40).
They draw brethren closer to one another (Job 2:11; 6:14; 1 Chron. 7:21-22).
The lessons we learn by going through trials enable us to sympathize with others more effectively (2 Cor. 1:3-4).
They capacitate us for the theme of praise in the coming glory (2 Cor. 4:15-17).
A Submissive Will
James speaks of a third thing that we need in order to profit from trials—a submissive will that accepts the trial from hand of God as a divine appointment (vs. 4). James says, "Let patience [endurance] have her perfect work that ye may be perfect." The danger here is to resist what God is doing in our lives through the trial, and thus not to profit from it. The key is to "let" the trial do its good work in us, because it is ordered of God to make us "perfect." Perfect, in the sense that James speaks of it here, means full growth (maturity). This shows that God is deeply interested in our spiritual development, and that He is willing to allow suffering in our lives "for a season" to accomplish it (1 Peter 1:6).
It will require faith to allow the trial to do its divinely appointed work. But, if we believe that God has ordered it for our good and blessing, and that He has something to teach us in it, we will be more inclined to submit to Him in the trial. It will work toward the formation of our character and the moral qualities that go into making us mature (“perfect”) Christians. Thus, we will grow spiritually. David spoke of this; he said, "In pressure Thou hast enlarged me" (Psa. 4:1). One great result in submitting to the trial in faith is that we become “complete, wanting nothing.” We will lack nothing as far as the formation of our Christian character is concerned.
Job displayed this spirit of submission when his multi-faceted trial came on him. He "arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, and said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away: blessed be the name of the LORD" (Job 1:20-21). Faith believes that God is over all things, and that He is good and only appoints what is for the good of His people. In Job's case, God used the trial to make a good man better. In the middle chapters of the book of Job, Job developed a bad spirit when provoked by his three friends, and he became bitter, but God prevailed, and in the end, Job repented and got a blessing from it. Job's problem was not in his actions, but in his attitude. He was "perfect" outwardly (Job 1:1), but God wanted him to be perfect inwardly too (Job 23:10). That God would go to such lengths in the troubles He allowed in Job's life shows the importance that He puts on His people having a right attitude. The lesson for us here is that if we do not have a right spirit, the trial could make us bitter rather than better, and thus we will miss out on the blessing that God has for us in it.
Some things to remember which will help us to accept our trials from the hand of God in a right spirit are:
Our trial is divinely timed (Job 23:14).
Our suffering in the trial has been divinely measured (Job 34:23).
We will be divinely endowed with grace to handle it (1 Cor. 10:13).
We will be divinely compensated (1 Peter 1:6-7).
An Exercised Heart
The fourth thing that we need in order to profit from trials is an exercised heart that seeks God's face in prayer in regard to the trial (vs. 5). James, therefore, encourages us to get into the presence of God in prayer and commit our situation to Him, asking Him for wisdom to know how to handle the problem properly. He says, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth [reproaches] not; and it shall be given him." If we are truly concerned about what God has for us in the trial—though we may not know why the circumstances have occurred in the way in which they have—it will "yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby" (Heb. 12:11).
Eliphaz exhorted Job to seek God's face in his trial. He said, "I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause" (Job 5:8). This will always be a fruitful exercise. Someone once said, "We should never let adversity get us down—except on our knees." Faith will see the difficulty as coming from the hand of God and will go to Him about it. God wants us to come to Him with our difficulties and troubles; He has promised to give us “wisdom” in the trial so that we will know how to deal with those things that assail us. James assures us that the wisdom we need for those trying situations "shall be given" to us, if we "ask" Him for it. He never “upbraids [reproaches]” us for coming to Him for help. This should encourage us to go to Him in prayer all the more. Trials, therefore, have a way of drawing us closer to the Lord—and that is certainly a good thing.
James adds, "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering." While we may lack wisdom for the situation, we should never lack faith. Note also: James does not tell us to ask God to help us get out of the trial, but that we might have divine wisdom in the trial. Naturally speaking, we would like to get out of the trial—and that is understandable—but it is not what James encourages us to ask for. He would have us to seek grace and wisdom from God in the trial, and to try to profit from it.
These four things which we have mentioned will be evident in the life of a person who has faith in the time of trial. In fact, the most difficult circumstances in life are our greatest opportunities to manifest our faith in God (Job 13:15). It will be evident by the way in which we respond in trials.
The Danger of Not Meeting Trials With Faith
Vss. 6-8—James goes on to speak of the dangers of not meeting trials in faith. He says, "He that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord." It is futile to go to God about certain difficulties in our lives, if we don't come to Him in real faith. If we ask the Lord for help in a trial, but we don’t believe that He will do anything for us, we prove to be “double-minded” and faithless in the matter. All such doubters will not “receive anything of the Lord.” This shows that answers to prayers can be hindered by unbelief.
A person may claim to be a believer, but if he is not a true believer, his prayer life will manifest it. Trials have a way of bringing this out. Who we really are becomes evident in times of trial. If a person's faith is only a professed thing, he will not truly turn to God in the trial—though there may be a pretence of doing it. He or she will be seen turning to human resources and other things for help.
Rewards for Exercising Faith and Wisdom in Trials
Vss. 9-12—James shows that the positive effects of trials are worked out in people from all walks of life—they touch everyone's lives in one way or another. He takes up two extremes to demonstrate this—a poor man and a rich man.
A "brother of low degree" (a poor man) rejoices because the lessons he learns in his trials cause him to value more deeply what he has in his "exalted" place with Christ. He rejoices in his spiritual blessings. He also learns practical lessons in regard to the compassions of God by receiving help from God in his times of need. The result is that the Lord becomes more precious to him.
The "rich" man, on the other hand, learns valuable lessons in humility ("humiliation") by passing through trials. He learns that his money cannot insulate him from trouble, and thus he is cast on God like every other believer. Trials have a way of "whittling" rich men down to the size of an average man. They have a way of teaching him dependence, which all men must learn. James doesn't say, "Let the rich man rejoice in his riches," but rather that he should rejoice in that he is "made low," and thus made more like Christ (Matt. 11:29). This shows that there is something valuable in learning humility. The rich man is taught not to trust in himself, nor in "uncertain riches," but in God (1 Tim. 6:17).
In light of eternity, the temporal advantages that a rich man has will not last. To emphasize this point, James reminds us that as "the sun" rises with "burning heat" and "withers the grass" and "the flower," so also will "the rich man fade away in his ways." While James is referring to rich men generally, the rich man who has faith can learn from his trial (if taken rightly) that material riches are nothing in comparison to divine and eternal things. He may know this intellectually, but the trial will help to know consciously and practically. His focus in day to day living will get turned away from temporal things toward eternal things in a more real way, and thus he will value them more deeply.
The point in these verses is that, whether a person is rich or poor, he can derive lasting spiritual benefits from the trials of life, if they are taken in faith. The poor man and the rich man can rejoice alike in the fact that moral and spiritual qualities are being produced in them by enduring trials.
Vs. 12—James passes on to give a word of encouragement to the one who "endures temptation" (trial). He says, "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him." He shows that there is a present and a future reward for passing through trials with the Lord. There is a present blessedness. ("Blessed" means to be happy.) This refers to an inner joy that is given to those who walk with the Lord in their trial. It results from knowing that we are the special objects of His care in the particular trial that He has given us. This joy is known only to those who take the trial from the Lord in faith. Then, there is also a future reward of receiving a “crown of life” in the day of reckoning. This would be at the judgment seat of Christ (Rom. 14:10-12; 1 Cor. 3:13; 4:5; 2 Cor. 5:10; Matt. 25:20-23). This teaches us that the Lord values faith, and that He will reward it in a coming day.
However, if we rebel against the things that the Lord has given us to bear, we not only lose our present joy in the Lord and the spiritual profit that God intends for us to gain from the trial, but we also lose a future reward. James adds that these present joys and future rewards are promised "to them that love Him" and endure the trial in faith. This shows that the trials that the Lord gives us to bear are an excellent way for us to show our love to Him. Taking them from His hand in submission is indeed a beautiful thing to Him; He values it and will reward us in that day.
Summary of the Good Things that Trials Produce in Our Lives if Taken in Faith
They are opportunities to manifest our faith (vs. 3).
They work endurance in us (vs. 3).
They produce spiritual maturity (vs. 4).
They teach us dependence on God (vss. 5-6).
They teach us to value eternal things (vss. 9-11).
We will be rewarded for enduring them—presently and in the future (vs. 12).
They are opportunities to prove our love for the Lord Jesus (vs. 12).
Temptations From Within
Vss. 13-15—James goes on to speak of the other kind of temptation—the temptation to sin. As mentioned, these are unholy trials which emanate from the fallen sin-nature. Note: James does not say, “Count it all joy” here, as he did with the first kind of temptation. Satan would like to present these things to us as something that will make us happy, but it's a lie. In reality—and we all know from experience—giving way to the lusts of the flesh does not bring happiness. It leaves us unsatisfied and out of communion with God. James shows in this series of verses that we can overcome these temptations to sin if they are met with faith.
He begins by clearly stating that these kinds of temptations do not come from God. He says, "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God. God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man." James mentions this because the natural tendency of the human heart is to shift the responsibility for our wrong-doing onto someone else. However, we cannot blame God for our sinful lusts. God does not tempt people to do what He hates; He will test our faith in various ways, but He will not tempt us to do evil.
Sin emanates from our own wills acting; and it all comes from within the human heart. The Lord taught, "For from within, out the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man" (Mark 7:21-23). The simple truth is that we sin because we choose to sin. A believer may “enter” into these kinds of temptations, if he or she chooses to do so (Matt. 26:41). Therefore, we are fully responsible for allowing sin in our lives.
James shows us the fruit of allowing lust within. There is a course, or a chain of things, that works out in our lives. It begins with "lust" conceived in the heart, and if not judged in the presence of God (1 John 1:9), it bears fruit in acts of "sin," which ultimately results in "death." His point is unmistakably clear; if we allow lustful thoughts to linger in our hearts, they will surely bring forth sin and death in our lives.
Sow a thought, reap an action,
Sow an action, reap a habit,
Sow a habit, reap a character,
Sow a character, reap a destiny.
It may be asked, "In what way does allowing sin in a person's life bring forth death?" "Death," in Scripture, always has the thought of separation of some kind. It depends on the context of the passage; it could be separation of the soul and spirit from the body in physical death (James 2:26), or it could be the separation of the unbeliever from the presence of God forever in a lost eternity (Rev. 20:6, 14 – "the second death"), etc. Sin, in its fullest sense, results in physical death (Gen. 2:17; Rom. 5:12), and, if a person is not saved, it result in eternal separation from God. In regard to a believer allowing sin in his or her life, it is referring to death in a moral sense. That is, there will be a disconnection in his communion with God practically, whereby no fruit can be produced in his life. The Apostle Paul speaks of this aspect of death in Romans 8:13: "For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die." (See also 1 Timothy 5:6.)
Vss. 16-18—In connection with the foregoing remarks, James says, "Do not err, my beloved brethren." Essentially, he is saying, "Don't make a mistake ("err") in thinking that you can get something good through lust." Every time we think that we can get something good through gratifying our lusts, we make a mistake; it only produces moral death in our lives. We are left unhappy, unsatisfied, and out of communion with God.
How Temptations From Within Are to Be Handled
James goes on to show us how these kinds of temptations are to be handled so that we don't sin in these situations. Firstly, we need to remember that God is a good God and a giving God, who provides for all of His creatures. Everything that the child of God needs for his happiness “comes down from the Father of lights;” it does not come by reaching out for it through lust. We need to keep this great fact before our souls because the tendency is to lose sight of it in times of temptation.
James notes that there are two kinds of gifts that God gives to men. There are “good” gifts, which are the natural things in life that He gives to all mankind (Eccl. 3:13; 5:19; Acts 14:17; 1 Tim. 6:17), and then there are “perfect” gifts, which are spiritual things that God gives to believers (Rom. 6:23; John 4:10; 1 Thess. 4:8; Eph. 2:8; 4:7). This shows that God is the Source and Giver of every good and perfect thing. He will supply all our needs—naturally and spiritually—in His good time (Phil. 4:19). He is not the originator of sinful temptations within. We must have faith to believe this in order to conquer sinful lusts.
Moreover, James calls God "the Father of Lights." This indicates that He is an all-knowing and all-caring God. "Father" speaks of tenderness, love, and care. It means that He is not an impersonal God who acts without feeling towards His creatures. "Lights" emphasizes His infinite knowledge and understanding of every situation in life. It means that He knows our situation in life perfectly, and will provide what we need according to His great goodness. James adds, "With whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." This means that there is no changeableness in God's disposition toward us; His intentions to bless and provide for us cannot not be altered (Mal. 3:6). He is not a fickle God. We can be sure, therefore, that He will do the very best for us in our situation in life. Faith believes this. It believes that God is the Bestower of every benefit that we enjoy—naturally and spiritually—and looks to Him to provide what is needed in His good time. This kind of confidence in God pleases Him greatly (Psa. 118:8-9).
He knows, He loves, He hears,
Nothing this truth can dim;
He gives the very best,
To those who leave the choice to Him.
However, the believer's faith is the very thing that Satan attacks (Luke 22:32). His aim is to shake our confidence in the goodness of God. When we have a need that is not immediately filled by God, we are being tested by Him in the matter. When Satan sees this, he will suggest to us that God is holding back something good from us. He will also suggest that we should, therefore, take action for ourselves in the matter. If our confidence in God is shaken, we will likely entertain Satan's suggestions and reach out for that thing which we think we need. However, when acting in self-will and in independence of God, we bring forth sin and death in our lives. Mr. H. E. Hayhoe rightly said, "Unbelief in the goodness of God is the root of all our failures."
This is exactly the line upon which Satan tempted Eve in the garden of Eden. He told her that eating the fruit of the tree would make them "as gods" (Gen. 3:5), and that God was holding that good thing back from them. When her faith was shaken as to God's goodness and she believed that if she took the fruit it would improve her and her husband's position, she took the forbidden thing and ate it. But it was all a lie. Taking the fruit did not improve Adam and Eve and make them as God; it made them sinners.
Satan tried the same tactic on the Lord in the temptations in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-13). In essence, he said to Him, "If you are the Son of God, why doesn't God look after you in one of the most basic things in life—your need of food?" Behind this temptation was an attempt to get the Lord to pity Himself in that situation. The devil as much as said to Him, "You're starving here; this shouldn't happen to a godly man!" Then, he suggested that the Lord should use His Godhead power to supply that need—which God evidently was not supplying. But to do so, He would be taking a step in independence of God. Note how subtle Satan is: he told the Lord to make the stone into bread; he didn't go so far as to tell Him to eat it! He knew from his experience with human behavior that it wouldn't take long for a hungry man, who saw food in front of him, to reach out and eat it. But Satan was defeated in this ruse by the Lord's faith in God (Psa. 16:1) and the Lord's obedience to God's Word (Psa. 17:4).
The devil has been using this tactic on men and women since the beginning of time. It shows us how subtle he is (2 Cor. 11:3) and also how deceptive the human heart is (Jer. 17:9). Hence, James is teaching us that we can overcome these temptations to sin by having faith in God's goodness—and this will be evident by our waiting on Him to supply our needs.
Vs. 18—James then speaks of God's great sovereignty. "Of His own will begat He us with the Word of truth." This is referring to our new birth (John 3:3-5; 1 Peter 1:23). He was not forced to do this great act of kindness and mercy—He did it of His "own will" and out of the goodness of His heart. He initiated our spiritual life in the first place, and in doing so, He has made it His responsibility to care for us and to sustain us in the path of faith. If we indeed are His children, why would we think that He will not care for us, and that we have to sin to sustain our practical needs? Moreover, Christians are the "firstfruits of His creatures." We have thus been given a unique and very favoured place among all of God's creatures. Being so favoured as we are, it is even more ludicrous to think that He will not provide for us (Isa. 49:15).
Hence, as there is a right and wrong way to react to temptations (trials) from without, there is also a right and wrong way to react to temptations within. As to the latter, we can allow ourselves to be “enticed” in our lusts and get "drawn away"—but it will only bring forth moral "death." Or, we can wait in faith on the Father of Lights to supply our needs in His good time.
How a person responds in these situations in life will give an index as to where he is in his soul spiritually. If a person does not trust God and does not judge himself, but habitually succumbs to lusts and sins as a way of life, it calls into question whether he or she has faith at all. The falseness of a person's professed faith is thus exposed. A believer may sin and fail in his life, but he will repent and judge himself, and rise up and go on in the path of faith (Prov. 24:16). Falling down does not make a person a failure in life; it is staying down that does. Falling down does not mean that a person is not saved, but staying down calls into question whether he is. A person who is not a real believer in the Lord Jesus Christ will remain in his sins as a habitual course of life, and by this he will show that his profession of faith is not real.
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The point that James is making in this first section of verses is that temptations—whether they are from without or from within—manifest where a person is in his soul. Thus, trials and temptations in life are really opportunities to manifest our faith and to show that we are real believers.