To be a doulos of God was considered a great honor in Jewish culture. Such Old Testament luminaries as Abraham (Gen. 26:24), Isaac (Gen. 24:14), Jacob (Ezek. 28:25), Job (Job 1:8), Moses (Ex. 14:31), Joshua (Josh. 24:29), Caleb (Num. 14:24), David (2 Sam. 3:18), Isaiah (Isa. 20:3), and Daniel (Dan. 6:20) are described as God’s servants. In the New Testament, Epaphras (Col. 4:12), Timothy (Phil. 1:1), Paul (Rom. 1:1), Peter (2 Pet. 1:1), Jude (Jude 1), John (Rev. 1:1), and our Lord Himself (Acts 3:13) all bore the title of doulos. By taking that title, James numbered himself with those honored not for who they were, but whom they served—the living God.

To test the genuineness of a diamond, jewelers often place it in clear water, which causes a real diamond to sparkle with special brilliance. Zirconium (An imitation stone), on the other hand, will have almost no sparkle at all. When the two are placed side by side, even an untrained eye can easily tell the difference.

In a similar way, even the world can often notice the marked differences between genuine Christians and those who merely profess faith in Christ. As with jewels, there is a noticeable difference in radiance, especially when people are undergoing difficult times. Many people have great confidence in their faith until it is severely tested by hardships and disappointments; sickness, suffering, stuff and society. How a person handles trials, or trouble will reveal whether his faith is living or dead, genuine or imitation, saving or non-saving.  Ain’t nothing like a counterfeit Christian; counterfeit faith; …salvation…

In the parable of the sower, Jesus explained that “those [seeds that fell] on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear__, receive the word with joy__; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation [testing] fall away,”// He says that “the seed__ in the good soil,, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance” (Luke 8:13, 15).

Everyone who lives in this world endures some measure of trouble. That is the consequence of the Fall, the natural result of sinful human nature and of a world and society corrupted by iniquity.

I like to remind you that Christians do not have some kind of holy exemption from trials! Yes, God’s own children (in this life) will have some trouble! There will be trouble related even to the best of things that He gives us. In marriage and family life (the best gift He has given for earthly happiness), trouble is inevitable (1 Cor. 7:28). Jesus assured His disciples that “in the world you have__ tribulation” (John 16:33). Though sinless Himself, Jesus was deeply troubled and wept when He saw Mary and the friends of her brother Lazarus grieving over His death (John 11:33). He grieved because of Judas’s betrayal (John 13:21), and was “deeply grieved, to the point of death” over the prospect of taking the sin of the world upon Himself (Matt. 26:38; cf. John 12:27). Paul testified that he was “afflicted in every way” (2 Cor. 4:8); and to varying degrees and for various reasons, that is the experience of everyone. We expect occasional trouble in our job, in school, in society, even in our family and in our church. We know that we cannot escape criticism, frustration, disappointment, physical pain, emotional pain, disease, injury, and eventually death. – That’s just the way it is yawl!

Christians also can expect trouble because of their faith. Jesus said, “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). Paul reminded Timothy that “indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12).

James’s major emphasis in this present text, and in the entire letter, is that if a person’s faith is genuine, it will prove itself during times of trouble, whatever the nature or source of the trouble may be. For that reason, this epistle is valuable for unbelievers as well as believers. That is especially true for unbelievers who consider themselves to be Christians and need to recognize that faith that is reliable only when things are going well is not saving faith and is worth nothing. It is, in fact, worth less than nothing, because it deceives those who trust in it. Not only will it fail them when they need help the most but, immeasurably worse, it will lead them to think they are headed for heaven when, in reality, they are headed for hell.

James shows that when faith is but an empty profession or mere sentiment not based on firm and intelligent convictions of divine truth, the fire of trouble will burn it up. But where there is true faith, affliction naturally leads to deeper thought on one’s true condition than under other circumstances and thereby frees the heart from deception and self-righteousness. The source of weakness leads to earnest wrestling with God in prayer; and the experience of the sustaining grace thus obtained strengthens and exhilarates hope.

The old translations said, “Count it all joy.” The key word is count. It is a financial term, and it means “to evaluate.” Count or consider is a Greek word that means to think something through, to consider something mentally, to look at something from a different mindset. The actual Greek term, ἡγέομαι hēgéomai, means to make a decision about something after weighing all the facts and circumstances. That’s why the NIV uses the word “consider” instead of the old King James word “count.”

Now yawl this doesn’t mean that Christians jump for joy in the face of tragedy. It means that when we have a series of reversals or difficulties, our first emotions and reactions will be hard, but we have divine resources and divine help and divine promises and a divine presence, and therefore we can think it through and work it out in our minds. And in so doing we’ll come to a different conclusion about our problems than a non-Christian would.

We are not just to act joyful, in reluctant pretense, but to be genuinely joyful. It is a matter of will, not of feelings, and should be the conscious, determined commitment of every faithful believer. And because God commands it, it is within the ability, under the Spirit’s provision, of every true Christian. When faith in Jesus Christ is genuine, James assures us, even the worst of troubles can and should be cause for thanksgiving and rejoicing.

This explains why the dedicated Christian can have joy in the midst of trials: he lives for the things that matter most. Even our Lord was able to endure the cross because of “the joy that was set before Him” (Heb. 12:2), the joy of returning to heaven and one day sharing His glory with His church.

One of the key words of this book is the word "perfect" which is used six times in James. It is from the Greek word teleios (19x’s in the Grk NT) which means "mature." The topic of "maturity" is heavily emphasized in James. We are to be mature in suffering (1:1-20), the study of Scripture (1:13-25), sincerity (2:1-13), the service of Christ (2:14-26), in speech that is sound (3:1-18), in submission to God (4:1-17), in self-sacrifice (5:1-6), in steadfastness (5:7-11), in supplications and prayers (5:12-18), and in spreading the Gospel to the lost (5:19-20). Let me ask, "Are you a spiritually mature Christian?" If not or if you need to make some improvements, then this book should be of great help to you. Let's dig in and find some treasures.

Patience (perseverance).Perfect/ maturity. Trials become tests that develop perseverance and maturity. That is God’s pattern for every one of His children, including you and me. So here are James’ steps: (1) Give your heart to Jesus Christ; (2) think through your problems in the light of His grace; (3) recognize that every problem creates a chain reaction designed to deepen and mature you. And then (4) ask God for wisdom.

God’s ULTIMATE reason for allowing test/trials to come in the lives of His people is to perfect us!  Patience to Perfection

Let me elucidate (my big word for today), these eight purposes for the Lord’s allowing trials to come into the lives of His people. First, to test the strength of our faith. In many ways the Lord assists us in taking spiritual inventory by bringing trials into our lives to demonstrate to us the strength or weakness of our faith. A person who becomes resentful, bitter, and self-pitying when troubles come plainly exposes weak faith. On the other hand, a person who turns more and more to the Lord as troubles get worse and asks His help in carrying the burden just as plainly demonstrates a faith that is strong.

God told Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction” (Ex. 16:4; cf. Deut. 13:3–4). We are told of King Hezekiah that “God left him alone only to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart” (2 Chron. 32:31). In His omniscience God already knew what was in Hezekiah’s heart, but He wanted the king to discover that truth for himself. Jesus mentioned many tests of true faith, which included a caution to would-be disciples: “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26).

Habakkuk, pondering God’s devastating warning that He was sending the Chaldeans to conquer and all but decimate His people, testified, “Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation” (Hab. 3:17–18).

After questioning God’s wisdom and justice in allowing him to experience such unbelievably terrible afflictions, Job confessed to his Lord, “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You; therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5–6).  And so, the purposes for the Lord’s allowing trials to come into the lives of His people, First, is to test the strength of our faith.

Second, trials are given to humble us, to remind us not to let our trust in the Lord turn into presumption and spiritual self-satisfaction. The greater our blessings, the more Satan will tempt us to look on them as our own accomplishments rather than the Lord’s, or as our rightful due, and to become proud rather than humble. Paul testifies that, “because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself!” (2 Cor. 12:7).

Third, God allows us to suffer trials in order to wean us from our dependence on worldly things. The more we accumulate material possessions and worldly knowledge, experience, and recognition, the more we are tempted to rely on them instead of the Lord. These things can include education, work success, important people we know, honors we may have been given, and many other types of worldly benefits that often are not wrong in themselves but can easily become the focus of our concern and the basis of our trust.

On one occasion when a large crowd followed Jesus and the disciples to a mountain, Jesus asked Philip, “‘Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?’ This He was saying to test him; for He Himself knew what He was intending to do” (John 6:5–6). Philip failed the test, replying, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little” (v. 7). Instead of trusting the Lord to provide, Philip looked only at their material resources, which obviously were far short of being able to meet the need.

Moses had been raised in Pharaoh’s house, brought up as a prince of Egypt, trained in the highest Egyptian learning, and had reached the apex of Egyptian society and personal success. Then, after forty years in Midian as a shepherd (Ex. 2:11–25), the Lord called him to take his people out of Egypt. And, although he resisted and argued at first, obedience to the Lord and concern for the plight of the Lord’s chosen people eventually became his devotion. The writer of Hebrews tells us that “by faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward” (Heb. 11:24–26).

After reminding the immature believers in Corinth of the many afflictions, persecutions, dangers, and betrayals he had experienced, Paul wrote the encouraging words, “He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you … Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:14, 16–18; cf. vv. 8–12).

A fifth purpose of trials is to reveal what we really love. Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac not only proved his faith, but also his supreme love for the Lord. Nothing and no one else should be dearer to us than the Lord.

In Deuteronomy, the Lord told His people, “Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul” (10:12; cf. 13:3). That, Jesus said, is the first and greatest commandment (Matt. 22:38). He also said, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26). He was not, of course, commanding hatred of others, which would clearly contradict countless other Scriptures, including the second greatest commandment, to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:39). He used a figurative expression to teach that our love of God should exceed all other loves, including love of our families.

All the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 rejected the world for the goodness of God’s gifts, and so must we by “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2).

Seventh, the Lord uses trials to develop in His saints enduring strength for greater usefulness. The Puritan Thomas Manton perceptively observed that “while all things are quiet and comfortable, we live by sense rather than faith. But the worth of a soldier is never known in times of peace.” Paul confessed, “Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10). The writer of Hebrews speaks of the godly men and women “who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong” (Heb. 11:33–34; cf. Isa. 41:10).

Eighth, and finally, the Lord uses trials to enable us to better help others in their trials. Jesus told Peter, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31–32). Peter’s sufferings were given not only to strengthen him for greater usefulness but also to prepare him to strengthen others. That is true of every believer’s sufferings and testings, and was true of our Lord in His humanity. “For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted” (Heb. 2:18; cf. 4:15). Paul sums up this principle in his words to the Corinthians, (2 Cor. 1:3–6)

Since trials are so productive, it is essential for us to respond rightly to them. James helps us greatly in this in 1:2–12 by giving five key means for persevering through trials: a joyful attitude (v. 2), an understanding mind (v. 3), a submissive will (v. 4), a believing heart (vv. 5–8), and a humble spirit (vv. 9–11). He then tells us of the reward for perseverance (v. 12).

Let me shut this down by saying this: Some folks have concluded that James and Paul contradicted one another in their teachings on the issue of faith and works.

Ephesians 2:8-9—For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: [9] Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Paul)

James 2:24—Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. (James)

There is not a contradiction here because James is dealing with the issue of justification before men and Paul is dealing with justification before God. Paul says, "We are justified by faith." James says, "We are justified for works." Paul is focusing on the root of justification and James is focusing on the fruit of justification. Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is not alone. Paul did stress the importance of "works" in the life of the Christian and James did stress the importance of "faith."

Faith without works cannot be called faith. “Faith without works is dead” (2:26), James insists; and a dead faith is worse than no faith at all.

Faith must work; it must produce; it must make itself visible. Verbal faith is not enough and mental faith is insufficient. Genuine faith inspires and empowers godly action. Throughout his letter, James integrates true faith and everyday practical experience by stressing that true faith must manifest itself in works of faith—otherwise, it is not real faith at all. So here it is…