James 4:13-17 Lesson 11

Boasting about one’s plans versus seeking the Lord’s will

Verse 13

Speaking of tomorrow

As discussed in our previous lesson, verses thirteen to seventeen of chapter four relate to the earlier verses in the same chapter because some within the Jewish communities James addressed reacted poorly to the suffering and persecution inflicted upon them by the unbelieving rich in their respective communities (James 2:6-7, wherever these scattered congregations were located throughout the eastern Mediterranean part of the Roman Empire). As we should already know, this is one reason many of these believers were fighting and quarreling. They fought over wealth, power, fame, prestige, position, and so on. Instead of choosing to endure their trials in faith by continually seeking the Lord’s will, some sought to alleviate them by taking matters into their own hands. Perhaps some of them thought that the only way to escape the abuses of their rich persecutors was to join them by becoming rich themselves. That is one likely reason, among others, why they sought greater wealth. For some, living in the lower class of society became too much to bear.

It is probable that at least some of these individuals were guilty of fighting and quarrelling as well, but there is good reason to believe some were not (seeing the utter futility of pointless verbal conflict). But just because some of these individuals chose to remain uninvolved in those petty confrontations doesn’t mean they were any less guilty (as we’ll see below).

It is worth noting that these verses (thirteen to eighteen) relate to the ones that follow in chapter five of our book (especially verses one through six). It is important to remember that chapter divisions in the Bible only came into existence a few centuries ago, so chapter five continues and concludes the narrative or flow of James’s message. In other words, these verses are related to the ones that begin the final chapter (just as they are with the previous verses). In a way, they are related yet unrelated in different ways. But just because we see a new chapter in our English Bibles does not mean that the verses that begin that chapter are in any way unrelated or that they start a new topic (which may or may not be the case, depending on the context). Good Bible study requires a solid understanding of the book’s structure, theme, and flow, and of how they all fit together to form a cohesive whole. Therefore, the teacher (as well as the reader) must be able to determine whether a new chapter ends the previous line of thought or continues it. That said, we will examine this at the beginning of our next lesson.

To address our second paragraph above, it is possible (if not probable) that a good handful of these believers’ verses thirteen to seventeen addresses were uninvolved (or became uninvolved after having been so previously) with many of the verbal wars occurring within the congregations. This is even more plausible, given that James seems to address these individuals separately beginning in verse thirteen, with the words “Come now, you who say.” Just because some may have chosen to bow out of the conflict mentioned in our previous verses or were never involved at all doesn’t mean their reaction to their problems was any less evil. Truth be told, it is irrelevant whether these individuals (whoever they were, if the shoe fit) were guilty of fighting and quarreling. The point remains that we are to endure whatever trials come our way in a loving and Christlike way (through faith), not to react to them in sinful ways by boasting and seeking only our own desires. That is why James opened his letter with the words “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.” That said, a brief review of all the verses and chapters we’ve covered thus far in this series would be most helpful.

A brief survey review

Chapter 1

We can see why the Spirit led James to open his letter the way he did. First, we observe that he quickly jumps into the message without a more extended greeting or introduction (verse one). He gets right to one of the main points of his message by encouraging his readers to take their present circumstances in good faith (the opposite is reacting in fear, anger, lust, covetousness, and so on). His first point is to be joyful, not fearful, sorrowful, or angry (which leads to sinful results, exactly what had happened with many of his recipients). James wasn’t telling his brothers and sisters that they had to like the trials themselves (we never have to), but to be understanding of why they came and to be joyful about what they produce (steadfastness or perseverance). Firstly, the tests were from God, designed to grow their faith (not to hinder or destroy it, as is the Devil’s agenda). The trials these Jewish believers endured were directly from God and were meant to help, not hinder, their spiritual advance. God was not tempting them to commit evil (He has always had our best interests in mind) but was allowing their faith to be refined (to prove its quality).

Indeed, a temptation from the Devil designed to get us to fail and a test directly from the Lord are both tests of some sort. But they are clearly two different kinds of tests from different sources, sent with different intentions (which makes their differences even more pronounced). James needed to clarify this for his readers because some likely thought God was against them. Therefore, how could they not give in to sin if the tests designed to grow their faith were (in their minds) temptations meant to get them to fail? The danger is that you can’t win a battle if you don’t believe you can triumph. Granted, verse thirteen does have the word “tempted” (“Let no one say when he is tempted”) and not “tested” as if referring to a test sent from God Himself for the spiritual benefit of the recipient. But it is more than likely that they confused testing with temptation as well, seeing God’s work as counterproductive to their well-being (which has never been, and never will be, the case).

In chapter one alone, James has already laid to rest multiple issues regarding suffering, correcting the false mentality some of his readers had developed. A person is what they believe, because their attitudes and beliefs dictate how they behave. If the attitude and beliefs are off, whatever follows will be negative and will require major correction (hence the book of James). That is why James 1:5-8 tells us to pray (and how not to pray) for wisdom on how to navigate such difficult circumstances (these words, like the entire book, apply to believers today just as much as they did to the Jewish Christians to whom James wrote in his time). James 1:9-11 also includes words of wisdom for both the rich and the poor (since both groups are one in Christ, Galatians 3:28), to help keep them in the proper perspective and in the right relationship (since issues had likely arisen between the two “groups”) and because both needed to know how to handle their respective circumstances in a goldy way without suffering spiritual shipwreck).

Instead of despairing amidst difficult trials, we need to be joyful (James 1:2) by understanding their origin (from God and not the Evil one James 1:13-18, meant for our very best), their benefits in this life (they produce steadfastness or perseverance), and in the next (the crown of life James mentions in verse twelve as reward motivation, James 1:12).

Chapter one then concludes by exhorting the reader to implement that wisdom in their life by humbly receiving the Word into their heart and applying it in faith through the power of the Holy Spirit (James 1:19-27). This includes seeking out the truth (being quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger), understanding it, believing it, and applying it (James 1:22-25). Part of applying the truth is watching what one says and helping those most obviously and urgently in need (James 1:26-27). This leads to James’s discourse in chapter two on the relationship between faith and works.

Chapter 2

Chapter two continues the theme of chapter one by highlighting the need for believers to apply the truth they receive. Verses one through four provide one example of how one could fail in this area, by showing favoritism (a clear giveaway that some of the Jewish believers were failing in this area). Favoritism is not love (living according to the law of love or God’s Word in general, since God is love and this greatest of virtues sums up all the commands in Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, 1 Corinthians 13:13, and see Matthew 22:37-40). Therefore, how can one be said to be a doer if they don’t love (1 Corinthians 13:1-6)? Having great spiritual knowledge (knowledge that, by itself, puffs up 1 Corinthians 8:1) but not applying it doesn’t do one any good. A correct understanding of Scripture is essential for spiritual growth and is indispensable. But if we fail to live it out, it won’t do us any good in the end. One must first seek out the truth, understand it, believe it, and then apply it.

Verses six and seven hint at another problem, along with the favoritism already mentioned. Instead of trusting the Lord to help them through their trials, it is likely that, in this case, some sought worldly solutions to ease the sting of persecution and suffering. I believe the wealthy individuals entering the Jewish synagogues (or assemblies) could have been both believers and unbelievers. If they were believers, those who treated them better may have done so to bribe them or earn their favor, perhaps for financial assistance. Or, if they were unbelievers (both are possible), entering (visiting) the assembly, the erring believers may have sought to win their favor through preferential treatment to ease the persecution inflicted upon them by their rich neighbors. This is very similar to how Israel would often ally herself with other nations (ones frequently at odds with her, such as Assyria) in times of desperate need (whilst under attack from another nation), instead of relying on the Lord for deliverance.

Yet we know why James saw the nonsense in all this. Why would you seek the help of your enemies, those who continued to persecute? Verses 6b and 7 read, “Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?" By behaving as they were, many of these believers were acting like enemies of God (James 4:4) by siding with the enemies of his people.

The believers in our book were no longer under the Mosaic Law (just as the church is today) because they lived under a period of grace, with the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit (the New Covenant under which the church still lives today). Since they were Jewish, James’s choice of words fitted his audience because of their greater knowledge of the Mosaic Law. Therefore, he knew full well that they already knew that they couldn’t pick and choose what to obey and what to discard. Obeying all the other applicable commands of the New Covenant (ones that carried over from the Law to the modern church under the New Covenant) but dispensing with other relevant ones on a whim was totally wrong and utter hypocrisy. This helps explain why James mentioned it: they needed to know that what they were doing was wrong and in definite violation of God’s Holy Law (His Word, summed up in love). But this reminder wasn’t just to point out the wrong (the Mosaic Law’s purpose, but without the ability to save), but to fix it (focus on the Law of God’s Word, the New Covenant summed up in the aspect of love). James needed to remind them to stop relying on their own strength and to embrace the power of the Holy Spirit granted to them at salvation, through the gospel and the freedom of the New Covenant. They were not under the Law, which had no power to save or to empower righteous living on its own. Instead, they were under grace with the power of the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Our believers needed a reminder of their identity to help get them off dead center.

Chapter two continues and ends with the well-known section on faith and works. This took James’s message on the application of truth to an even deeper level, further driving home his point and imprinting the principle on his readers’ minds. And James did this to make their spiritual turnaround even more likely. What an effective way to reach out to believers in such desperate need of correction, and we can see how amazingly the Holy Spirit spoke through the author of our book to present his recipients with a message they needed to hear in just the right way! Were these Jews still not convinced that application was all that important? They would have to reconsider that notion after reading these words.

A lack of spiritual production (works of faith and/or spiritual fruit, John 15:1-8) indicates either two things: 1) a believer with unconfessed sin out of fellowship with the Lord (James 2:15-16), or 2) an unbeliever who claims a saving faith they don’t possess because of not showing any indications of a changed and regenerated life (they possess demon faith in God, not a committed, productive, and abiding faith James 2:19). The former category is where our Jewish recipients fell. What good was their faith if it was inactive because of constant, unconfessed sin? How could they embrace their true, spiritual identity if they didn’t act the part, due to their poor choices, which put them out of fellowship with God? Listening to the Word is to no avail if it isn’t acted on.

To strengthen his argument, James cited two famous Old Testament believers who lived according to the faith they professed. These individuals were well known to his readers and, especially in the case of Abraham (the father of the Israelite nation), highly esteemed and respected among the Jews. Rahab was also a good example to use because she was in the genealogy or lineage of Jesus Christ. We can see just how effectively the Spirit worked through James to write these words. Like all Jewish people of that time, his readers held the believers of old in high respect and saw them as inspirations (they were, after all, their forefathers). Well, since that was true, James wanted to show them what made them so great: faith in action, the opposite of how his readers were behaving. If they wanted to be great like them, then they needed to emulate their behavior (just as those listening to Paul were to imitate him, 1 Corinthians 11:1). James’s mention of these two famous individuals was meant to motivate and inspire many of his readers to lay aside their sinful conduct (accomplished through an active, abiding faith that results in fellowship with God).

Chapter 3

James 1:21 states that we must put away all evil to receive the Word of God. Many of the believers in the scattered assemblies seemed to struggle with running off at the mouth (hence, they couldn’t accept the Word because they had rendered themselves unteachable by their pride and unwillingness to listen), but especially the teachers who lacked the gift or were unprepared to teach. The tongue is first mentioned in James 1:26, and James swings back to that specific topic in this verse to highlight the danger of those unqualified individuals who had the potential to cause the most damage. Everyone in all the assemblies needed to heed these warnings about the dangers of the tongue, but especially those teachers whose conduct in thought, word (what they said and how they said it), and deed needed to be exceptional because of the role-model status they held. Teaching incorrect things will (depending on what is taught) cause significant damage and can even change the course of another’s life for the worse. That, and the pastor needs to be self-controlled in his speech, presenting a good example to his flock (not using the tongue for slander, quarrels, and so on; James 4:1-6 and James 4:11-12).

Sadly, this wasn’t how many of the unprepared or “wanna-be” teachers behaved, as they fought over leadership positions they weren’t qualified for. The warning in verse one was stern, meant to help correct the abuses committed by those who hadn’t counted the cost of what they had chosen to pursue (or considered the Lord’s calling for their lives, for that matter). Those guilty needed to reconsider their course of action or otherwise face an even sterner evaluation from the Lord at the Bema seat (2 Corinthians 5:10). Regardless of whether those vying for leadership positions had the gift or not, those guilty individuals needed to embrace the exhortation given in James 1:19 to “be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.” If the gifting wasn’t there, the individual needed to stop acting in a role they were meant to fulfill by submitting to their genuine pastor-teachers. This would result in spiritual growth, enabling them to discover their true calling. On the other hand, those with the gift who were unprepared also needed to submit to their teachers and hold off until they were ready.

To demonstrate the destructive dangers that the small tongue potentially poses and the damage it can cause (if misused) and our ability to keep it in check, James then used several examples to drive home his point: a horse’s bridle, a ship’s rudder, and a forest fire ignited by such a small flame. Verse six then highlights the dangers even more by telling us, in no uncertain terms, that an uncontrolled tongue affects the entire person (a poor disposition of the heart will affect the whole being, from our thoughts to our words and actions). Verses nine to twelve then remind us of the problem of being double-minded (words that take us back to James 1:8) by presenting a few illustrations: a spring cannot produce both fresh and saltwater, a fig tree cannot bear olives, a grapevine cannot produce figs, and a salt pond cannot yield freshwater.

Verses thirteen through eighteen and onwards (quoting this paragraph from lesson 9) form an additional appeal from James to get his readers to right their behavior by thinking, speaking, and acting according to the truth. Verses fourteen and sixteen help confirm that our previous section on the tongue primarily had the heart in mind, because foul and impure words all stem from the heart (Matthew 15:19). The tongue is simply a tool the heart uses to commit evil, as evidenced by the bad things we say. The heart is, of course, the interface between our human body and spirit that contains our values, emotions, and volition (including our free will, where we make our choices). The tongue, by itself, is not the driver behind evil, but a tool (like a physical hand used to strike another person) used to carry out what the heart desires and dictates. The first twelve verses of chapter three focused mainly on the outward manifestation of the sin problem (the “carrying out” process was previously described in James 1:13-15), while verses fourteen and onward address the inward root cause. Chapter four, beginning with verse one, delves into that even deeper.

Verses thirteen to eighteen unravel the inner problem of some of these believers (bitter jealousy and selfish ambition) that did much to explain their outward behavior. James 1:5-8 tells us to pray for wisdom to endure difficult trials. Since many of these believers (not just the unqualified teachers) thought they were so wise, they needed to demonstrate their faith through works (already addressed earlier in our book). Their conduct mirrored the world’s wisdom and was the opposite of the type they were to seek from on high. Many of these believers thought they were wise (in their thinking and behavior). But James challenged that notion by explaining to them what true wisdom looks like (as opposed to the type they had embraced). True wisdom is pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. But fights and quarrels over leadership positions, wealth, fame, power, and prestige would not produce any of these spiritual qualities. So, what caused all these problems? James goes on to explain in chapter four.

Chapter 4

Bitter jealousy and selfish ambition do lead to fights and quarrels. But where do jealousy and selfishness come from? James gets even more specific by going to the root of the problem. The issue involves a poor disposition of heart that has linked itself to the sin nature (verse one). This then opens a pathway to even more sin in the form of hate and covetousness (verse two) because the unrepentant individual has refused to ask for what they want on God’s terms (verse three). And verse five acts as a strong warning to convict those guilty of this conduct that they were acting like unbelievers and, thus, enemies of God. Therefore, James needed to remind his readers of the power of the Spirit within them that sets itself against the envy the flesh has for our cooperation (verses five and six). Why? Because it is necessary for spiritual victory and enables one to effectively resist the Devil (verse 7 and see Galatians 5:16-18).

So how does one shake this poor disposition of heart? How can one implement change? No one can walk by the Spirit and resist temptation unless they have had a prior change of heart. Repentance involves returning to God through a change of mind (purify your hearts) that leads to a change in behavior (symbolized by the cleansing of hands). Humility and a recognition of sin (not being happy about it but sorrowful) are also intertwined with this process. Verses eleven and twelve then present a warning not to put oneself in God’s place by attempting to judge others unrighteously (slander by saying things that are either only partially true or entirely false. Doing so equates to saying God is faulty in doing what only He can do perfectly.

Continuing and finishing off verse 13

With that review now out of the way, we may now continue and conclude our examination of James 4:13. As mentioned at the beginning of this lesson, some within James’s reading audience attempted to evade the pressures of their rich persecutors by trying to “get rich quick” (they no longer liked the idea of being in the poorer, lower class of society). It is possible that some of these individuals weren’t very involved in the church’s personal affairs, including, but not limited to, the fights, feuds, and quarrels occurring within the assemblies. So, instead of trying to solve the problem through confrontation, some seem to have reasoned that self-action and intervention (based more on self-interest, as our verse indicates) were necessary to alleviate the sting of suffering. Again, that is not to say that all those who chose this path weren’t involved in the confrontations within the congregations, but there was most likely a mix of those who were and those who weren’t (the quarrels also involved multiple things, not just money). Regardless, James calls out this thinking as evil (sinful), as we will delineate in the next few verses. Only a lack of faith produces this compromising attitude of “If you can’t beat em, join em.” That saying is partially true, but in our context, it was more about trying to evade trouble and persecution in the wrong way(s) with the wrong attitude. The opening words, “Come now,” issue a call to reasonableness that James used to prompt his readers to rethink their course of action (verses fourteen to seventeen explain why their approach was problematic).

The words “today or tomorrow” and “spend a year there” in our verse should not be taken as comprehensive descriptions of all those involved. In other words, plans varied from individual to individual. One person may have planned weeks or even months in advance (rather than just a day ahead), while others may have intended to spend more or less a year in a particular location. Regardless of the specifics, the point is that “tomorrow,” as mentioned in our verse and the one that follows, could refer to any future period (whether weeks or months). Verse thirteen presents only one example that spans diverse periods.

Verses 14 and 15

Uncertainty in a temporary life and seeking the Lord’s will

There are multiple reasons why the thinking called out in James 4:13-16 is wrong. Firstly, the person places themself in God’s position by acting as if they were omniscient. But only God is all-knowing and has perfect knowledge of the future. Second, the individual puts themself in charge, possessing a determined self-willed attitude that wishes to dictate its own course in life, instead of submitting to God’s will. Yet we know that God’s plan for our lives is best, and that, through His foreknowledge of all events, past, present, and future, He already knows what will occur, specifically when looking to the future from the present.

Worse still, this attitude demonstrates a lack of faith and trust in God. Instead of praying for wisdom on how to conduct oneself during difficult trials (James 1:5-8), the person in question either prays in doubt (a double mind) or doesn’t pray at all (the more common scenario in this instance). And what drives this hasty, sloppy approach to life? There can be multiple reasons (greed included), but fear and anxiety (from persecution and ostracism, in our context) would seem to top the list in this case.

We can’t help but see a slight parallel between our Lord’s words in the passage above and James 4:14. Though there are differences between the two (Jesus’s point was not to worry about tomorrow, while James’s was not to boast about it), what both passages have in common is that they involve fear or anxiety (i.e. worrying about the future). Many of the Jewish believers feared for their welfare and were anxious about the trials they had faced (which included persecution from the rich and other experienced hardships common to lower-class people), explaining how some of them had reacted. This helps to clarify why James encouraged them to be joyful, not sorrowful or fearful, amid suffering. Although it is unlikely that James was present at our Lord’s “sermon on the mount” referenced above, or that he was a believer at that time, he, being Jesus’s half-brother, would have been familiar with many of His teachings. And since he was related to our Lord, who also spoke (wrote) to a Jewish audience (Matthew 15:21-28), it would make sense that some of his words would echo the teachings found in the gospels.

It is extremely critical for the believer to understand the need to live in the present because the Christian life can only be lived one day at a time in faith (not worrying about tomorrow or looking back in fear or guilt over past hurts and failures). But some of these believers were not acting according to these truths because they had begun to fret over their difficult circumstances, choosing to worry rather than to trust the Lord. Fear (and despair and hopelessness, rather than joy) has a nasty tendency to paralyze faith. If we start acting based on how we feel (whether we feel afraid, discouraged, hopeless, or depressed), only sinful results will follow. And I must note that giving in to any of our emotions can lead to a range of problems that extend into many areas of life. So, although struggling with a particular sin or two doesn’t mean the person in question can’t or isn’t growing spiritually in general, the damage said sin and the potential harm it can inflict should never be underestimated. But if one’s faith is shut down for too long, it will impair one’s spiritual growth.

We all sin and struggle with different things. Even mature and growing believers have their fair share of struggles and failures (not that this makes sin any less excusable), especially since we sin every day, which necessitates daily confession (1 John 1:9). But if we have developed a pattern of not trusting the Lord (i.e. walking by faith in the power of the Spirit), then we too, like many within the sphere of James’s reading audience, will find ourselves as believers with “faith without works” James 2:14-26 (individuals out of fellowship with the Lord and, therefore, incapable of pleasing Him). We cannot allow the worries and distractions of this life to choke our faith! 2 Peter 1:5-8 is a passage we would do well to keep in mind.

We notice in the passage above how Peter’s list includes more than just faith because faith produces. Active faith leads to receiving the Word implanted (James 1:21), which in turn increases our knowledge and application of the truth (self-control, which plays a big part in being a doer of the Word, James 1:22-25). And with this application comes perseverance, perseverance (endurance) that an active, steadfast faith produces (also mentioned in James 1:3-4), and so on. When tempted to despair (lose heart), we must remember that the Lord is with us and is greater than all our fears. More specifically, in our context, persecution (something that still occurs throughout the world today, has always occurred, and will occur like never before during the second half of the great tribulation, Revelation 7:14 and Revelation 12:13-17) is not something we have to like or enjoy. But we do need to be joyful knowing the spiritual results our endurance produces (regardless of the type, duration, or quantity of trials faced) in this life and in the next (eternal life and all the eternal rewards that go with it). Trials are meant to bring us closer to God, not drive us away from Him! But such was the thinking of some of the recipients of this letter.

Testing, temptation, and discipline

We should never take God’s testing of our faith personally (as if He were trying to get us to fail). Instead, we should see it as an honorary compliment to the spiritual growth we have achieved. Nor should we view the Devil’s assaults (temptations and attacks) upon our spiritual progress as something to be taken personally. It is true that if we let our guard down and expose some of those kinks in our armor, excessive temptation could be a sign of our failure to guard our hearts (or, to put it another way, of inviting more sin into our lives through complacency). But on the opposite side of this is the truth that advancing believers are going to be some of the Devil’s favorite targets because of the greater threat they pose to his agenda, simply because they are trying to make as much of a difference as they can for Christ and His church. It is therefore safe to conclude that our Jewish believers had some spiritual growth under their belts (otherwise, they wouldn’t have had much to warrant their testing).

Major, significant, and more noticeable spiritual progress (as we are dubbing it here) requires at least some prior spiritual growth to warrant more difficult tests. But we need to recall that all three (growth, progress, and production) can and frequently co-occur (from a believer’s conversion onward). But it is generally true that major testing that produces more notable progress usually comes after the spiritual infancy, or “honeymoon,” stage of a believer’s walk. This refers to the short period of time (lengths will always vary, of course) after a believer’s conversion or after a spiritual turnaround following an extended period of spiritual carnality and immaturity (not all fresh converts get going immediately and may remain very immature for many years before getting serious). It is during this period of bliss and tranquility (though peace is a fruit of the Spirit that should be present in the believer’s life at all times) that testing is usually less frequent and less severe, giving the believer time and breathing room to grow to a basic level of spiritual maturity.

True, even new believers or those just getting serious after living a mostly wasted life as Christians will still face testing and trials of various kinds. But the types of tests that really prepare the believer to fulfill their ministry more fully require at least some prior experience in spiritual growth. We could think of this as basic training, even though the believer is already on the battlefield the moment they get saved. The further they go along and the better they get at taking in the truth, understanding it, believing it, and applying it, the greater the tests (allowed by God for our own good) become and the heavier the opposition (from the evil one) grows. The “honeymoon phase” (not a biblical phrase but just a figure of speech I’ve chosen to use to describe this period of the Christian life) would, thus, be that early period of time in the believer’s spiritual growth where the tests and trials of life were correspondingly less intense in proportion to their weaker faith and lower level of spiritual maturity. The reason is obvious: the Lord will never allow us to be tested or tempted beyond what our faith can bear, as the passage below confirms.

In the passage above, the word temptation, in the Greek, does refer to both tests (from God) and temptations (from the Devil), Luginbill, but makes no distinction between the two for the sake of simplicity and practicality, and also because temptations are tests because they test our obedience (will we exercise the faith needed to resist, James 4:7?). Tests from God and temptations from the Devil differ only in their purposes, motivations, or intentions (which we have already examined and should already understand). But it’s worth pointing out that Satan can tempt us during a difficult test (trial) sent from God. And the Lord can use Satanic affliction to test His own (a principle clearly seen in the passages below).

What the Devil meant for evil, God meant for good (Genesis 50:20) to glorify His name and prove the Devil wrong by allowing Job to demonstrate, strengthen, and grow his faith. God can still use temptations (or satanic/demonic attacks) to test His own. So, there is no contradiction to what we have already said about this matter. God only tests us for our spiritual betterment. The Devil (who also tested our Lord in the wilderness, Matthew 4:1-11) tests us for our spiritual destruction. That is what I mean when I say that tests are from God, while temptations are from the Devil. Both are tests, but with different purposes, motivations, and intentions.

It was also possible that some of our Jewish believers were under divine discipline for their unacceptable behavior (though the text never tells us). What we can say with certainty is that they most certainly would have been in for a good “spanking” if they continued their perilous course (and many of them probably elicited that response from the Lord, either earlier or later, depending). But the trials they faced were, undoubtedly, a result of some degree of spiritual growth. If this weren’t the case, James would not have told them to be joyful (James 1:2) and would not have called these trials “testing” (James 1:3). The sinful behavior these believers displayed was a reaction to the suffering they endured during the testing. They were being tested because of their good spiritual growth (up to that point), not because they were disciplined for prior sin, per se. It is very easy to confuse the two. If we have been involved and continue in any pattern of sinful behavior (unrepentant and, thus, unconfessed sin), we can rest assured that divine discipline will come. But if that is not the case, then there is no reason for any believer to assume God is chastising them when there is no habitual pattern present. And the same is true of sins committed and confessed long ago. The consequences of our actions can linger for a long time, yes. But once we’ve acknowledged our sins and moved on, the Lord will continue to bless us by allowing tests to accompany our forward spiritual progress (as signs and validations of the quality and growth of our faith).

In a certain sense, divine discipline can also be seen as a test (albeit for a different purpose: to steer the wayward, sinning believer back on course). The big question for those to whom it comes is whether they will become embittered toward God because of it (Hebrews 12:1-12). Will they despise it so much that they begin to hate the Lord in their hearts? Or will it discourage them so much that it swamps their faith? In these ways, discipline can be seen as a test.

So if God never tests or disciplines His own to drive them away from Himself, what do we make of King Saul? By his stubborn, hard-hearted disobedience, King Saul threw away the kingship bestowed upon him (1 Samuel 10). 1 Samuel 16:14 tells us (sometime after Saul’s acts of disobedience), “Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.” We recall that James 1:13 tells us that God does not tempt anyone by inciting them to evil. Saul did not want to repent of his ways (as we see in his jealous pursuit of King David). The Lord sent the tormenting, evil spirit to discipline the former king of Israel to allow the mental anguish to have its intended effect; to get Saul to repent and return to the Lord, (James 4:8). This was also the Lord’s way of judging Saul’s actions; God expressing His divine disfavor to not only teach the former king a lesson but also the Israelite nation as a whole not to do the same (disobey God’s commands) to get them to express more reverence for their One true King (1 Samuel 8:7). God wasn’t trying to push Saul away from Himself by sending the Evil Spirit but was trying to bring him back! The whole point of divine discipline is to correct sinful behavior.

But the more aggressively Saul pursued his disobedient course, the stronger and more unbearable the Lord’s discipline became. One would think that, after so much unnecessary hardship, such a person would finally relent. But because David’s foe continued to worsen by taking things further, the Lord had no choice but to inflict upon him the ultimate act of divine discipline, entailing physical death (1 Samuel 31:1-6).

To continue, tests from God, temptations from the Devil, and divine discipline from the Lord are all tests of sorts, but with different purposes: tests (such as what our Jewish believers were enduring) are for prior, positive spiritual growth (honorary compliments from God designed to grow and declare/advertise our faith in action, just as how Abraham’s faith declared itself in one of his most difficult tests, James 2:20-24), temptations are from the Devil meant to elicit a sinful response, and divine discipline is for the correction of sinful, wayward behavior.

Our believers had some spiritual growth under their belts. But there were, as is true of any assembly or church congregation, various levels of spiritual maturity among the brothers and sisters. Not all the scattered believers throughout the Eastern Roman Empire were tested in the same ways, which is why James mentions trials of various kinds (James 1:2). The number and difficulty of the trials each growing believer faced varied widely (James seems to have focused on the more intense ones some of these believers had to endure, such as persecution from the rich and ostracism).

Testing beyond what we are able?

However, our discussion above raises an interesting question. To swing back to 1 Corinthians 10:13, what does that passage really mean when it states that God will not allow us to be tempted/tested beyond what we can handle? For instance (and as one prime example), during the Tribulation, most believers will enter unprepared, with a third of the entire church prophesied to fall away to serve the Antichrist because their faith was too weak to see them through it (Matthew 24:10-13, Revelation 12:3-4, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, 1 Timothy 4:1, and see also Daniel 8:10-12). It is accurate to say that the Tribulation (the trial of all trials) will see the greatest defection from the faith in such large numbers in such a short, compressed, and condensed amount of time (although it has been common throughout church history from Adam up to the present for unprepared believers to face testing that contributed to their spiritual demise; a common occurrence that happens all the time, involving various types of tests, Luke 8:13). And much of this will result from unprepared believers facing a test their faith couldn’t handle. But wait! If the Lord never tests us beyond what we can endure, how can we say this? The answer is quite simple and perfectly aligns with God’s righteousness and justice. I would respond with Romans 8:28 (explained below), which reads, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

All things work together for good for growing believers determined to remain steadfast till death (not for those who abandon their salvation later, despite any previous zeal or spiritual growth and progress). If an individual doesn’t care enough about their salvation and ends up going apostate, it didn’t work out for the good because they never wanted it to (not in a lasting sense). Now, the less mature and zealous believers who do endure will accrue fewer spiritual blessings, so there are various levels of spiritual good that each believer will receive (in this life and the next, in terms of blessing and eternal reward). Spiritual maturity levels will always vary from individual to individual, so it is a spectrum. And there are those who, initially complacent and lackadaisical, later experience a great spiritual revival (as the church will be forced to in the future when the Tribulation forces them to wake up from their spiritual lukewarmness).

Our answer is practically the same to the question, “What about those who never heard the gospel?” All those who never heard and, therefore, never accepted the gospel never truly wanted to be saved because no one who truly wishes to spend eternity with God will ever fail to receive the good news because of insufficient information (however much information about Jesus the individual in question personally needs for themselves to be convinced enough to believe). For all who truly desire to be saved, nothing will stop them from receiving God’s free gift of salvation (they will be saved!).

Likewise, any believer who truly wishes to cling to their faith until death (or pass any spiritual test) will do so, guaranteed. For those who fail, it is not because they couldn’t pass (as if we had excuses and God were to blame), but because they didn’t want to. Things can only work together for good to those who love God (i.e., growing believers who genuinely want to spend eternity with the Lord and demonstrate this by persevering to the end). But how can we place blame on God for those who willingly choose not to prepare for the future? That is their problem, not His. But there will be two categories (or types) of unprepared believers during that difficult period (the majority likely falling into the first category mentioned below). The difference between them lies in the varying degrees of lukewarmness, spiritual complacency, and apathy. “Lukewarmness” is a spectrum, with some believers being far weaker or stronger in their faith and commitment to Christ than others.

Firstly, although many believers will enter the Tribulation unprepared, most will get their acts together and finally “get serious” (the unprepared who will endure). Just being unprepared, by itself, is not a guarantee for apostasy (it is, however, a highly contributing factor). It is safe to say that many will survive only by the skin of their teeth, so that we could say they weren’t prepared in the sense that the Tribulation caused their faith more trouble than it should have (resulting in them struggling far more than would have otherwise been the case if they had been more “braced for impact”). There is always hope for any believer who wishes to change their present course from lukewarm to red-hot (as long as it is still called today, Hebrews 3:13). As long as a person is alive and breathing (this goes for all people of all time, both believers and unbelievers, including those who were given sufficient time and multiple chances to repent but still refused, Revelation 9:15-21, Revelation 16:5-11), there is always the chance to get right with God and cling fast to Him.

Secondly (to describe the second category of those unprepared individuals entering the Tribulation), some unprepared believers (a whole third) will take a turn for the worse. For them, it will be because their desire to spend eternity with God wasn’t strong enough (and it is their final decision that ultimately determines what they truly want). So if some will fall away because they weren’t prepared (their faith was too weak), how does this not fly in the face of 1 Corinthians 10:13? The answer is that no test is too great for a believer who genuinely wishes to pass. If the opposite were true, then God would be setting us up for failure (something He never does). God would never place a believer in a situation guaranteed to swamp their faith (assuming they genuinely wanted to pass and prepared aggressively to do so). Why would God ever do such a thing that contradicts His holy, just, and loving character? God has endowed the human race with free will to demonstrate what each person truly wants in life, and He never violates our freedom to choose.

Those future, apostate believers will apostatize, not because they couldn’t endure, but because they genuinely didn’t want to spend eternity with Jesus Christ (they didn’t want to pass what would have otherwise been an easier test, even if it was never going to be easy, regardless). And this also helps explain why no one who takes the mark of the beast will repent: not because they can’t, but because they won’t want to, because taking the mark will have entailed such an extremely terrible and flagrant act of disobedience as is possible only through an extraordinarily hardened heart. The same applies to Lucifer and all the Angels that rebelled and fell with him. They could repent, but have, since the time of their rebellion, made up their minds for good where they want to spend eternity (they won’t return to God because they will never desire to do so). Likewise, those who fall away and take the mark will have no desire whatsoever to return. Just like the Devil and his followers, they too will harden their hearts to the point of what they have determined as “no return.”

Ultimately (and to repeat what I’ve already said for the sake of emphasis), a person walks away from God because of a free will decision to reject Him, not because they couldn’t remain faithful, but because they didn’t want to. Any believer (regardless of how unprepared) could endure the Tribulation (any test of their faith) if they truly wanted to (God never puts any believer in a situation where that is impossible) because we always retain our free will (no one ever loses it). But the more spiritually immature and complacent an individual is, the more likely they are not to follow through to the end. Extreme lukewarmness habituates the individual to feel less inclined to desire God, making it less likely that they will stand fast under pressure. The likelihood that they will be willing to make the sacrifice to do so will have been greatly reduced by their prior (and present) lack of enthusiasm for spiritual growth. This means they are more susceptible to hardening their hearts, making a turnaround less likely (and this is what I mean when I say their faith will be too weak to endure the great test of the Tribulation). Although not impossible, repentance and endurance become much harder for individuals like these, reducing their likelihood of persevering. Again, the failure is theirs for choosing to revolt against the Lord and for failing to prepare themselves for spiritual success. God did not set them up for failure; they set themselves up because they didn’t want to succeed.

The point is that a believer who wants to pass a spiritual test or overcome a temptation will not be prevented from doing so by facing an impossible challenge. The Lord will always grant them the strength needed to bear it. But for those who don’t want to pass, the challenge becomes impossible, just as it is impossible to renew an individual to repentance who doesn’t want to repent (Hebrews 6:4-6).

On the other hand, it will likely also be the case that even some formerly zealous believers (those who were prepared and enthusiastic about spiritual growth and on fire for God) will cave under the pressures of the Tribulation. It has not been uncommon for many Christians to start well, only to finish poorly by refusing to complete the race (2 Peter 2:20-22). Being spiritually red-hot and on fire for God at present, and entering the Tribulation, doesn’t guarantee complete perseverance, just as spiritual apathy (lack of readiness) doesn’t guarantee apostasy or make a spiritual turnaround impossible (as long as an individual has free will and is still alive and breathing, there is always hope). The great apostasy is prophesied to begin in the first half of the Tribulation, only to reach its zenith in the second half of the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21). This great falling away will especially increase during the great persecution (Revelation 12) instigated by the Devil and his chosen man, the Antichrist. The sad reality is that some will make it a considerable way into the Tribulation only to reverse course and cave under threats to their lives on account of their faith (much of which will occur during the great persecution itself). We must continue to desire the Lord and hold fast to our resolve to remain faithful, because if we aren’t careful (Hebrews 3:12), we could end up changing our minds later (1 Corinthians 10:6-12).

Finishing off verses 14 and 15

Read together, the second half of verse fourteen and all of verse fifteen in James 4:14-15, read, “What is your life? For you are a mist (vapor, puff of smoke, or steam, from the Greek word atmis ἀτμίς) that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” Our time here on earth as believers, and this goes for unbelievers as well, is very short indeed; hence the question, “What is your life,” and the answer that comes immediately after. Our physical lives here on earth are as fleeting and temporary as the grass that withers and the flowers that fade (Isaiah 40:8 and see Psalm 103:15-16).

We should never boast about the future, since our lives could end just as quickly as they began. And putting undue emphasis on wealth is extreme folly, since we won’t be able to take any of it with us after death (1 Timothy 6:7). Because life is so short and uncertain (tomorrow is never guaranteed), our perspective should be one of sober, humble reliance on the Lord rather than on our own thoughts, desires, and abilities.

It isn’t as if plans, by themselves, are sinful. We all have plans and desires, and there are plenty of times, as common sense tells us, when planning is not only good and advisable but also necessary. However, James is taking issue here with the prideful and presumptuous sin of arrogantly boasting about something that may or may not happen (an uncertainty), not with the plan itself, per se (or with the practice of planning in general). Some plans may be sinful (depending on the specific plan). Although a plan based on a particular dream, desire, or wish may not be wrong in and of itself (such as desiring to make a lot of money in a distant land in a short amount of time), we must maintain an attitude of humility by seeking the Lord’s will to know what is best for us to do. In the case of our Jewish believers, trying to evade the trial of persecution from the rich could have defeated the whole purpose of God allowing them to endure such treatment in the first place; the purpose, as seen in James 1:3-4, toward the beginning of our book.

Some of our Jewish recipients didn’t seek the Lord’s will. Earlier in chapter four, James told his readers they didn’t have because they didn’t ask (James 4:2). Instead of submitting to the Lord in humble faith, some chose to ignore Him by pursuing what they saw as best for themselves. God has a plan for our lives, and, as mentioned in James 4:5, the Holy Spirit who dwells within us sets His desires against the envy of the flesh for our obedience. Our sinful nature tells us to boast and pursue whatever we want, apart from God’s guidance. The key is always to submit to and follow the Spirit’s leading (Galatians 5:25). We are not to act as our own independent agents, doing as we please (even though we have the free will to choose that path). It is always best to consult the Lord before making any major decision.

Does this mean getting the Spirit’s leading wrong amounts to sin? We all make less-than-ideal decisions that are contrary to the Lord’s will (see the example in the next paragraph). But although we may have “gotten it wrong,” making a lesser decision isn’t always necessarily sinful, assuming we didn’t boast and kept God in the picture. It all boils down to our attitude (and what specifically we’re trying to do).

One example of the truth mentioned at the beginning of the paragraph above is a believer who can remain celibate for life. 1 Corinthians 7 confirms that celibacy is the better choice for those who can remain in that state (Matthew 19:9-12). The Lord may be leading someone to remain single for life (that would be His will for them). Even if it were the Lord’s will for such a person to remain single, getting married would not constitute sinful behavior, because marriage, by itself, isn’t sinful.

Another example concerns the timing of marriage. The Spirit may prompt a person to delay for a better time, but the couple may choose to wed much sooner. While that alone is not a sin, the Spirit always leads and convicts us for a reason. The couple may not have done anything sinful, but their choice to marry sooner could (and likely would) have consequences, leading to future problems. In such a case, the Lord was trying to spare them the unnecessary pain and suffering that would not have occurred had they listened (or paid BETTER attention) to the Spirit’s still, small voice. The point is that even well-meaning believers don’t always “get it right.”

Something interesting to consider when reading verse fourteen is that, just as our lives are short and temporary, so are the trials that accompany them. Nothing lasts forever, and, compared to eternity, all events down here on earth are very short-lived. Just as a mist disappears almost as quickly as it appears, so it is with life’s tribulations. Yes, the tests will continue to come. But our time down here on earth is very short, so that although it may seem like an eternity before we will ever see the Lord, it is, in all reality, a very short span of time that will soon be over. This is a principle we know now (but don’t always remember or think about). How much more will it dawn on us in eternity when we look back in joyous hindsight to see just how quickly everything came to an end!

One final point I would like to make before moving on to our final two verses is the idea of having a “vision” in life. As already stated, there is nothing wrong with having desires or plans if they aren’t sinful (the individual has pure motives and intentions) and are pursued in a God-honoring way, with the knowledge that they may not be fulfilled, since they may not be within the Lord’s will. But in our modern age, it is not uncommon to hear people ask, “What’s your vision?” It is okay to have desired plans for a specific career path of one’s choosing (and this applies to various other things as well, whatever they may be). But we need to keep all these things in perspective and remember that things don’t often work out the way we planned (though this isn’t always true). Plans change, and although we may have many of them, it is the Lord’s will that should be sought out first and foremost. Our “vision” as believers should be to please and glorify God as much as possible in everything we think, say, and do, all accomplished by pursuing spiritual growth, progress, and production as much as we can (giving our very best efforts and nothing less). We accomplish this by seeking out the truth, understanding it, believing it, and applying it. If that is not our top priority because we have made other things our primary focus, we are, as so many Christians have and are doing now in our lukewarm church era of Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22), allowing the worries and distractions of this life to stunt and choke our faith.

Again, it is okay to have plans, preferences, and desires, as long as we pursue them in a godly way and consult the Lord first to see whether that is what He wants us to do. The primary point of James 4:16 is that proud, boastful self-confidence, trust, and reliance are contrary to the Christ-like attitude we are to have. We should never be overly sure of ourselves in situations like these because nothing is certain or guaranteed. We should never place our goals, dreams, and aspirations before the Lord.

Faith fully believes, without reservation, that if we seek the Lord’s will and pray for wisdom (James 1:5), we will receive the answers we need. But faith also acts (faith without works is dead, James 2:14-26)! Prayer is just the first step. Afterward, we have to be “go-getters” once we realize what the Spirit is leading us to. At some point, we have to go out there and pursue (or do) what God wants us to pursue. It is good to pray, but if the Lord is leading us to action, then we should act. If not, then we should remain where we are.

However, we may find ourselves in a “You don’t know until you try” situation because the Lord may allow us to learn some things this way to test and grow our faith. This is not sinful behavior and, therefore, not at odds with James 4:13-17 (we already know the issue our passage addresses; see above). We may not know whether a particular decision will be worth it in the end (not ahead of time, at least) because I do believe there are times when we can pray all we want but won’t truly know whether something (whatever it may be) is meant to be until we go out and give it a try (or at least make some effort to carry it out). The Lord can work things out however He pleases, and it may be that we are given an answer that requires little to no effort on our part to discover (the Spirit simply prods us to flag or embrace a certain plan, and we either heed His guidance or we don’t).

On the other hand, the Lord may wish to test and grow our faith by getting us to go out and experiment for ourselves. Either way, the answer will come to those who continuously seek the Lord’s will through spiritual growth, regardless of how and when the answer becomes apparent (whether it’s a “yea” or a “nay).”

Just because something didn’t work out doesn’t mean the Lord didn’t want us to try (for reasons given above). Perhaps we shouldn’t have “experimented,” or maybe the opposite is true because the Lord wanted to test and grow our faith through the experience (even if the plan was never meant to be). One example we could give is whether to attend a specific church. “Should I try plugging into this church, and will it work out? What do you want me to do, Lord (i.e., “What is your will”)?” Mind you, this is just a hypothetical used to illustrate our point, but it should suffice to help explain. Clearly, there are things the Holy Spirit will give a yes-or-no answer to before the individual attempts anything (especially if it concerns something that would be dangerous to our spiritual health). The answer could be no, which is one possibility (with yes being the other). But how and when we get that answer can vary based on how the Lord wants to respond.

Verses 16 and 17

We have already covered and explained verse sixteen in our examination of verses fourteen and fifteen. Since that is the case, we will discuss verse seventeen here. Verse seventeen is a concluding statement for a section that began way back in James 1:22 (chapter divisions didn’t exist in biblical times, and long after), which reads, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” In other words, this verse not only concludes the final few verses of our chapter but also summarizes the end of chapter one through the end of chapter four. A person who knows the right thing to do but fails to follow through is like the man who stoops down to look at his face in the mirror, only to forget what he looked like the moment he walks away (James 1:23-24). But as our verse points out, this person knows what they should do but doesn’t follow through (e.g., someone who knows they should consult the Lord about the matter).

Verse seventeen concludes the theme of applying the truth one knows, begun in chapter one, and helps prepare the reader for the closing chapter of the book (chapter five), which focuses less on addressing problems within the scattered assemblies and more on giving encouragement and exhortation to persevere (to apply everything they know and have learned in this letter, James 5:1-12). It also includes a few closing words of instruction for specific situations and circumstances (see James 5:13-20). The next section of our book, where James calls out the rich oppressors (James 5:1-6), still relates to the passage of our current lesson (James 4:13-17), but with a specific aim: not to call out the failures of our dispersed Jewish believers, but to encourage their perseverance and stave off any spiritual compromise (we will discuss this at the beginning of our next lesson).

James 4:17 presents a similar (if not precise) case as found in the parable of the unfaithful servant and the two sons below.

It is uncertain whether James’s words in verse seventeen are a deliberate parallel to Luke 12:47. Since James was Christ’s half-brother, it is possible. But verse seventeen applies to all believers who know the right thing to do yet fail to act (being mere hearers of the Word with no more than an intellectual assent to the facts, without putting the truth into practice). The result of failing to act is sin (as our verse confirms).

What of the servant in our parable in Luke 12:48 who did not know his master’s will? He still received a beating for failing to do the right thing (since he could have figured out what he was supposed to do if he had inquired), but not one as severe as the servant who did know. It is for this reason that the sin nature was passed down through Adam, because the first man sinned in full cognizance of what he did, whereas Eve was deceived. But deception (see Jeremiah 14:13-16 for a prime example) is no excuse for failing to inquire of the Lord to discern the right course of action. Eve not only should have known better than to believe the serpent (the vehicle Satan used to deceive the first humans) and engage in the conversation as she did (by stooping to Satan’s level), but she should have consulted God before making any decisions. She may have been deceived, but that did not relieve her of the responsibility to inquire of her true Master, who gave her the command to abstain from eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil from the start.

For those who don’t know what God wants them to do (what His will is in a particular instance), they need to consult the Lord by praying for wisdom, without boasting in their own plans (“Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”). Our believers knew this, but they didn’t act on it because they failed to be doers of the Word (they were self-willed and self-seeking). Therefore, they sinned by failing to practice what they knew and believed.

As mentioned at the beginning of our examination of verses fourteen and fifteen, some of James’s readers tried to ease the sting of suffering, not only from the natural hardships of poverty and financial stress but also from persecution by their rich neighbors. Some of them probably figured that the only way to escape the rich was to become wealthy themselves (showing favoritism toward the wealthy, James 2:1-13, while neglecting their spiritual responsibilities and fellow brothers and sisters in Christ)! But if the Lord wants to grow our faith through testing, then we need to patiently endure it for as long as it remains our lot. For we need to remember that faithful endurance produces heavenly treasures (riches stored up, Matthew 6:19-21), or spiritual wealth, of which no amount of worldly treasures can compare. Money and possessions profit only a little in this life (and they are temporary and fleeting), while godliness profits not only in this life but also in the eternal state to come.

Our context doesn’t explicitly tell us that some of these believers were trying to get rich. Still, it’s safe to assume some were, even if others only wanted to make enough to live a moderate, comfortable life to ease the severity of their sufferings. Either way, the points we’ve covered remain. Perhaps it was the Lord’s will for some of them to make a little more money or to become wealthy in ways that wouldn’t harm their spiritual progress. But the best way to navigate uncertainty (“Is it the Lord’s will?”) is to make God the focus, allowing His Spirit to remain in the driver’s seat (Galatians 5:25).

This fear-driven pursuit of goals is not uncommon in our time and has, sadly, been the norm for many years (hence the thorny ground category in the parable of the soils, Matthew 13:22, where most believers in our lukewarm church era of Laodicea would most likely fall, Revelation 3:14-22). But whether the motivator is fear, greed, or something else, or a combination of things, casually trotting along in the race known as the Christian life (Hebrews 12, Philippians 3:13-14) is unacceptable when we should be giving our very best. One of the main factors keeping many believers from becoming red-hot for the Lord is fear of suffering and making sacrifices that could cost them a great deal of worldly comfort. No, Matthew 19:21 and other similar passages (as in the other gospels) don’t mean we should sell all our possessions (I would counsel the reader not to do that!). But it is possible that giving oneself wholeheartedly to the service of the Lord could cost someone a great deal of financial wealth (due to circumstances beyond their control). No matter how you look at it, the Christian life entails sacrifices of various kinds, physical and spiritual. It was not for no reason that our Lord said to count the cost before embarking on this spiritual journey (Luke 14:25-35).

Much of the false teaching that exists in our modern church only caters to a fear-driven attitude that puts self before God. The situation that obtained in the scattered assemblies to which James wrote is far from unique. This problem has always existed and has always been common. Based on Revelation 3:14-22, most (though not all) believers are unwilling to endure the painstaking process of serious spiritual growth, progress, and production (which includes all the pain, sacrifices, and testing that come with it). This fear of suffering, much like that experienced by some of James’s readers as they tried to escape their difficult circumstances, can be seen in the very nature and character of some of the most prevalent and dangerous false teachings of our time (such as the pretribulation rapture, for example). For more information on some of the worst, I highly recommend this lesson by Dr. Robert D. Luginbill. I would also add the prosperity gospel to this list; see here for my own examination. Even if a person doesn’t cling to some of these false teachings (the pretribulation rapture, as a primary example) out of fear of suffering, this has been true for many Christians throughout the years and indirectly removes much of the motivation needed to live the Christian life (for those who allow these teachings to have that effect).

Like the believers in our book, the present-day church needs to learn to trust in God more and less in wealth. Trials have their purpose, and we should not try to evade them out of self-interest (especially not in a way that doesn’t honor God, i.e., through arrogant boasting). Spiritual growth requires faith, a growing trust in the Lord, which can only be strengthened when tempered in the heat of testing.

References

All Greek words and definitions were sourced from Bible Academy, utilizing Curtis Omo’s lessons in the book of James. Prior permission for this was given to me by Curtis, who clarified that there was no need to cite him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BW5JM_vzzzE&list=PLMu_1csD4LY9yVXlD84z6WaB50t6eu8aZ&index=15

Robert D. Luginbill on three false doctrines

https://www.ichthys.com/Pet27.htm

Luginbill on the Greek word peirasmon in 1 Corinthians 10:13 (see response #2 in the link below)

https://ichthys.com/mail-Lords%20Prayer.htm

My examination of the prosperity gospel

https://www.bibledriven.org/small-topical/the-prosperity-gospel/