James 1:2-3

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

-James 1:2-3 NIV-

Let’s look at the context of the verse first and answer a few key questions.

Who wrote it? James, Jesus’ oldest half-brother, who mocked him while he was living, but later became a leader in the Jerusalem church

When was it written? Prior to the Jerusalem council, it was likely written around AD 44-49, making it the earliest written book of the NT canon

To whom was it written? Jewish believers who had been dispersed most likely due to the persecution under Herod Agrippa (Acts 12, AD 44)

For what purpose?  This book is written to address dead faith. He wanted to expose hypocritical practices and teach Christians how they should live.

Let’s break this verse down and analyze it. 

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

I’m not sure about you, but when I face trials, it is not my natural tendency to consider them joy and rejoice in them. I want to wallow in self-pity and think that God has forgotten me. Thankfully, this is not the case. The Greek word for trials here is the word “trouble.” It is something that breaks the pattern of peace, comfort, joy, and happiness in someone’s life. The verb form of this word means “to put someone or something to the test,” with the purpose of discovering that person’s nature or that thing’s quality. God brings such tests to prove- and increase- the strength and quality of one’s faith and to demonstrate its validity.2

The word testing used here means “proof” or “proving.” We are to actively withstand (with joy) the pressures of the tests that we face until God removes them. The next time you are in the middle of a trial, it may be helpful to ask God for wisdom and to show you what He is trying to teach you. Many times, I find myself facing a new trial that ultimately teaches me something that I have failed to learn in previous trials. What can I say, I am much like my children; I need to be taught the same lessons over and over sometimes. I don’t always get it the first time around.  

Let’s dive a little deeper and see why God would want to use our trials to demonstrate the validity of our faith. For years I have heard Christians say, “Your works do not save you.” I knew this to be true, but when I would read passages of scripture that talked about bearing good fruit and about our good deeds, I could not wrap my brain around why that mattered if our works did not save us. 

After diving in and seeing the context behind the good fruit and good deeds, it’s clearer. As John MacArthur says, “He (James) complements Paul’s emphasis on justification by faith with his own emphasis on spiritual fruitfulness demonstrating true faith.”2 It isn’t about our works saving us, Jesus did that once and for all when he died on the cross for the sins of mankind. There is nothing additional needed except a professing belief in his sacrifice to justify us to God. 

Where the works come in is the fruit or evidence of what He is doing inside of us. When we were adopted into His family at the moment of salvation, we were adopted amid our sin. We do not just stop sinning because we are saved. We go through a sanctification process daily to bring us closer to God and make us more like His son, Jesus. 

Looking down at James 1:22 it says, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone” It doesn’t say a person is “saved” by works and not by faith alone, it uses the word “justified”. Tara Leigh Cobble from The Bible Recap podcast says, “Justified means ‘to prove or demonstrate.’ This verse is essentially saying, ‘A person’s works demonstrate or prove what’s happening in their heart.’ This is about what other people see, not what God sees… Humans are the ones that have to have it demonstrated to them… Lots of people are claiming to believe but aren’t showing evidence of having a new heart, so Jacob addresses this directly. When the Holy Spirit isn’t falling in major or obvious ways, their only evidence that someone is a true believer is when they prove it by their actions, which justifies them to others.’

I think about this a lot when I think of the story of the friends who lowered the man down on the stretcher to be healed by Jesus. It wasn’t the faith of the man on the stretcher that saved him, it was the faith of his circle. When I look for people to include in my “circle” I should evaluate anyone who claims to be a believer but bears no fruit. Perhaps that person should not be the one that I go to when I need spiritual guidance because they have not been justified by their works to me. It doesn’t mean they are not allowed in my circle, but it does mean they are not the ones I should seek spiritual guidance from. 

Cross references to continue studying this concept: 

Romans 2:7; 5:3-5; 8:24-25

2 Corinthians 6:3-7

2 Peter 1:2-9

A few things before I close this post:

Would you like to join us and get better and memorizing scripture? We provide tangible tools that help you do just that! They are physical reminders to make memorizing scripture a part of your everyday life. We would love to help you! 

Also, if you are looking to dive deeper into the word, get a study bible. Study the cross-references because scripture interprets scripture. Also, find a few bible scholars that you trust and read what they have to say about the verses/book/topic. Not all scholars will agree and some topics are not black and white, so many times you will want to ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in your understanding.  

1 Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV, Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

2 The MacArthur Bible Commentary, Copyright 2005 by John MacArthur