A Meaningful Passage

Introduction

There are sixty-six books of the Bible, and of those, I’ve read just about all of them. There are countless scriptures, many touching the being within me, the pull-strings of my heart. The idea of having a favorite passage and sticking to that same passage throughout a lifetime is a wonderful thing. With that being said, I have found it as situations and trials come into play during my life, some passages carry more meaning and impact. The scripture this essay will be focusing upon is James 1:12-15 which says:

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

This essay will look into this scripture in its Greek meaning; it will give background information on the writer on what was happening during those times; and it will show why it is so personal to my life right now.

Searching the Scriptures

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial.” Before I even start to look at something in the Greek, I like to check things out in the dictionary first. A trial, in this context, is an affliction or trouble or someone going through a distressing or painful state. And with that in mind, the word peirasmos can not only mean trial, but temptation, experiment and prove. The last word, prove, would be unusual verbage in the scripture, but would make good sense and add good light to what is being said which is about a person’s character through a trial. That character is to show how genuine I am by what it is that I do.

Since peirasmos is a Greek word that means both trials and temptations. It is used in the chosen study verse and shows that God does not lead me into sin, but my own sinful desire to do so. When James switches to “tempted” in the next few verses, he doesn’t use peirasmos, but peirazō which means “to test”. God doesn’t me with sinful desires. I do that and it is when I let my sinful desires takeover my life falls apart.

The Bible speaks of three types of situations in what causes a trial. Job experienced a trial which was a testing by the devil. God gave permission for it to happen, but Job was going through some difficult times. Job went so far as to curse the day he was born in Job chapter 3, just to get the book started.

In Ecclesiastes 8:14 it says, “There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: righteous men who get what the wicked deserve, and wicked men who get what the righteous deserve.” The good guys get the bad stuff. The good guys get the struggles and the persecution. The bad guys don’t.

In Hebrews, there is a good deal of talk about discipline. In chapter 12:4-11 is a wonderful passage about discipline. It is also a great passage about a trial of perseverance. In verse 6, it talks about if God receives me, he flogs me. And flogging is a trial, at least in my mind.

And so, we have this at work, these three trials: trials brought on by Satan to test me, trials brought on by everyday life, and trials brought on as discipline. And this actually leads into the next part:

Background Information

It is important to note the audience to whom James is writing. He’s writing to a struggling people, though united in Christ and having trust in Him, they have difficulties. A good deal of James’ writing is very, very interesting to me, if not poetic. So when it is noted that James uses aphorisms in synonymous couplets, it makes sense for the feeling of poetry. These are mostly used in the Old Testament, such as Proverbs and Psalms; James would use them sparingly in his book. The verse in question uses this.

Step-sayings are another technique that James’ utilizes. A step-saying is much like taking a number of dominos and standing them on edge and then knocking them over: A leads to B which leads to C then leads to D and so forth. You see this in verse 15 and also in verses 3-4 of Chapter 1. I remember reading other passages in the Bible and seeing similar step-saying patterns. Knowing this will bring those scriptures into a new light when I read them again in the future.

A debate-saying comes in the general formula of: a) ‘Do not say’; b) a quotation; c) a refutation “for” statement. Debate sayings are found in the Old Testament and in my recollection spoken by Jesus in the gospels quite a bit. In the Old Testament, debate-sayings can be found in Ecclesiastes and Proverbs. Similarly, Jesus said debate-like-sayings in all four of the gospels using such phrases as ‘why do you’ followed by a generally same formula.

The man that is James is a very interesting person. I’ve studied him on and off over the years. I know he was known by many to be a man of prayer. He would stop and pray constantly and drop to his knees, hence the nickname “Camel-Knees”. The nickname is due to his callused over knees from dropping so hard.

James is the half-brother of Jesus, but in the opening statement it humbles me how he calls himself a servant to God and Jesus Christ. I think about how hard it must be to know that your half brother is the son of God, and yet James was a strong man in the faith. James’ execution was started as a stoning, but then ended up being clubbed to death. His heart for others is so compelling. He died praying for his enemies shortly before the siege of Jerusalem.

There are various arguments as to what sources James used in his book, if any. Some sources say that James is a full account of the Sermon on the Mount out of the book of Matthew, while others say that it doesn’t pull from the book at all and that its source is completely “Q”. Personally, I think there is a strong case for both. James is the half-brother of Jesus. I’m sure he did learn a few things from him growing up since Jesus was the oldest, which would make sense to me for an obvious “Q”. And the Sermon on the Mount, there is obvious similarities between the two when comparing scripture.

Personal Meaning

I’ve had a hard road over the last eight years. My health has come and gone and come again and it really has been tough, to say the least. And I have turned to scripture for comfort for each trial that I have faced. Friends have held my weary arms up. I am reminded that I have a weak body now, but it will be raised with power. Rejoice in the Lord always! My attitude should be that of Christ Jesus. All these scriptures have helped me through my trails and struggles.

James 1:12-15 provides me comfort now, along with the other scriptures. And with the trial that I am currently going through, this pain issue from my toes, legs, arms, and more, I have found that it is important to know that trials are a joy, due to the growth from which they bring about in a person. That’s part of it in my mind. Trials do more than just that show growth.

I’ve learned that trials show what type of relationship I have with God. It exposes that out of me and allows me to either change that in my character or to continue to wallow within myself. This also goes for sin, should sin be involved. I’ve found that when I’m going through a trial or hardship, I have a choice between two basic things:

a) Do I want to draw closer to God for strength, love, peace, understanding, etc.?
b) Do I want to turn away from God and turn to something else for possible strength, love, peace, understanding, etc.?

These are questions asked generally in the back of my mind, in my subconscious, but the character of my being does ask them.

I’ve read that there is a war going on in this world. There is a war going on in America. In fact, there is a war going on right here on the campus of Dallas Baptist University. The war I speak of is the battle between good and evil and it is raging ever so much today as it was yesteryear. But the strange thing is that evil is a person’s sinful nature. I create many of my trials. Other trials are given to me specifically from Satan. Still other trials are trials by “facts of life”. And I almost forgot about the “Pruning Trial”, where I am disciplined as a child of God.

The response to the first trial is the same as the last. The response to all of the trials is one and the same and that: Come near to God and he will come near to you (James 4:8). And when this happens, no matter how I or you or anyone feels, it makes easier to be joyful in the heart.

In Closing

James is a solid soldier, a solid writer, and his scriptures that he added to the Bible are impacting to my heart. It was great to study back into the Greek, checking into trial and tempted. Seeing trials from different perspectives in scripture was eye-opening. Learning about his poetic writing style, the synonymous couplets and such, captures his audience then as it does today. His book and the verses within it help me through my tough times. His book gives me hope that even though my life may feel bad and tomorrow may not feel any better, God is still here with me. That’s what matters to me.