True Faith Puts Trials in Perspective

James 1:2-8
2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

In these verses, James addresses four important realities for believers whom he calls “My brethren.”

1. Trials / testing – situations, conditions and events which though difficult and unpleasant force us to make choices of our own actions in response to the situation. These events also force us to either control our attitude by our own deliberate choice or permit whatever attitude arises from the event to control us. This is a constant battle for control of our emotions and will.
2. Patience / endurance – Endurance is the product of trials and the ingredient of the growing Christian’s success in his walk with God. Trials produce evidence of the constancy and endurance of true faith.
3. Wisdom – the ability to make right choices. Trials force us to make choices. Wisdom is the ability to make the right choice in difficult circumstances. The way James speaks of wisdom makes it clear that we all need more wisdom.
4. Faith – πίστις / pistis – “conviction of the truth” (Thayer). James uses the word twice in these verses. In verse 3, he uses the word with the definite article along with a second person plural possessive pronoun – ὑμῶν τῆς πίστεως – which can be translated in this case “your the faith.” In verse 6, he uses no definite article – ἐν πίστει – which is literally “in faith.” The two usages of the same Greek word are substantially different in their meaning.

• It appears that throughout the New Testament, the word faith is used in two ways. The Greek indicates these two ways in a rather specific manner. I may be making an arbitrary assumption here, but it seems to me that when an author of Scripture uses the definite article before the word pistis / faith as in verse 3, he is describing faith as a body of doctrine, specifically doctrine of Jesus Christ. When the writer does not use the definite article as in verse 6, he is referring to faith as the act of believing in that body of doctrine and more particularly believing in the person of Jesus Christ.

There is a fifth word that begins this whole discussion. That is the word “joy.” Joy – χαρά chara – this word speaks of basic joy or gladness that comes from one’s heart by choice rather than from circumstances. Earlier I penned these words regarding joy. “The central issue that James is addressing is the disparity between the appearance of certain circumstances which cause us pain and we see as misfortune and the spiritual reality those same circumstances. This appearance is contrary to the underlying reality that we should know and always consider, and that reality is the sovereign goodness of Almighty God.”

Joy puts “the faith [belonging to] you” into perspective. If our doctrine teaches that God is sovereign and always righteous, good, and just; then living by that fact places the difficulties which might cause us to doubt our beliefs into the proper perspective. That settled confidence in doctrine – the faith – provides the foundation for endurance in the face of difficult situations.

The result of that trial, then, is confident joy base on our knowledge that God is at work whether we see his immediate purpose or not.

Caution - Patience at Work

Caution – Patience at Work

James 1:4 “But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

Let me begin with a look at the grammar of this verse. I have to do that before I can discuss the practical applications.

There seems to me to be a grammatical issue in the Greek that does not come across in most of the English translations. The subject of this sentence is the word “patience.” The verb of the sentence is the Greek word ἔχω – echō, “to have,” and in this usage is a present, active, imperative form of the verb. The use of the word “let” introduces an indication that the reader is the subject of this command, but that is not the way the Greek is written. A literal translation would be, but patience have its perfect work! This the indication of Thayer with this definition of the verb echō; “to have (in itself or as a consequence), comprise, involve: …Jas. i. 4; ii. 17”

The NIV captures this subtlety – “Perseverance must finish its work….”

It is endurance that does the work of God. Given this emphasis of the language, I seem to have no active part in the work endurance does, but God uses the trials so that the endurance He produced can accomplish the work of making me “perfect.” The only impact I can have directly on the process of the trials of faith is negative. I can only get in the way, give up, and cause the endurance God brings to fail to accomplish His purpose in me.

In this sentence, the subject is not the reader (you understood) but patience. Patience / endurance is the energizing force that I am to incorporate into my life in such a way that this endurance accomplishes the work of making me mature and whole in my faith. Along with everyone else I know, I am often tempted to overlook the God’s intentions for the trials of life. I often fail as well to see the accomplishments that God does achieve as I pass through the trials.

That is a life lesson to be learned and relearned and not forgotten.

The word “perfect” is used twice in the English of this verse. It is the Greek word τέλειος – teleios, which means “finished, wanting nothing, complete, mature.” As if to emphasize the complete, lacking nothing aspect of this word teleios, James ends this sentence with the words “complete, lacking nothing.”

The objective God has for the life problems that beset us is that our Christian lives become complete, fully equipped, and no-parts-missing Christians.

What it means to be a deliberate Christian

2 Peter 1:5-8

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

These verses describe what it means to be deliberately Christian. Being deliberately Christian is the process of purposely adding seven spiritual qualities to what we believe – adding living reality to the body of doctrine we profess to hold.

In order to understand my emphasis here, I need to begin by explaining the precise meaning of the phrase “your faith.” The word “faith” (πίστις pistis) in its noun form is used in two ways in the Bible. The first way that pistis / faith is used is to refer to a body of doctrine or what one believes. When it is used in this way, it is usually preceded in the Greek by a definite article as in “the faith.” The second way that pistis / faith is used is to describe the act of believing. When this is the meaning the writer desired, no definite article was used, and the word simply stands as “faith.”

That brings me to a problem. The English translations of this verse read simply “add to your faith….” Peter, however, used the definite article in the Greek, but it does not appear in the English translations. The literal translation of the phrase is “add to the faith of you virtue….” Peter used the definite article to specifically indicate that the faith he spoke of was the body of doctrine that the Christian professes. Peter’s focus is on making our doctrine - our theology - come alive.

Capturing Peter’s emphasis on being deliberately Christian is critical, but it is a foreign concept in many of our churches. Many, perhaps even most professing believers today live lives of casual Christianity and fail to make what they claim to believe a life-changing reality. The believer’s the faith as what he professes is ineffective without the constant, diligent, and deliberate addition of the seven aspects of Christian living listed in these verses. That is what I term being a deliberate Christian

OK, now let’s look at each of these seven qualities that make our doctrine real.

1. Virtue – (ἀρετή aretē) moral excellence in thought, attitude, and action
   The first step in changing our faith into effective Christianity is the diligent and deliberate pursuit of moral excellence. Two things need to be said about moral excellence in this regard.
   First, this Christian standard of moral excellence governs every moral, sexual, ethical, and personal decision we make. Moral excellence based on the highest standards of God’s Word must be our diligent pursuit, and it should control every aspect of our public and private lives.
   Second, our failure here in the matter of Christian virtue robs us of any effective validity and vitality in the other aspects of a true and growing faith. If we fail in this aspect of our Christian lives, we grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:25-32, especially verse 30) so that nothing else we do or say will have any spiritual power, and our testimony before the church and the world will be false.
   Without the pursuit of virtue, our faith will have no spiritual life no matter how orthodox of Bible-based it may be.
2. Knowledge – (γνῶσις gnōsis) understanding, comprehension
   In the notes for this verse in his Study Bible, Dr. John MacArthur describes knowledge in the following way:
   “This means understanding, correct insight, truth properly comprehended and applied.”
   In this particular context, we must seek to understand how the principles of our faith – what we believe – apply to our pursuit of moral excellence. In that way, knowledge added to our faith supports moral excellence. In other words, we must deliberately and diligently seek to understand how our Christian doctrine and theology apply to every aspect of our lives.
3. Self-control – (ἐγκράτεια egkrateia) mastery of one’s desires and passions
   The central element of the concept of self-control or temperance (KJV) is the issue of self-discipline. Paul often illustrated this idea of self-control by referring to athletics. Just as a runner or a boxer keeps his body disciplined to overcome the pain, fatigue, and opposition of athletic competition; so the Christian must discipline his thoughts and emotions to overcome the rigors of his life of faith (1 Corinthians 9:26-27).
   Self-discipline for the deliberate Christian is a matter of denying some things and taking for himself and consuming other things. The most straightforward application of this principle is in the kinds of things that occupy our leisure time. To be deliberately Christian, we should seek to replace the idle amusements that occupy much of our time and thought with thoughts and projects that seek to fulfill our Savior’s will and bring Him glory.
   Of course, we all need to rest our minds and bodies. That’s not my point. Amusements and recreations have their place, but by their very nature, those same leisure pursuits grow and occupy more and more of our time and attention crowding out the things of God. The function of godly self-discipline is to draw us from the excesses of leisure to the rigors of God’s work.
4. Perseverance – (ὑπομονή hypomonē) steadfastness, endurance in spite of people and circumstances
   In addition to self-control, the deliberate Christian seeks to remain steadfast in the faith he professes. The reality and vitality of the faith we profess is demonstrated in the constancy of our Christian life – especially in our growth and walk with Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, our lives are often influenced and characterized by change rather than steadfastness. The changes in our society, in morality, in ethics, and even in our churches are often beyond our control, but God’s Word and His standards never change.
   In our constant search for “new and better,” however, we adopt the idea that change is not only inevitable but it must be good, and we begin to desire change in our service for the Lord. That acceptance of change also influences our expression and practice of devotion to Him and to His Word. This problem of change makes its presence known in the believer’s – in our – readiness to abandon one avenue of pursuit and service in favor of another even in our Christian lives and walk.
   This desire and acceptance of “change for change’s sake” spills over into our relationship and responsibility to the Lord, to our Service for Him, and to His people. When circumstances of a relationship change, we change our attitude toward that relationship. The deliberate Christian recognizes the influence of change, and the quality of perseverance or endurance carries him through these changes without wavering from his faith, principles, goals, attitudes, and service.
   Paul equated the Christian life to a long-distance race (1 Corinthians 9:24; Philippians 3:14, 2 Timothy 4:7), and the writer of Hebrews used the same illustration (Hebrews 12:1). In this race of the Christian life, we face many obstacles and enemies who seek to divert us from the goal of pleasing Jesus our Savior and accomplishing His will. By deliberately seeking to be steadfast in our faith, we hold steady in our service, growth, and love for the Lord.
5. Godliness – (εὐσέβεια eusebeia) – reverence, respect, devotion, and piety toward God; deliberately seeking to please God in every thought, word, and deed
   Godliness must govern the temperance and perseverance that is required in our responses to the problems and events of our lives. Godliness is not a passive state of mind but an active manager and director of the Christian’s life in all of its aspects.
   One item in the definition of godliness – εὐσέβεια – that stands out is embodied in the word “piety.” This word is rarely used in Christian conversation anymore. In fact, the prideful way in which some Christians display and enforce their legalistic and judgmental morality has given the word a negative connotation, but the dictionary definition of the word piety is this: “reverence for God, devout fulfillment of religious obligations.”
   At the heart of the Greek word translated “godliness” is the root word σέβω / sebō – which means “to revere, to worship.” Godliness is a state of constant reverence and worship of God.
   The additive quality that Peter has in mind is a constant consciousness of God and an unceasing devotion to Him. That devotion manifests itself in constantly seeking to please the Lord in everything all the time.
6. Brotherly kindness – (φιλαδελφία philadelphia) love as brothers; kindness, love, and loyalty as in a family
   The Greek word philadelphia is a compound of two words – philos, friend; and adlephos, brother. Their meaning together is simple and straightforward.
   My understanding of this word and concept is somewhat anecdotal. As children, my brother and I were fairly typical in our “brotherly” relationship. As the older brother, I often resented my brother’s intrusions, and he no doubt saw my “advantages” with some resentment. Actually, we fought as brothers. Having grown older, however, we have become true friends, and the competitions and contentions of our childhood are far behind us. Now we are both brother and friends – philadelphos.
   That relation ship is characterized by strong personal loyalty, mutual defense and accommodation, a willingness to be inconvenienced for the sake of the other, and a true delight in each others company and conversation. This is what all believers should know and cultivate in the family of the true church.
7. Love – (ἀγάπη agapē) love as God loves us; unselfish, giving, sacrificial love
   This quality of the beliver's life as described by the word, agapē / love, is often misunderstood because it is usually thought of as an emotion. Love can be emotional and naturally stirs emotions, but as it is used in the Bible, true love is not an emotion. None of the other elements in this list are emotions, but they each describe a quality of character and behavior that proceeds from the will. All seven of these qualities including love are choices of the will – or more precisely they are reflected in the choices we make.
   In practical terms, love is choosing to do what is best for the one who is loved regardless of the personal cost or consequences of that choice. Love is expressed in selflessness and sacrifice for another’s wellbeing. Love is the truest form of humility.