James 1:14-15 Part 1—The sin dilemma
But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. James 1:14-15
Probably the most disappointing, confusing, and potentially debilitating obstacle I’ve faced in my life is the inclination to sin. Yes, I said it, and I’ve chosen not to be ashamed of it.
Before you call out the righteousness cops, please hear me out. When I was born again in the evening of December 29, 1974, I became a brand new creature. The old had passed away, and to my amazement, I was brand new. (See 2 Corinthians 5:17.) I felt and looked different; a weight had lifted off of me and I noticed a glow to my face when I looked in the mirror immediately after. My addiction to alcohol had also left the premises. When I returned to college after break, my drinking buddies were alarmed at the change, ostracized me, yet still hovered near whenever I got ready to go to Bible study, smugly looking me up and down as they drank their cheap vodka and Coke.
But I had found Jesus, and I had a peace and a power I had never known, so their intentionally obvious disdain didn’t intimidate me.
Alcohol addiction had vanished from my system in an instant; but other nagging tendencies did not suffer the same fate, much to my dismay. And since my faith in Christ was very real, this contradiction between righteousness and falling repetitively into sin patterns was a dilemma about which I often cried out bitterly to the Lord.
I would like to say that with some prayer and meditation on the Word, it all changed rapidly, but that would be dishonest. The truth is, I would seemingly conquer one sin pattern only to realize I’d opened the door to another. As I focused on that one, what do you know, but the other “conquered” pattern returned with a vengeance! It was as if I was stuck on the set of the “Three Stooges”, trying to close the drawer on one sin while two more drawers popped open, knocking me down. And yet, I still loved Jesus and was still a new creature. What gives? I would cry again and again in despair.
Trust me; I didn’t develop my love for the Word of God because I am so awesome. I absorbed the Bible into my system and wrapped myself up in it due to my abject inability to live the Christian life—even as a born-again, delivered-from-alcohol, Holy Ghost-filled young woman of God. And as I grappled with the sin question, the love of my life, Jesus, led me to verse after verse to comfort, cleanse, encourage, and instruct me. One of those portions of Scripture was James 1:14-15.
But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
Through these two verses, the Lord instructed me concerning the anatomy of the lust/sin connection and how it worked. Understanding this helped me to shake the failure mentality that had started to enshroud me as a young Christian and gave me some important tools to operate as soon as I noticed I was being tempted.
Tomorrow I will be writing about the lust/sin connection, and it is my heart’s desire to encourage, strengthen, establish, and equip you to effectively defy the patterns of your past and live your life as the new creation you really are.
The truth will make you free!
Dorothy
…Jesus was saying…“If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8:31-32
Read MoreJames 1:13—Temptation
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. James 1:13
James draws a line in the sand: “Don’t even think your temptation is from God; don’t let those words be uttered out of your mouth!”
The word “tempted” here [Let no one say when he is tempted] is the Greek word peirazō (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G3985&t=KJV ).
This word has a number of definitions, but in this verse, according to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon (also found at the above link), it means “to try or test one’s faith, virtue, character, by enticement to sin…hence, according to the context: to solicit to sin, to tempt” (emphasis added).
Let’s think about what James is saying by looking at the different scenarios presented by this definition.
- When your virtue is tested, don’t say it’s from God.
- When your character is tested, don’t say it’s from God.
- Whenever you are enticed to sin, solicited to sin, or tempted, it’s not from God.
Have you ever wondered Why does God allow me to be tempted? Please recognize this fact: God never sends enticement, solicitation, or temptation. But then why doesn’t He stop it? Are you implying that because you are tempted, you have no choice but to give in to it unless God blocks it in the first place? If this is true, and believers are helpless in the face of temptation, then Christ’s death on the cross was meaningless. However, His death and resurrection was the most revolutionary event in history, and the grace and power you need to thwart and/or overcome every temptation, enticement, solicitation, or test of your character have been abundantly provided for you in Christ.
Bottom line: God expects YOU to overcome. He expects ME to overcome. He’s given us everything we need pertaining to life and godliness (see 2 Peter 1:3), and we have a lifetime to learn how to draw upon the grace and power He’s provided for us through Jesus’ death and resurrection.
…for God cannot be tempted by evil…
I love to think about the things God can’t do. He cannot lie (see Hebrews 6:18 and Numbers 23:19). He cannot change (see Malachi 3:6 and Hebrews 13:8). And He cannot be tempted by evil. When I think of our omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient God, I am awed by the things He cannot do and what these limitations reveal about His character.
The God you serve cannot be tempted by evil. It just isn’t happening.
…and He Himself does not tempt anyone.
He is good, through and through. He cannot be tempted by evil, and He will not tempt you. If you are tempted, enticed, solicited, or your character or virtue is tested, God’s not in it, and He’s not behind the scene, authorizing it to take place.
What He has authorized is this: Consider it all joy when you encounter various trials [or temptations], because the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:3-4).
And here’s one more thing God has authorized: No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Next time you are tempted, tested, enticed, or solicited to follow a fleshly route, know that it is not God messing with you, trying to see what you are made of. He doesn’t do that! Instead, realize that He is on your side and will be faithful to you to provide the way of escape. Look to Him for it.
Expect that the grace and power you need to overcome will be provided as you obey Him and endure.
Dorothy
Read MoreJames 1:12—Persevere under trial
Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. James 1:12
This little verse packs a punch. In it we see:
- A man persevering under trial
- The same man being approved after persevering
- The man receiving the crown of life.
Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial…
This man is called blessed, not when he finally gets approved and not on that great Day when he receives the crown of life. He is called blessed while in the very middle of his trial. You are blessed, as well, in the midst of your trial, just as long as you persevere. Grasp that fact. You are not “unblessed” until you have been approved and have finally received the crown of life; you are blessed as you navigate every storm in your life, whether large or small. And you will continue to be blessed through thick and thin as you stubbornly cling to the Lord and refuse to quit.
Trials are enormously varied in depth and scope. They can be attacks against your body, reputation, mind, emotions, family, integrity, relationships, or your job, your church, your property, your safety, your finances, your morality, or your nation. Anything that concerns or involves you is a potential arena for trial. This is reality.
But remember, James said to consider it all joy when you encounter any one of those trials. Do you lack wisdom to deal with the attacks? Then ask God for it in faith.
Your faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ (see Romans 10:17). That’s why you need to store up God’s Word in your heart. If you do, you won’t come up short-handed during trials—you’ve been building on the bedrock of Bible truths and your faith is a shield against all the fiery darts of the evil one. Not only that, but by this you are also equipped to wield this two-edged Bible sword, driving back every lie that comes against you with truth. And as you lean heavily on that Word, you will endure every trial—and be blessed.
…for once he has been approved…
“Approved” is the Greek word dokimos. It means “accepted or pleasing” and was used in James’ day to describe the value of coins. Scam-artists back then would scrape away the metal off the edge of a coin and set it aside to re-melt it for their own use, thereby falsifying the full value of the coin (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G1384&t=KJV ). If a coin was “approved”, that meant it held its full value. Likewise, a believer who is approved is one who walks in genuine and legitimate faith, doesn’t “cut corners” or put on a false front to appear more spiritually “weighty” than he really is, and—by virtue of undergoing trials with joy, endurance, wisdom, and faith—will receive the crown of life on that great Day.
With every successfully endured trial, the result is being approved. Every trial is a test of some kind, but not all tests are sent by God. In fact, when bad things happen, you can bet it’s the thief who initiated it (see John 10:10). But ultimately, every trial you encounter is a test of your faith in Christ. Satan would love nothing more than to use your difficulties to separate you from God. He knows that he can’t tempt God to ditch you; but he can attempt to turn you away from God, so he seeks to steal, kill, and destroy the things you hold dear. If he can get you to question God’s love or faithfulness, he’ll use that to place a wedge between you and the Lord—and then try to manipulate you into further unbelief and despair.
But as you press through your trials with faith and patience, you inherit the promises of God (see Hebrews 6:12). You are approved as you complete with endurance your ultimate trial—your earth life—and as you pass out of this world into Heaven, you’ll receive the crown of life. Each individual trial you face with the Word is like a link in a chain of gold from which your life’s character is forged. Perhaps the substance of your endured trials is the very material from which the Lord will create the crown of life He will give you on that Day.
…he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
Here is a reward you will not want to miss out on; it’s available to anyone who has received Christ. The “stuff” from which this crown will be formed is all around you right now—your trials, your tests, and all those temptations. And as James says, you will receive this crown once you are approved—after you leave this life and arrive in Heaven.
According to James, the Lord has promised this crown to everyone who loves Him. A crown just your size will be formed out of the trials you’ve endured with joy, wisdom, and faith—despite the natural outcome—and what a thrill it will be to receive it!
The crown of life is for those who persevere under trial and for those who love Him. Can you persevere under trial without loving Him? Can you love Him without persevering under trial? Perhaps you’ve been tempted to throw in the towel and give up a time or two, but when your love is genuine, you always run back to Him to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (see Hebrews 4:16). In other words, persevering under trial and loving God are inextricably linked together throughout your life. As you lean heavily upon Him in love, you will persevere. And as you set your heart to persevere, you are saying “I love You” to the Lord.
Persevere. It’s worth it!
Dorothy
Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. James 1:12
If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. John 14:15
Read MoreJames 1:9-11—The rich and poor
But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away. James 1:9-11
James, in the middle of writing about how to navigate trials (James 1:2-8 and then James 1:12-15), interrupts his otherwise flowing train of thought to write about something that appears completely unrelated—the poor and the rich. It’s as if James became distracted by an airdrop of entirely disconnected thoughts plunked down in the middle of his discourse.
He had just revealed four keys to effective trial navigation—joy, endurance, wisdom, and faith. In the section following his comments on the rich and the poor, he continues to writes about persevering when under trials or temptation, and the lust/sin connection.
It’s my opinion that James was not suffering from a bout of ADD when he wrote the rich/poor section. I believe that he wrote his thoughts in this order on purpose. In fact, taken in context, these three verses on the rich and the poor give us a glimpse into the real life trials to which James was referring.
Taken by itself, James’ insight on the poor and the rich is a classic admonition to folks on opposite ends of the wealth spectrum. The poor are to rejoice in their high position; the rich are to glory in their humiliation.
When you consider what James says to the rich and the poor in the context of persevering under trial, however, it takes on a different tone. James spent more time instructing the wealthy than the poor in this section, reminding them that their riches were temporary. I believe this was also on purpose; James understood that the deceptive nature of riches posed more potential for spiritual entrapment the wealthier a person became. Let’s look at James’ admonition through the perspective of the men about whom James was writing—the poor man and the rich.
But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position.
How do you persevere when your resources are next to nothing? Imagine a poor man who has had to scrape to get by his entire life. Sure, he thinks, the rich can say, ‘Trust God!’ till the cows come home. But this man had a sneaky suspicion that rich folks would struggle just as much as he did if the tables were turned. Interrupting the poor man’s reasoning, James jumps in and reminds him: Consider it all joy, brother, when you encounter desperate financial trials. Are you poor? Then glory in your high position. And as the poor man considers James’ words, it all starts to make sense. He realizes that his bitterness against those of means has been keeping him in bondage. He commits in his heart to lay aside his resentment and to start glorying in his high position in Christ. He understands that James had just given him the master plan, showing him how to work the key of joy so he could exert endurance effectively and allow it to have its perfect work. He decides that the lifelong poverty he’s experienced is actually an opportunity—he will endure this trial, and by enduring it with joy, wisdom, and faith he will—sooner or later—end up perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
…the rich man is to glory in his humiliation.
As for the rich man, James’ letter stings a bit more. What do you mean, ‘glory in my humiliation’? My money speaks for itself! It says God backs me and I deserve respect! But he has been watching the persecution of his brethren—some very wealthy—and has been horrified to observe that their money hasn’t shielded them from being targeted.
So the rich man listens more intently as James’ letter is read, and it all starts to make sense to him, as well. The poor man can glory in his high position to help him to face his trials with joy; he—the rich man—can glory in his humiliation so he won’t be tripped up by looking to his money instead of the Lord when under attack.
The rich man thinks, Money has had a way of insulating me from harsh reality, giving me a sense of false security. James is right; riches or not, I’ll leave this earth someday just like the poor man will. I won’t be able to buy my way out of it.
He continues his musing. So many of us build monuments to ourselves, and for what? Time will crumble every one of them to dust, and anything that remains will be overgrown with weeds. I can distract myself with my money and toys and tell myself that things will always be wonderful…but who am I kidding? One day I’ll only be a memory, and after that…even the memory will vanish.
The rich man bows his head, wondering what to do with this unsettling revelation. Glory in my humiliation? Glory in humiliation…? How do I…?
He feels a hand on his shoulder; it’s the poor man, smiling softly. “Consider it all joy, my brother,” he says. “Ask the Lord for wisdom. He’ll give it to you generously and without reproach.”
And the rich man tells him, “I’ve been so busy buying, selling, accumulating, and consuming that I’ve given little thought to my true priorities. But consider it all joy when I encounter various trials? I’ve considered my money! And now this letter from James tells me to glory, not in my wealth, but in my humiliation.”
“And I’m to glory in my high position,” said the poor man.
“That’s it!” shouted the rich one. “James is telling us to get our eyes off of our present condition, whether it is poverty or wealth! It’s not what we own—or don’t own—that will determine our outcome—it’s where we are fixing our gaze! You need to get your eyes off of your poverty; I need to get my eyes off my wealth! And then, both of us will be able to consider it all joy when we encounter various trials.”
“Brother, if we refuse to fix our eyes on our present circumstances, the testing of our faith will produce endurance—no matter what—and endurance will have her perfect work, rendering us perfect and complete, lacking in nothing!” rejoiced the poor man.
Be blessed as you navigate successfully through every trial,
Dorothy
Read MoreJames 1:6-8—Ask in faith
But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:6-8
You need wisdom when you encounter various trials, and God is the One who has it to give. He is generous with His wisdom and gives it without the tiniest bit of disapproval. But along with the other three keys He provides to overcome in trials—joy, endurance, and wisdom—you’ll need a fourth key, too. That key is faith.
Ask God for wisdom to effectively pass your trial—and ask for it in faith.
James describes the man who asks without faith in this way: He is a doubter who is “like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.”
Think about this. James is thought to be one of Jesus’ younger brothers, and if this is so, then surely he heard the tale of that stormy night when Peter walked on the water toward Jesus. I can just hear the bonfire crackling as Peter tells the story again; the faces of those leaning in closer to hear glow with rapt attention in the flickering firelight.
“We were being battered by waves as the wind blew furiously, and then in the fourth watch, we saw Him—the Lord was walking toward us on the sea!
“‘It’s a ghost!’ some yelled. But, no—‘It is I’ said the Lord. ‘Take courage and don’t be afraid!’
“I couldn’t contain myself any longer, so I shouted to Him over the storm, ‘Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water!’
“And He said, ‘Come.’ Just that. And I came…I walked on top of the water.”
I can picture tears filling the storyteller’s eyes as he is overcome with the memory. And I imagine young James drinking it all in, bursting with love for his big Brother and Savior.
And then Peter’s voice grows softer, more difficult to hear. “But I saw the wind, brothers, and was afraid. And I sank…” Again, his voice trails off for several seconds before growing stronger. “But I cried out, ‘LORD, SAVE ME!’ and Jesus was there by my side. He reached out His hand and took hold of me, but before we got back in the boat, He asked, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’” (See Matthew 14:23-33.)
I can picture Peter, squinting through the light of the flames to gaze directly at each of the men seated near. And I imagine James sitting there, taking it all in.
When James wrote his letter, he cautioned his readers to be sure to ask God for wisdom in faith. And in my opinion, James was remembering Peter’s wave-walking experience when he compared doubters to the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. And I imagine he was envisioning Peter sink in the water when he wrote, “That man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
James’ Brother had spoken privately to Peter out there on the water before He brought him back safely to the boat. He reproved Peter—not for asking Him to bid him to leave the boat—but for his little faith and much doubting once he stepped out. Peter, I believe, not Jesus, disclosed this reprimand to everyone in order to underscore—through his own failure—the utmost importance of faith in Christ.
So when James described the one who doubts as “the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind”, he knew what he was talking about. When he wrote that doubters ought not to expect to receive anything from the Lord, he was speaking from close observation.
James also described the doubting person as a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
What does it mean to be double-minded? Double means two, so double-minded describes the doubter’s mind going in two opposing directions. This person asks God for wisdom, but at the same time he doesn’t believe that he’ll get it. Peter asked Jesus, standing right there on the sea, to bid him to walk on the water, but after he had taken a few steps on those waves, he “saw the wind boisterous”, became afraid, and sank.
James wrote that a double-minded man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord, and added that such a person is unstable in all his ways.
As hard as James’ admonition is on your ego, don’t blow it off. Doubt is what causes instability in the believer, not faith—don’t get it reversed in your thinking. James likely heard the wave-walking story many times and understood that it was Peter’s doubt that caused him to sink, not the outrageousness of his decision to follow Jesus out on the water.
If you need wisdom, ask God—and ask in faith. You will receive liberally if you simply trust God to provide it. However, don’t let yourself go back and forth in your mind, wondering if God will come through. That’s doubt; and doubt makes you double-minded and unstable in all your ways. Yikes! I didn’t say it—James did!
If that steps on your toes, join the club. My toes are black and blue after reading this, and if others are honest, they’ll admit they’ve been stomped on by James’ words a time or two, as well. But you can rejoice—like Peter, you need not remain in doubt. Take the Lord at His Word from here on out, and you will be buoyed up on top of those waves. And then—look at you! You’ll be walking by faith!
Dorothy
Read MoreJames 1:5—If you lack wisdom
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. James 1:5
Trials are like mazes. They have a beginning—and if you don’t give up—they have an end. Joy and endurance are keys to those mazes, enabling you to make it all the way through despite the time element involved. But in James 1:5, a third key is introduced—wisdom.
Rest assured, joy and endurance are both components of God’s wisdom. However, you can operate in joy and exert godly endurance—yet still lack the wisdom you need to navigate your trial.
That’s why James wrote, “If you lack wisdom, ask for it.” Your trial may be so tangled up that, despite your good attitude and hardy endurance, you still need help. Wisdom is what you need. With that added key, your joy can find the right path to take, and your endurance won’t have to work forever on this one task.
Don’t make the mistake so many others make. They think, “I don’t want to bother God with this.” What?!? The Word says He is intimately acquainted with all your ways (see Psalm 139:3). Don’t you think that if you were a bother, He wouldn’t take the effort to familiarize Himself with everything that you do and think? He already knows about your trial; He has the way for you to be delivered, and He wants you to ask Him for wisdom. If you were a bother, the Word wouldn’t tell you again and again to ask!
Ask God for wisdom. It’s that simple. James wrote that God gives it generously and without reproach. Generosity with wisdom is one of the Lord’s chief characteristics. He’s ready to pour out an ample share of it on you whenever you need it—but first you must ask. I think the Lord must scratch His head with how little we actually ask Him for wisdom. He’s so generous with it, but some of us act as if He couldn’t care less about our lives. Nothing is further from the truth!
God is a generous giver of wisdom, and He gives it without reproach. If God did reproach you for asking Him for wisdom, that would mean He disapproved of you for doing so. His reproach would indicate that your request for wisdom was a disappointment to Him. If He reproached you for asking Him for wisdom, that would mean He found fault in you for doing so. Do any of those scenarios make sense when you consider the great love He has for you? James made it very clear—God neither finds fault in you nor does He disapprove of you when you ask Him for wisdom.
What will happen when you ask God for wisdom? He will give it to you! Plain and simple.
Ask Him.
Dorothy
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Proverbs 4:7, KJV
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