Term Paper: James 1:2-8

Rachel Thomas
BITH 359: Book of James
Dr. Vlachos
9 October 2016

Thomas
APPENDIX
2

Count it all joy,

my brothers,
when you meet trials of various kinds,
3

for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
4

And let steadfastness have its full effect,

that you may be perfect and complete,
lacking in nothing.

If any of you lacks wisdom,

let him ask God,
who gives generously to all without reproach,
and it will be given him.
6

But let him ask in faith,

with no doubting,
for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea
that is driven and tossed by the wind.
7

For that person

must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8

he is a double-minded man,
unstable in all his ways.

INTRODUCTION
Immediately following the letters opening greeting, James immediately encourages his
audience to endure trials for their faith. Normal New Testament letters begin by expressing

Thomas

thanksgiving or offering a blessing to God. However, James immediate jump into his topic
suggests that his readers were in the midst of a time of suffering. This suffering is likely the
reason for James writing to them (Moo 79).
The adversities the people are facing include keeping in sync with Gods ways, as well as
gaining a broader perspective on how trials can be approached. While trials can be extremely
difficult, the people need to remember that they can ultimately work for the believers benefit
(Guthrie 122). Adverse circumstances can be character builders when tough situations foster
perseverance that molds the believer into Gods vision for his or her life (Blomberg 45).
Guthries commentary suggests that at first glance, James 1:2-8 appears to be disjointed
and fragmented. He suggests that this selection of verses needs to be taken within the context of
the whole book of James. Throughout the book James repeatedly uses the themes of trials,
wisdom and wealth (Guthrie 211). Guthrie calls James 1:2-4 The Spiritual Benefit of Trials
and 1:5-8 The Need for Righteous Wisdom (211). He notes that both of these sections revolve
around gaining a wise perspective when approaching lifes circumstances. Believers are to pray
faithfully that God would grant wisdom, which is something God is anxious to give to those who
ask (Moo 84).
First-century Jews were familiar with the issue of undeserved suffering, since they were
mercilessly persecuted during the previous two centuries. Even by the end of the book, James
does not have a complete answer to why God allows righteous people to suffer (Moo 79).
However, James uses this section to make it clear that suffering is not outside of the realms of
Gods providential control. However, the wisdom that can result from suffering is part of Gods
overarching plan for his people, and should not be actively avoided. When suffering does come,
believers should not be surprised, but should be ready and able to face whatever comes.

Thomas

BODY
2. James opens the body of his letter by referring to his readers as brothers. In the
English language brothers has a masculine context, but the Greek word adelphoi addresses all
of the believers hearing the letter, including both men and women (Moo 80). In the ancient
world, this term is often used to refer to a group of people who share the same religious
affiliation (Guthrie 212). The affectionate address of his readers sets the foundation of James
very pastoral letter, which includes numerous exhortations to the audience (Moo 80). James
exhortations to the readers does not come from a far-off authority, but from someone who is a
close member of the group he is addressing (Guthrie 212).
The verse begins with the imperative Count it all joy when you meet trials of various
kinds. Unfortunately, this command is commonly misinterpreted and misapplied in a
contemporary context. The word all does not mean everything in the context of the passage.
The word all is sometimes translated as pure, which better explains that James purpose in
this letter. He is not discussing all joy as part of the direct object, but instead is identifying the
type of joy believers ought to have (Blomberg 48).
Joy, in the context of James 1:2, is referring not to an emotion, but to a state of being.
Joy and happiness are two different things, and James is not expressing that believers are
expected to smile and be happy at all times (Blomberg 48). Joy is a settled contentment in every
situation (Blomberg 48).
James calls his readers to have this kind of joy in a time when joy would be the most
difficult to have. As humans, our natural response to suffering is negative, and we seek to escape
from the situation. We try to preserve what we determine to be our temporal well-being. James

Thomas

call to embracing trials is radically different from the typical human response to trying
circumstances (Guthrie 213).
Guthrie suggests that the context prompting James exhortations regarding trials may
have to do with oppression suffered under the rule of wealthy landowners (212). Moo says that
these trials may come as a result of professing faith in Christ. The world may be hostile and take
the believers into court on trumped-up charges (80).
3. Moo suggests that the reason why believers are to react joyfully when faced with trials
is so that they may be tested through them (81). The word testing is translated from dokimion,
which is only found only three other times in the Bible, in 1 Peter 1:7, Psalm 11:7 (Eng. Ps.12:6),
and Proverbs 27:21 (Moo 81). Throughout the Old Testament, God tries his people in order to
refine them. Many of these trials resulted from the peoples own disobedience, yet God used
these mistakes to refine and redeem his people (Guthrie 213).
The testing of faith is viewed as something productive and necessary for producing
steadfastness which holds up under spiritual oppression. Guthrie compares the testing of faith
to a diamond that is formed under extreme pressure, yet comes out strong (213). In this sense,
Blomberg suggests that James advocates for an engaged waiting during trials, rather than a
passivity (49).
4. James moves forward and fleshes out the idea of steadfastness, by insisting that the
tenacity built under pressure helps believers to accomplish Gods purposes (Blomberg 50).
Believers are not called to simply hunker down and wait for the trials to pass over, but to let
themselves be refined and strengthened (Guthrie 213).
Believers are to constantly strive to be more like Jesus Christ in his perfection, even
though this will be imperfect until Christs second coming (Blomberg 50). However, perfection

Thomas

does not only refer to a sinless state, but also to a mature character (Guthrie 213). This striving
for perfection is an eschatological quest, that will not be recognized immediately, but in the life
to come (Moo 83). This is the ultimate goal of suffering.
5. Next, James discusses wisdom, which is critical for spiritual maturity and wholeness,
especially during trials (Blomberg 50). The conditional statement beginning this verse (If any of
you lacks wisdom) implies that the audience does in fact lack wisdom. Wisdom, in the
context of James, means understanding Gods ways and acting in according to that understanding
(Guthrie 214). Wisdom is not mere head knowledge or general intelligence, but also the practical
element of living out these beliefs.
As Christians strive toward spiritual maturity, they must not only undergo refining trials,
but also gain wisdom. At the same time, this wisdom is also what allows believers to withstand
these trials (Blomberg 50). God is ready to give believers this wisdom if they ask for it (Guthrie
51). God promises to give wisdom without mock or reproach, meaning that Christians should
never feel ashamed to come to God (Blomberg 52).
6. Here James shifts from how God gives to how Christians should ask God (Moo 86).
Here, as Blomberg suggests, James is addressing the question of unanswered prayers (52). God
answers those requests which are made in belief and without doubt.
Faith is not simply an initial belief or conversion moment, but is something that is
continual (Blomberg 52). To ask in faith means more than a belief that God will give what is
asked, but also a confidence in God. James does not say that the believer should never question
the things that God gives them. Rather, he demands that believers should not doubt the character
of God and his giving (Blomberg 52).

Thomas

According to Blomberg, the doubt that James refers to in verse 6 is the doubt Gods character
and claim of divinity, as well as be unwilling to trust God with their life (52). The one who
doubts is compared to a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. The imagery of
the wave blown by the wind was used by classical writers to refer to the general instability of the
sea. Even when the sea was calm, the waves still moved with no consistency or pattern to them
(Blomberg 52-3). In this same way, the doubter has no fixed beliefs and direction and can
therefore be tossed around from moment to moment in life (Moo 87).
7. James goes one to say that the doubter will face consequences for his or her lack of
trust in God. The doubter should not expect anything from God (Blomberg 53). James treats the
doubter referred to in this verse with a great disdain. People characterized by doubt and division
should not expect God to respond to their requests. God responds to those who are sincere and
consistent in their allegiance to him, not to themselves (Moo 88).
8. James finishes this section by discussing the double-minded man. Double-minded
refers to a division of commitment present in a person whose allegiances are unclear or in
conflict with one another (Guthrie 215). Blomberg suggests that perhaps James actually coined
the term double-minded for the purpose of this letter (53). Although the term may have been
new when James used it, the concept had been used previously (Moo 88). In the Old Testament,
the concept of double-mindedness is compared to being double-tongued or two-faced; neither of
which were desirable images (Guthrie 215).
The person that is double-minded is unstable, which is alluded to again in James 3:8 to
discuss the person who is unable to control their speech (Guthrie 215). To say that the doubleminded person is unstable in all of his or her ways is to emphasize the importance of action in

Thomas

relation to wisdom. Double-mindedness does not only refer to inner spiritual conflict, but a
foolish lifestyle that can be seen by the people around the person (Guthrie 215).
SUMMARY
A major point of verses 2-4 is that Christians cannot avoid trials, but can choose how to
respond when faced with suffering. In the face of hardship, Christians can choose to respond
with worshipful confidence in the holy providence of God (Moo 83). These trials can be
embraced with joy in the greater effect of endurance during the inevitable hard times (Guthrie
213).
The double-minded doubter who is rebuked in verses 5-8 is the direct antithesis of the
completion and perfection that is expressed in verse 4. God graciously offers and supplies
wisdom to those who ask in a posture of trust and commitment to living out gods ways.
However, this request needs to come with a commitment to being obedient to God, and firm
resolution to reject the way of fools (Blomberg 215).
The main intention of verses 2-8 is the desire for singleness and purity of intention that
begins in chapter 1 and stretches through the entire letter of James (Moo 89). Verses 2-4 suggest
that James readers are caught in the midst of trials and need to respond in endurance. However,
James needs verses 5-8 to explain where the wisdom for endurance comes form, and how they
may acquire it (Blomberg 215). Christians are not immune from trials, but God provides the
necessary tools for enduring trials and coming out stronger in the end.
APPLICATION
When I encounter trials in my personal life, my initial reaction is to question God and
why he has allowed difficult things to happen to a good person. My gut reaction is to try to fix
the problem as soon as possible and get back to the happy life I was living before things took a

Thomas

turn for the worst. If I cant fix the problem quickly, then I tend to shut down and withdraw into
a shallow pity party in which I feel sorry for my terrible predicament. I say that somewhat tongue
and cheek, because the passage in James 1 has challenged my perception of suffering as it relates
to the Christian life.
On our second day of class, Dr. Vlachos told the class that trials are not something to be
feared, but actually something to appreciate. This was an important wake up call for me,
because I have always struggled to see the good in suffering.
Back in high school my extended family was hurting, my friend attempted suicide, my
other friends ignored me, and I was in a bad dating relationship. Simply put, I was a mess and I
didnt know how to escape from the darkness. I read the passage in James 1:2 that said Count it
all joy when you meet trials of various kinds and it made me bitter. How could anything so
horrible be counted as joy?
I didnt understand that trials were part of life. I thought that as a Christian I should be
immune from suffering, and when suffering came, I didnt know what to do with it. Instead of
resenting the difficult times, I needed to view them as character-builders that would ultimately
strengthen my faith in God.
In retrospect, I can see how God was shaping me in my high school period of sorrow and
emotional distress. While it is unlikely that I will ever look fondly upon the time of suffering, I
can rejoice in the stronger, wiser person that I am because of that time. While I do not like the
struggles themselves, I do like the steadfastness that was refined through the struggles.
I know that when trials come in the future (when, not if!), I will have a steadfastness and
confidence in God is stronger than it was in high school. James 1:2-8 has re-shaped my
perspective of suffering, which is inevitable, not a punishment or anomaly. And rather than

Thomas 10
praying for perseverance in those trials, James exhorts believers to pray for wisdom, which
ultimately leads to perseverance and a clear view of the situation. In the situation in high school,
I could not see beyond the current moment of the trials themselves. By applying James 1:2-8, I
can strive for Godly wisdom that will carry me through even the darkest circumstances.

Thomas 11
Works Cited
Blomberg, Craig L. and Miriam Kamell. James. Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New
Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008.
Guthrie, George H. James. In The Expositors Bible Commentary, ed. Tremper Longman III
and David E. Garland, 13:197-273. 13 vols. Rev. ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006.
Moo, Douglas J. The Letter of James. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Grand Rapids:
Eerdmans, 2015.