The Epistle Of JamesНамуна

Wisdom and Joy: James 1:2-18

One of the most helpful ways to summarize the overarching purpose of James is to look at his opening words in James 1:2-4. As this passage indicates, James' audience was facing trials of many kinds. But James called them to have pure joy in their trials. Trials, he explained, produce perseverance. And those who persevere will become "mature and complete, not lacking anything." But the real key to James message comes in the very next verse. In verse 5, James gives us a window into the heart of the entire epistle. To experience pure joy in the midst of trials, "ask God" for wisdom, and "it will be given to you." With this in mind, we can summarize the main purpose of James' letter in this way: James called his audience to pursue wisdom from God so that they would have joy in their trials.

It was important for James' audience to hear this message. James' audience was no longer in Palestine. They were living "scattered among the nations," far from their homes. No doubt, it wasn't easy for them to find joy in their trials. This appears to have led some of them to abandon their loyalty to Christ.

James' focus on reflective wisdom addressed his audience's need in their trying circumstances. It also offered them guidance. In 1:6-8, James also connected prayer for wisdom with faith. He urged that prayers for wisdom must be in faith. Otherwise we will be double-minded people.

So, in the context of James' letter, he didn't have in mind someone who merely lacks confidence that God will answer a prayer. He had in mind a fundamental denial of the goodness of God. Apparently, some in James' audience blamed God for their failures. They reasoned that God had sent their trials, so God must be evil because he was tempting them to sin. This type of flagrant rebellion against God was what James referred to as being “double-minded."

So, to pray for wisdom in faith and not be double-minded is to affirm one of the most basic of all biblical teachings: the goodness of God. We must not doubt the goodness of God as we seek wisdom from him in trying circumstances. Otherwise, we have no reason to believe that God will give us wisdom. As James put it in 1:17, God is "the Father of lights." He only gives "good" and "perfect" gifts. So, his purpose for our trials is always good and perfect. This must be our firm commitment of faith as we pursue the path of reflective wisdom.

When God's people endure hardship, they grow into the fullness of all that God intends for them. But in reality, it's often difficult for even the most sincere believer to see how this is true in the midst of suffering. This is why, James told his readers to pursue wisdom from God.

James explains in 1:12 that everyone who perseveres under trial will have stood the test. And they will receive the crown of life, the crown of eternal life in the glorious kingdom of God that [the Lord] has promised to those who love him. In bringing all of these perspectives together, James offered his audience penetrating, reflective wisdom. He gave them guidance for understanding the trials they faced. In reality, every trial was a gift from God, designed for their eternal good.

Those who want to have pure joy as they suffer trials must ask God for insight. They need wisdom to help them understand how their trials lead to their betterment. And if we ask for this kind of wisdom from God, he will give it to us. James closed this section in 1:18 with a statement of reassurance.

When we receive the wisdom to understand how God works through trials, we can be joyful. Wisdom strengthens our confidence that God has ordained for us the blessing of eternal salvation.

Why is the book of James referred to by some interpreters as the New Testament book of wisdom?

When we read through the epistle of James, one of the things that we see as a common thread is the word "wisdom." He obviously values greatly wisdom — the wisdom from above as opposed to the wisdom from below. And that very value in wisdom and the structure of the epistle makes us think that there's a great influence in his life on wisdom literature that's come before him. We see that most explicitly in his citation and use of the book of Proverbs, and also in the way that he remembers the words of our Lord, of Jesus, who also spoke often in a wisdom context… Alongside that, there was a development of wisdom thought and wisdom writing, a genre, really, of wisdom writing, in the intertestamental time. And we see some of the same themes through that wisdom literature in James. Occasionally we see the same structure. But a lot of the themes also were really started with the book of Proverbs and also with Jesus, and so the bigger influence on James is probably going to be from Jesus and Proverbs. But that genre and the importance of proverbial wisdom throughout Second Temple Judaism, around the time of Jesus, is also very important in James. [Dr. David W. Chapman]