3 From Trouble to Triumph—Part 2
(James 1:4–12)
And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 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. 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. 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. 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. (1:4–12)
Recognizing that trials are an essential means God uses to perfect Christian character, James gives five keys for persevering through them. The last chapter discussed the first two, a joyful attitude and an understanding mind. This chapter will discuss the other three.
A SUBMISSIVE WILL
And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (1:4)
A third means to perseverance in trials is a submissive will. The only way out of a trial is through it. The Lord promises no bypasses, only that He always will see His people through the trials without their suffering spiritual harm. But God cannot do His perfect and complete work in and through us without our willing submissiveness. When we learn to rejoice in our trials and come to understand that our gracious heavenly Father uses them not to harm us but to strengthen and perfect us, we are motivated to embrace them as beneficial.
Eliphaz, one of Job’s friends, declared wisely, “As for me, I would seek God, and I would place my cause before God; who does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number. He gives rain on the earth and sends water on the fields, so that He sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety” (Job 5:8–11).
David testified in prayer, “O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me. Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child rests against his mother, my soul is like a weaned child within me” (Ps. 131:1–2). David had grown and matured through the troubles and afflictions he already had endured, from a nursing infant, as it were, to a newly weaned child. But he continued to stay intimate with the Lord, just as the weaned child continues to cling to his mother.
Perfect is from teleios, which does not connote moral or spiritual perfection, or sinlessness, but rather refers to that which is fully developed. Later in this letter James clearly acknowledges that “we all stumble in many ways” (3:2; cf. 1 John 1:10). The word is therefore better rendered “mature,” referring to spiritual maturity fulfilled in Christlikeness, which is the goal of endurance and perseverance. “Let us therefore, as many as are perfect,” Paul says, “have this attitude” (Phil. 3:15), referring to our commitment “toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (v. 14). Paul beautifully expresses the concept of spiritual maturity in his letter to believers in Galatia, whom he describes as “my children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you” (Gal. 4:19, emphasis added).
Complete translates a form of holokléros, which carries the idea of being whole, entire. The prefix holo is the term from which we get holograph, a 360-degree, three-dimensional depiction of an object. To allow no possibility for misunderstanding, James adds lacking in nothing, reinforcing the comprehensiveness of his point. That is the end result of trials: maturity, completeness, not lacking in anything of spiritual importance and value. “After you have suffered for a little while,” Peter assures us, “the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you” (1 Pet. 5:10).
Moab was a pagan nation southeast of Israel, of whom Jeremiah wrote: “Moab has been at ease since his youth; he has also been undisturbed on his lees, neither has he been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile. Therefore he retains his flavor, and his aroma has not changed” (Jer. 48:11). Good wine had to be repeatedly “emptied from vessel to vessel” in order for it to become sweet and drinkable. In that process, the lees, or dregs, would remain in the bottom of each vessel, until, after several pourings and settlings, the wine was pure and clear. Jeremiah’s point was that Moab’s undisturbed, untested life had left its people unpurified. That was also Esau’s problem. He cared nothing for the things of God, being content with satisfying only his physical appetites. He was immoral and godless, selling “his own birthright for a single meal” (Heb. 12:16).
But David writes assuringly:
Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger and forsake wrath; do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. For evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land. Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; and you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there. But the humble will inherit the land and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity. (Ps. 37:7–11)
Apart from the unique ordeal that Jesus endured on the cross, perhaps the severest trial faced by any human being was that of Abraham when called by God to sacrifice his son Isaac. The Lord commanded, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you” (Gen. 22:2). Abraham had several reasons for being completely astounded by God’s demand. Not only was Isaac his greatly beloved son but was the only son by Sarah and therefore the son of God’s promise, through whom “all the families of the earth [were to] be blessed” (Gen. 12:3; cf. 17:1–8, 19–21; 18:10–14).
From the human perspective, the death of Isaac would clearly prevent the promise from being fulfilled and would therefore nullify the covenant. Not only that, but human sacrifice was utterly pagan, the antithesis of everything Abraham knew of the holy and just God he served. And, as if to add unutterable cruelty. Abraham was to kill Isaac by his own hand, though God’s law forbade it. Every aspect of God’s demand was inconceivable. If ever the Lord commanded one of His saints to do something that justified an argument, or at the very least a careful explanation, this was that command. But Abraham made no argument and asked for no explanation. As already noted, no instance of willing submission to the Lord except that of Jesus to His Father could exceed Abraham’s on that occasion.
Without hesitation, resentment, or question, Abraham made the necessary preparations, began the journey at first light the next day, and continued carrying out the Lord’s orders until the moment the Lord intervened, saying, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me” (Gen. 22:12). Although he had earlier told Isaac, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son” (v. 8), Abraham was about to plunge the knife into Isaac’s heart when no animal was in sight. The writer of Hebrews tells us that Abraham “considered that God is able to raise men even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type” (Heb. 11:19).
But whatever Abraham’s human understanding may have been, we have God’s own testimony that “by faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son” (v. 17, emphasis added). Abraham did not count on there being a way out; he counted only on God’s righteousness, faithfulness, and power to raise the dead, which he believed God would do to keep His covenant (see Heb. 11:17–19). And because of the unreserved and unconditional faith to which Abraham’s readiness to sacrifice his son testified, God counted him righteous (Gen. 15:6; Rom. 4:3; Gal. 3:6). No wonder, then, that he became “the father of all who believe” (Rom. 4:11; cf. v. 16; Gal. 3:7), and that “those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer” (Gal. 3:9).
Although we will never be tested in the way or to the extreme that Abraham was tested, we nevertheless can be certain of having tests. Our Lord assures us that “in the world [we will] have tribulation” (John 16:33), and even more explicitly that “‘a slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (15:20). Reflecting that truth, the Puritan theologian John Trapp wrote, “One son God hath without sin, but none without sorrow” (cited in I. D. E. Thomas, A Puritan Golden Treasury [Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1977], 11).
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. 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. (1:5–8)
A fourth means to perseverance in trials is a believing heart, a comprehensive phrase that summarizes these four verses.
The first requirement for such belief is godly understanding. Especially when they are going through trials, believers need a special measure of understanding to help them through, and that need should drive them to ask of God to supply that understanding and wisdom. Strong, sound faith is not based on feelings but on knowledge and understanding of the promises of God’s truth, which is spiritual wisdom.
When believers face times of testing—whether physical, emotional, moral, or spiritual—they have special need of God’s wisdom. At such times one should remember the words of Solomon: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil” (Prov. 3:5–7). He goes on to say of godly wisdom that “her ways are pleasant ways and all her paths are peace” (v. 17). Later in the epistle of James, God’s heavenly wisdom will be described as “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy” (3:17).
In Job’s final response to his friends and would-be counselors, who had given him much foolish advice, he comments:
But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man does not know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living. The deep says, “It is not in me;” and the sea says, “It is not with me.” Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it, nor can silver be weighed as its price. It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx, or sapphire. Gold or glass cannot equal it, nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold. Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned; and the acquisition of wisdom is above that of pearls. The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, nor can it be valued in pure gold. Where then does wisdom come from? And where is the place of understanding? Thus it is hidden from the eyes of all living and concealed from the birds of the sky. Abaddon and Death say, “With our ears we have heard a report of it.” (Job 28:12–22)
Then, after discounting all of those false and futile sources of wisdom, Job says simply, “God understands its way, and He knows its place” (v. 23). God, and God alone, is the source of wisdom. It was this truth that caused Paul to pray to God for believers to be granted wisdom, knowledge, and enlightenment (Eph. 1:17–18), as well as discernment (Phil. 1:9; cf. Col. 1:9–10). That is also James’s point.
It should go without saying that trials should enhance our prayer life, as we turn to the Lord for guidance, strength, patience, and wisdom. And when we ask of God, our heavenly Father, for His wisdom, James assures us that, far from being miserly in dispensing that gracious gift to His children, He gives to all generously and without reproach. It is the Lord’s loving desire to impart divine understanding abundantly to His faithful saints. That is surely one of the most beautiful and encouraging promises in all of Scripture.
Let him ask translates an imperative verb in the Greek. James is not giving personal advice but a divine command, and therefore our calling on the Lord for wisdom is not an option. It is mandatory. And if a believer who is being tested is not driven to the Lord and does not develop a deeper prayer life, the Lord is likely to keep the test active and even intensify it until His child comes to the throne of grace—until he makes his “ear attentive to wisdom,” and inclines his “heart to understanding” (Prov. 2:2). And “if you cry for discernment,” Solomon continues, “if you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will discern the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God” (vv. 3–5; cf. Job 28:12–23; Matt. 13:44–46).
Although God has wisdom in abundance (Rom. 11:33) and is infinitely more willing to impart His wisdom than we are to ask for it, He nevertheless expects us to ask Him for it. It is not something that the Lord will impress on an unwilling heart and mind. “‘I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart’” (Jer. 29:11–13). Jesus calls on us to call on Him, promising that “whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13). To reinforce the promise, He says again, “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it” (v. 14).
Generously translates haplös, which carries the idea of singleness of heart, of doing something unconditionally, without bargaining. The only condition is that we ask. When we simply come in our trials to God asking for His help and wisdom, He immediately and single-mindedly gives it to us generously. That divine liberality is expressed in Jesus’ beautiful promise:
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! (Matt. 7:7–11)
Reproach translates a participial form of a verb that means “to upbraid, to severely reprimand.” In Matthew 5:11 it is rendered “cast insults,” or “revile” (KJV). The term is used in Matthew 11:20 of the Lord’s reproach of the cities of Chorazin and Bethsaida, of whom He said, “It will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you” (v. 22); and of Capernaum, who, He warned, “will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day” (v. 23).
But the Lord will never cast even the mildest reproach on a child of His who comes seeking wisdom in time of trouble and testing. He will not remind us of how undeserving and unworthy we are, obvious as that might be. Nor will He chide us for not asking sooner, fully understanding that “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38). Without hesitation, reluctance, or reservation, His divine wisdom will be given to us in generous abundance. He will say to us, in effect, what He said to His people Israel through the psalmist, “I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide and I will fill it” (Ps. 81: 10).
James next turns from the willing Father to the waiting child, making clear that the Lord requires the right kind of asking, which must be in faith without any doubting (cf. v.8). In other words, it must be a request backed by genuine trust in God’s character, purpose, and promises.
Some Christians simply doubt that God will give them what they need, and rationalize their doubt in countless ways. They believe they are undeserving, which is true, but, as already pointed out, irrelevant. Or they may think their needs are not worthy of God’s attention, which also is true but irrelevant, for, in His boundless grace and love, He sovereignly chooses to take great interest in things that, in the grand scheme of things, seem utterly insignificant. Other Christians are inclined to dispute with God, wondering why He allowed a calamity to come upon them in the first place or why He doesn’t provide them a way out.
A request that does not take God at His word, that doubts either His ability or His trustworthiness, is presumptuous and worthless and is an affront. “Without faith it is impossible to please Him,” the writer of Hebrews reminds us, “for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). As Paul admonishes, we are “to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension” (1 Tim. 2:8). We are to remember Jesus’ promise: “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen. And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive” (Matt. 21:21–22). Reinforcing those words of Jesus, Paul assures us that “my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19).
The believer who doubts, however, is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. His request is not really a request at all, because he foolishly and disdainfully does not believe it will be honored by God. Among other things, such a person is terribly immature, like a child, “tossed here and there by waves.” Tragically, that immaturity leads to the even greater danger of being “carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming” (Eph. 4:14). When God is not trusted, the only course is to go from bad to worse to worse still.
Such a person cannot expect that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is like ancient Israel, whom Elijah rebuked, saying, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him” (1 Kings 18:21). He becomes a Laodicean, a sham Christian who is “neither hot nor cold,” whom the Lord “will spit… out of [His] mouth” (Rev. 3:16).
Simply put, he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Although he claims to be a believer, his action reveals he is an unbeliever. When he goes through a severe trial, he turns to human resources rather than singularly trusting the Lord for answers and for help. Or he becomes bitter and resentful and seeks no help at all. He does not renounce God, but he acts as if God doesn’t exist, doesn’t care, or isn’t capable of delivering him from trouble. He knows something of God’s Word and of God’s love, grace, and providence; but he refuses to avail himself of those divine resources. As James points out later in the letter, that person’s problem, of course, is sin. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you,” he admonishes. “Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (4:8). There the “double-minded” are called “sinners,” a term used only for unbelievers (see comments on 4:8).
Regardless of how he may view himself, the double-minded person is trying to serve two gods, which, as the Lord declares, is impossible. “Either [you] will hate the one and love the other, or [you] will be devoted to one and despise the other” (Matt. 6:24). In his classic allegory, Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan calls such a man Mister Facing Both Ways. That feat is just as impossible spiritually as it is physically. “A friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4); and, conversely, a person who is truly a friend of God is an enemy of the world. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deut. 6:5, emphasis added). There is no other way to truly love Him, trust Him, or serve Him.
A HUMBLE SPIRIT
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. (1:9–11)
A fifth means to perseverance in trials is a humble spirit.
James first addresses the brother of humble circumstances, that is, the saint who was economically poor and who represented most of the scattered and persecuted Jewish believers to whom he wrote. Many of them, no doubt, had once been at least somewhat well-off financially but had their homes and other possessions confiscated or had to leave them behind when fleeing their persecutors. At this time, their most common lot was poverty.
Despite that circumstance, however, such a believer was to glory in his high position. Kauchaomai (glory) is often translated “rejoice” or “boast.” James is speaking of a legitimate form of pride that even the most destitute Christian can have in his high position as a child of God and in the countless blessings that position brings. He may be considered “the scum of the world, the dregs of all things” (1 Cor. 4:13) in the eyes of the world, but in God’s eyes he is exalted. He may be hungry, but he has the bread of life. He may be thirsty, but he has the water of life. He may be poor, but he has eternal riches. He may be cast aside by men, but he has been eternally received by God. He may have no home on earth, but he has a glorious abode in heaven. When God, in His wisdom and sovereignty, takes away physical possessions from some of His children, it is for the purpose of making them spiritually mature, a blessing infinitely more valuable than anything they have lost or have wanted but never possessed. The believer who is deprived in this life can accept that temporary and insignificant deprivation because he has a future divine inheritance that is both eternal and secure.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” Peter exults,
who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials. (1 Pet. 1:3–6)
John gives similar encouragement and cause for rejoicing. “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are,” he says.
For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. (1 John 3:1–3)
In His incarnation, the Lord promised, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” and, “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:3, 5).
It is for all those reasons that Paul could say “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8:16–18).
James then presents the other side of the principle. Just as a materially poor believer should rejoice in his spiritual riches, the materially rich man [should] glory in his humiliation. The idea is that a believer who is materially well-off, healthy, and otherwise physically blessed should rejoice when trials come, for they teach him the transitory nature of those material things and their inability to give inner and lasting satisfaction or help, especially spiritual help. Both he and his possessions are like flowering grass and will pass away. “All flesh is like grass,” Peter reminds us, quoting Isaiah, “and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off” (1 Pet. 1:24; cf. Isa. 40:6–7).
Because men, including believers, have a natural tendency to trust in material things, James gives special attention to the dangers of wealth. Expanding on the temporariness of physical things and emphasizing the danger of trusting in them, he adds, 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. This is a picture of the flowers and grasses of Israel, which flourish in February and dry up by May. James borrows this imagery from Isaiah 40:6–8 (cf. Pss. 102:4, 11; 103:15).
The loss of material things is meant to drive the rich person to the Lord and to greater spiritual maturity, blessing, and satisfaction. And at that point, the rich and poor are exactly alike. Neither material possessions nor lack of them is of any ultimate consequence. What is of significance is a trusting relationship to the Lord, who showers all of His children with spiritual wealth that will never diminish or fail to satisfy.
Faith in Christ to supply his needs lifts the lowly believer beyond his trials to the great height of a position in the eternal kingdom of Christ, where, as God’s child, he is rich and may rejoice and boast. Faith in Christ does an equally blessed thing for the rich believer, whose riches are temporary; it fills him with the spirit of lowliness and true humility. As the poor brother forgets all his earthly poverty, so the rich brother forgets all his earthly riches. The two are equals by faith in Christ.
When you lose a daughter, son, wife, husband, or other loved one, wealth is no comfort. When you lose your health, are betrayed by a friend, or are wrongfully maligned, money cannot buy peace of mind or decrease the pain. Trials are the great equalizer, bringing all of God’s children to dependence on Him. Wealth does not bring God closer, nor does poverty keep Him further away. In light of that truth and the present text, the beautiful, well-known passage from Hebrews could be modified: “Therefore let us draw near with [equal] confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may [equally] receive mercy and [equally] find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16; cf. Phil. 4:19).
THE REWARD FOR PERSEVERANCE
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. (1:12)
Makarios (blessed) is the same word with which each of the Beatitudes of Matthew 5 begins, making this verse itself a beatitude. Blessed means much more than the mere happiness of a carefree life that has little conflict or trouble. It rather carries the idea of profound inner joy and satisfaction, a joy that only the Lord Himself is able to bestow on those who, for His sake and in His power, faithfully and patiently endure and conquer trials. “In this you greatly rejoice,” Peter says, “even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:6–7).
The man who perseveres under trial is the man who never relinquishes his confident trust in God. He is a true believer, who perseveres and becomes the man who has been approved (by passing the test with faith intact). The principle is simple, clear, and marvelously gracious: perseverance brings God’s approval, and His approval brings the crown of life. The term for “crown” is borrowed from athletics rather than royalty. It was the wreath placed on the victor’s head in athletic events, symbolizing persevering triumph. And a more literal translation could be “the crown which is life,” that is, eternal life. Consequently a more accurate statement of the principle is this: perseverance attests to God’s approval, for it gives evidence of eternal life (salvation). In other words, perseverance does not result in salvation and eternal life, but is itself the result and evidence of salvation and eternal life.
“In the future,” Paul assures us with divine authority “there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:8; cf. Rev. 2:10). In his previous letter, the apostle admonishes his beloved son in the faith, “Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called” (1 Tim. 6:12). Another great apostle gives believers the same assurance: “When the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory” (1 Pet. 5:4). This crown—referred to as “the crown of life,”“the crown of righteousness,” or “the crown of glory”—is the same crown and will be received by every believer. It is not one of the various rewards that believers will receive based on their faithfulness (as mentioned in 1 Cor. 3:12–15) but is the common “reward” of salvation that is bestowed on all believers because of their saving faith in Jesus Christ.
James clearly associates faithful perseverance under trial with genuine love for God, perseverance being one of the surest evidences of those who love Him. That phrase, in fact, is a biblical definition of a genuine believer—a person who truly loves God. John repeatedly connects love of God with genuine faith. “The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:8); “God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (v. 16); and, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments” (5:3). Peter writes, “And though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory” (1 Pet. 1:8). Paul wrote that any person who does not love the Lord is cursed (1 Cor. 16:22).
A genuine Christian is not someone who at one point in time made a profession of faith in Christ, but he is a person who demonstrates true faith by an ongoing love for God that cannot be damaged, much less destroyed, by troubles and afflictions, no matter how severe or long-lasting. Like obedience to God’s will (John 14:15; 15:9–10; 1 John 2:5–6; 4:16; 5:1–3), love of Him is certain evidence of true faith.
Gardiner Spring, a well-known evangelical pastor in New York City in the early nineteenth century, wrote concerning the persevering power of genuine love for the Lord:
There is a vast difference between such an affection and that selfish and unhallowed friendship to God which terminates on our own happiness as its supreme motive and end. If a man, in his supposed love to God, has no ultimate regard except to his own happiness; if he delights in God, not for what He is, but for what He is to him; in such a sentiment there is no moral virtue. There is indeed great love of self, but no true love to God. But where the enmity of the carnal mind is slain, the soul is reconciled to the Divine character as it is. God Himself, in the fulness of His manifested glory, becomes the object of devout and delighted contemplation. In his more favored hours the views of a good man are in a great measure diverted from himself; as his thoughts glance toward the varied excellence of the Deity, he scarcely stops to inquire whether the Being whose character fills his mind and in comparison of whose dignity and beauty all things are atoms and vanity, will extend His mercy to him…. His soul cleaves to God, and in the warmth and fervor of devout affection, he can often say, “Whom have I in heaven but thee, and there is none on the earth that I desire beside thee. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God” (Ps. 73:25; 42:1). (The Distinguishing Traits of Christian Character {Phillipsburg, N.J.: Presbyterian and Reformed, n.d.], 25–26)