notes

Main point summary

God is generous to those who ask for His guidance in withstanding the trials the He Himself brings to us (cf, v. 17). He expects us to come to Him without wavering or fearing that He will not aid us.

Arc

editing

NT

James 1:2-8

esv

mine

e Count it all joy, my brothers, 1 ἡγέομαι

when you meet trials f of various kinds,

temporal

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

ground

And let steadfastness have its full effect,

that you may be i perfect and complete,

actionpurpose

lacking in nothing. (λείπω)

actionresult

actionmanner

j If any of you lacks wisdom,

k let him ask God ,

l who gives generously to all without reproach , ἁπλοῦ ς

ideaexplanation

and it will be given him.

conditional

But m let him ask in faith,

n with no doubting,

for the one who doubts

[he] is like o a wave of the sea

that is driven and tossed by the wind.

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

p he is a double-minded man,

q unstable in all his ways.

negativepositive

inference

discourse

Outline

I. 1st Imperative: Consider (vv. 2-3) A. Consider joy in the midst of trials 1. Trials come in various forms 2. Trials produce perseverance II. 2nd Imperative: Let steadfastness work (vv. 4-5) A. Trials produce perseverance 1. perseverance must be allowed to do its work 2. when perseverance is through we will be mature & complete 3. final perseverance will leave our faith wanting for nothing III. 3rd Imperative Let him ask...in faith, without doubting (vv. 5-8) A. The two sides of asking 1. In faith • God is generous to those who believe Him (not beguiling or deceitful) • God gives to the one who believes Him 2. In doubt • a doubter is one who is easily swayed (like a wave on the sea) • a doubter will not receive what he asks for because: – he is double-minded. This means he is divided on whether he will receive what has been asked for – he is unstable. The Greek word is only used twice in the NT, both occurrences here in James. It can mean restless, as in wandering, is the way that I see this. An unstable person "wanders" continuously through faith & doubt.

General Notes on the Passage

2a To consider or ponder upon something 2b Meet–to come across a circumstance. We know that God does nothing by chance. 3 The word 'know' is to understand through experience. 4a The idea is to let it bring about its full work. This seems to be parallel to 4b. 4b Perfection & completion have to with maturity, not sinlessness. 4c Lacking–to be in need of nothing; possessing everything needed for the task. 5a 1st class cond. Assumed reality • This begins the contrast (-/+) that ties vv. 5-8 together. 5b Present Imperative . 5c The word 'generous' has not only to do with benevolence, but with giving with all sincerity, and with no deceitfulness or beguiling. 6e God loves to give to those who show unwavering faith in His provisions. One who doubts (uncertainty, not unbelief) will never receive what he/she asks for. 8a Double-minded has to do with divided loyalties as contrasted to a single heart & mind.

Look-up

1 Peter 5:6-7

6 x Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 y casting all your anxieties on him, because z he cares for you.

Matthew 6:25-34

Do Not Be Anxious 25 e “Therefore I tell you, f do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 g Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. h Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his i span of life? 1 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, j even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, k O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For l the Gentiles seek after all these things, and m your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But n seek first o the kingdom of God and his righteousness, p and all these things will be added to you. 34 q “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

lookup

The Reality of Scripture

This passage is crucial in my life at this moment. I wish I could say that I was considering everything joy, or even that I was asking in faith without being double-minded. But the truth is that I have exhibited the qualities of an unstable man. I think that's why this passage hit me so hard as the Holy Spirit brought it to my mind, as well as the other two passages in the Look-Up module. Nothing hit me harder than coming to this realization. But it finally made me be totally honest with myself, especially before God.

Wisdom, Works, Worship

Trials are a necessary part of the believers life. We either respond in faith or in doubt. Those who respond in faith are sure to see God's generous hand in giving provision and ultimate deliverance from those trials. Those who respond in doubt will always wonder, "Does God love me?" It is this type of instability that causes God to withhold His hand from generously answering the person's prayer. The person may still be a child of God and genuinely redeemed, but he/she will forever be "tossed about" by their own unbelief and un-consdiering the joy that comes through perseverance.

Closing Prayer

All generous Father, May I myself believe you in all trials, in all circumstances, that you are the good God that you have told me to be. May you cause my heart to have singularity through faith and trust and rely on your provision. Keep me from being tossed about by unbelief; cast my doubts away as I cast my anxieties upon your shoulders. Thank you for being generous and faithful, despite my own unbelief at certain times. May your own Spirit living in me cause me to ponder my circumstances and trials and see the joy that is on the other side. You are good. I am but frail man and dust. Yet, you rain your mercies upon me everyday. Thank you. Amen.

Main point summary

God is generous to those who ask for His guidance in withstanding the trials the He Himself brings to us (cf, v. 17). He expects us to come to Him without wavering or fearing that He will not aid us.