Tom Lowe
1/24/2021
Text: James 1:12 (KJV)
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the Crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
INTRODUCTION
It is trials and tribulation in a Christian’s life that refines our trust in God and increases our dependence upon the Lord. The personal difficulties and dangers that we face in our everyday lives and our reaction to others’ distresses and despair are often the determining factor - of whether we hold fast to what we believe of Christ’s sufficient strength, OR, whether we allow seeds of doubt to darken our hearts to the goodness of God and so become tossed to and fro in a sea of uncertainty. But blessed is the man who endures such trials and tribulations, in the power of His might, because when he passes the test, he will receive the Crown of Life, which God has promised to all who love Him.
COMMENTARY
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the Crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. -- James 1:12 (KJV)
James echoes the thought begun in verse 2, where he called on believers to classify hard times as positive things. Why? Because our faith only grows stronger when tested by trials. Through our trials, trusting God pushes us toward the Christ-like maturity of trusting God more, and more deeply, and with greater endurance. That choice to keep trusting God amid the trial brings His blessing. Our circumstances may be challenging, but we have His approval. God is on the side of those who trust Him through life’s most challenging moments.
Those who maintain trust in God during hardships will receive “the Crown of Life.” Bible scholars are divided on exactly what James means by this. This might simply refer to eternal life itself, promised to all Christians who, by definition, love God. However, given the context of Scripture, this is an unlikely meaning. Eternal life is not hinged on our works or faithfulness (Titus 3:5).
A more likely explanation is that this Crown is “of life” in the same sense that other crowns are “of gold.” In that case, the reward for perseverance is improved circumstances. That is, the reward James speaks of may be a more abundant life here and now, on this side of eternity, or in heaven, or both. This would match well with Jesus’ own words regarding the effect of faith on our quality of life – “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).
Other scholars suggest that this mysterious Crown is an additional reward, given in eternity, for Christians who refused to stop trusting God even when their trials on earth became difficult. These believers trusted God through their trials instead of turning away. They loved God and continued to obey Him in their hardship. According to this interpretation, He will reward them with this specific Crown. Very similar language is used by the apostle John in the book of Revelation when he quotes Jesus making this very promise to those who are “faithful unto death” (Revelation 2:10). Paul and Peter also write about crowns to be given to faithful Christians (1 Corinthians 9:24–27; 1 Peter 5:4; 2 Timothy 4:8).
Scriptures
“Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” (1 Corinthians 9:24–27)
“And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.” (1 Peter 5:4)
“Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:8)
In any case, verse 12 makes the connection between our love for God and our ability to remain faithful to Him in hard times. Those who genuinely love God trust Him, and those who genuinely trust Him continue to obey even when life gets hard.
Dear reader, we have a vicious enemy that is seeking to shipwreck our faith in the goodness of God, and his strategy is to plant seeds of doubt in the mind of all believers so that their life is not fruitful, nor honoring to the Lord Who bought them. But the trials and tribulations that the enemy designed to make our faith unsteady can be used as the catalyst to strengthen our trust in God -- if we will go on in His sufficient strength, for this brings honor to our Father in heaven and an eternal reward for those that patiently endure.
We cannot stand firm in this evil day in our strength, but Christ has promised that His grace is sufficient. And when we do hold fast to the precious promises of God and remain anchored to the truth of His holy Word, we will not be tossed about like a frothy wave in a sea of doubt but will be anchored to the reality of His sufficient grace.
No matter the status of a believer, whether rich or poor, it is imperative that we are rooted and grounded in Christ and not reliant on our sufficiency and strength. The rich should never trust in his riches but trust in the Lord with all his heart and not rely on his bank-balance, influence, education, or position to hold him steady. Similarly, the poor man must never lose sight of the truth that God had given us everything we need for life and godliness and that IN Christ, we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing - for greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.
The difficulties we face in life can trip us up and tempt us into doubt and despair, but blessed is the man who endures these trials and tribulations because when he has passed the test, he will receive the magnificent Crown of Life, which the Lord our God has promised to all who love him. Let us praise God for His goodness and grace and seek to stand firm in Christ and hold fast to the promises of God - for our eternal benefit and to His greater glory.
Just as Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount begins with the Beatitudes (“Blessed are the poor in spirit…”), so James, the brother of Jesus, provides us his Beatitude in James 1:12. When you hear the word “blessed,” what do you think of? We typically associate blessing with painless existence and things going as we believe they should: relationships in the right place, finances in order, jobs both fruitful and fulfilling.
And yet here, James is writing to a people whose lives aren’t going as they had hoped. They are being persecuted and oppressed; they are experiencing not merely a trial, but in the words of James 1:2, “trials of various kinds.” Things are far from straightforward; they’re complicated and confusing. From the outside, we would never look at the lives of these early Christians and say they were living the “blessed life.” Interestingly, James doesn’t try to tie their blessing to the removal of trials or the extraction from their difficulty but instead calls them to steadfastness and perseverance under the trial because he knows that God’s still at work and has promised something much more significant to them. What does God promise?
To those who remain steadfast, he will award the “Crown of Life.” We hear Crown and immediately think of kings, scepters, and thrones. James had a different crown in mind: the Crown of an athlete. The ESV Study Bible explains, “Crown of life alludes not to the jewel-encrusted ruler’s Crown but the laurel wreath given to winners in athletic games (1 Cor. 9:25) and victorious emperors. The reward for faithful perseverance is eternal life, with all its abundant blessings (Rev. 2:10).”
When life doesn’t go your way, what’s your response? Do you throw in the towel of faith and go your own way, or do you persevere and trust in God’s wisdom over your own? Do you have a longer view in mind, one that outlasts this world, or do you think God owes you something immediately? James is trying to remind us that God’s presence is an indicator of biblical Christianity amid challenges and a people who continue to love God despite their pains and problems.
Christian, do not be deceived! The blessed life is not found in a trial-less life, but rather in an often trial-filled God-saturated life where you learn to be shaped by the One you love who’s promised the Crown of Life to you. Persevere and don’t give up! Remain steadfast! Stand the test! God is sovereignly and lovingly at work for His glory and your good. He is faithful to complete the work He started.
Do you remember the last time you experienced a challenging or difficult situation? Maybe you’re in the middle of one right now. We usually don’t get excited about going through them. When trouble comes, we sometimes ask, “Why is this happening?”
Many times, things happen that we don’t understand. But that’s okay—God doesn’t expect us to have everything figured out. We can trust that He knows and will take care of everything. He wants us to look to Him and say, “God, I have no idea what I’m going to do, but I’m trusting You to take care of me.”
The truth is when we are facing difficult situations that we don’t understand, one of the best things we can do is to trust God. It allows Him to take the wrong things that have happened and work them out for our benefit. Romans 8:28 (NIV) says, And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
We can trust that He is with us through every challenge we face, and we are ultimately going to come out stronger in the end.
Over the years, God has taught me so much about what it means to trust Him. For example, years ago, I had to trust God when He told me to quit my job so I could stay home and study God’s Word more. Even though God was preparing me for full-time ministry, it was hard because we were short $40 each month of what we needed to pay our monthly bills.
For six years, we had to have a miracle every month in our finances, and it didn’t make any sense to me at all why it was taking so long for our breakthrough. But God was teaching me how to trust Him for everything. I look back now and know that God was using this situation for my good and preparing me to do what I’m doing in ministry now.
Friend, I have learned from personal experience that putting my trust in God means there will be some unanswered questions. That was a hard lesson for me because I naturally want to understand everything to know what’s going on to feel like I’m in control.
It’s just human nature to try and figure things out. So, when we’re in the middle of a situation, we can quickly find ourselves trying to reason our way through it. We generally want to know “Why, God, why?” or “When, God, when?” We want to know now how everything is going to work out.
But when we trust God, we have to get comfortable with not knowing everything—not knowing how God will accomplish what needs to be done and not knowing when He will do it.
Instead, God wants to direct our paths (see Psalm 23:3; Psalm 37:23), and that means He sometimes leads us in ways that don’t make sense to us. If we try to figure everything out, we will experience struggle and confusion. But there is a better way.
Instead, we can wholly lean on Him, believing He wants what’s best for us. I know it’s easier said than done, mostly when “life” happens—when we can’t quite see how everything’s going to work out and we’re tempted to take matters into our own hands.
But Proverbs 3:5-8 says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Saying we trust God is one thing, but when we trust Him and lean on Him, we enter His rest. It’s a special kind of rest that you can have even in the middle of difficult circumstances. Everything doesn’t have to be perfect, and you don’t have to have all the answers, but you are trusting God to take care of you.
Most of us have spent our lives trying to take care of ourselves, but we must learn to trust our lives to His care. When we try to do things in our strength and leave God out, we get worn-out and frustrated. But when we wholly lean on God, it brings us His peace. When we stop trying to figure everything out, God can be God in our life.
I want to encourage you to trust God completely in every area of your life. Remember that He is always on your side, and He is fighting for you as you go through the challenges in your life. He loves you and has your best interest at heart at all times, and He is close to you when you’re hurting most (Psalm 34:18).
