Criswell Theological
Review 1.1 (1986) 71-84.
Copyright © 1986 by The
SUFFERING IN JAMES 1:2-12
TRACY L. HOWARD
Grace Theological Seminary,
The
Christian lives paradoxically in two different worlds. By virtue
of his identification with the risen Christ, his
spiritual citizenship has
been transferred from the domain of this present age
to the age to
come. The Christian thus lives in an “already/not
yet” tension for
although the age to come has been inaugurated, it
has not been realized
in all of its fulness.
This realization will occur at the Parousia at which
time the believer's spiritual citizenship will be
openly manifested. As
W.
D. Davies says, “Christians are already in the Age to Come
‘in
Christ'
and . . . future events can only make this fact explicit.”1 Because
the Christian is no longer a part of this age, it
should not be thought
strange that affliction, trials, and even
persecution are not only possible
but inevitable. Nevertheless, it is easy to lose
perspective in the midst
of such circumstances and thus several questions
arise: How should the
Christian
respond to suffering? What is its purpose for the
believer?
Will
there ever be a resolution to this predicament? In Jas 1:2-12, the
writer addresses the issue of suffering and attempts
to answer some of
the questions facing Christians as they live as
pilgrims in this present
evil age. Therefore, the purpose of this article is
to offer a brief
exegetical study of Jas 1:2-12 and extract several
biblical principles for
responding to suffering which were true not only
for the original
audience but which are equally valid for
believers today.2
1 W. D. Davies, Paul and Rabbinic Judaism (Philadelphia:
Fortress, 4th ed., 1980)
319.
2 The focus of this
article is on trials or suffering from without
rather than on
temptation from within
which James takes up in 1:13. Certainly trials from without, if not
responded to properly, can lead to temptation from
within. However, in Jas 1:2-12
attention is given to undeserved suffering from without, namely, suffering which is not
the result of the violation of some natural or
moral law of God. In this article both "trials"
and “suffering" are considered synonymous
terms.
72
CRISWELL THEOLOGICAL
REVIEW
I.
Background
While several views exist on the
nature of the recipients,3 the most
likely addressees were Jewish-Christians living in the
dispersion. The
use of a]delfoi< in the vocative throughout the epistle suggests this
conclusion
(cf. 1:1, 16, 19; 2:1, 5; 3:10, 12; 4:11; 5:7, 9, 10, 12, 19). The
life setting, however, is more difficult to
determine. Some such as M.
Dibelius virtually abandon any attempt to discover
a setting or local
situation, believing the material to be a
miscellaneous collection of
traditional teachings from various sources without
any coherence in
theme or theology.4 However, P. Davids has responded to this con-
clusion by proposing that the
epistle is primarily Leidenstheologie,
namely, a theology of suffering.5 This
would be true particularly in
connection with Jas 1:2-12 in which the writer sets
forth the subject of
"trials from without." It is possible that these
believers had been
scattered from
encourage them in the midst of suffering in the
dispersion (cf. Acts 8:1
4;
11:19-20).6
II.
Interpretation
Exhortations Regarding
Suffering (1:2-8)
The believer in this present world
is embroiled in a war between
good and evil. The consequences of war is that one
faces battles, in
which case one must be prepared. James exhorts the
believer that
when he faces the battle of trials he should respond
two ways: 1) with
an attitude of joy and 2) with prayer for wisdom.
Exhortation to Respond with Joy (vv
2-4). A proper response to
trials is essential for any hope of victory. The
believer is thus exhorted
3 For example, J. Adamson
(The Epistle of James [NIC;
1976]
49-51) interprets tai?j dw<deka fulai?j tai>j e]n t^? diaspor%? as
including both
Christian and non-Christian Jews. Others take the phrase
figuratively as denoting
Christendom
in general which is conceived as the true
of the ancient people of God (cf.. James Moffatt, The General Epistles
[MNTC;
Hodder and
Commentary on the
Epistle of St. James
[ICC; Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1916] 118).
4 M. Dibelius,
A Commentary on the Epistle of James (Hermeneia;
Fortress, 1975) 47.
5 Peter H. Davids, The Epistle of James
(New International Greek Testament
Commentary;
on the Epistle of James," JETS 23 (1980) 97-103.
6 Donald W. Burdick,
"James," in The Expositor's
Bible Commentary (12 vols.;
Howard: SUFFERING IN
JAMES 1:2-12 73
“to consider" the occasion of the trial with “pure joy.”
By the employ-
ment of the aorist h]gh<sasqe rather than the
present, James may be
thinking of each special case when one encounters
a trial.7 The word
translated “pure” (pa?san) refers to the degree
by which the joy is to be
expressed.8 The NEB renders it “supremely.”
When it is used with
“joy"
(xara<n) the idea moves beyond
the expression of simple emotion.
There
is no facade here either. Rather, the believer can consider the
occasion of a trial as supreme or pure joy because
there is the inner
awareness that God is at work in his life.
Furthermore, this should be
the response whenever “any kind” (poiki<loij) of trial occurs.9
The
word for “trials” (peirasmoi?j) describes things that
put a person to the
test. It can describe either a trial or difficulty
from without, such as
physical persecution or even economic oppression,
or an inner moral
test, such as the enticement to sin. From the
context, it would appear
that 1:2-4, 12 refer to the former sense and 1:13-18
describe the latter
meaning.10 The reason for this is
that trials are endured whereas
temptation is resisted and in both vv 3 and 12, James discusses the
importance of enduring trials when they occur.11
The basis for the exhortation is
given in v 3 through the use of the
causal participle ginw<skontej. The NASB translation obscures the
semantic connection with the preceding clause by
rendering it simply
“knowing." A more precise connection might be “because
you are
aware.”12 Specifically, these believers
are aware that the means of
testing their faith produces endurance (to>
doki<mion u[mw?n th?j pi<stewj
katerga<zetai
u[pomonh<n). James shifts his terminology from peirasmo<j
(v 2) to doki<moin,
thus creating a shift in tone13 This shift is necessary
7 Cf. J. H. Moulton,
'.Prolegomena," in A Grammar of New
Testament Greek (4
yols.;
8 BAGD 631; see also
Joseph B. Mayor, The Epistle of St. James
(
Macmillan, 1913) 32; Ropes, James 129.
9 The adjective poiki<loj literally means
"of various kinds, diversified, manifold"
and should include more than just physical
persecution (cf. BAGD 683).
10 See Burdick,
"James" 168; D.
Moody,
1979) 72; Mayor, James 33; Ropes, James 133; R. V. G. Tasker,
The General
Epistle of James (Tyndale
New Testament Commentary; London: Tyndale, 1956) 40;
see also NASB NEB NIV and RSV which translate peirasmo<j as "trial";
the translation
“temptation” in the KJV is unfortunate and ambiguous in terms
of what James is actually
describing. That peirasmo<j can mean
"trial" in the sense of affliction or suffering is
indicated by its use in some of the synoptic
parallels (see Luke 8:13 [peirasmo<j] par. Matt
13:21
[qli?yij
and diwgmo<j]).
11 Ropes, James 133; notice the use of u[pomonh< and u[pome<nw in vv 2-4 and v 12,
respectively.
12 Cf. Dibelius, James
72.
13 Davids, James 68.
74
CRISWELL THEOLOGICAL
REVIEW
because whereas peirasmo<j focuses on the trial
itself, doki<mion
is a
reference to the "means of testing."14
Some have interpreted doki<mion,
as "the genuineness" of one's faith.15
This would mean that when one is
tested, the testings sift
out the genuine portion of his faith and it is that
aspect of faith which produces endurance.16
This idea may not neces-
sarily be absent in v 3. James
might be referring not only to the means
of testing but also to the approval which remains
following the refining
process, an idea latent in 1 Pet 1:7 and also in
Jas 1:12 in which approval
follows endurance.
James, however, does not say that
merely the testing of one's faith
is the cause for joy, but rather, the result or
"accomplishment" (kat-
erga<zetai)17 that
occurs through the testing, namely, u[pomonh<n.18 The
KJV
translation of u[pomonh< ("patience")
is weak. A better translation is
"endurance" (NASB) or "steadfastness" (RSV).
Ropes suggests the
nuance of "staying power."19 The
idea is unwavering constancy to faith
in spite of adversity and suffering. This is not a
single act but a state of
character that results over time when there is a faithful response to
testing. Moffatt
writes, "Only trial can prove
what we are made of,
whether we possess this supreme quality of
steadfastness or constancy
to our convictions."20
James' statement here echoes Matt
5:11-12 in
which Jesus forges a link between joy and
persecution. Jesus says that
the basis for joy is the promise of great reward in
the Kingdom of
Heaven. Hence the hope of the future adds an
eschatological dimension
to the endurance of trials in the present (cf. Jas
1:12).21
Thus James exhorts believers to
respond to the occasion of trials
with pure joy because they are fully aware that by
the testing of their
faith the character trait of spiritual endurance is
achieved. Yet this is
14 Cf. Prov. 27:21 (LXX); Sir 2:5 in which the same root suggests
the "means of
testing;" I agree with both Davids (James 68)
and Dibelius (James
72) that doki<mion
has
two meanings: in 1 Pet 1:7 the word means
"genuineness" whereas here "means of
testing."
15 BAGD 203; see also
Burdick, "James" 168; this understanding is based on the
papyrus usage in which doki<mion is used as an abstract
substantive to denote "that which
is genuine, approved" by testing (cf. A. Deismann, Bible
Studies [
16 Cf. W. Grundmann, " do<kimoj"
TDNT 2 (1964) 258-59.
17 Note the perfective
use of kata< (See Moulton, Grammar 1.111-15).
18 There is absolutely no
external testimony to support Adamson's (James
00-92)
emendation u[pomon^?. It is pure conjecture in an effort to harmonize the uses
of Jas 1:3
and 1 Pet 1:7. Hence, u[pomonh<n is preferred.
19 Ropes,
James 135.
20 Moffatt, General
Epistles 9.
21 The importance of
endurance is likewise found in Jewish tradition (cf. Sir 2:1-6;
Jdt 8:25; 1Qs 10,17; 1 QH
5:15-17; 1 QM 16:15-17:3; T. Jos. 2; for a patristic example, see
Did. 16:5).
Howard: SUFFERING IN
JAMES 1:2-12 75
not the complete picture, for James goes on in v 4
to describe a work
that endurance performs.
The particle de< introduces v 4 and in
this instance indicates a
transition to a similar theme. Furthermore, the
repetition of u[pomonh<
serves to link vv 3 and 4. The believers are commanded
to let (e]xe<tw)
endurance have its complete effect (e@rgon te<leion).22 James
does not
issue an option but a command.23 According
to him, endurance left to
itself is not enough. The believer must allow it to
have its complete
effect, the goal or purpose of which (i!na) is to ensure the ethical
character of the mature believer.24
James states his purpose both
positively and negatively. Positively,
the purpose is that the believer might be
"perfect and entire" (te<leioi
kai>
o[lo<klhroi). The adjective o[lo<klhroi denotes the perfect, mature,
fully developed character in a moral sense.25
Hence the perfect effect
of allowing endurance to work is the perfect character of the one
tested. The parallel adjective o[lo<klhroi also conveys the notion
of
“complete, blameless, whole."26 It is used
here in a qualitative sense to
denote the ethical integrity which characterizes the
mature Christian.
Maturity,
therefore, is the ultimate goal of one's faith being tested.
James emphasizes this point further
by adding the negative phrase
“1acking
in nothing" (e]n mhdeni> leipo<menoi).
If the negative is intended
to counterbalance the positive description just
given, Hiebert may be
correct when he writes, "It may thus
picture James' concern that in no
area of their development they should fail to reach
the goal, and that no
part of their personality should fail to develop,
leaving them in an
unbalanced state."27
James recognizes that suffering is a
reality for the Christian living
in this present age. He also knows that through
experiences of suffering,
God
is at work to produce endurance and ultimately maturity. For this
reason, the child of God should respond not with fear
or frustration but
rather with pure joy. Thus from the analysis of vv 2-4
a principle can
be stated regarding the believer and suffering.
Principle
#1: The believer should respond in joy to the occasion of
suffering, because it is by means of testing that
the ultimate goal of
spiritual maturity is accomplished. Furthermore,
only by faith in God is
such a response possible (cf. v 3 to>
doki<mion u[mw?n th?j pi<stewj).
22 te<leion here denotes that which
has "attained the end, purpose" (BAGD 809).
Consequently,
e@rgon is properly rendered
"effect" (cf. Mayor, James
36).
23 e]xe<tw is a present active
imperative third person singular; the force is thus
stronger than simple permission or allowance.
24 Hiebert, James
77.
25 BAGD 809; G. Delling, "te<leioj" TDNT 8 (1972) 74.
26 BAGD
564.
27 Hiebert, James
78.
76
CRISWELL THEOLOGICAL
REVIEW
Exhortation to Respond with Prayer for Wisdom
(vv 5-8). The
problem which faces the believer who is going
through suffering is that
there is a tendency to lose perspective and
direction. It is easy for one's
attention to be diverted from God to the
circumstances surrounding
him. For that reason James offers the additional
exhortation to pray for
God's wisdom. This discussion must be
viewed in light of vv 2-4. This
is not some unconnected exhortation. The command
to seek wisdom is
quite specific in terms of the suffering James has
just described.
Although
some hold that no link exists between vv 2-4 and 5-8,28
there
seems to be an intentional connection through the
repetition of lei<pw in
v 5 (cf. v 4b). Furthermore, the particle de< is frequently used in a
transitional sense without any
contrast intended.29
V 5 begins with the conditional
phrase "now if any of you lack
wisdom" (Ei]
de< tij u[mw?n lei<petai sofi<aj). While this condition
does
not necessarily imply the certainty of a given
situation, the likelihood of
such a condition existing seems evident.30
The readers lacked God's
perspective. They were given the exhortation in vv
2-4 to respond to
suffering in joy. Yet the question remains,
"how am I to see trial in this
light, and make this use of it? it
needs a higher wisdom."31 The believer
in suffering does not simply need more knowledge.
Instead, he needs
spiritual insight in applying what he knows in the
particular situation.
Specifically
he needs sofi<a. The word basically
means, "Good judg-
ment in the face of demands
made by human and specifically by the
Christian life, (practical) wisdom."32 It involves the divine
quality of
the soul whereby one knows and skillfully practices
righteousness.33
Also
wisdom is to be sought "from God" (para>
tou? qeou?). This idea is
thoroughly Jewish being found particularly in
wisdom literature (cf.
28 Dibelius,
James 77; he feels the connection
with what precedes is superficial; see
also W.
(5
vols.;
29 BAGD
171.
30 Hiebert
notes that the condition "assumes the reality of need and views it as a
standing fact," James 79. He cites as
justification for such an interpretation A. T.
Robertson
and W. Hersey Davis, A New Short Grammar of the Greek Testament (Grand
Rapids: Baker, reprint 1977) 350-51. However, J. L. Boyer
(see "First Class Conditions:
What
Do They Mean?," GTJ 2 [1981]:75-114) has done a thorough inductive study on
first class conditions and concludes that the correct
explanation of the first class condition
is a simple logical connection between protasis and apodosis. Hence, while the condition
in Jas 1:2 is probably considered certain, the use
of ei] with the indicative
does not
necessitate it.
31 Mayor,
James 38.
32 BAGD
759.
33 A similar idea is
found in Wis 7:7ff; 8:7; 9:10-18. The Hebrew word for
wisdom
(hmkH) is frequently rooted
in a right attitude toward God (Prov 9:10; 15:33; Ps
111:10;
Job
28:28).
Howard: SUFFERING IN
JAMES 1:2-12 77
Prov 2:6; Eccl 2:26; Sir 1:1; 39: 5, 6; 51:17; Wis 7:7; 8:21; 9:6). The
command to seek wisdom is given through the use
of the present
imperative ai]tei<tw, suggesting that this
plea is not to be a one time
action. It is to be done continually. In some ways it
is reminiscent of
Matt
7:7 in which Jesus exhorts his audience to “Keep asking.
. . keep
seeking . . . keep knocking.” In a similar
fashion, the prayer for wisdom
should be continually offered for it is that spiritual
insight which
enables the believer to maintain perspective and
a sense of order when
everything surrounding him is in chaos.
James offers further incentive for
prayer by reminding his readers
that God is one who gives to all men “without mental
reservation”
(a]plw?j) and “without reproach”
(mh> o]neidi<zontoj). The word a[plw?j is
a hapax legomenon and has been interpreted in two ways: “gen-
erously”34 or “without mental
reservation.”35 The root certainly can
mean “generosity.”36 Yet one can supply
evidence as well for the latter
definition. In fact, that nuance is preferable for
the following reasons:37
1)
The meaning is well testified in extra biblical material (cf. Epict.
Diss. 2.2.13;
Herm.
“mental
reservation" seems to fit better the parallel mh>
o]neidi<zontej;
3)
This nuance prepares one for the double-minded petitioner in v 6
whose divided loyalty renders his prayer ineffective.
Davids correctly
summarizes the use of a[plw?j
in v 5: “God is, then, one who gives
sincerely, without hesitation or mental
reservation. He does not
grumble or criticize. His commitment to this
people is total and
unreserved. They can expect to receive."38
Furthermore, James says that God
does not reproach or scold His
children for asking or berate them for previously
committed sins (cf.
mh>
o]neidi<zontej). Instead, God is waiting to give wisdom to any child
of God who asks. Thus He promises to give His
spiritual insight to
those who are suffering (cf. kai> doqh<setai au]t&?) without mental reser-
vation nor by reproaching or
insulting the one asking. Nevertheless,
there is a condition attached to this promise.
James introduces v 6 with the
adversative de< (“but”) and with it
reminds the reader that the promise outlined in
v 5 is not unconditional.
He
writes, “But let him ask in faith, doubting nothing." The act of
prayer alone is not effectual, but instead it is the
prayer “in faith,
doubting nothing" (e]n
pi<stei mhde>n diakrino<menoj) that ensures God's
34 BAGD
86; Burdick, "James" 169; Ropes James
140.
35
Adamson, James 56; Davids, James
72-73; Dibelius, James
79; Mayor, James 39.
36 See T. Iss. 3:8; Jos. Ant. 7:332; 2 Cor 8:2; 9:11.
37 For a thorough
analysis of this issue, see Davids, James 72-73 and Dibelius,
James 77-79.
38 Davids, James 73.
78 CRISWELL THEOLOGICAL
REVIEW
response. The phrase e]n pi<stei is a circumlocution for
"let him believe
God
when he asks." Adamson interprets the phrase as, "confidence in
prayer."39 This is a clear indicator
that the life of faith is important for
James.40
Faith is that which God tests in order to bring about maturity
(v 3) and it is faith that promises God's response to one's
plea for
wisdom. The phrase mhde>n
diakrino<menoj serves to emphasize e]n
pi<stei. It describes one who is controlled by indecision and
uncertainty
and who has difficulty making choices when faced
with alternatives.41
This
person wrestles with himself wanting things asked for yet then
desiring something else. In fact, James likens
him to "a surge of the sea
being moved and blown by the wind" (klu<dwni
qala<sshj a]nemizome<nw
kai>
r[ipizome<n&).42 The passive participle a]neimizome<n& is a hapax;
legomenon and means a "surf
moved and tossed by the wind,"43 while
r[ipizome<n&, also passive, denotes
that which “blows here and there, the
toss of the wind that sets a wave in motion on the
water."44 The picture
is that of instability or inconsistency. The
person who doubts fails to
believe that God can really do what is requested
and thus is the opposite
of one like Abraham who did not waver in unbelief (cf. Rom 4:20).45
James goes on to say in v 7 that such
a person should “not expect
that he will receive anything from the Lord."
The phrase “let not that
man expect" is emphatic. The use of mh< with the present
imperative
oi]e<sqw indicates that one who
doubts should stop thinking that God
will respond to his prayer.46 The reason
is then addressed in v 8.47
Ineffective
prayer, according to James, is due to being “double-
minded" (di<yuxoj)
and “unstable” (a]kata<stataj). The word di<yuxoj
39 Adamson, James 57; a similar idea is found in Sir
7:10 which says, "be not
fainthearted when thou makest thy prayer, and neglect not to give alms"
(APOT).
40 Mayor (James 38) goes too far when he says that
"wisdom" is the principle thing
to which James gives prominence even as Paul does
to "faith," John to "love," and Peter
to "hope." James also places great
stress on faith; in fact, he mentions pi<stij
16 times
while only referring to sofi<a 4 times.
41 Adamson, James 57; see also Hiebert,
James 84.
42 Ropes (James 141) renders klu<dwni
qala<sshj as "the billowing
sea"; the idea is a
succession of waves which are being swept along by
the wind.
43 BAGD
64.
44
Ibid. 736.
45 See F. Buchsel, "diakri<nw" TDNT 3 (1965) 947.
46 Since James describes
God the Father as the one who responds to prayer in v 5,
the phrase para>
tou? kuri<ou (v 7) most likely is a
reference to the same person.
47 There is a question
regarding the precise connection between vv 7 and 8 since no
verb is expressed in v 8 in the original. Two
alternatives have been suggested: 1) to
supply an equative verb
"is," and read v 8 as a separate sentence (either "he is a
double-
minded