Trials: The Proving Ground for Genuine Faith

James 1:2 – 8

 

From a young age I’ve always been a bigger guy. I was the tallest kid in my class in my early elementary school days until I got passed up by a buddy of mine and then I became the second tallest kid in my class. I knew I was big, and I was relatively strong, being a farm kid kind of does that to a boy. But in high school, when the other guys my size were trying out for football, I avoided it like the plague.

 

The stories from hell week were all I needed to hear to not sign up for that kind of torture. Looking back, I shouldn’t have been such a chicken, but I was never all that athletic anyway. But surrounding that kind of physical exertion are always sayings and slogans like “no pain, no gain” and “pain is weakness leaving the body.”

 

That quote, became a slogan that was synonymous with the U.S. Marine Corps. That’s because it was said by Lieutenant General Lewis Burwell “Chesty” Puller. He was the most decorated marine in history, earning five Navy Crosses and one Distinguished Service Cross. He served in three wars, including the Pacific theater in WWII. He was nicknamed Chesty because apparently he had a big chest. This guy was considered the epitome of a Marine combat officer.

 

But there is truth in that slogan, and in no pain, no gain. We don’t grow when we stay in our little comfort zones. Real growth requires discomfort. In the case of our bodies, it requires physical discomfort. Our faith, however, requires something else.

 

Today I begin preaching through the Epistle of James. This James was not one of the 12 apostles who walked with Jesus. This James was the half-brother of Jesus who didn’t believe in Jesus according to the Gospel of John. Clearly he had a real heart transformation because after the crucifixion and resurrection James was among those praying in the upper room at Pentecost who received the Holy Spirit.

 

He became a leader, if not the leader of the early church in Jerusalem. In Galatians, Paul refers to James, along with Peter and John, as those esteemed pillars of the church, and James was the one in Acts who wrote the letter against the Judaizing of Gentile converts.

His one and only letter contained in the Bible talks a lot about genuine faith, what it looks like, and how it ought to impact the lives of Christian believers. Many have said that James and Paul differed from each other when it came to faith and works. The reality is that the active and visible faith that James writes about demonstrates the true faith that Paul writes about. There is no disagreement in Scripture. So, let’s begin our journey through the book of James.

 

James 1:1: “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.”

 

James opens in a very simple greeting, and you’ll notice that he doesn’t identify himself as the half-brother of Jesus. Could you imagine growing up with Jesus, then seeing all that He did while on earth, and then He dies a gruesome death and rises from the dead, proving who He was, the Savior of the world.

 

James could have easily puffed out his chest saying, “yeah that’s my big brother.” He could have paraded around his brotherly relationship to God’s Messiah, but instead he begins in total humility. He was first and foremost a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. A servant. The leader of the early church in Jerusalem counted himself as a servant.

 

He doesn’t give us a specific region that he writes to. This is why James’ letter is counted among the general epistles. Paul wrote his letters to specific churches, James here is writing to the general church, the body of Christ throughout the world at that time. We know this because he is referring to the body of believers, both Jew and Gentile as the twelve tribes in the dispersion. Greetings he sends them. Let’s read God’s Word together: James 1:2 – 8.

 

• Genuine faith requires trials to mature.

 

What an odd thing to say, count it joy when you face all kinds of trials. Who likes trying times? Maybe ole’ General Chesty liked the thrill of the challenge, but most of us don’t look forward to struggles and challenges.

 

But that’s exactly what James begins his letter with. Count it joy. Not because of the hard things believers will face, but because of what those hard times will produce in believers, a steadfast faith.

The faith of a new Christian, though genuine, is still a new faith. It’s young, infantile even, and has a lot of growing yet to do. In church, we call this the sanctification process. We believe in Christ, but then we must grow in Christ.

 

I love James’ realism here. It’s not a matter of if the Christian will face trials, it’s a matter of when. It is an absolute certainty that every believer will face trials of some kind throughout their lifetime. Those trials will look different for everyone and seem more difficult than others.

 

Those trials come in many forms. Persecution, government restriction of faith, and other discrimination based on our faith. Those trials can be illness, severe or unexpected illness, even the death of a loved one. They can be the loss of a job, transportation, even the loss of a home.

 

They come in the form of temptations and addictions that ruin lives, wreck homes, and destroy families. Again, they will look different for everyone. What matters the most is what trials produce, a real dependence on God that is only possible through genuine faith.

 

A faith that is steadfast, steady, certain, genuine. Like body building, trials break us down a little bit, but they cause our faith to grow stronger. And each time our faith grows more and more stronger than before. It’s a compound effect, and James is imploring believers to let it happen, and to be joyful about it.

 

In the early 90’s scientists constructed the world’s largest earth science experiment, called Biosphere 2. Yes, the 1996 Pauly Shore movie “Bio-Dome” was based on Biosphere 2. Anyway, Biosphere 2 was a self-sustaining ecosystem designed to mimic life in a sealed colony.

 

But in there, scientists made an unexpected discovery about trees. They learned that trees grew quicker in the biosphere, but because there was no wind they would fall under their own weight before they could completely mature. Without the resistance of wind, their strength did not adequately develop and mature.

 

Just as wind makes a tree stronger, giving it the strength to hold up under its own weight, trials strengthen the faith of believers, giving them the ability to remain steadfast the next time they face a trial. That’s why believers ought to find joy in them. Genuine faith needs trials to mature.

Christians are to let their growing faith, their steadfastness have its full effect, which is the perfection and completeness of their faith. Bodies don’t get fit and strong by just lounging around on the couch. No, folks must fight through the challenges to let the work have its effect on the body.

 

Faith through trials is no different. The goal is a complete, mature, and genuine faith in its fullest sense that is ready to stand before God.

 

• Genuine faith fully trusts in God.

 

Naturally, every believer still “lacks” that which would make them perfect and whole in faith. That’s a hard truth for some. We don’t like to admit that we lack in a particular area of our lives, and when it comes to faith many folks don’t like to admit that their faith is still lacking in some way. They feel like they’re failing God if they admit some part of their faith still falls short.

 

Look, there has only ever been and there will only ever be just one person to walk this earth with perfect faith, Jesus Christ. And our sins, even our failures to admit that our faith is lacking somehow, nailed Him to the cross. Recognizing that requires humility, real humility and real repentance.

 

But we’re still left to figure out how to grow our faith through these trials that we will face. Fortunately, God doesn’t leave us to figure it out alone. James makes it clear in v.5, if anyone lacks wisdom, ask God who gives generously to all without judgement..

 

Wisdom is required because the faithful don’t always know how to persevere through trials, and they don’t always find the will to rejoice in the prospect of that future perfect faith while enduring their present trials.

 

The wisdom that comes from God is needed in the here and now to help believers in their journey of faith through the trials, to help build them up against whatever they might face.

 

Like faith, wisdom must come from God. It’s not automatic. We don’t inherit this wisdom when we’re born again. Wisdom is also necessary to endure the testing of faith, and wisdom must be sought out. And God is so good that he generously pours it out on those who ask.

In the Gospels, Jesus promised his disciples that they would be granted wisdom in the face of the opposition of the world to the gospel message they were called to preach, and by that same wisdom Jesus himself endured his sufferings.

 

But more than just granting wisdom to those who ask, God does it without finding reproach or finding fault. God’s wisdom isn’t given just to a particular class of Christian within the larger body of the church. No, God gives that wisdom to everyone that asks that belongs to Him.

 

However poor, uneducated, mistaken, or confused believers may be they are still called to pray to God for wisdom. Whatever their life looked like before their conversion, they are still called to ask God for wisdom.

 

But there is a caveat. The Christian that asks God for wisdom must ask in faith. Ah, there’s that faith again. Trials lead to greater faith, but the fact that there’s room to grow means our faith is still lacking.

 

Godly wisdom is needed to discern that and to be able to know how to navigate those faith growing trials. The only way to get godly wisdom is to ask God in faith. Both faith and wisdom come from God alone.

 

God allows trials to strengthen and mature our faith in Him. Because believers haven’t reached full maturity while walking this earth, they must ask God for wisdom to navigate these trials, in faith. His sovereignty is on full display here.

 

Genuine faith fully trusts in God because it recognizes He is in complete control through the trials AND He is the only one who can provide what we need to get through them.

 

God is always the source of the power of faith. Here is active trust in God. Abraham modeled this faith when he was willing to sacrifice Isaac. Jesus taught about the power of faith to move mountains and about overcoming doubt.

 

• Genuine faith leaves no room for doubt.

 

 

The will of God always distinguishes true faith from false faith.

Faith to do anything amounts to nothing if it’s not aligned with God’s will.

 

Living out this faith is an exercising of trust in God. There is a close connection between faith, prayer, and wisdom. The one who asks for wisdom asks in faith; asking in faith requires divine wisdom; to ask for wisdom itself is wise and is a necessary part of persevering in faith and growing in wisdom.

 

Growth in wisdom is to understand that everything of faith is from God. Prayer is both accepting and asking. Prayer accepts the gift of faith. Prayer also asks for the means to work out that faith through the gift of wisdom. And asking without doubt is at the heart of James’ understanding of prayer.

 

This isn’t about doubting the existence of God but about doubting the kind of God we serve. Since faith is always about our personal trust in God, to doubt God in any way is to question His character. This doubting also calls the believer’s character into question..

 

Believers are called to God and to His purposes, which covers every aspect of life. God’s promise is in line with his nature: he’s generous, and he gives what He promises because He is faithful, no matter how much faith we lack. The divine gift of wisdom, like the faith that God alone can give, helps believers to remain steadfast, unwavering in our service to God.

 

To waver in the presence of God is to hold ourselves back from Him, to not give all of ourselves to Him. On the outside, this doubting is seen as the believer holding back from acting according to God’s will. Faith must trust in God without hesitating. Doubt then is a lack of trust in God, a lack of action when our loving God calls for action.

 

The one who doubts their relationship with God exposes the instability of their faith. James illustrates this by describing a wave that is driven and tossed around by the wind. I like that illustration because when our faith is in doubt, the trials of life can feel like a wicked storm at sea with a sense of dread and desperation.

 

 

 

Persistent doubt diminishes faith. Faith receives because it trusts. Doubt, which like faith is also directed toward God, is completely rejected by him. Prayer hitched to doubt comes back empty. The doubter may expect God to answer, but doubter is not aligned with God’s will and God answers prayer according to His will, not ours.

 

James calls this person double-minded and unstable. The double-minded person is divided within themselves. They want the blessings of God without fully trusting in God. The doubting believer is in two minds, and as such unstable.

 

James is emphatic here. Double mindedness stains a believer’s life. No part of it escapes without getting dirty. James was determined to show that there is no safe middle ground, no gray area, between faith and unbelief. Doubt is a dangerous place to be.

 

In his book, “You’ll Get Through This: Hope and Help for Your Turbulent Times,” Max Lucado writes, “Turbulent times will tempt you to forget God. Shortcuts will lure you. Sirens will call you. But don’t be foolish or naive. Do what pleases God. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

A Christian doubter is an oxymoron. We are Christian by faith alone, by trusting God and professing our faith in Jesus Christ. Because God is in control over all, you can trust in Him to provide what you need to endure through trials and grow your faith.

 

When you unexpectedly lose your job and can barely make ends meet, trust in God. When striving to parent your kids the way God wants you too feels like an exercise in futility, trust in God. When you develop a chronic or severe illness, trust in God.

 

When you’ve lost count of how many different ailments you’ve had to deal with, trust in God. When life gets hard and you don’t understand why, trust in God and ask Him for the wisdom to get through it.

 

When you’re struggling with addiction, repent and trust in God. When you give into temptation, repent and trust in God. When your faith flickers and you begin to doubt, repent and trust in God.

 

 

It's entirely human to be afraid amid struggles and trials. It’s human to see our own faith flicker. The human condition is a frail one. But if you’ve placed your trust in God by placing your faith in Jesus, then cling to that, and trust your whole self to Him. Don’t hold back, don’t doubt because the trial you’re going through will grow your faith.

 

And if you haven’t yet trusted in Jesus, what are you waiting for?

 

Let’s pray.