James 1:12

Successful Testing:

James 1:12 'Blessed is the 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.'

'Blessed' -'Fortunate, happy, usually in the sense, privileged recipient of divine favor' (Arndt p. 486) 'Happiness is not. normal response to temptation and testing. We would say, "Blessed is the man who is never under pressure. Blessed is the one who never has his faith tested. Blessed is the individual who always gets his way, who is prosperous, who never experiences sorrow, who never knows sickness, who always succeeds.' (Draper p. 32)

Carefully note that the blessing isn't upon the man who is tested-for everyone experiences hardship (1 Corinthians 10:13). Rather, the blessing is upon the individual who endures. 'Happy is the man who doesn't just simply go through testing, but endures it. His endurance has the capacity to take something that could devastate him, turn it around and make it into. blessing' (Draper p. 33)

'perseveres' -'bear bravely and calmly' (Thayer p. 644); 'stand one's ground, hold out, endure in trouble, affliction' (Arndt p. 845); 'present active indicative' (Robertson p. 16) (Matthew 10:22; Matthew 24:13; Mark 13:13; Romans 12:12; 1 Corinthians 13:7).

'under trial' -The trials under consideration are typically viewed as outward trials which need to be endured, such as persecution, poverty, hardship, etc….and not inward spiritual temptations which need to be resisted. And yet, an outward trial can quickly lead to spiritual problems if our attitude isn't right. Persevering under trial would include resisting the temptation to blame God, seek relief in sinful activities, compromise and so on.

'for once he has been approved' -'approved, tried and true, genuine' (Arndt p. 203). Side reference NASV, 'passed the test'. 'For once his testing is complete' (Phi); 'for when he has stood the test' (Wey). (Romans 16:10; 2 Timothy 2:15). Concerning the word "approved", 'It is the Greek word meaning to test metal to see if it is pure, to purge out the impurities and leave only the purest metal. The word speaks of heating. piece of metal in the furnace in order to scrape off the impurities that rise to the top. What is left is pure and valuable.' (Draper p. 34) (1 Peter 4:12)

'he will receive the crown of life' -'STEPHANOS-the victors crown, the symbol of triumph in the games or some such contest…a reward or prize.' (Vine p. 258) (2 Timothy 4:8; 1 Peter 5:4; Revelation 2:10). "of life"-the crown which consists of eternal life.

Points To Note:

1. This crown of life isn't given after the first 'trial' the Christian overcomes, for eternal life for the Christian, is still future (Titus 1:2; Mark 10:30), in the sense of having it permanently. 2. In addition, the Christian will encounter many trials (Acts 14:22). 3. Unfortunately, even for some Christians, overcoming trials isn't viewed as. great victory! We tend to place more importance on losing weight, finding that ideal piece of property, getting. raise, climbing the company ladder, or if our favorite team makes it into the playoffs. Let us remember that this is. crown that doesn't fade! 'Everything in this life loses its value to us. Everything the world gives wears out…Every human acclaim, every human achievement, every human blessing goes downhill.' (Draper p. 36)

'which the Lord has promised to those who love Him' -One more verse which clearly teaches that love for God is shown by. definite pattern of conduct and attitude (John 14:15). This also infers that to overcome trials, one must have. great love for Jesus. Too many people think that sheer human determination will enable them to overcome every hardship, such thinking is nothing more than declaring that man himself is God. (Matthew 5:10). The Bible is full of promises to those who love God (Exodus 2:6; Deuteronomy 7:7; 1 Corinthians 2:9).