Our own sin can cause difficulties, temptations, and the testing of our faith (e.g., Psalm 106). According to Westminster Confession of Faith 18.4, our sin might undermine our confidence in our certainty of salvation.
Nonetheless, sin is not necessarily the root cause of difficulties, temptations, and testing. Our problem in understanding trials, temptations, and faith testing is most intense when our personal experience does not match our standard expectations for moral coherence and justice. Our troubles are not always caused solely by our own personal sin. The books of Ecclesiastes and Job make this idea quite plain. When the wicked are not punished and the righteous suffer indescribably, people cry out to heaven. “How can the wise die just like the fool?” (Eccl. 2:16, CEB). Why is it that “there are righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous” (Eccl. 8:14, emphasis mine)? Given Job’s suffering, his “friends” believe he must have sinned. They incorrectly conclude, based on the notion that the righteous thrive while the wicked suffer, that Job must be bad. But life isn’t always so black and white. James, Paul, and Peter assist us with these issues.
James provides some of the most relevant teaching in Scripture on trials, temptations, and the testing of the Christian faith. He concludes: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds” (1:2). The “trials” in question are both internal and external, as evidenced by James’ use of the same Greek term in verses 12 and following to allude to internal temptations. Furthermore, James mentions trials “of various kinds.” In short, James is addressing everyone who faces challenges and temptations.
According to James, a Christian can maintain such a posture during trials and afflictions because we know something about them that the rest of the world does not. James can urge his listeners to rejoice because these hardships are generating something that we need in our character: steadfastness. This is an active quality.
Trials are producing something that we must have in our character: steadfastness.
But the Apostle does not halt his stream of thought here. This character trait of constancy leads to something more. James is concerned with the formation of character as a whole, rather than just one virtue. He continues with this: “And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (1:4). The New Testament does not preach perfectionism or the belief that any human being may achieve perfection. Our virtue-based successes will always be shaky and fall short. So, what does he mean?
I believe James is directing our attention toward Christ. The reader will remember what the author of Hebrews said:
Although Christ was a son, he learned obedience through his sufferings. And after being made perfect, Jesus became the source of eternal salvation for all who obeyed him. (Heb. 5:8-9)
This passage in Hebrews focuses on Jesus’ preparation to serve as the climactic High Priest on our behalf. The emphasis in Hebrews is not on avoiding temptation; rather, “perfect” means “fit” for the position of High Priest via the exercise of strength and positive righteousness. Consider this: our Lord overcame the human tendency to avoid hardship. Our Savior and empathetic High Priest refused to chose easy; instead, He entered into a contest for us, suffering in obedience so that we could “count it all joy” when we face trials and temptation. He is developing a character of constancy in us.
Some members of the churches to whom James was writing appear to have reasoned incorrectly, concluding that because God is sovereign, He must be fully accountable for their temptations (see James 1:13). Rather, James wants them to understand that temptation begins within us. Furthermore, God, our heavenly Father, desires only excellent presents for people who love Him (verses 17-18).
These teachings appeared to have left a profound and lasting impression on the Apostle Paul as well. He declared passionately, after explaining his visions and revelations from the Lord, as well as his trials with his thorn in the flesh, that “for the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.” “For when I am weak, I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). He and his comrades had been afflicted and said that they “were so utterly burdened beyond our strength” and that they had “despised life itself.” Indeed, we believed we had been sentenced to death.” Nonetheless, Paul stated that this was so that people would not rely “on ourselves, but on God who raises the dead” (1:8-9).
Peter also makes some intriguing comments concerning tribulations toward the beginning of his first letter that sound quite similar to those given by James (see 1 Peter 1:6-7). How can Peter make such big, ambitious claims? The two answers can be found in the greater context. First, Peter asserts that Christians are God’s new chosen people (2:9-10). Second, Peter draws our attention to the ultimate story of our lives: our liberation in Christ, which is based on the original exodus of God’s people from Egypt but extends beyond it to deliver God’s people from an even greater bondage to sin, a second exodus that our Lord has secured for His chosen people.
