Loyalty Tested, part 1

LIFE IS A TRIAL!

One way life can be a trial is in the sense that it is trying or difficult. And very often it is!

But James tells us that life is a trial in the sense of its being a test. You and I, if we are followers of Jesus, are being tried, tested, and proven by the things that are allowed to come into our lives.

Like two hearty slices of bread, the following calls for perseverance and loyalty hold together the sandwich which is James' introduction:

[an opening frame] (1:2-4) Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face 'motley varieties' of trials, because you know that the proving of your fidelity develops perseverance. Perseverance must complete its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

[a closing frame] (1:12) Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.

This testing, this 'proving' of fidelity, this completing of perseverance, is a constant reality for the Christian. We may as well reconcile ourselves to this fact! James is deliberate in using the phrase 'many kinds' or 'motley varieties' because he wants us to know that these tests cover the full spectrum of human experience.

Life, then, IS a trial. It is a trial of our faith. What is being tested is our 'fide' [Latin], meaning our trust IN Christ and in the Gospel, as well as our fidelity or loyalty TO Christ and TO His Gospel. Completed perseverance of fidelity produces completed Christians. The matured, completed, and ultimately 'crowned' Christian is one whose enduring loyalty TO Jesus and TO His Gospel does not 'waver' like the 'waves.' And, if we are brutally honest, we readily admit that only God can sovereignly produce such enduring loyalty in us, as we keep our gaze fixed ON Jesus and ON His completed work, the completed law that gives us liberty.

THE CONTENT OF LOYALTY

Between these slices are, first, a brief preliminary thesis statement about the content of our loyalty and, second, a particularly relevant application of our loyalty.

[content] (1:5-8) If any of you lacks Wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must trust and not waver, because he who wavers is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

The content of our loyalty includes two things. First, it includes our right understanding of the character of God, along with our right understanding of the content of the Gospel. Secondly, it includes our being led and resourced by Wisdom from above - the leading and directing of the Holy Spirit of God - and not led by anything or anyone less! Our unwavering fidelity in both of these is essential to the loyal, faith-filled navigation of life's tests!

APPLYING LOYALTY TO LIFE

[illustration] (1:9-11) The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. But the rich person should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.

First off, this illustration is singular; it is one illustration, not two. Yes, we see two people in this one illustration: a humbled 'brother' and a rich person. But in James, these are not two believers in different circumstances. Rather, the rich person is the wealthy patron, oppressor, and potential persecutor, who is always spoken of, in James, as the object of ultimate destruction, as is depicted here in the language of scorching, withering, falling, destroying, and fading away.

The primary relationship in this illustration is that between a liberally generous and ungrudging, forgiving God and His 'humbled-exalted' son or daughter. God's liberality and sovereignty are contrasted with the potential rich patron's oppression and impermanence. The believer, then, will show his loyalty and faith to his God and Savior by exalting in his honored position given by such a lavish God. The believer will then come boldly to Him for both that which he lacks as well as for the Wisdom to navigate his or her life's trials.

Such believers, sought out by such a God, and for such high favor as this, are blessed indeed! James, obviously reflecting Jesus' beatitudes, describes the high position of the lowly! Such believers can indeed know that the Proving of Loyalty is to be counted as ALL JOY!

-Royce Douglas