James Chapter 1 — Commentary on Verse 2

    Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds.

    Mybrothers. A normal name in the Scriptures, and very frequent in this letter, partly because the Jews called all of their nation brothers, and partly because ancient Christians in courtesy used to call the men and women of their society and communion brothers and sisters, and partly from apostolical kindness, that the exhortation might be seasoned with more love and goodwill.

    Considerit. That is, though sense will not find it so, yet in spiritual judgment you must so esteem it.

    Pure joy. That is, a matter of chief joy. See 1 Timothy 1:5.

    Wheneveryouface. This signifies such troubles as come upon us unawares, as sudden things upset the mind most. But, says the apostle, when you are suddenly attacked, you must look upon it as a trial and a matter of great joy; for though it seems to be chance to us, it is under God’s control.

    Manykinds. The Jewish nation was infamous and generally hated, especially the Christian Jews, who, besides the scorn of the pagans, were exercised with various injuries and attacks from their own people. This is clear from Peter’s letter, where he speaks of suffering “grief in all kinds of trials” (1 Peter 1:6), and again from the letter to the Hebrews, written also to these dispersed tribes: “You … joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property” (Hebrews 10:34)—that is, by the fury of a crowd of base people, against whom the Christians could have no right.

    Trials. This is what he calls afflictions that believers become used to.

    Notes on Verse 2

    Note1. Mybrothers. Christians are linked to one another in the bond of brotherhood. It was an ancient use for Christians of the same communion to call one another brothers and sisters, which gave occasion of scorn to the pagans then. This is Christ’s own argument: “You are all brothers” (Matthew 23:8). It also suggests love and mutual friendship. Who should love more than those who are united in the same head and hope? As Augustine said of himself and his friend Alipius, “We are cemented with the same blood of Christ.” We are all traveling home and expect to meet in the same heaven; it would be sad that brothers should fall out by the way (see Genesis 45:24). It was once said, “See how the Christians love one another!” But alas, now we may say, “See how they hate one another!”

    Note2. Considerit. Miseries are sweet or bitter depending on how we view them. Seneca said, “Our grief lies in our own opinion and apprehension of miseries.” Spiritual things are worthy in themselves; other things depend upon our opinion and valuation of them. So we must make a right judgment. In this lies our misery or comfort; things are as you consider them. Accept these rules so that your judgment in affliction may be rectified.

    (1)      Do not judge by sense. “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful” (Hebrews 12:11). Christians live above the world because they do not judge according to the world. “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” ((Romans 8:18). Sense that is altogether for present things would judge quite otherwise; but the apostle says, “I consider (i.e., reason) in another way.” See Hebrews 11:26.

    (2)      Judge by a supernatural light. Christ’s eye-ointment must clear your sight, or else you cannot make a right judgment: there is no correct understanding of things until you get within the veil and see by the light of a sanctuary lamp: “No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:11). It is by God’s Spirit that we come to discern and esteem the things that are of God, which is the main drift of the apostle in that chapter. See Psalm 36:9.

    (3)      Judge on supernatural grounds. Often common grounds help us discern the lightness of our grief—yes, human grounds; but your counting must be a holy counting. In Isaiah 9:10 the people say, “The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone”; it is a misery, but we know how to remedy it. So many despise their troubles. We can repair and make up this loss again; we know how to deal with this misery. God’s corrections are sharp, but we have strong corruptions to be mortified; we are called to great trials, but we may count on great hopes.

    Note 3. Pure joy. Afflictions to God’s people do not only produce patience but great joy. The world has no reason to think that religion is a black and gloomy way. As the apostle says, “The weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength” (1 Corinthians 1:25). So grace’s worst is better than the world’s best. A Christian is a bird that can sing in winter as well as in spring; he can live in the fire like Moses’ bush—burn and not be consumed, even leap in the fire. The apostle writes, “In all our troubles my joy knows no bounds” (2 Corinthians 7:4). Paul in his worst state felt an exuberance of joy. In another passage he goes further still: “We also rejoice in our sufferings” (Romans 5:3). Certainly a Christian is not understood by the world; his whole life is a riddle. “Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Corinthians 6:10)—this is Paul’s riddle, and it may be every Christian’s motto.

    Objection 1. But you may object, does not the Scripture allow us a sense of our condition? How can we rejoice in what is evil? Christ’s soul was “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38).

    Solution. I answer: (1) Do not rejoice in evil: that is so far from being a fruit of grace that it is against nature. There is a natural abhorrence of what is painful, as we see in Christ himself: “My heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’?” (John 12:27). As a private person, Christ would show the same affections that are in us, though as mediator he freely chose death and sufferings. In Christ’s sufferings there was a concurrence of our guilt taken into his own person and of God’s wrath. It is a known rule that no adversary except God can make us miserable; and it is his wrath that puts vinegar and gall into our sufferings, not man’s wrath.

    (2) Their joy is from the happy consequences of their sufferings. I will name some.

    a.      The honor done to us. We are singled out to bear witness to the truths of Christ: “it has been granted to you … to suffer for him” (Philippians 1:29). It is a gift and an act of free-grace. To be called to such special service is an act of God’s special favor. Far from being a matter of discouragement, it is a ground for thanksgiving: “If you suffer as a Christian … praise God” (1 Peter 4:16). Do not accuse God with murmuring thoughts but glorify him. This influenced the first saints and martyrs. It is said that they went away “rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name” (Acts 5:41); the Greek means that they were honored to be dishonored for Christ.

    b.      The benefit the church receives. Resolute defenses impress the world. The church is like an oak, which lives by its own wounds; and the more limbs that are cut off, the more new ones sprout. Tertullian says, “The heathen’s cruelty was the great bait and motive by which men were drawn into the Christian religion.” And Augustine writes, “They were bound, butchered, racked, stoned, burned, but still they were multiplied. The church was founded in blood, and it thrives best when it is moistened with blood; founded in the blood of Christ, and moistened or watered, as it were, with the blood of the martyrs.”

    c.      Their own personal comforts. God has consolations for martyrs, and for his children under trials. Let me name a few. Sometimes it is a greater presence of the Word: see 1 Thessalonians 1:6. The sun shines many times when it rains. And they have sweet glimpses of God’s favor when their outward condition is most gloomy and sad: see Matthew 5:10. Martyrs, in the act of suffering and troubles, not only have sight of their interest, but a sight of the glory of their interest. There are some thoughts stirred up in them that come close to ecstasy; a happy preview makes them almost insensible of their trials and sufferings. Their minds are so wholly swallowed up with the things that are not seen that they have little thought or sense of the things that are seen. The apostle seems to intimate this in 2 Corinthians 4:18.

    Again, they rejoice because they pass into glory more swiftly. The enemies do them a favor by removing them from a troublesome world. This made the early Christians rejoice more when they were condemned than when they were absolved. They kissed the stake and thanked the executioner because of their earnest desires to be with Christ. So Justin Martyr writes, “We thank you for delivering us from hard taskmasters, that we may more sweetly enjoy the presence of Jesus Christ.”

    Objection 2. But some will say, “My sufferings are not like martyrdom; they do not come from the hand of men, but from providence, and result from my own sins.”

    Solution. I answer: it is true there is a difference between afflictions from the hand of God and persecutions from the violence of men. God’s hand is just, and guilt will make the soul less cheerful. But remember the apostle’s word is, trialsofmanykinds; and sickness, death of friends, and such things that come from providence are also trials to God’s children. These afflictions require not only mourning and humbling, but a holy courage and confidence: “You will laugh at destruction and famine” (Job 5:22). Faith should be above everything that happens to us; it is its work to make a believer triumph over every temporary setback. In ordinary crosses there are many reasons for laughing and joy—such as Christ’s companionship; if you do not suffer for Christ, Christ suffers in you, and with you. He is afflicted and touched with a sense of your afflictions. It is wrong for believers to think that Christ is altogether unconcerned by their sorrows unless they are endured for his name’s sake, and that the comforts of the Gospel are only applicable to martyrdom.

    Again, another ground for joy in ordinary crosses is that in them we may have much experience of grace, of the love of God, and of our own sincerity and patience; and this is a ground for rejoicing: “We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance” (Romans 5:3). This rule holds good in all kinds of tribulations or sufferings; they bring sweet discoveries of God, and so are matters for joy. See also 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. They are happy occasions to discover more of God. They give us a greater sense and feeling of the power of grace, and so we may take pleasure in them.

    Lastly, all evils are the same to faith. You should walk so that the world may know you can live above every condition, and that all evils are much beneath your hopes. So, from all that has been said, we see that we should suffer the will of Christ with the same cheerfulness as we should suffer for the name of Christ.

    Note4. Wheneveryouface. Evils are borne better when they are undeserved and involuntary; that is, when we fall into them rather than draw them upon ourselves. It was Tertullian’s error to say that afflictions were to be sought and desired. The creature never knows when it is well; sometimes we question God’s love because we have no afflictions, and at other times because we have nothing but afflictions. In all these things we must refer ourselves to God’s pleasure—not desiring troubles, but bearing them when he lays them on us. Christ has taught us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation”; it is only foolish pride to cast ourselves upon it. Philastrius speaks of some who would compel men to kill them out of an affectation of martyrdom; so does Theodoret. This was a mad ambition, not a true zeal: see 1 Peter 4:15. We derive no strength from our sufferings when there is guilt in them.

    Note5. Manykinds. God has several ways of exercising his people. Various miseries come on top of one another; thus God changes the dispensation, sometimes in this trouble, sometimes in that. Paul gives a catalog of his dangers and sufferings in 2 Corinthians 11:24-28. Crosses seldom come singly. Once God begins to test, he uses various methods of trial; and there is good reason for this. Different diseases must have different remedies. Pride, envy, covetousness, worldliness, wantonness, ambition are not all cured by the same remedy. One affliction pricks the bladder of pride, while another checks our desires. Do not murmur, then, if miseries come upon you like waves. Job’s messengers came thick and fast one after another, telling of oxen, house, camels, sons, daughters, and all destroyed (see Job 1); messenger upon messenger, each with a sadder story. We have “all kinds of passions” (Titus 3:3), and therefore have many kinds of trials. In Revelation 6 one horse comes after another—the white, the red, the black, the pale. Once the floodgates are opened, several judgments follow in succession (see also Matthew 24:7). Learn also that God has several types of trial—confiscation, banishment, poverty, infamy, reproach; some trials test us more than others. We must leave it to his wisdom to make the choice.

    Note6. Trials. James does not call them afflictions or persecutions but trials, because of God’s purpose in sending them. The same word is used in 2 Peter 2:9—“The Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials.” The afflictions of the saints are not judgments but corrections or trials—God’s discipline to mortify sin, or his means to discover grace, to prove our faith, love, patience, sincerity, constancy, etc. Watch over yourselves with great care so that no impatience, vanity, murmuring, or worldliness of spirit may appear in you.