"Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord had promised to them that love him” (James 1:12)

The main burden of the epistle of James was, and still is, to give practical directions concerning the living of the Christian life. It would appear that under the pressures of poverty and persecution some of the readers had become depressed, bitter, and impatient with the Lord to the point of resorting to worldly ways to help alleviate their situations. Specifically the book of James is intended to give comfort, rebuke, and counsel to Christians passing through a period of severe trial — comfort for their sorrows, rebuke for their worldliness, and counsel for redirecting their lives. Thus, James began his epistles with: "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing" (Jam 1:2-4). It seems quite odd to the natural concept that James would tell Christians to consider all of their trials as occasions for joy. This is possible because he knows confidently that trials serve a both a developmental and a disciplinary purposes in the Christian life. Through trials faith is tested, stretched, and grown. The Greek word translated “patience” here can also be translated more accurately endurance. The above verses tell us then that testing of faith produces endurance (in Christ) and endurance in Christ having done its perfect work will perfect us both spiritually and grow our mature human characters.

In verses 1:5-7 James gives us the spiritual resources for meeting trials: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.” At least three things James mentions as necessary. These are wisdom, prayer, and more importantly faith. The emphasis, however, is not simply upon the need of these things; there is stress upon the fact that what is needed is also available through the gracious provision of God through prayers with faith. It is also very significant to note that the Greek word for “various” in verse 2 “various trials” is only found in two places in the Bible. The other place that this word is used is in 1Peter 4:10 which says, “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” The same Greek word is translated “manifold” in this verse. I believe that the Holy Spirit inspired Word of God does not allow these incidences by mere coincidence, but to convey to us a very significant message, that is: As we experience various trials, we are also afforded the opportunity to experience His varied grace. In other words, we can only experience certain aspect of His grace as we enter into various trials. It is like a person can only experience the Lord's healing grace when he is in his bed of sickness, and he can only experience the Lord's all-sufficient grace when he is in great need. For this reason, the apostle James puts it quite rightly when he calls on us consider our trials as opportunities of joy.

“Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.” James tells us in these verses (1:9-11), that the poor man may find his lowly circumstances a sore trial, but let him not be depressed by this. On the contrary, let him thank the Lord for his lofty spiritual privileges and gives glory to God for enriching in the things that really matter, in the things that are of eternal value. James later stated more plainly why the poor has greater reason to rejoice if they seize the sovereign arrangement of God: “Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?”(Jam 2:5). The wealthy man, on the other hand, must recognize that his wealth is itself a trial – a trial to prove if he puts his trust in his riches or in the Lord, and how faithful he is in using the things that the Lord have entrusted him with as steward of God's possessions. Are they using their opulence for God's purpose and according to His directions, or are they simply using them for their own pleasures and self gratification? He therefore, recognizing the vanity of wealth and the uncertainty of all earthly things, must glory in the spiritual realities that have been revealed to him in the Lord.

Verse 12 is a fitting conclusion to the discussion begun in verse 2: "Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him.” To give us a better impression, we could read this verse as follows: "Happy is the man who does not give in but continues to endure in Christ when he is tempted, for afterwards he will receive his eternal reward, the crown of life which God has promised those who love Him." This verse has been called a beatitude — and is the only one found in the entire letter. This undoubtedly sounds very much like the words of Jesus when He said, "He who endures to the end will be saved" (Matt 10:22; 24:13; Mk 13:13). Of course we are to not attempt to endure to the end in our own strength, for we definitely cannot last. Rather, we are to experience the Lord's grace as our strength and endurance for us to last. Yet another crucial factor is needed for us to endure our trials of faith, that is, love. Galatians 5:6 tells us that “faith operates through love;” therefore, there cannot be faith in the absence of love. We know that it is difficult to have faith in someone unless we truly love that person; the converse is also true. This is also confirm to us by 1 Peter 1:7-8: “That the proving of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.” Here we see more plainly that a victorious proving/trying of our faith is directly linked to our love for the Lord. We endure through our trials when we realize that these trials are apportioned to us by the Lord our of His great love for us to bring us to the full salvation of our souls (1 Pet 1:9) – the full conformance of our soul to the image of Christ..

The phrase, "For when he is tried,” is better translated, "for when he has been approved." The word translated "approved" was used of metals and coins which had been tested and found to be true and genuine. Or based on what we mentioned above of the factor of love, we can also say that trials reveal our pure and unadulterated love for Christ. The one who is tested and emerges victorious is one whose faith in Christ is unwavering by virtue of his love of Christ out of a pure heart. The Greek word used for “crown” here is stephanos, which is a crown given to athletes victorious in the competitions of various sports events or games, and to citizens who distinguished themselves in service. Thus the crown, in Greek thought, was either a prize of victory or a badge of honor. The crown is a reward of divine approval of a life tested by fiery trials. The crown of life speaks of the eternal, divine life itself. In other words, He gives "the crown, which is life." The crown or wreath placed upon the head of the victor in the race, does not last long. Those who love the Lord receives an imperishable crown. This, I believe, is part of our “inheritance incorruptible, undefiled and unfading” (1 Pet 1:4). Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:25: "Everyone who contends for a prize exercises self-control in all things. They, then, do it in order that they may receive a perishable crown, but we to receive an imperishable crown — a heavenly reward that never fades away." The “crown of life” mentioned in the context of Revelation 2:10 also suggests that when we need to suffer loss in our soul life and in even our physical life, if called upon, on behalf of Christ that we may receive as a compensation a greater life both in this age and in the coming age.

In short, the burden of this passage is encouragement in face of the afflictions and trials of life —encouragement to patient endurance; encouragement to believe that trials is designed by God to develop and grow our faith in Christ; encouragement to prayer and petition for all the saints; encouragement to joyful acceptance of trials of life knowing that His grace is sufficient to meet our need; encouragement in knowing that we are called to carry our cross to follow our Lord Who attained to glory through His cross; encouragement to look hopefully to the reward of a true fulfilling life in Christ that is eternal and unfading.