Counting God’s Way 2

The first article in this series “Counting God’s Way” based on James 1:2-4 taught us the God counts or thinks about our adversities differently than we do. He has a wonderful purpose for all that He allows into our lives. In this next section we will look at the 2nd phrase of vs 2-4 and discuss what God has provided for us to be able to think this way and what He is actually doing with us when He allows difficult circumstances. Let’s look at the verses again.

James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Verse 3 begins with the word knowing and it is the instrumental participle of ginosko, which means to know, to understand, to perceive, to learn. The idea here is that you have learned God’s purpose for adversity and you understand why He is allowing it. You have accurate knowledge of the truth. The instrumental participle gives the means by which something is accomplished. It is the instrument used to achieve the perspective of joy. We are commanded to use the knowledge God has provided to build our perspective about adversity.

Count it pure joy ……. Vs 3 because you understand (by using your knowledge of God’s word to form your view of adversity.

The only way any healthy person could possibly see adversity as joyful is by using knowledge of God’s plan that explains that He is trying to produce growth in us. This emphasizes the importance of studying and building a base of understanding about the word of God. Without it we are left with only options related to our own abilities and none of these will be pleasing to Him. So, the 1st idea in verse 3:

Learn/know God’s word and use it to form our viewpoints about our lives.

The next word we will examine in the text is the word testing which is dokimos in the Greek. It was a word used for purifying gold in the ancient world. Wuest, in his commentary on the New Testament describes dokimos as follows: Miners would dig ore out of the ground with all kinds of metals mixed together. The goldsmith would super heat the ore until it melted. When it liquefied, the gold sank to the bottom and the other metals like iron or copper would rise to the top. When the metals rose to the top, the smith would scoop them out until nothing remained but the gold. He knew he was finished when he could see his face reflected in the crucible without any imperfections. This is an image of God using adversity as the heat to boil out the imperfections (false beliefs) out of our souls. He will not be finished until He can see His own face in us. When we pass the dokimos test, we are approved by God as 1 Cor 3:13 where all of our works are tested by fire for rewards. The idea of dokimos is purification of the heart and can be translated proving to be valid.

The second idea is that the pressure of adversity is intended to reveal and purify our hearts

Vs 3 because you understand that the proving

The final idea in this phrase is found in the word faith. Pistis can mean the actual act of believing something or it can indicate the content of what is believed. Faith always has an object, which is the content of our faith. What God is testing or purifying through adversity is the content of our faith. God uses the heat of difficult events to reveal the content of our beliefs. The pressure tends to bring out what we really believe and it shows as we use our beliefs to respond to these events.

The third/final idea: God is using the heat to purify the content of our faith.

Vs 3 because you understand that the proving/purifying of what you believe

Let’s summarize so far:

1. Adversity is an occasion for joy because of the promise/purpose of God.

2. God is using adversity in a positive way not a negative way.

3. We are able to embrace adversity joyfully because we know why God has allowed it in our lives.

4. God is using adversity as the heat that reveals the content of our hearts.

5. Pressure boils out the impurities we have programmed into our beliefs.

6. God uses adversity to free us from wrong thinking

7. God uses adversity to demonstrate the power and validity of His word as a means of victory over the devil’s world.

Vs 2-3 Count it pure joy fellow believers whenever you are suddenly surrounded by various kinds of adversity, because you understand that the purifying of your faith….

In our next discussion we will finish these verses and discuss what adversity is meant to produce in our lives.