James 1:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

NIV: Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

NASB: And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

CSB: And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

NLT: So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

KJV: But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

NKJV: But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Verses 2, 3, and 4 are all part of the same crucial idea. James has instructed Christians to "account" for hardships as joy, because such moments grow our faith. Even when we're heartbroken over what has happened, we can trust God to use it to make us stronger. Why would God want us to label as "joyful" those terrible moments? Because trials test our faith. When we keep trusting God through the trials, our faith in Him grows. And, from God's perspective, our growing faith in Him is far more important than not experiencing hard things.

In fact, this verse says that perfection—complete maturity—is found only in perfect faith in God. More specifically, James uses the concept of endurance—steadfastness or perseverance—to describe the ability to trust God more and more. As a runner gains endurance by suffering through another mile, Christians also gain the ability to trust God through trials. Each experience grants us a deeper, stronger level of trust in Him. In all areas of life, growth only comes through overcoming difficulty. Spirituality is no different.

James writes that we shouldn't make the point of our lives an all-out effort to avoid trials. Instead, we should make the most of them by letting "endurance"—trusting God through another trial—create the result in us that it always does. Namely, more maturity, and more trust in God. In fact, James goes so far as to say that the one who can trust God without stopping, no matter how terrible the trial, will have arrived at perfection, complete maturity.

None of us is there, yet, but every believer in Jesus is on the way. We just need more trials to keep us growing in that direction.

James 1:2–18 begins with a challenging command for Christians. We are to classify hard things in their lives as ''joyful,'' because those ordeals help us develop a deeper trust in God. Christians who trust God also seek wisdom from Him—and not from ungodly sources. We continue to trust Him through difficult experiences, in part, to receive the crown of life promised to those who don't stop. We don't blame Him for our desire to sin, but we do credit Him for every good thing in our lives.

How important is it for Christians to trust God? It's so important, James writes, that we should call our worst moments joyful things, because trials help us trust God more. People who trust God ask Him for wisdom—and then take what He gives. People who trust God make a bigger deal about their rewards in the next life than their wealth in this one. People who trust God don't blame Him for their desire to sin; they give Him credit for all that is good in their lives. They look into His Word, and they act on what they see there.

This first chapter in the book of James sets the course for the rest of his letter to Christians worldwide. God wants us to trust Him more, and more deeply, as we learn more of Him. This is so important to God that He calls on us to find joy, even in hard times, because hardship helps us trust God more. Those who really trust God will ask Him for wisdom, will be excited about their status in eternity, will recognize Him as the source of all good in their lives, and will work to act on what they find in His Word.

The book of James is about specifically understanding what saving faith looks like. How does faith in Christ reveal itself in a believer's life? What choices does real trust in God lead us to make? Those are the questions James answers. Most scholars believe the writer was Jesus' half-brother, a son born to Joseph and Mary after Jesus' birth. James may not have come to believe Jesus was the Messiah until after the resurrection. Eventually, though, he became one of the leaders of the Christian church in Jerusalem. This is possibly the earliest-written of all the New Testament books, around AD 40–50. James addresses his letter to Jewish Christians scattered around the known world.