THE KEYS TO MATURITY

JAMES 1:5-8

FEBRUARY 20, 2000

 

William Cowper, a contemporary of the famed John Newton, wrote an immortal poem that shows the working of God in trials.

God moves in a mysterious way,

His wonders to perform;

He plants his footsteps in the sea,

And rides upon the storm.

 

Deep in unfathomable mines

Of never-failing skill,

He treasures up his bright designs,

And works his sov'reign will.

 

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,

The clouds ye so much dread,

Are big with mercy, and shall break

In blessings on your head.

 

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,

But trust him for his grace;

Behind a frowning providence

He hides a smiling face.

 

His purposes will ripen fast,

Unfolding every hour;

The bud may have a bitter taste,

But sweet will be the flower.

 

Blind unbelief is sure to err,

And scan his work in vain;

God is his own interpreter,

And he will make it plain.

Cowper poetically explains our text, showing that the trials we "so much dread, are big with mercy, and shall break in blessing on your head." But how do we move from facing a trial to a consciousness of divine blessing? We do not doubt God's gracious providence at work in our lives. We understand that theologically. Yet we often struggle to "consider it all joy" when facing trials.

 

James has already demonstrated that the Lord uses the instrument of trials to mature his children (vv. 2-4). Now he explains the means given for the believer's actions in trials. Every Christian has the same keys available to help him through trials and into increasing maturity. These are not secrets reserved for a select few, but gifts of God to be put to use. In the face of trials, the Christian must learn to utilize the keys to maturity. What are these keys? James identifies three in our text: wisdom, prayer, and faith.

 

I. Wisdom

 

When the godly Stephen stood before a mob of angry and contentious men, they sought to argue with him and silence his gospel witness. Luke records, "But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking" (Acts 6:10). Paul intentionally contrasts what he terms "the wisdom of the wise" with "the wisdom of God," explaining that the world's concept of wisdom is no match for divine wisdom. The world's viewpoint is totally different from God's. As our Lord spoke in his hometown of Nazareth, they exclaimed, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" (Matt.13:54). What he spoke demonstrated the application of divine truth to life-wisdom. The apostles faced the perplexing problem of trying to carry out the works of service as well as their duties of preaching and teaching the early church. It was too much for this small group to do, so they called the church together to set apart seven men to partner with them in the area of service. These men were to be "of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom" (Acts 6:3). With all of these examples, what is meant by wisdom?

 

James calls for believers going through the trials of life to call upon God for wisdom: "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God." If we can get a handle on what he meant by wisdom, then we can see its great necessity and usefulness in trials. Thomas Manton called wisdom the "skill to bear trials" [James, 38]. His idea of wisdom implies something that helps the believer to both stand and take action through life's demands. John Blanchard writes that "wisdom is the God-given insight into our human circumstances and situations that enables a man to see God's will, coupled with a whole-hearted desire to see it done" [Truth for Life, 28]. He adds to our understanding of wisdom by seeing it as the ability to look at our circumstances from a divine perspective, to see God at work, and thus grasping the will of God for action. Along this same vein of thought, Peter Davids states, "Wisdom, then, is the possession of the believer given by the Spirit that enables him to see history from the divine perspective" [NIGTC, 72].

 

We can surmise from both the biblical examples and some recent explanations, that wisdom is not a synonym for being intelligent. Some of the world's most intelligent people have lacked wisdom. The great atomic physicist, Albert Einstein, wrote, "In their struggle for the ethical good, teachers of religion must have the stature to give up the doctrine of a personal god." But the Word of God declares, "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God'" (Ps. 14:1). Einstein was intelligent, but he was not wise [Kent Hughes, James: Faith that Works, 28]. I would explain wisdom like this: wisdom is the ability to see your circumstances from God's perspective, the strength to stand firm trusting in the Lord, and the insight to take appropriate actions. In wisdom you see, stand, and act.

 

1. Wisdom for trials

 

Is wisdom a new subject for James at this point in his epistle? The word "lack" offers us a key to understanding the connection of this section with the previous one, as well as the conjunction, "but." "And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all generously and without reproach and it will be given to him." Notice how he ends (v. 4) by expressing that God's intention in our trials and consequent development of endurance is the type of spiritual maturity that does not lack in the gospel's applications to any part of our lives. But just in case you lack wisdom in facing those trials, the believer is commanded, "Ask of God." The implication is that wisdom is available, especially for facing decisions or questions in light of the trials of life.

 

Solomon reminds us of the necessity of wisdom in daily life. In the book of Proverbs, we find threads of wisdom sewn through the fabric of the book, helping us to understand that wisdom is indeed "skill in living." [quote from Derek Kidner in his commentary on Proverbs--IVP]. It is wisdom that will keep you from the way of sin, delivering you from its ongoing consequences (Prov. 2). Wisdom guards the young man from the adulteress and keeps his feet far from her house (Prov. 5). Wisdom keeps the believer from joining the crowd that heads for destruction (Prov. 1). The ways of wisdom are pleasant, "more precious than jewels," directing the believer in paths of peace (Prov. 3). The ability to make right decisions and choose proper actions comes from wisdom.

 

2. Common sense

 

Can we not just call this good, old common sense? I had a professor in college he often spoke of using "sanctified common sense." By that he meant the common sense we should be developing as Christians. There is certainly truth in this. But there are a lot of people who have no knowledge of God that exercise common sense.

 

This is not to suggest that we are not to use common sense. Indeed, we should utilize all of the sensibilities that God has given us naturally and what we have learned through maturity, but realize that trials demand more than common sense.

 

3. Divine wisdom

 

The kind of wisdom James calls for comes from God. "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God." Proverbs 2:6 declares, "For the Lord gives wisdom." When Solomon prayed to the Lord as he began his rule over the nation of Israel, he asked the Lord for wisdom in ruling his people (I Kings 3:6ff.). He knew that he did not have the innate abilities to direct the affairs of a nation without God intervening and granting wisdom. As you read through the book of Proverbs, you are met with the practicality of wisdom in the totality of life. That is the same focus that James has, with wisdom being "a moral spiritual quality based upon the fear of the Lord-the sum of practical religion" [Curtis Vaughan, Bible Study Commentary: James, 22].

 

a. Honed by the Word

 

Wisdom is learned in the Scriptures. There we discover the divine perspective on the issues of life. So the more we steep ourselves in the Word, the more we have that capacity to act wisely in the face of decisions, crises, and adversities. This is similar to a tea bag in boiling water: the longer it steeps, the more its flavor permeates the water. But this study of the Word is more than just gathering knowledge. Alec Motyer has written, "If we say about someone, 'He knows his Bible really well,' so far we have described a knowledgeable person. But if he also knows how to use his Bible to understand life and the world around him, and to guide his conduct and the conduct of others in the maze of life's problems, then knowledge has passed over into wisdom" [The Message of James, 37-38]. Wisdom is related to both the knowledge of and right use of the Scripture. So a person can know the Bible from an academic standpoint and still not be wise. Wisdom applies the insights, commands, and directions of the Word to life.

 

b. Shaped by the Spirit

 

The ability to do this comes through the work of the Spirit shaping our understanding of the Word. Paul gives an insightful illustration of this in Philippians 3:15. "Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude [i.e., to keep pressing on for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ]; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you" [italics added]. God the Spirit constantly works in our lives to expose our thinking to the Word, to direct our thoughts toward truth, and to help us know the mind of God in a given situation. So when we pray for wisdom, we are asking the Holy Spirit to give us insight into the Word and to expose the whole of our thought and life to Scripture.

 

c. Exercised by discernment

 

Wisdom is not something to hold but to use. We often see pictures, sometimes humorously, of wise gurus hidden away on some lofty peak awaiting the pilgrimage of those seeking wisdom. That is far from the biblical idea of wisdom. Instead, wisdom is available for the child of God and he is to put it to good use in daily life. He is to discern the right actions for a given situation through divine wisdom.

 

II. Prayer

 

James tells us that the way to receive wisdom is to ask God. "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him." His statement tells us some wonderful truths about the nature of the Lord. The Puritan, Thomas Manton, wrote, "God will have everything fetched out by prayer; he giveth nothing without asking.... If God hath commanded, you may be bold to ask" [41]. The problem of wisdom is not on God's part. He is more than willing and ready to grant wisdom. As we shall see, the problem comes on our end. So James helps us to see this in his explanation of prayer for wisdom.

 

1. Disposition of God

 

He commands the believer: "let him ask of God, who gives to all generously." Perhaps a better way of translating it would be to set forth the imperative more clearly: "If any of you is lacking wisdom, ask from the giving God." The Greek brings this out clearly, that it is imperative for the Christian to pray for wisdom, for in doing so he acknowledges that the insight for living is outside the believer's own ability and comes directly from the Lord. He is to do this regularly, for the present tense brings this out as well.

 

It is one thing to hear a command, "Ask of God," and yet another to believe that we can really approach God with our requests. James assures his audience that the Lord is by nature "the giving God." Curtis Vaughan points out, "The stress is not so much on the act of giving as on the fact that giving is a habit with God" [22]. Do you view God in this way? Perhaps we have the idea that because we have approached him so many times before, that we just cannot ask again for wisdom in the trial we face, especially if we think it is a trial of our own making. So we retreat to the arm of the flesh, trying hard to cope with our adversities, but having little success. We think that we just cannot bother God with such a request.

 

Or maybe we think that we have done so many horrible things that we are ashamed to ask God for anything else until we feel that our lives are perfectly in order.

 

To all of this James tells us to ask because God's nature is to give. He delights in giving. He is not repulsed by our requests or concerned that he might exhaust the storehouse of his wisdom if he gives to us.

 

Suppose that you have a wealthy uncle whom you have asked on occasions to help you with some pressing need. You probably would be hesitant to appeal to this uncle if another need arises. You would have to be at your last resort to make a phone call to him. And why do you have this attitude toward him? It is because you believe that you will weary him by your asking or that he might find you offensive by such a dependence upon him. If you are looking at God that same way, then you have a faulty view of God.

 

2. Generosity of God

 

To add to this, James tells us of God's generosity: "who gives to all generously and without reproach." Weymouth translates this as, "who gives with open hand to all men and without upbraiding." We have focused upon how he is a giving God, but let us consider what James means by God giving "without reproach." This word means that God will not give to you begrudgingly nor insulting you in the process. There is never any of this type attitude: 'Okay, I'll help you this time, but what did you do with my last gift? Can you not do better with what I have given to you? I'm expecting more out of you'.

 

Maybe you can think of a time you went to your dad to "borrow" some money for an outing. You really did not want to ask him because you knew what was coming. He would let you have the money but with it a firm lesson on what you were doing wrong or why he really should not give you the money. That is "upbraiding" or "reproach." It means that you go to receive but you get insulted in the process.

 

James tells us, "Not so with God!" Vaughan explains, "No sincere seeker is sent away empty" [23]. Alexander Maclaren, the British Baptist from the past 19th century, gives us a wonderful explanation of what James implied.

Oh, brethren! If we only believed that He is not an austere man gathering where He did not straw, and reaping where He did not sow, but a 'giving God!' If we only believed that He gives simply because He loves us and that we need never fear our unworthiness will limit or restrain His bestowments, what mountains of misconception of the divine character would be rolled away from many hearts! [quoted by Curtis Vaughan, 23].


 3. Kindness of God

 

This God who hears our cries, knowing our failures and inadequacies, still shows us his kindness in answering our prayers for his help. James reminds us that God "gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him." Manton is right when he wrote, "Usually we do not doubt for want of a clear promise, but out of low thoughts of God" [quoted by Vaughan, 24]. James is lifting our entire thinking about God to consider how much he shows kindness to his children. Here is the assurance that "it will be given to him." We must recognize that he delights to give to his children.

 

But this is nothing new in Scripture. For God has promised to hear and answer us. "This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him" (I John 5:14-15). To ask of God according to his will is the assurance that not only does he hear us but he hears us with a readiness to answer. He stands ready to provide for his children's needs. Jesus declared, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" (Matt. 7:7). Just before his crucifixion, our Lord told his disciples, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you" (John 15:7). And a bit later, "Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full" (John 16:24).

 

We are assured that when we are walking through adversities or trials, God's will is for us to ask for wisdom. The only reason he would not give it would be that we do not believe he will give it. We think low thoughts of God, putting his actions on the plain of mere men. See his disposition that he loves to give! See his generosity that he gives generously without dispute! See his kindness that he does not upbraid us and surely gives to us the wisdom needed in trials!

 

III. Faith

 

This brings us to the issue of faith. The balance of our text focuses upon the necessity of faith and the exposure of doubt.

 

1. God-confidence

 

Ask and God is ready to give generously, but there is one qualification: "But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord." First we must consider what James means by faith. I think quite simply it implies that we are confident in the Lord, that he hears, he honors his promises, and he will answer. We believe that he is faithful in his character and trustworthy in what he has commanded and promised. So we trust him to do what we have asked, according to the perfections of his will.

 

"Doubt" means that you are at variance with yourself over whether or not God hears and answers. You waver, looking to God one moment, then trusting the arm of the flesh the next. You hesitate to ask God because you are not really sure that he will come through. James commands that our asking must be in faith without this mind that wavers on whether or not God is faithful.

 

The doubting that James is speaking of implies a persistent doubting. Probably every one of us has had those twinges of doubt on some matter we have commended to the Lord. But what is the primary disposition of our heart as we pray? Is it a matter of trusting the Lord or are we more of the opinion that praying is simply a psychological exercise that offers no results? So the problem is persistent doubt not weak faith.

 

How can we increase our confidence in the Lord as we pray? I believe the very best way is to get a better look at the Lord in his Word. Since 'faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God,' then we stimulate trusting in the Lord by focusing upon him in the Scriptures. I doubt seriously that anyone who neglects reading the Word and thinking upon the Word of God will do have much confidence in the Lord answering his prayers. His view of God is too low apart from drinking regularly from the fountain of the Word. As Blanchard put it, "Faith is invisible but it is not irrational because it is faith in a God who is real and who reveals himself to the hungry heart" [33].

 

2. Doubt exposed

 

James uses the term for "doubt" as "not so much intellectual doubt as a basic conflict in loyalties," according to Douglas Moo [TNTC, 64]. It is not a matter of doubting whether or not God exists. That is probably not a question with this person. But it is a doubt about the kind of God that he is. Is he true to his Word? Can he really give wisdom generously to us in the midst of our trials?

 

The doubter is described as one who "is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind." If you have ever spent time on the seacoast and watched the strange movements of the water, this picture will loom before your eyes. At times the water is placid, with hardly a ripple. At other times, the water jerks back and forth, up and down, carried by the whims of the wind. It cannot make up its mind, it seems.

 

When I was fourteen, I went to Europe with my uncle and aunt, traveling from New York across the Atlantic by ship for Southampton, England. About the mid-Atlantic, the ship began to rock back and forth, rising one moment, only to plummet the next. This went on for hours, as the surf of the sea was driven and tossed. I had my first genuine experience of seasickness! This is the sort of picture that James gives, with the doubter being up one moment, down the next, confused about God's character, unsure of God's promises, unsettled about God's answers.

 

James is emphatic, "For that man ought not to expect [or suppose, an imperative] that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." He tells us that that doubter is thinking the wrong way, making suppositions that will not happen. God is not going to honor that sort of persistent doubt, for at the heart it denies God's revelation of himself. The doubter is pictured as being "double-minded," i.e., he vacillates in his loyalties. One day he is all for the Lord, ready to worship and serve. The next day he is clinging to other affections, finding more comfort in the world than in the Lord. The word he uses literally means, "two-souled." He attempts to face two ways simultaneously, toward the world and toward the Lord. He wants the blessings of God, but he is not willing to look away from the world to receive from God's open, generous hand.

 

The verdict on this man is that he is "unstable in all his ways." Dibelius says the word refers to "vacillating in all activity and conduct" [quoted by Reinecker, Linguistic Key, 722]. Like the children of Israel, he looks back to Egypt and its fleshpots, rather than focusing upon the Lord and his promises. Does this describe you? Are you double-minded, vacillating in your loyalties? Then you have no warrant for divine wisdom in the midst of your decisions and trials. That is reserved for those whose confidence is in the Lord. But there is transformation of doubters through looking to the crucified and risen Lord.

 

Conclusion

 

Wisdom, prayer, and faith are three familiar terms among Christians. But do we let the truth about them strengthen us in spiritual maturity. Let us avail ourselves of the promise of God for wisdom in the face of life's greatest demands.

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