James 1:12-18
"Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when tempted, 'I am being tempted by God,' for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change" (James 1:12-17 ESV).
Fear and trials play on our unholy desire to play God, trust in ourselves. These ruthless bandits offer us opportunity to doubt both the love of God and the good, sovereign rule of God. James, in turn, fires back with upholding God's holiness as our hope. Holiness is a word that tries to communicate the nature of a non-created God to creatures; it is that finite-mind-boggling idea of what completely sets God apart. As John Piper writes:
God alone is not tempted; God alone is never evil; God alone is good; God alone is glorious light; God alone does not change. In short, God is holy. And this is our hope in trials. We do not point to him as the tempter, but as the Giver who helps us escape our own unholy desires, helps us stand firm to become holy like him, and saves us because he is a holy God who holds to his covenant to make a people holy to himself.
The Old Testament powerfully portrays God as holy, as the One above and beyond creation. The amazing thing is, in his holiness and for his holiness and because of his holiness, he involves himself as well.
In Numbers, Balak king of Moab desires to destroy the Israelites and hires Balaam to curse them. Yet, God will not allow Balaam to curse them becuase he has made a covenantal promise with them and will not change his mind. In Hosea, the people's own personal and corporate unholiness has threatened to bring wrath against them--but God will modify his wrath because he has promised by himself to not destroy his people in his covenant. Psalm 89 recounts the covenantal faithfulness of the Holy One of Israel in the midst of feeling rejected by God. The psalmist encourages the Israelites (and us) that God has sworn by his holiness, the acme of his character, to uphold the covenant to David. In Hebrews, to a people bitterly persecuted, who had lost possesssions (10:13) and were perhaps in danger of losing thier lives, the author reminds them that they have a better hope and promise. God will fulfill it, because he swore by himself, by his own holiness.
Time after time in the Old Testament, God is called holy in a context of salvation and redemption and with an allusion to his covenant. Redemption, covenant, and holiness. God will bring redemption becuase he has made a covenant with his people, and in his holiness he will not go back on his word and betray his promise (how he can do so with an unholy people is only resolved in Christ). He is committed to his people whom he has called for himself, so that they be holy as he his holy.
So in our trials, it is God's holiness that we cling to. First of all, we turn to him. As Derek Shramek puts it, God's holiness is a life preserver we cling to that keeps us from falling (2). There is none other more loving, more powerful, no other Savior, no other God who we trust to keep his promises, to give us wisdom, to give us good gifts and what we need, to provide a way out, to provide salvation according to his covenant promise. His holiness assures us he will keep his promises, both because he is good and he is soveriengly poweful above all things to do so.
Secondly, to cite Shramek again, "it is because God is holy that he himself will keep us from falling into the abyss" (3). God will do this because we are his covenental people in Christ. Christ is the Holy One who allows us, unholy people that we are, to be reconciled to a Holy God. God who was so committed to us through his covenant that he gave his Son, the ultimate good gift and a demonstration that we can trust him for all other good gifts (Rom. 8:31-32). He will get what he paid for--he will bring us to himself as the author and perfecter of our faith. He will keep us from falling (Jude 24-25; 1 Cor. 1:8-9; 2 Thes. 3:3-5).
Furthermore, we trust this holy God who is committed to us that he is allowing this trials and temptations to make us holy like him. Thus, his flaming holiness sends the dark scoundrels of fear and temptations fleeing from the pure light. Contemplating his holiness, we can turn from our unholy desires to judge God or cave into sin. Instead, we acknolwedge him as holy. Blessed is the man who perseveres, who does not judge God, who does not follow his own desires, but acknowledges God as holy. He will receive the crown of life--and see the Holy God face to face for eternity.
NOTES
(1) John Piper. Brothers, We are Not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2002: p. 12-13.
(2) Dustin Shramek. "Waiting for the Morning During the Long Night of Weeping." In Suffering and the Sovereignty of God. Ed. by John Piper and Justin Taylor. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2006: p. 187.
(3) Ibid., p. 188.
Fear and trials play on our unholy desire to play God, trust in ourselves. These ruthless bandits offer us opportunity to doubt both the love of God and the good, sovereign rule of God. James, in turn, fires back with upholding God's holiness as our hope. Holiness is a word that tries to communicate the nature of a non-created God to creatures; it is that finite-mind-boggling idea of what completely sets God apart. As John Piper writes:
"God is holy in his absolute uniqueness. Everything else belongs to a class. We are human; Rover is a dog... But only God is God. And therefore He is holy, utterly different, distinct, unique. All else is creation. He alone creates. All else begins. He alone always was. All else depends. He alone is self-sufficient. And therefore the holiness of God is synonymous with His infinite value. His glory is the shining forth of His holiness. His holiness is His intrinisc worth--an utterly unique excellence." (1)
God alone is not tempted; God alone is never evil; God alone is good; God alone is glorious light; God alone does not change. In short, God is holy. And this is our hope in trials. We do not point to him as the tempter, but as the Giver who helps us escape our own unholy desires, helps us stand firm to become holy like him, and saves us because he is a holy God who holds to his covenant to make a people holy to himself.
The Old Testament powerfully portrays God as holy, as the One above and beyond creation. The amazing thing is, in his holiness and for his holiness and because of his holiness, he involves himself as well.
"God is not a man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?" (Num. 23:19).
"I will not execute my burning anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath" (Hosea 11:9).
"Once for all I have sworn by my holiness; I will not lie to David" (Ps. 89:35).
"For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying 'Surely I will bless you and multiply you.'... For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor for the soul..." (Heb. 6:13-19).
In Numbers, Balak king of Moab desires to destroy the Israelites and hires Balaam to curse them. Yet, God will not allow Balaam to curse them becuase he has made a covenantal promise with them and will not change his mind. In Hosea, the people's own personal and corporate unholiness has threatened to bring wrath against them--but God will modify his wrath because he has promised by himself to not destroy his people in his covenant. Psalm 89 recounts the covenantal faithfulness of the Holy One of Israel in the midst of feeling rejected by God. The psalmist encourages the Israelites (and us) that God has sworn by his holiness, the acme of his character, to uphold the covenant to David. In Hebrews, to a people bitterly persecuted, who had lost possesssions (10:13) and were perhaps in danger of losing thier lives, the author reminds them that they have a better hope and promise. God will fulfill it, because he swore by himself, by his own holiness.
Time after time in the Old Testament, God is called holy in a context of salvation and redemption and with an allusion to his covenant. Redemption, covenant, and holiness. God will bring redemption becuase he has made a covenant with his people, and in his holiness he will not go back on his word and betray his promise (how he can do so with an unholy people is only resolved in Christ). He is committed to his people whom he has called for himself, so that they be holy as he his holy.
So in our trials, it is God's holiness that we cling to. First of all, we turn to him. As Derek Shramek puts it, God's holiness is a life preserver we cling to that keeps us from falling (2). There is none other more loving, more powerful, no other Savior, no other God who we trust to keep his promises, to give us wisdom, to give us good gifts and what we need, to provide a way out, to provide salvation according to his covenant promise. His holiness assures us he will keep his promises, both because he is good and he is soveriengly poweful above all things to do so.
Secondly, to cite Shramek again, "it is because God is holy that he himself will keep us from falling into the abyss" (3). God will do this because we are his covenental people in Christ. Christ is the Holy One who allows us, unholy people that we are, to be reconciled to a Holy God. God who was so committed to us through his covenant that he gave his Son, the ultimate good gift and a demonstration that we can trust him for all other good gifts (Rom. 8:31-32). He will get what he paid for--he will bring us to himself as the author and perfecter of our faith. He will keep us from falling (Jude 24-25; 1 Cor. 1:8-9; 2 Thes. 3:3-5).
Furthermore, we trust this holy God who is committed to us that he is allowing this trials and temptations to make us holy like him. Thus, his flaming holiness sends the dark scoundrels of fear and temptations fleeing from the pure light. Contemplating his holiness, we can turn from our unholy desires to judge God or cave into sin. Instead, we acknolwedge him as holy. Blessed is the man who perseveres, who does not judge God, who does not follow his own desires, but acknowledges God as holy. He will receive the crown of life--and see the Holy God face to face for eternity.
NOTES
(1) John Piper. Brothers, We are Not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2002: p. 12-13.
(2) Dustin Shramek. "Waiting for the Morning During the Long Night of Weeping." In Suffering and the Sovereignty of God. Ed. by John Piper and Justin Taylor. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2006: p. 187.
(3) Ibid., p. 188.
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