Have you ever wondered why you do the things you do, or what it is that motivates you to do it? When it comes to knowing God, the answer to that question may be more important than you think. This hit home for me recently during a sermon I heard preached on James 1:12 that caused me to really search my heart in an effort to discern the answer.
In the King James Version (KJV), this verse reads, ‘Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is tried he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him.’
The Greek word translated ‘temptation’ (peirasmos) is used in two ways. First, it can refer to temptation to sin, as in I Corinthians 10:13 where we read, ‘There hath no temptation taken you but such is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it.’ The other meaning speaks of when God allows us to be tested that we might know if we are faithful to him, as when I Peter 4:12 that says, ‘Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try (peirasmos) you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.’
Either meaning could apply here, but it seems to me to favor the latter, with James referring back to Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:11-12, “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”
But, regardless of this, it is the last part of the verse that I want us to focus on. There, it says that those who endure the trial receive the crown of life (eternal life) that God promises ‘to give to those that love Him.’
This seems to be a constant theme throughout Scripture, that it is ‘those that love Him’ that He recognizes as His own. For example, Romans 8:28, says, ‘For we know that all things word together for good to those that love God, to those that are the called according to His purpose.’ Also, the 2nd commandment in Exodus 20:6 concludes with the words, ‘and shewing mercy unto thousands that love me, and keep my commandments.’
One piece of evidence that would indicate that we love God is if we obey Him. Jesus said in John 14:21, “He that hath my commandments, and keeps them, he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” This would obviously exclude those living in sin. But there are many people seemingly living good moral lives that will, nonetheless, be excluded from heaven. Why? Because they do not love God. They have no time for Him or His Word.
I believe that true saving faith is found in how we respond to tribulation or persecution. In Matthew 24:10-12, Jesus concluded his thoughts on the suffering His followers would face before His coming and in verse 13 said, “He that endures to the end shall be saved”. Only those that truly love Him will remain committed to Him during such a time.
Keeping His commandments and enduring to the end are both measuring sticks to determine our love for Him. I believe only those that are motivated by their love for God are capable of passing both tests.
For God’s glory and His alone,
Pastor Terry.
