Henry Krabbendam - James - World Evangelical Alliance

Note the connector “So then” at the beginning of the verse. This seals an
intimate link with the preceding. The condemnation that the rich are presently
receiving, and the doom that they eventually will receive from the Lord,
should make the summons to patience not too hard to swallow, to put it
mildly. The treatment that the poor (continue to) receive is outrageous. But it
is dwarfed by the impending fate of the unrepentant rich!
All this more than suggests that James is, indeed, addressing the counterpart
of the rich! The “patience” of the present context is a characteristic of
God himself (1 Pet. 3:20), and the mark of a genuine Christian (1 Cor. 13:4;
Gal. 5:22; Col. 3:12). It is “patience in our attitude to unfair and insulting
treatment which we receive from other people and which by ordinary standards
would be met by open resentment and retaliation” (Mitton, 184). This
goes hand in hand with cheerful and heart-felt submission to God’s providence
(Lev. 26:41; Is. 39:8; Jam. 4:7!). The ground for James’ exhortation is
the universal teaching of Scripture. God is sovereign and every circumstance
is ultimately up to Him! In fact, the Christian ought to learn that God is the
only circumstance. This does not justify the action of the wicked but it does
determine the reaction of the believer. This call to patience fully ties in with
James 1:2! The believer ought to count all circumstances joy. James’ earlier
teaching now has a practical and concrete payoff!
It has been said that, just as a doctor often prescribes bitter medicine for
the well-being of the patient, so the heavenly physician, at times, prescribes
bitter experiences ... from the hands of all kinds of people ... to promote Godcenteredness
on the part of the afflicted. This, once again, is the rationale behind
the Bible’s constant reminder to be thankful (Phil. 4:6) not only in (1
Thess. 5:18), but also for (Eph. 5:20) all conditions and circumstances.
In this context one commentator, with reference to James 1:2-3, goes to
some length to emphasize that “difficult circumstances” are “a normal and
necessary part of the process of spiritual growth” (Nystrom, 293). “Every
struggle in the soul’s training, whether physical or mental, that is not accompanied
by suffering, that does not require the utmost effort, will bear no fruit”
(Theophan the Recluse, quoted in Nystom, 294). However, only the proper
attitude of active perseverance, which includes unreservedly casting our cares
upon the Lord, gladly embracing hardships, tirelessly alleviating the miseries
of others, unconditionally forgiving perpetrators of cruelty, harbors the
promise of spiritual growth and maturity (Nystrom, 294-299). This emphasis
is quite apropos. The theme of James 1:2-3 continues to reverberate throughout
the Epistle, and may have well reached its climactic zenith in the present
context.
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