A Brother's Wisdom 14

Tuesday March 10, 2009

Categories: James

There is reciprocity between God's blessing and human living. Notice these words in James 1:12: "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him."

The reciprocity here is a reward for perseverance, which is a faith and moral perseverance under the stress of oppression.

What interests me today is the last few words: "to those who love [God]."

Daily in the recitation of the Shema (from Deut 6:4-5), Israel was reminded that its fundamental duty was rooted in relationship: they were to love God with every globule of their being. James seems to be speaking to the kind of Israelite, now messianists, who took these words to heart and daily not only recited these words but live them out. Those who love God are promised, by God, that they will be rewarded.

What is most interesting to me here is the near equation of "loving God" with "persevering" (or enduring). To love God is to endure the tests of life in light of God's ultimate and final justice.

Comments (2)

Filed Under: James

posted by Scot McKnight @ 1:00pm Permalink email icon

Email This

Comments

Patrick

March 10, 2009 2:15 PM

"To love God is to endure the tests of life in light of God's ultimate and final justice."
Scot, your words speak right into a recent experience - I was just at a funeral of a deeply loved 12 yr old boy of Christian parents. The tragedy was compounded by their loss of another son some years before. I've never witnessed such a powerful connection between loving God and the strength to persevere. The family's love for God shone out in the midst of their grief. I hadn't seen clearly before how intimately love is connected to hope and trust, whatever the circumstances. It was a deeply moving and humbling thing to witness.

angusj

March 10, 2009 4:47 PM

This is a wonderful reminder that it is persevering faith that is genuine (saving) faith. There are many that teach that we can be assured of salvation if we believe, but there is belief that does not persevere. We can be fully assured of God's faithfulness to his promises and, as we mature as Christians, we can gain confidence in our own willingness to persevere (in the strength of the Holy Spirit). However, we can't be fully assured of salvation when we first believe, that's only guaranteed to those who continue to believe.

Post a Comment

By submitting these comments, I agree to the beliefnet.com terms of service, rules of conduct and privacy policy (the "agreements"). I understand and agree that any content I post is licensed to beliefnet.com and may be used by beliefnet.com in accordance with the agreements.

« Romans 8: Creation G... Main Index Archives The Future of Christ... »

Search This Blog

About Jesus Creed

Scot McKnight is a widely-recognized authority on the New Testament, early Christianity, and the historical Jesus. He is the Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies at North Park University (Chicago, Illinois). A popular and witty speaker, Dr. McKnight has given interviews on radios across the nation, has appeared on television, and is regularly asked to speak in local churches and educational events. Dr. McKnight obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Nottingham (1986). Click to continue reading Scot McKnight's Bio...

View Scot's Speaking Schedule

Contact Scot at Facebook