Trials Shape Christian Character

On this occasion, I want to share with you a message that I will take from the Epistle of the apostle James to the Jews in the dispersion—that is, in all those parts of the Middle East where Jewish Christians were scattered across different countries.

In chapter 1, beginning with verse 2, the apostle James opens his epistle by saying, “My brothers, count it all joy when you find yourselves in various trials.” One wonders why the apostle James begins his epistle with this particular thought.

Clearly, the first thought in a letter is placed there because it is important to the writer. And I believe the apostle James includes this particular thought because he is writing to Christians—Jews who were probably facing hardship, poverty, perhaps even persecution by other Jews who, when they converted to Jesus Christ, saw them as traitors to their religion. These were people who were perhaps going through difficult circumstances.

And so the apostle James writes immediately, as if to comfort them and bring hope into their lives, and tells them something that, in a sense, might seem almost scandalous: “Count it all joy when you find yourselves facing trials.” This idea of regarding a difficult situation as a cause for exceedingly great rejoicing might seem utterly strange, because one would expect a person undergoing trials to feel sad, perhaps even abandoned or betrayed by God. But no, the apostle James says: No, regard it as something over which to rejoice greatly.

First, let us understand this: I believe the Bible’s understanding of trials is very different from that of a person who does not have God in their life. We Christians believe that, as the Bible says, everything that happens in our lives has a purpose, has a reason for being. God allows these things because there is a reason, a good and transforming purpose that God has in that particular circumstance. We also believe that nothing happens by accident and that, ultimately, as the apostle Paul says in Romans, all things work together for good for those who love God.

That is to say, according to the Bible, even trials, even difficulties, even the problems we sometimes find ourselves in, even failures and the most negative things in life have a purpose of blessing, a purpose of transformation and growth in our lives.

So one reason I believe the apostle James says we should count it all joy when we find ourselves in various trials is that, by inviting us to see trials from God’s perspective, he enables us perhaps to look at them and say, wow, instead of being something destructive, something negative, perhaps God has a purpose in this that may ultimately be a blessing in my life.

Then he says that one reason we should consider it a joy to be undergoing a trial is that the testing of our faith produces patience. Notice that one of the things trials do is shape the Christian’s character. Through life’s difficult circumstances, governed by God and interpreted by the Holy Spirit in the light of faith, we can see how those circumstances are helping to create in us a character more like Christ’s. And one of the things Christians need most is precisely patience, because patience helps us deal with all of life’s situations.

In our next study, we will reflect a little more on this role of patience and trials in the Christian’s character.