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James – Immature Tempters
Here’s a challenging question: In the book of James he writes, “Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.” (CSB’17 James 1:2-4).
Now here is the question: Throughout James, from whom are the trials coming? One answer is “the rich”. Another is “unbelievers. A third answer I would suggest is found in the testers and tempters being the opposite of what testing and tempting result in. That helps explain James’ instructions to believers as to the use and misuse of tongue (3).
So who are these tongue abusing wrong doers? If the result is maturity, then the tempters and testers are, to rephrase 1:4, “immature and incomplete, lacking what God supplies.” This could include Christians. When talking to, emailing, texting, and such to others, how mature are we?
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