Persevering Through Testing and Trials
February 5, 2023 Speaker: John Bell Series: James: A Faith That Works
Passage: James 1:12–18
- Listen
- Downloads
- Christians can acknowledge God’s goodness in testing because we know we will be blessed with “Life” after passing the test. Perseverance is a necessary ingredient of genuine Christianity. “Real Christians “stick!” (12)
- Christians should not blame God for temptation because we, and not God, are the problem (13-15)
- God is not the problem because he cannot be tempted to do evil and therefore cannot tempt others to do evil (13)
- People are the problem because we succumb to temptation due to our own evil desires which - if unchecked - lead to death (14-15)
- Christians should instead acknowledge God as the source of everything good (16-18)
- Christians must guard against deception in this matter (16)
- All good gifts come from the unchanging God (17)
- The best illustration of God’s good gifts is his regeneration of Christians, the “first fruits” of a new creation (18)
More in James: A Faith That Works
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A Closing Summons to Christian ActionApril 16, 2023
A Latter-Day Perspective on Wealth and Christian EnduranceApril 2, 2023
Arrogant Boasting in the Church