James’ Beatitude
Blessed is the man who endures temptation James 1:12
Blessed – “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” We know this famous phrase from Matthew 5. What we might not realize is that the word chosen to introduce the Beatitudes is not a word about God’s benevolence. It is a word about my own internal state of mind.
The word is makarios. There are literally dozens of beatitudes – blessing sayings – scattered throughout Scripture. But the word that introduces them is not a verb. It is not an action word describing God secretly standing behind the curtain ready to send some reward your way when you fulfill His desires. No, this word is about you. It is an adjective that describes your inner state of bliss. It is a condition brought about by your own actions, not by God’s supernatural injection. The whole point of a beatitude is that the state of bliss is within your control. So James tells us, “If you wish to experience an inner state of bliss, endure temptation. Carry on. Bear it. Place your complete confidence on God. And you will discover something amazing. Your soul will be untroubled. You will find bliss in the midst of your trial.”
James sees the world differently. In his world, the circumstances of life are never cause for anxious concern. All the circumstances are under the rule and reign of the King. Life is the practice field for contentment in the choices God makes. That’s why James can say, “Be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:4). If the promise of bliss were not reserved for our inner state of mind, we would never know the fullness of God’s grace while we remain alien residents in this world. Jesus Himself promises us peace – a peace which passes the understanding of the human existence in a world under the power of darkness. Just as the roll call of a Christian is to act redemptively and accept the consequences, so the joy of a Christian is to discover bliss in the very center of tribulation. We are to know God’s hand of grace in the middle of grief.
The man who bears up discovers an inner bliss untouched by his suffering. How can this be? Because God knows grief too.
Why do we struggle and strain for the life of casual ease? Why are we so determined to keep the wolf from the door? Have we decided that God’s grace only arrives by limousine? Is our point of view so deficient that we only recognize God’s benevolence in the bank account? No, the Christian cannot set his goal to be nothing more than what is offered by the hand of Man! The Christian is not Man elevated to the heavenlies. The Christian is God’s representative brought down to the least of these. He is found in the muck and mire of this world, dispensing a bliss that cannot be counterfeited by the world’s version of self-fulfillment.
But, of course, that’s exactly what you thought when you read the word “blessed,” isn’t it?
