promised – Ministry of Grace Church

Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for having been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Truth to Learn

Patiently enduring the trials of our lives will result in eternal rewards of far greater value than all of our possessions and anything that money can buy.

Behind the Words

The word for “temptation” here is the same as in verse 2, peirasmos which, as was pointed out earlier, means “a criterion or test by which something is proved or tried.”

The word for “endures” is the verb hupomenō, the noun form of this word is translated as “patience” in verses 3 and 4. It’s the word that means “to remain under the load without complaining” or “to persevere.”

The word translated “approved” is also from verse 3. It is the noun dokimos (from the verb dikomadzō) which refers to proving or refining with the intent of finding good. In this verse it refers to someone who has already undergone testing and has successfully endured it. This person has been refined and his faith has been purified by the trial.

“Promised” is from the Greek word epangellō, which is made up of epi, used as an intensifier, and angellō, meaning “to announce” or “to declare.” It is expressed here in the aorist tense, indicating an action completed at a point in time in the past.

The word translated “the Lord” does not appear in the earliest manuscripts. However, even without the presence of this word it is clear who made the promise.

Meaning Explained

Not only has James taught us that we are blessed when we encounter various trials (temptations, sufferings) but he promises us that we will receive more blessing when we endure them. James is summing up what he has been talking about for eleven verses now; the person who patiently endures, who stays humbly submitted throughout the difficulties, sufferings, and trials of life will come out more refined and more Christ-like.

James does not promise us that we will be given riches, like Job, when we endure our trials. But James does say that if we endure our trials with an ever strengthening faith, we will one day receive a crown of life which is promised to those who love God. This is one of the crowns that we will be able to cast at the feet of God proclaiming His worthiness as depicted in the book of Revelation.

the twenty-four elders will fall down before the One sitting on the throne. And they worship Him who lives forever and ever, and throw their crowns before the throne, saying, O Lord, You are worthy to receive the glory and the honor and the power, because You created all things, and by Your will they are and were created. (Revelation 4:10, 11)

Other crowns of reward promised to Christians include:

The incorruptible crown (I Corinthians 9:24, 25)
The crown of glory (I Peter 5:2-4)
The crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:7, 8)
The crown of rejoicing (1 Thessalonians 2:19)

Application

Will you have a crown to cast before your King some day? Or will you be in the crowd thinking, “I wish I had a crown to cast before Him”?

Hang in there and endure the trials of life, always looking to the author and finisher of our faith. Patient endurance is not easy but it is rewarding, both now and eternally!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 1:2

which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,

Truth to Learn

The good news of Christ was promised to us in the Old Testament.

Behind the Words

The words “promised before” are translated from the Greek proepangellomai. This is made up of pro, meaning “before, in time or place” and epangellomai, which is itself a compound word made up of epi, used as an intensifier and angellomai, meaning “to announce.” Hence, epangellomai means “to make a public proclamation or promise.” With the prefix pro added, this word means to announce or promise ahead of time.

Meaning Explained

Paul says in today’s verse that it was promised beforehand, but what is the “it” he is talking about? Paul is referring to “the gospel of God” which he mentioned in the previous verse. In yesterday’s study we learned that the word “gospel” means “good news,” but what, specifically, is the good news? In 1 Corinthians 15:1-5 Paul states very clearly what he means by the “gospel”

And, brothers, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you have received, and in which you stand; by which you also are being kept safe, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures; and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the Twelve.

There are two key elements to this “good news.” The first is that Jesus Christ died for our sins. Though He is 100% God, He also became 100% man and lived a sinless life. He, therefore, did not need to die to pay for His own sins, since He hadn’t committed any. As a result, He could die a substitutionary death to pay for the sins of others. The proof of His death is the fact that He was buried.

The second key element of the gospel is that He rose again. Only God can give life, and only God can raise someone from the dead. The resurrection is the power behind the death. It is, in effect, the verification that his life was sinless and, therefore, worthy of paying for the sins of others. The proof of His resurrection is the fact that He was seen by Cephas (Peter) and by the other disciples.

Paul tells us that God promised this good news beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures. He is not introducing a new doctrine. He is about to present the doctrine of salvation by faith alone, which was clearly taught in the Old Testament, and he will demonstrate so in this letter.

Application

The real question for us is not so much, “Do you know the gospel?” as it is, “Do you believe the gospel?” To know the historical fact that Jesus was crucified some 2000 years ago is really inconsequential. To believe the gospel, to accept the fact that you are a sinner and need payment for your sins, which payment Jesus Christ gave for you when He was crucified, is life giving salvation. And not mere physical life, but spiritual life, for eternity!

Do you believe?

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Tag: promised

James 1:12 – Crowning Reward

Romans 1:2 – The Promised Gospel