"When You Fall into Divers Temptations" By JAMES E. GIBBONS We hear the word "when," and we think in terms of the time, occasion, or point that something happens. The word can be used to state a fact that such has taken place or is anticipated. Like the word "whenever," it can sometimes indicate that it happens every time. It can imply that what takes place is the ordinary and expected course of action or is usual under the circumstances. This is especially obvious when our background knowledge of such occurrences all points in this direction. What we know has simply been verified. With all of this in mind, let us look into several verses of Scripture that make use of the word "when" in this way. Things are spoken of taking place as a matter of course, as that which is expected, and as that which is usual. This study should make what is considered more apparent. FROM the following Scripture we will develop our lesson on "WHEN" this time. It doesn't have to do with the commands of God, but that which happens to us in simply living. Such things do happen and can be expected to happen. "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that waverth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him" (JAMES 1:2-12). I. WHAT IS SAID HERE Let us zero in on verse 2 as the key verse for con-sideration in this article: "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations." Now let us examine some of the key words in this verse. This will greatly implement our understanding of what is said here. Then we can better make application. "Temptations" The same word that is translated "try" in the New Testament is also rendered "tempt" from the original language. The twofold concept is also carried over in the noun "temptation." In the way we use words today, trials become temptations only when we let them pull us down; temptations are only trials, being tried, unless we yield to them. But in the original language both ideas are included in the single word. "When" "When" again implies that which does happen; it can be expected and will happen. It is not a matter of IF, but WHEN. Trials, suffering, and temptations come. This is nothing strange. It is all part of living (and dying). That is the human situation. "Fall" "Fall" in "fall into divers temptations" next gets our attention. The Greek word "peripipto", breaking it down into the two main parts of the word "peri" "pipto", literally means "around to fall". Besides being here in James 1:2, this word is found in Acts 27:41 and Luke 10:30 in the New Testament. Acts 27:41 refers to the shipwreck that took place on Paul's journey to Rome: "And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground: and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves." Luke 10:30 involves the story of the good Samaritan: "And Jesus answering said, a certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead." From these references we see that "fall" involves something that happens; it is not planned. And consequently in temptations (or trials) what happens is something that falls around us (engulfs us). "Divers Temptations" The word "divers" in the language of the King James Version simply means diverse or various. As we said, the Greek word for temptation carries the twofold idea of trials and temptations (in the current usage of these terms). Trials may take many shapes and forms as we experience them. The expression "fall" in "fall into divers [diverse] temptations [trials]" well illustrates this in the two references where this word is found: Acts 27:41 and Luke 10:30. This may be divided in natural trials and hardships that come upon us in living (as in the shipwreck, Acts 27:41), and unnatural trials and hardships that are imposed upon us occasionally in living (as in the man falling among thieves, Luke 10:30). "Count It All Joy" Stating what is said again in James 1:2, it says, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers [diverse] temptations [trials]." Like Ephesians 5:20, this is a hard command to obey. There is nothing pleasant about trials, from our human viewpoint, let alone the joy. But remember Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Also note the rest of what James says here (verses 2-12), but especially verses 3 and 4, "Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing," and then the concluding verse 12 in our reference, "Blessed [happy, fortunate] is the man that endureth temptation [trials]: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him." II. WHEN YOU FALL INTO NATURAL TRIALS As we said, it is not a question of IF, but WHEN; trials, suffering, and temptations are all a part of living. That is the kind of world in which we live, a world of sin and death. Genesis 3 tells of the fall of man, and the consequent predicament in which we find ourselves. Paul asserts as common knowledge in Romans 8:22, "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." Read the 90th Psalm. This gives the over-all picture of our travail. We can identify with the spirit of what Jacob said as he stood before Pharaoh in ancient Egypt, "The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been(" (Genesis 47:9). Throughout life there are natural trials, hardships, and calamities that befall us. No one is exempt from them. Old Age and Death Death is the climaxing calamity that befalls man-kind. God had told Adam and Eve that death would result from their disobedience. Physical death did not occur at once, but came after many long, hard, and toilsome years. Hebrews 9:27 says that "it is appointed unto men once to die." And we especially associate death with old age. David was very much aware of this when he said, "I go the way of all the earth(" (I Kings 2:1,2). There are "divers" trials that usually accompany old age and impending death. With the infirmities of old age vividly in mind, the writer of Ecclesiastes admonished young people, "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low; Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets: Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it"(Ecclesiastes 12:1-7). In the Process of Living But if we think such trials come only with old age, we are sadly mistaken. Into each life "some rain must fall." Who has never been sick? Who has not experienced some accident or the misfortune of some other unpleasant happening? Protracted periods of good health, serenity, and security are only illusionary and short-lived. Then when the trials and storms of life come, it makes the predicament of our human situation more emphatic and obvious. We live in a world of sin and death. This world is cursed, and the sentence of death is upon each of us. Calamity and Death to the Young One is not exempt from the prospects of death even in being a child. The son of the poor widow that fed the prophet Elijah fell sick and died (I Kings 17:8-24). The son of the people who housed the prophet Elisha was visiting his father in the fields. Suddenly he cried, "My head, my head!" (II Kings 4:8-37). As with the other son, he died (and God's prophet was used in reviving each one of them). But the point is that natural calamities and trials come upon the young as well as the old. The Prospects of Sickness Peter's mother-in-law was sick with a great fever (Luke 4:38-40). Dorcas became sick and died (Acts 9:36,37). The apostle Paul had a physical infirmity, a thorn in the flesh, that he had to live with daily (II Corinthians 12:7-10). Epaphroditus from Philippi visited Paul in prison at Rome and became "sick nigh unto death" (Philippians 2:25-30). Paul wrote, "Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick" (II Timothy 4:20). This is all part of living. Accidents Occur Accidents occur. The unnatural and natural are mentioned in Luke 13:1-5 by the Lord. Pilate had mingled the blood of some with their sacrifices. Then mention is made of the tower of Siloam that fell on 18 people, killing them. A young man at Troas by the name of Eutychus fell asleep and fell out of the third story window during a long church service (Acts 20:9). The apostle Paul more than once lived through a shipwreck (Acts 27:14-44; II Corinthians 11:25). All of these things happened in the process of living. Reverses of Good Fortune Reverses of good fortune occur. Job knew what it was like to experience such, coming from unnatural and natural causes (Job 1:13-2:8). The sun shines on the evil and on the good, and the rain falls upon the just and on the unjust (Matthew 5:45). However, there are times when the positive good is not always evident. The negative side of God's impartiality is also seen in what he allows. In a world under the curse of sin, all are made to realize this fact in one way or another. III. WHEN YOU FALL INTO UNNATURAL TRIALS Before making some concluding remarks and admonitions of a positive nature involving trials, let us look into this matter of falling into unnatural "temptations." We have already explained what we mean by this. In Luke 10:30 we found this man who went down from Jerusalem to Jericho "fell among thieves." This was an unnatural trial artificially imposed upon him. Also, as well as the natural calamities that befell Job, unnatural trials came upon him in the Sabeans and Chaldeans falling upon his servants, slaying them and taking his livestock away (Job 1:14,15,17). What the Lord Said The Lord stated in John 16:1-3, "These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me." Just before, he had said, "Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you: if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also" (John 15:20). Persecution certainly is an unnatural trial artificially and externally imposed upon a person. The Lord said that his followers could expect this to happen to them. All Will Suffer Persecution The book of Acts verifies that it did happen, as well as the rest of the New Testament. We read that Paul visited the new churches in southern Asia Minor, "Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). Paul recalling his experience in that part of Asia Minor, told Timothy, "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (II Timothy 3:12). Suffering and Consolation The epistle of I Peter says much about the trials and sufferings of the early Christians as consoling words are written to them. For example consider I Peter 1:6-9; 3:13-18; 4:12-19. This is all great reading. Then chapter 5 verse 8 warns, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." Besides the trials involving temptation to sin, perhaps he has trials in reference to persecution in mind too. The devil would "devour," drink up their blood, in that way too. There are unnatural trials besides religious persecution. But if you are a real Christian, you will have to go through the unnatural trials of persecution in one way or another imposed by a world many times hostile and unfriendly to Christ and Christian values. The Bible says so, experience verifies it, and we shouldn't expect otherwise. We are not greater than our Master. CONCLUDING REMARKS AND ADMONITIONS Inasmuch as all of these things are true, let us draw up some concluding remarks and admonitions about "when you fall into divers temptations." If we face the reality of our situation with an informed and positive mind-set, we can stay on top of it. God's purpose will be accomplished in our lives. 1. No strange thing. Yes, James speaks of "when you fall into divers temptations." It is not a matter of if, but when it will happen. The onslaught of natural trials and unnatural trials will come. It is just a matter of time. Job said, "Man that is born of woman is of few days, and full of trouble" (Job 14:1). The apostle Peter stated, "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you" (I Peter 4:12). To be forewarned should mean to be forearmed. That is the kind of world in which we live. To believe otherwise is to live in a state of delusion and then despair when the trials come. 2. Build for Eternity. The wise person will look beyond this "veil of wrath and tears" to God and build his life, not for time, but eternity. With such a mind-set he can handle the storms of life and see beyond them. The Lord Jesus said, "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock" (Matthew 7:24,25). We have an anchor of the soul (Hebrews 6:18,19), and know what it is to say, "Thy will be done," and then accept it. Our "house" will withstand the most severe onslaught, knowing that all is well with our soul. 3. Christians Not Exempt. Because we are a Christian does not make us exempt from the trials that befall mankind. The apostle Paul made that clear when he wrote, "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body" (Romans 8:22, 23). Although our souls have been redeemed, our bodies have not been redeemed yet. As pain and travail are preliminary to and anticipate birth, the pain of trials enhances our hope in anticipation of a place where there will be no more pain or tears. We eagerly look forward to the redemption of our bodies. This sustains us. 4. Count It a Joy. Our initial Scripture in this study admonished, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations" (James 1:2). Then it tells us that trials develop patience and character. We are to pray for wisdom to understand this. Joy is enjoined in connection with persecution and is recorded as having taken place when it came (Matthew 5:10-12; I Peter 4:12-16; Acts 5:40.41; Romans 5:1-5). The apostle Paul wrote from a Roman prison, "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice" (Philippians 4:4). What a joy it is to suffer just a little like the one who suffered so much for us, and to know that "our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (II Corinthians 4:17). 5. Let God Be Glorified. Accomplishing the glory of God is our primary concern in living as Christians (I Corinthians 6:20; 10:31; Matthew 5:16; Romans 3:23). This is done by our living the godly life, by trusting God, and by having a Christ-like attitude under every circumstance. Death should even be an instrument of God's glory (John 21:19). Job, even with his limited knowledge, said, "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away: blessed be the name of the LORD" (Job 1:21). Let God be praised. Let God be glorified in every circumstance of life and death. By JAMES E. GIBBONS Editor of "THE SPIRITUAL SWORD". 1535 Fairfield Drive Mt. Airy, N.C. 27030 U.S.A Reprinted from "The Spiritual Sword" May 1994. For enquiries and subscription details contact:- jgibbons@surry.net or visit http://web.infoave.net/~jgibbons