James Chapter 1 is a part of scripture that's far more well-known in Mormonism than I'd guess it is in the rest of Christianity. The reason we like it especially is because verse 5 is the one that encouraged Joseph Smith to ask, in prayer, the question that led to the first vision of this dispensation, which formed what you could call the starting point of our religion. But as we read James 1 last night for family scripture study, I tried to look for other noteworthy scriptures in the chapter, besides verses 5 and 6, and I wasn't disappointed.
Verses 12-16 give us some good insight into temptation.
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.
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Do not err, my beloved brethren.
In verse 12, the JST replaces the word "endureth" with "resisteth," but I think we all knew that that was what James meant. Verse 13 is interesting. "For God cannot be tempted with evil..." It's interesting to think of how far God must have come. Since God was once mortal, like us, He must have been subject to temptation back in His mortal days, just as we are now. This suggests to me that God has come so far in resisting temptation that it's no longer tempting to Him at all. I'm looking forward to reaching that point, personally. "...neither tempteth he any man." God may (and does) allow us to be tempted, but He isn't the one doing the actual tempting. Satan is.
Or is he? Verse 14 says that everyone is "drawn way of his own lust," suggesting that the person who's tempting us is ourselves. Yet, we know that Satan is a real being and that he is the Tempter, so what's this about our own lusts? I think that we each have our own carnal lusts and sinful desires, and that Satan uses those desires that are already within us to tempt us. At least, that my interpretation of this. I'm probably wrong.
And so it is that lust, our sinful desires, "bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." That is, spiritual death, or separation from God. In The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, Doctor Faustus foolishly summons a devil named (Let's see if I can get this right the first time.) Mephastophilis (-checks my spelling- Yes!), and has a brief conversation with him about the nature of Hell. Doctor Faustus stated that he doesn't believe there is such a place as Hell. Mephastophilis insists that not only is there such a place and not only has he been there, he, Mephastophilis, has been damned to never leave it. Then Doctor Faustus asked how he had been able to summon a demon out of hell, to Earth, to have this conversation with him, and Mephastophilis answered in a sobering way:
Why, this is hell, nor am I out of it.
Think'st thou that I, who saw the face of God,
And tasted the eternal joys of heaven,
Am not tormented with ten thousand hells
In being deprived of everlasting bliss?
Essentially, Mephastophilis's claim is that anyone who has been in heaven, in God's presence, (and remembers what it was like to be there) would consider it hell to be anywhere else. Our sins separate us from God, and unless we repent, we will continue to be separated from Him for all eternity. It's no wonder that James told his "beloved bretheren," "Do not err." in verse 16. Many of those who encourage others to repent do so out of concern for the welfare and happiness of those to whom they're speaking. An invitation to repent is, in many cases, an expression of love.
In the first chapter of his epistle, James teaches us a lot more than the truth that we can pray for wisdom if we feel we lack it. This is also the chapter from which we get "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world" (verse 27). So I guess my point is that while you may have some verses already highlighted in your scriptures, you should keep your eyes open for other insights that you might have missed in your first few readings. You might find more noteworthy scriptures in addition to what you already know is there.
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