James 1:2, What Happens When You Fall
James 1:2, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.”
Notice with me two phrases from this verse.
“Count it all joy.”
Wisely, this verse starts with the joy before the temptation. Often, we need to be assured before we understand the difficulty. If God is working—and He is—then there is reason to rejoice. God takes pleasure in working in you both to will and to do, and as we see God uses trials to build us, meaning that we can have joy in difficulties. The joy we can experience is not because we love the temptation or trial, but we rejoice knowing that God is working on us by the trial. I can have joy because I know God is working for good as He already assured us. I can rejoice assuredly because the end result, described in verse 4 of this chapter, will guide me toward being “perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” Trials are part of making us fully complete and equipped for a closer walk with God and more dedicated service.
“When ye fall.”
Falling into temptation is inevitable. The Holy Spirit could have just as easily directed this verse to read “if ye fall,” but falling into temptation is a fact of life. Notice, though, the fall is into temptation but not to sin. The reality is that we sin as we are drawn of our own lust and enticed. Our lust brings us to sin; we do not “fall” into sin. When referring to the sin of Adam and Eve that resulted in sin nature being passed down to all mankind, we often use the term “the fall of man.” Probably a more appropriate phrase would be “the jump of man.” Sinful man is guilty not by accident but by the work of the flesh.
But we do fall into temptations as in the sense of trials. Nobody in his right mind seeks out a trial or a difficulty. But trials are necessary in this life to mold us into a Christian that is “perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” In order to be completely equipped as needed, we have to accept that trials are essential. And of course, God does not leave us to ourselves in our trials to fend for ourselves. 1 Corinthians 10:13 reminds us, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” God is faithful always, even during times of temptation when we most realize our need for Him. So, what happens “when ye fall”?
The word translated ye fall here in James 1:2 is used two other times in Scripture. The first is when a man fell among thieves and was stripped of his raiment, wounded, and left for dead. I imagine that this man had a completely different plan for his day; nevertheless, this is what happened. In fact, it pretty well ruined a few days in a row. This man’s account is the one we remember by the “the good Samaritan” who would sacrificially save this man’s life. God used this Samaritan to rescue and care for this total stranger who had fallen into this terrible trial.
The second time we can find this word in Scripture is in Acts 27 when Paul found himself imprisoned on a ship and caught in a great storm. The crew attempted to bring the ship to a safe harbor but fell “into a place where two seas met” causing the ship to run aground on the bow and the stern to be broken into pieces. The soldiers guarding the prisoners wanted to kill all the prisoners, including Paul, to prevent their escape. Verse 43 retells, “But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose.” God used that centurion to save Paul’s life. The common theme in each of these verses of those who fell into a temptation is that God provided a way of escape. For every fall, God is faithful. So “when ye fall,” you know that our faithful God “will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” Look to God for the way of escape. Look to God so that ye can bear it.
