“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”
Other languages translate this verse using the word “temptation” instead of “trial”. So, the question is, what is the difference between “temptation” and “trial”? Can the two words be used as synonyms? The next verse of James 1 says that “God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone...”(v.13). Therefore, temptation only comes from Satan. However, God does allow Satan to tempt us, just as Jesus was tempted, and in order for us to resist temptation, we need to know God’s Word and hold it close to our hearts. There, we are told that “no temptation has overtaken man except what is common to mankind...” (1 Corinthians 10:13). This means that everyone in the world, whether they have a relationship with God or not, have similar experiences when it comes to temptations; the difference, however, is that some do not know or recognize that there is a Power that can help while going through temptation, while others rely on Him to arrive to the other side of their experiences, knowing that once they are there, they will be different having seen God’s hand at work in their lives. When we consider the negative experiences as being allowed in our lives by God, we can think of them as trials, meaning that they try our character and make it more like His. This, in turn, proves that we love Him, and one day He will reward us with the crown of life for being overcomers in this life. May we find our strength in Him during the hard times.
Other languages translate this verse using the word “temptation” instead of “trial”. So, the question is, what is the difference between “temptation” and “trial”? Can the two words be used as synonyms? The next verse of James 1 says that “God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone...”(v.13). Therefore, temptation only comes from Satan. However, God does allow Satan to tempt us, just as Jesus was tempted, and in order for us to resist temptation, we need to know God’s Word and hold it close to our hearts. There, we are told that “no temptation has overtaken man except what is common to mankind...” (1 Corinthians 10:13). This means that everyone in the world, whether they have a relationship with God or not, have similar experiences when it comes to temptations; the difference, however, is that some do not know or recognize that there is a Power that can help while going through temptation, while others rely on Him to arrive to the other side of their experiences, knowing that once they are there, they will be different having seen God’s hand at work in their lives. When we consider the negative experiences as being allowed in our lives by God, we can think of them as trials, meaning that they try our character and make it more like His. This, in turn, proves that we love Him, and one day He will reward us with the crown of life for being overcomers in this life. May we find our strength in Him during the hard times.
