"As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful."
There are many in this world who argue that the Bible is archaic, culturally irrelevant, full of inaccuracies and contradictions, and simply a collection of fables and stories composed by mortal men. They cling to the argument that the Bible is full of errors regarding such events as creation and the flood, revolt at the thought it is inerrant and the inspired word of God, and argue emphatically that archaeology and science contradict its claims. Most notably, they struggle with the content of what the Bible says and universally question its validity and application (i.e. How can God be good if there is so much suffering, natural disasters and atrocities in the world? How are we all deemed sinners at birth and destined for hell? Why are we pressured and "forced" to accept Jesus as Savior as the only way to God when there are many other religious options available that point to God or guarantee afterlife?). It is imperative to understand that we all have personal theology and ideology we live by. Whether we believe God exists or not, believe Jesus is the only way or not, or assume all religions point to the same God or not, the truth is undeniable that we choose to believe one argument or another (and yes, indifference is a choice as well). What is most concerning in the Christian church though is how inconsistent we (who profess Christ as Savior) are when it comes to articulating what we individually define as true, and how the summary of those individual truths contradict one another collectively as the body of Christ.
I have read numerous articles and publications that list and detail numerous arguments against Christianity, the Bible, the existence of God, and deity of Christ. With great passion and animosity, they venomously seek to destroy any claim that God is who He says He is in the pages of Scripture, and that the Bible is truly the inspired Word of God and inerrant. It is striking how inflammatory those who oppose Biblical doctrine are based on arguments of science, archaeology, philosophy, logic, common sense, and spiritual enlightenment. Yet in all these dissertations, it is undeniably true that those who compose such writings are seeking to prove their personal theology and ideology through Biblical contradiction (typically through science or logic), influence others to adopt and accept similar thinking, and debunk any theories which oppose what they believe. Therefore, truth is relative and not absolute unless proven by science, mathematics, historical archaeology, etc. What is typically missed by most authors of Biblical opposition is that the defining essence of faith itself is believing in the unseen, miraculous, and indescribable. Faith presupposes that at times I cannot understand all that is written in God's Word nor the reasons why God does what He does, says what He says, or manipulates creation is all its various forms over time to adhere to His sovereign will, regardless of whether I personally believe it is just and fair. God simply transcends my human capacity to understand and comprehend who He is in His deity, and thus I am left with a choice to believe what I cannot explain or vehemently oppose it in favor of what I experience through my limited senses and mental capacity.
This is what James is communicating in verses 10-11 as he encourages his brethren to endure suffering with patience, knowing that God is in full control even when our lives appear to be spiraling downward with trials and tribulations. For at times, faith is the hardest choice we will make when logic compels our flesh to self-protect and trust ourselves more than (or in place of) God. Yes, we know we are fallible, but we feel more comfortable trusting in our deficiencies, faults and shortcomings because they are familiar and measurable, than the all-encompassing sovereignty of God we cannot truly comprehend or understand. And that is the common thread of most arguments made against evangelical Christians, Biblical doctrine, and the sovereignty of God--that we are ignorant and naive to believe in what we cannot explain or prove. We can assume Job struggled with such arguments as his life quickly spiraled into a melting pot of anguish, suffering and despair through the destruction of all he held dear in his life. God in His sovereignty ALLOWED and ORDAINED that Job be inflicted with atrocities that appear reprehensible and completely unjustified. God chose Job to be subjected to pain and suffering that would break the spirit of practically every man or woman who would submit to His will and authority, simply because Job was a righteous man above reproach. Therefore, how could Job be guilty of complaining even the slightest due to the hand he was dealt? Yet despite all God allowed Job to endure as a test of his faith, God REBUKED Job when the secular and worldly accountability of his friends tempted him to sinfully doubt God's sovereignty. But Job's emphatic rebuke was also clothed in compassion and mercy. For God restored to Job all he had lost from a worldly perspective and more--not because He had to in order to be fair and just, but because He chose to. "And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before...And the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning" (Job 42:10,12).
The example of Job in context to all we have discussed is quite amazing and unfathomable, and would appear to support the claim that Christianity is illogical and a tactic used to brainwash people into believing God is good despite all the bad and evil that exists in the world. Moreover, it would assume that fear is used to subject people to adopt a theology and ideology that limits personal freedom and shackles man under the weight of rules and impending judgment to those who disobey its doctrine. Proponents of such beliefs have no qualm choosing to argue against Christianity under the banner of fairness and personal happiness, free will and independent thinking, yet they miss out on the treasure that awaits those who remain steadfast in the face of adversity that tests man's character and countenance. Make no mistake, the salvation road is as narrow a path as an any man or woman could ever choose to walk. It is filled with behavioral expectations and assumptions that undermine man's desire to live for and pleasure himself over others. But through obediently choosing to submit under the authority of Scripture which we cannot fully comprehend, and the sovereignty of God which we cannot truly understand, we are choosing faith over logic, trial and suffering over personal comfort and protection, just as the prophets of old exemplified in their submission and obedience to God before the birth of Christ.
Unlike the prophets of old though, we believe prophesy has been fulfilled through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 11 describes in great detail those who once lived by faith without knowing what we know--that Christ came, saved, and continues to save those who place their personal faith in His gracious gift of salvation. They endured persecution and death, trusting by faith in prophesy that had not been fulfilled at that time. They chose to die for their faith because they believed what was foretold in the Scriptures. Fast-forward 2,000 years, and despite having the privilege of knowing Jesus Christ fulfilled OT prophesy and paved the way for mankind to be saved, more people skeptically doubt and disbelieve the Scriptures than in days of old. Why? If there is one consistent theme found in the Biblical rebuttals and opposing dissertations strewn across the Internet, books and publications, it would be the heart of man that is bent toward serving himself and unwilling to relent control over his life to God. His ability to believe and trust is limited to logic, reasoning and personal experience, and thus if it does not pass through a filter of skepticism and academia, it is false and disproved. In truth, Scripture would declare his heart as hardened and unable to receive divine revelation, because he is unwilling to accept what his mind can never fully comprehend nor the inexplicable miracles of God which defy logic and science. But that is the essence of faith, and indeed man has complete free will to choose whether he accepts the Bible or not--to remain steadfast in his faith that Scripture is true and God is real, or reject Christianity altogether for a doctrine of relative truth. "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them" (Deuteronomy 30:19-20).
