Posted on 01/31/2003 12:21:22 PM PST by scripter
Introduction: There are some who quote James 1:5 in a way that pulls it out of its intended context and changes the original intent. That is, if you lack wisdom, ask God. While it's perfectly fine to ask God for wisdom according to the context and orginal intent of the author, James 1:5 is not the verse to claim for general wisdom as it is specific to wisdom in trials. I believe the Bible teaches that when we ask for wisdom, we ask with a selfless heart and that in granting the wisdom God may be glorified. There are limits on why God grants wisdom, such as if asked for selfish reasons. And pulling James 1:5 out of context puts no such limitations on what or how we request wisdom.
In verse 1 James uses the same word Paul used in Romans 1:1 and calls himself a servant of God the Father and God the Son. The word for servant can be defined as:
The first removal occurred when the people of the Northern Kingdom (whose capital was in Samaria) were conquered by the Assyrians and were carried away into captivity in Assyria (2 Kings 17:23 and 1 Chronicles 5:26).
The second removal occurred around 580 B.C. when the Babylonians conquered the Southern Kingdom (whose capital was Jerusalem), and carried the best of the people away to Babylon (2 Kings 24:14-16 and Psalm 137).
The third removal took place around 63 B.C., when Pompey conquered the Jews and took Jerusalem and many Jews were transplanted to Rome as slaves.
Still, far greater numbers of Jews left on their own free will, looking for more comfortable living conditions. Jews moved to Egypt and Syria. Alexander the Great moved 2000 Jewish families to Lydia and Phrygia. Thus, Jews were spread all over the world.
The Greek geographer, Strabo wrote: "It is hard to find a spot in the world which is not occupied and dominated by Jews." The Jewish Historian, Josephus wrote: "There is no city, no tribe, whether Greek or barbarian, in which Jewish law and Jewish customs have not taken root."
James continues with his introduction, saying: "Joy to you." Even though you are scattered among the nations and facing trials of many kinds, do not be robbed of your joy.
Therefore, in verse 1 James wrote:
To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations. Joy to you!
James never suggests to his audience that Christianity would be an easy road. In verse 2 we see just that with his use of the word trials. The Greek word for trials means: trials or testing directed towards an end. What is that end? He who is tested should emerge stronger and purer from the testing. The attached verb means strengthening and purifying.
The root word for trials can be used for trials or temptations (internal), with trials an external meaning, such as the adversity his readers are experiencing. With the external meaning, the word is used especially to refer to trials of persecution (1 Peter 4:12).
James says to consider it pure joy, or consider it all joy when we experience trials of many kinds. He doesn't say to be joyous for the trial but in the trial. The verb translated face might more literally be expressed as "fall into," much as the poor man "fell among robbers" (Luke 10:30).
In The Letters of James & Peter,pp 42-43, William Barclay wrote:
All kinds of experiences will come to us. There will be the test of sorrows and the disappointments which seek to take our faith away. There will be the test of the seductions which seek to lure us from the right way. There will be tests of the dangers, the sacrifices, the unpopularity which the Christian way must so often involve. But they are not meant to make us fall; they are meant to make us soar. They are not meant to defeat us; they are meant to be defeated. They are not meant to make us weaker; they are meant to make us stronger. Therefore we should not bemoan them; we should rejoice in them. The Christian is like the athlete. The heavier the course of training he undergoes, the more he is glad, because he knows that it is fitting him all the better for victorious effort.
James uses an interesting word for describing the testing process. It's the word for sterling coinage (genuine unalloyed money). Meeting the testing in the right way will produce much more than patience or perseverance. The word means the ability to turn testing into greatness and to glory.
To summarize verses 1-3 using the expanded Greek words and phrases:
To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations. Joy to you! Consider it pure joy when you fall into many trials because you know that the testing of your faith is directed towards an end, which when met in the right way will strengthen and purify you, and turn into greatness and glory.
Something that amazed the heathen during the persecution centuries was that the martyrs didn't die grimly. It's been told that a martyr was smiling in the flames so they asked him at what he was smiling. He responded: "I saw the glory of God and was glad." That's the type of character generated when we meet the trial in the right way, it produces greatness and glory.
Meeting the trial in the right way makes us mature. The Greek word for mature is teleios and means perfection for a given end. A sacrificial animal is teleios if it is fit to offer to God. A scholar is teleious if he is mature. A person is teleios if he is full grown.
Meeting the trial in the right way makes us complete. The word means perfect in every part. In meeting the trial in the right way we eventually remove weaknesses and imperfections.
Meeting the trial in the right way makes us lacking nothing. The word means deficient in nothing and has been used in the following ways: the defeat of an army, the giving up of a struggle and the failure to reach a standard that should have been reached.
Jesus taught that the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure so valuable that a man would sell everything he owns to obtain it and would do so "in his joy" (Matt 13:44). Paul said we "rejoice in our sufferings" because "suffering produces perseverance" (Romans 5:3). Peter said Christians should "greatly rejoice" in "all kinds of trials" (1 Peter 1:6). Perseverence isn't the end result, it's the lifestyle by which the Christian attains maturity.
To summarize verses 1-4 using the expanded Greek words and phrases:
To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations. Joy to you! Consider it pure joy when you fall into many trials because you know that the testing of your faith is directed towards an end, which when met in the right way will strengthen and purify you, and turn into greatness and glory. The ability to turn testing into greatness and glory must finish its work so that you may be perfect for a given end, with weaknesses and imperfections gone, deficient in nothing.
During the trial, if you're deficient in the wisdom to meet the trial in the right way, ask God. James speaks of the period of testing before perseverance has completed its work. During such testing, if anyone lacks or is deficient in wisdom to meet the trial in the right way, he may have it by asking.
Wisdom is not just acquired information but practical insight with spiritual implications (Prov 1:2-4; 2:10-15; 4:5-9; 9:10-12). With James' Jewish background, wisdom is a practical thing. It isn't philosophic speculation or intellectual knowledge, to James wisdom is concerned with the business of living. Wisdom is "knowledge of the things human and divine" as defined by the Stoics.
According to The Expositors Bible Commentary, volume 12, pp. 168-169:
The type of Greek conditional sentence found here assumes that people facing trials do lack wisdom. What they need is not the speculative or theoretical wisdom of a philosophical system. It is the kinds of wisdom that we read about in Proverbs (passages listed above). It is the God-given understanding that enables a person to avoid the paths of wickedness and to live a life of righteousness. In this context wisdom is understanding the nature and purpose of trials and knowing how to meet them victoriously.
James lists two examples to illustrate the spiritual dynamics of trials. The first example: lacking wisdom (5-8), the second: lacking money (9-12).
Wisdom is a perfect first example because it is so important for Christians in trials. A cry from the heart of a Christian during trials might be "What do I do?" Look at 2 Chronicles 20:12 for a great example of a need for wisdom in trials.
We can ask God for the needed wisdom without fear, for God gives without holding our failures or lack of wisdom against us. Fortunately God doesn't respond by reminding us of our faults!
To summarize James 1:1-5 using the expanded Greek meaning of the words:
To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations. Joy to you! Consider it pure joy when you fall into many trials because you know that the testing of your faith is directed towards an end, which when met in the right way will strengthen and purify you, and turn into greatness and glory. The ability to turn testing into greatness and glory must finish its work so that you may be perfect for a given end, with weaknesses and imperfections gone, deficient in nothing. If any of you while enduring a trial are deficient in wisdom to meet the trial in the right way, continue to ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
The context tells us it's meeting the trial in the right way that makes Christians mature. If we lack the wisdom to do this, ask God. The context tells us:
The Greek sentence structure also tells us those falling into trials do indeed lack wisdom, again making the wisdom here specific to trials. Claiming this verse for anything other than wisdom to endure trials changes the original meaning, and understanding the original intent is required to have correct theology, no matter what the subject of study.
If you encounter a trial and don't have the wisdom for meeting the trial in the right way, ask God for help and don't doubt at all. The only barrier that exists is our faith. We shouldn't be afraid to ask God because of our lack of wisdom. James says he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown [horizontally] and tossed [vertically] by the wind. The image of being driven on the sea was common in Greek literature and occurs in Jewish wisdom texts, Isaiah 57:20, Ephesians 4:14 and the apocryphal Ecclesiasticus 33:2.
Jewish wisdom texts also condemn the double-minded or double-tongued person as does Psalm 12:2. Philosophers and Jewish sages abhorred the hypocrisy of saying one thing and living another, and speaking or living inconsistently.
James tells us not to be double-minded when we ask for wisdom. See James 4:8 as well. A double-minded man is a man with two souls or two minds inside him. One believes he'll receive wisdom and the other disbelieves.
When quoting Scripture we must be careful to quote in context. When requesting wisdom, God has given us the following verses and when used in context, are perfect for requesting wisdom.
If you want to properly claim Scripture it must be done in context, otherwise you can use Scripture to support just about anything.
If a Christian is going through trials they have James 1:5 as supporting Scripture when asking for wisdom to endure. The wisdom given in James 1:5 is specific to trials.
If a Christian desires wisdom for selfless reasons such as King Solomon requested to lead God's people, claim 1 Kings 3:5-14 (repeated in 2 Chronicles) in prayer.
The Matthew and Luke passages are in regards to selfless prayer. If a Christian asks for wisdom to advance the cause of Christ, to glorify God, or to further God's kingdom, Matthew and Luke are prime examples to use.
We must understand the original intent of the writer and the context to properly claim a verse in prayer.
General Bibliography
George M. Stulac, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series, James, IVP
Frank E. Gaebelein, The Expositors Bible Commentary, Volume 12, Zondervan
William Barclay, The Letters of James and Peter, Westminster Press
Walvoord & Zuck, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament, Victor Books
The Harper Collins Study Bible, NRSV, with Apocryphal books, Harper Collins
The NIV Study Bible, Zondervan
Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary, New Testament, IVP
James 1:1-8 from The New Testament, Expanded Translation, Kenneth S. Wuest, p. 539
James, a bondslave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes, those in the dispersion. Be constantly rejoicing. Consider it a matter for unadulterated joy [without any admixture of sorrow] whenever you fall into the midst of variegated trials which surround you, knowing experientially that the approving of your faith, that faith having been put to the test for the purpose of being approved, and having met the test, has been approved, [that this approving process] produces a patience which bears up and does not lose heart or courage under trials. But be allowing the aformentioned patience to be having its complete work in order that you may be spirtually mature and complete in every detail, lacking in nothing.And if, as is the case, anyone of you [when undergoing these trials] is deficient in wisdom, let him keep on presenting his request in the presence of the giving God who gives to all with simplicity and without reserve, [a pure, simple giving of good without admixture of evil or bitterness], and who does not [with the giving of the gift] reproach [the recipient with any manifestation of displeasure or regret], and it shall be given him. But let him be presenting his request in a trusting attitude, not in an expression of that hesitation which vacillates [between faith and unbelief and inclines toward unbelief], for the person who vacillates [between faith and unbelief] is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; for let not that individual be supposing that he shall receive anything from the presence of the Lord, [being] a dubious, undecided man, vacillating in all his ways.
I think this verse applies to anything we ask of God. Whether it is wisdom, money, health, ministry success, whatever; if we ask for something to feed our own desires, we cannot count on God providing it.
What if we feel "squeezed like a pimple"? =^D
As my wife would say, "You shouldn't bring up things I said in the past?"
LOL! Let's not get started on wife quotes . . . I won't get any work done.
God bless your heart and look forward to future edifying posts . . . spouses included!
Take care friend . . .
I consider the above a very myopic statement. King Solomon's request was for wisdom to lead God's great people. He could have asked for anything, yet he respected God's great people so much, his only request was for wisdom to lead them with discernment. God responded to Solomon's request and said because it was Solomon's hearts desire, he granted the request. And because Solomon didn't request anything for selfish gains, God granted Solomon so very, very much more.
When you say things like "asking for any wisdom could be called selfish to at least some degree," that tells me something about you, which you've said more than once. I'm going to say something that may sound very strange to you, it may sound arrogant and mean, but please believe me, that is not my intent. Maybe you cannot request wisdom without some degree of selfish motives. I can to, but then I would be like the double-minded man, not really believing God will grant my request. I also know I can request wisdom for completely selfless reasons, and how do I know, the indwelling Holy Spirit. I honestly believe that is the difference between us. Without the Holy Spirit I would completely agree with you here.
I expect you meant much the same thing as I just said; I just want it clearly defined.
Pretty much. The sins of selfishness and unrighteousness would look like a superset of each.
When the author is not available to clarify any questions in the minds of the readers, it is wise to look to both the content and the context of the remarks to attempt to gain insight into what the intended meaning of the author was, but a person doing this may still .strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. and read far more (or less) into a remark than what was intended. Context is a useful tool, not a magic infallible decoder ring.
Of course context is nothing magic, it's not much more (if anything) than the Occam's razor approach to reading the passage.
Anyway, we agree on the content. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God. When we look at the content of the book of James, there is no statement (content) that limits the type of wisdom being asked for or when wisdom can be asked for.
Nor should there be any such statement. That's what context tells us.
Your claim as I understand it is that the context justifies claiming that James. intent is better expressed by .If any of you are in the midst of a trial and lack wisdom on how to properly deal with that trial, he may ask God for wisdom on how to properly deal with that trial only.. I disagree with that.
Yes, you understand my claim perfectly. Here you said that by "following God's wisdom we become more perfect and entire". Yet that is not what the passage says at all and something I stressed in the above study. When you look at the Greek words it is quite obvious it's meeting the trial in the right way that makes us perfect and entire. For what is the wisdom here? To help us endure so we can meet the trial in the right way. By no means does the passage say it's wisdom that makes us perfect and entire You're missing the entire point of the passage. The wisdom here is specifically for trials.
Let.s look at it from another angle. You yourself admit that requesting wisdom from God is not restricted to only asking for wisdom to endure trials and you give scripture references to that effect. Given that, how can it be argued that James intended a restriction that is in opposition to other scripture? You can.t. Since he intended no such restriction, then you cannot say that using James 1:5 to support seeking wisdom from God for other righteous purposes changes the intended meaning.
You're still stuck on this in opposition issue. That's not the issue, it's context.
I see James 1:5 as a clear unqualified statement of a general principle.
You should make your case from from the Greek sentence structure and Greek words. I listed the general bibliography I used for the study. In addition to the books listed, I also consulted an additional 4 Greek dictionaries, all of which gave the same definitions. Kenneth Wuest's expanded translation agrees with the expanded translation I put together.
I'll repeat something said in the above study:
The type of Greek conditional sentence found here assumes that people facing trials do lack wisdom. What they need is not the speculative or theoretical wisdom of a philosophical system. It is the kinds of wisdom that we read about in Proverbs (passages listed above). It is the God-given understanding that enables a person to avoid the paths of wickedness and to live a life of righteousness. In this context wisdom is understanding the nature and purpose of trials and knowing how to meet them victoriously.I am not making this up. There are very specific reasons for my position, which are based on taking a deep look at the Greek words and sentence structure. If you disagree, you should show where my study misuses the Greek.
Claiming James 1:5 for something other than wisdom to endure trials is changing the original meaning and ripping it completely out of context.
You may not remember a conversation we had last week where you asked how I defined a selfless request and my answer here was "pure motives." A selfish request would be impure motives. That's seems pretty clear to me, but we can use righteous, unrighteous, pure, impure... whatever fits your fancy.
Anyway, this is a minor point and I don.t think we need to dwell on it, suffice it to say that we agree that God will answer as it seems best in his view, and sometimes that will mean no answer.
I believe we can agree here.
I don.t see why there shouldn.t be any such statement, if there was, we would be far more likely to be in agreement with each other by now.
It's the context that sets the limits, whether you're talking about 1 Kings 3, 2 Chronicles 1, Matthew 7 or Luke 11.
Now, if your claim was that James intended meaning was better represented by .If any of you are in the midst of a trial and lack wisdom on how to properly deal with that trial, he may ask God for wisdom on how to properly deal with that trial. I would agree with you much more than I do now.
Sounds good.
It.s when you tack that word ONLY on the end that I object and fail to see how the context justifies claiming James meant that these are the ONLY circumstances under which a person may ask for and get wisdom from God, and that that is the ONLY kind of wisdom God will give a person. Those restrictions are an extrapolation and would not be intended by James because James would have known they are not true from earlier scripture. James is giving an example of how a general principle can be put to use in a specific situation, and quoting verse 5 isolates that principle without altering the meaning of it.
I'm not tacking the word only on it. The context, the sentence structure and the Greek words state the wisdom in James 1:5 is specifically tied to trials. The intended meaning is trials so claiming James 1:5 for anything other than trials is changing the intended meaning and pulling it completely out of context.
And that idea is captured in my conclusion .Therefore we can get from God ANY wisdom we need to become perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
No. That's not the context nor the meaning of perfect and entire. You are missing the entire point of the passage by pulling the phrase perfect and entire from verse 4 and the word wisdom from verse 5 to make your case, and at the same time you're trying to say they're related and they're not related. It is not wisdom that makes us perfect and entire (which is a horrible translation), it's meeting the trial in the right way that makes us mature, strengthened and purified, removes our weaknesses and imperfections and gives us the abilitity to turn the trial into greatness and glory; all of which stems from the Greek words translated as perfect and entire.
It's trials that make us "perfect and entire" if we meet the trial in the right way. If we lack the wisdom to meet the trial in the right way, we can ask God for wisdom to meet the trial in the right way.
We can obtain that wisdom we need to correctly meet the trials we face, but that is not the only kind wisdom a person needs to become perfect and entire
It's the wisdom of James 1:5 that helps us meet the trial in the right way.
No, the issue is not context. The issue is what was James. original intent. Context is a tool we can use to help determine that (when used properly), but as Christians we must assume that his intent is not in contradiction with the truth.
Context includes author, history, language, culture, mannerisms, original intent, reason for writing, etc. We get the original intent by studying the entire context, which I've done in this study while still trying to keep it short.
Did James, a Jew, write to the Jewish Christians in the Greek language? We can.t say with certainty since we don.t have the original manuscript, but I think it is rather unlikely. So what language was it written in, who translated it to Greek, did James approve of the translation etc. etc. These are rather important things to know before putting so much trust in what Greek sentence structure and words are used in existing manuscripts.
When you say things like that it really demonstrates a profound lack of knowledge on the subject. First you say since James was a Jew, would he have written in Greek, then say that's unlikely and make some really bad assumptions. You're talking about the heart of Hellenistic times. Greek was the language to speak and write, and every single copy we have of James was written in Greek. The ironic thing here is, the Greek is so good, so clear, so fine in James, that it's even more obviously written by a Jew. You appear to be trying so hard to avoid the implications of the Greek language supporting my position in detail, that what you're missing is my position is based on the Greek, nothing else.
OK, note however that it doesn.t say that the type of Greek conditional sentence found here means that ONLY wisdom to endure trials can be asked for. Identifying the context is one thing, how we apply that context to the content is another.
The entire passage supports wisdom for trials, not just the sentence structure but the words themselves.
Those are the comments of the authors of that commentary and I don.t see how Greek sentence structure gets them from .people facing trials do lack wisdom. to .wisdom is understanding the nature and purpose of trials and knowing how to meet them victoriously. The first part comes from Greek sentence structure, but the second part seems to just come from themselves.
It doesn't just come from themselves, it comes from understanding the context and the expanded meaning behind the Greek words.
On what basis do you claim that the Greek disallows .wisdom. referring to the wisdom needed to not get into the trial in the first place or any other kind of wisdom? On what basis do you claim that the Greek disallows a person NOT in the midst of a trial from seeking wisdom?
The context.
According to ADAM CLARKE'S Bible commentary (http://www.godrules.net/library/clarke/clarkejam1.htm) for James 1:5, .Wisdom signifies in general knowledge of the best end, and the best means of attaining it; but in Scripture it signifies the same as true religion, the thorough practical knowledge of God, of one's self, and of a saviour.. I.m not holding up Mr. Clarke as an authority of some type, I just want you to see where text analysis ends and opinion begins. I.m sure many other commentaries contain many other opinions on how .wisdom. is meant to be taken in that verse.
I see absolutely nothing wrong with the above and welcome additional commentaries and dictionaries.
It isn.t the use of the Greek I.m objecting to, we pretty much agree on the context but disagree on what valid inferences can be drawn from the context.
You're saying it isn't the Greek you object to, it's the Greek you object to.
The context, the sentence structure and the words are referencing trials. Everything is tied to trials. That is the context. That is the reference. The wisdom in James 1:5 is specifically tied to trials. If you use the reference for anything else you're pulling it out of context and changing the intended meaning.
Likewise, if you need wisdom to deal with your trials, you can get it from God' is true and we agree on it,
Yes.
but it doesn't justify saying if you need wisdom for some other reason, you can't get it from God'
I have no idea why you said that. We have talked over and over about the other verses that support asking God for whatever we want if it glorifies Him, including wisdom. We have talked about Solomon asking for whatever he wanted and he asked for discernment - basically wisdom to lead God's great people. I have said over and over that if we need wisdom from God we should claim the 1 Kings 3 passage, the Matthew 7 passage and the Luke 11 passage. That's why I say I have no idea why you think that I think God will only grant wisdom for trials.
That is not the issue. The issue is the wisdom in James 1:5 is specifically tied to trials. That is the specific context. Using James 1:5 to support asking for wisdom for anything and everything is changing the original intended meaning.
You can't legitimatly say the author intended that unless you can show evidence specific to that restriction. The inference you make is illogical.
I sure can. The fact that everything is tied to trials supports my position. The fact that everything is tied to trials offers no support for your position. Your position is the illogical position as you yank the wisdom specifically tied to trials right out of it's context of trials and use it to support whatever you want. That is illogical.
I previously said:
You are missing the entire point of the passage by pulling the phrase perfect and entire from verse 4 and the word wisdom from verse 5 to make your case, and at the same time you're trying to say they're related and they're not related.So v3 and v5 ARE related, but v4 and v5 are not?
I have absolutely no idea what you're saying here.
The idea that James intention was to say that God will grant you wisdom to endure a trial but you are on your own for everything else is both foolish and wrong IMHO.
I have never said that. Not once. This is a straw man.
Hey, if you are going to look to those manuscripts to try and discern the author's intent, then the accuracy of the manuscripts is a valid thing to investigate. Who made the choice to use that kind of Greek conditional sentance, James, or somebody else?
That is an argument from silence. You are reaching for things for which no physical evidence exists.
That tells us NOTHING about what language the original was in.
Another argument from silence.
Then you say things like since James was a Jew, why would he write in Greek, when that was the language of the day. When you say things like this you demonstrate a profound lack of knowledge on the subject. Everytime you say something on this subject you just make it worse for yourself. I have offered to point you to some books on the subject but you never take me up on the offer.
The common language of the Jews after the return from Babylon was Aramaic, and it is most probable that Jesus and the Twelve spoke Galilean Aramaic.
The common language was Greek. Jesus spoke Aramaic as we see in Matthew where Jesus said "talitha coum" if I remember it right, which means little girl I say to you, get up. So Jesus spoke Aramaic and most likely Hebrew, but the common language was Greek and is what the entire New Testament is written in. The Septuagint is a Greek translation of the Old Testament and the Septuagint is the version quoted by everyone in the New Testament. Everything we have is Greek. You're argument is from silence.
And nothing in the sentence structure or the words supports ONLY wisdom for trials.
One more time. You don't understand context. What's so strange is you admit the context is trials. You admit the wisdom is tied to trials, but you want to use the wisdom in James 1:5 to support whatever you want, and that is changing the original meaning whether you see it or not.
Good, please note it does not limit wisdom to only wisdom to endure a trial.
You're reading something into it that isn't there. Here is what he said.
Wisdom signifies in general knowledge of the best end, and the best means of attaining it; but in Scripture it signifies the same as true religion, the thorough practical knowledge of God, of one's self, and of a saviour..The first part doesn't apply as we're only interested in wisdom in Scripture. If you'll notice he's saying the same thing I am - the throrough practical knowledge of God. Here's what I said:
Wisdom is not just acquired information but practical insight with spiritual implications (Prov 1:2-4; 2:10-15; 4:5-9; 9:10-12). With James' Jewish background, wisdom is a practical thing. It isn't philosophic speculation or intellectual knowledge, to James wisdom is concerned with the business of living. Wisdom is "knowledge of the things human and divine" as defined by the Stoics.What he doesn't do is go into more detail, but he says the same thing I said.
I have called your analogy a straw man but you seem to have ignored or missed it entirely. I can't help but wonder if you're doing this on purpose to avoid admitting my point or if you just don't get it. I've also never seen a perfect analogy for anything - they always break down somewhere.
Just as in your view of James 1:5, you are leaving out specific issues that are required in your analogy. That is, perseverance which is meeting the trial in the right way and being complete which is removing our weaknesses and imperfections. With the lesson on cabinet making being trials in your analogy, Home Depot being God which is probably a first for God, the hammer representing wisdom and cabinets the end product or the mature Christian, you have left out two very important issues.
Let's say being complete is filling holes in the cabinet with wood putty and sanding the cabinets, which is a nice fit to removing our weaknesses and imperfections.
What's left is perseverence and is key to being mature and complete. To be true to your analogy we have to use the hammer in the right way (perseverence) to complete the cabinet and use the hammer to remove defects in the cabinet. But the analogy falls short here because we don't use just a hammer to build cabinets. We might also use a miter saw, table saw, router, finishing nails, putty, sand paper, screws, glue, drill, and more. We don't use just hammers to build cabinets, if we even use a hammer at all to build cabinets.
In the same way we don't request wisdom for trials and trials alone - we can use wisdom and hammers for different purposes. I have repeatedly said the same regarding wisdom from the beginning, saying we should use the 1 Kings 3, Matthew 7 and Luke 11 passages to request wisdom. There are other verses as well but from his choice of words, those are the verses James probably used as a basis for his words.
Your analogy is a straw man because you mispresent what I've said. Your analogy is a also straw man because you're trying to say we can use a hammer to put up picture hangers, one of the many uses of a hammer. When James is saying if we lack the wisdom in using a hammer in the right way to put up straight picture hangers without any defects in the wall, ask Home Depot how to do it.
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