"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
— James 1:2-4 (NIV)
James 1:2-4 is the "consider it pure joy" (KJV "count it all joy") passage, the opening instruction of the letter of James. This page gives the verses, what the key words mean, where they sit in James 1, and a plain reading. For more on the theme, see Bible verses about perseverance, Romans 5:3-4, and Bible verses for hard times.
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The verses
The King James reads: "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."
"Joy" is chara (G5479). "Trials" (KJV "temptations") is peirasmos (G3986), which covers both testing and temptation. "Testing" is dokimion (G1383), the proving of something to show it is genuine. "Perseverance" (KJV "patience") is hypomone (G5281), steady endurance. "Mature" (KJV "perfect") is teleios (G5046), complete or full-grown, and "complete" (KJV "entire") is holokleros (G3648), whole in every part.
Where they sit in James 1
James writes "to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations" (James 1:1), believers living away from home. He starts the letter with trials right away.
The next verse turns to a need people feel in hard seasons: "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you" (James 1:5). Later in the chapter he comes back to the same theme: "Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial" (James 1:12).
What the verses are saying
James does not say trials feel good or that pain is joy. He says to "consider" it joy, a judgment made "because you know" what testing produces. The joy rests on what God is doing through the trial, not on the trial itself.
The process has a goal: perseverance does its work so believers become "mature and complete, not lacking anything." Paul describes a similar chain: "suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope" (Romans 5:3-4). Peter adds that after a little while God himself "will restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast" (1 Peter 5:10).
Questions people ask
What does James 1:2-4 say?
In the NIV it says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." The KJV begins, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations."
What does "count it all joy" mean?
It means to judge or regard trials as an occasion for joy because of what they produce, not to pretend they are pleasant. James grounds it in knowing that tested faith grows endurance.
Is James saying God sends temptation?
No. The same Greek word can mean trial or temptation, but James later says, "God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone" (James 1:13). Verses 2-4 are about hardships that test and strengthen faith.
What is perseverance in James 1:3?
The Greek word hypomone means steady endurance: staying under a load without giving up. James says it grows when faith is tested.
Who wrote James 1:2-4?
The letter names its author as "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" (James 1:1). Church tradition identifies him as James the brother of Jesus, a leader of the Jerusalem church.
