Paul saw the resistance and opposition that ran them out of Thessalonica and kept them from coming back as a play by the enemy. Not the Jewish religious leaders who actually stirred up the trouble. No, they were just a tool used in the process. The real obstacle came from a different enemy. How do we press on with such an enemy in our way?
James continues with a clear distinction between trials and temptations, knowing that when life gets hard is when we are most often lured away and tempted. How do we fight this temptation? How do we examine our own desires and find a better answer to them? Is the Christian life a continual suppression of our desires, much like stoicism? Or do we just give in to desires because we have grace in Christ? The book of James shows us there is a third way, a better way, a righteous way that fills our desires far more than any other thing can.
