Episode 166 - "Lead the wandering back to truth" - James 5:19-20

James 5:19   My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

We conclude our study in James with one final sentence of James that is divided into two verses. This entire letter has been James’ attempt to correct ideas, attitudes, and actions that had found their way into the lives of these believers to whom James is addressing. Key among these problems are pride, inappropriate speech to others, and believing that a life of faith could be void of works consistent with what they claim to believe. They were self-centered and not honoring the Lord or serving others.

James’ conclusion is an extension of mercy and hope for redemption of such people who have allowed these things to characterize their lives. It seems that this concluding sentence may shed some light on what he meant in the preceding verses that spoke of those who were sick and the value of confessing sin and praying for healing. (James 5:14-16) Let’s look at this more closely.

James speaks of two kinds of people. There are those who “wander from the truth.” These are people who curse or judge others. They treat some people with a preference, to the neglect and abuse of others, because of money or social status. Some of these people may gain or use their wealth by defrauding others. They exude jealousy and selfishness. Here James is speaking to the second kind of people. They are the ones he encourages to be instruments of mercy and redemption by bringing the first group back to the truth and the way of Jesus.

James tells these Christians they have a responsibility and privilege to be agents of redemption. He says, “let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death . . . “ (v. 20) In our society today, our culture values independence and a “do what feels good to you” attitude. We have a “mind your own business, and I’ll mind mine” attitude that pervades much of our society today. Therefore, James’ counsel is in direct contrast to our societal values. His instruction insists that we have a great responsibility to attempt to lead people back to the truth. We should not be uncaring of the consequences of people’s actions. Why? Because it could lead to their death. Maybe that’s why he spoke of sick people and their need to confess their sins. They should have the elders pray and anoint the sick with oil in the name of the Lord. Through this kind of ministry, they are able to lead these people back to the truth and healing through God’s mercy.

But that is not all that is accomplished by leading a brother or sister in Christ back to the truth. He says this act of redemption “will cover a multitude of sins.” The sins are paid for by the blood of Jesus when he died on the cross. But, if that wandering soul returns to the truth, he is appropriating the forgiveness available to him that restores his fellowship with God. The apostle John wrote in his first letter, 

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:5-10)

John’s teaching supports James' teaching. True Christian fellowship with each other and God requires that we walk in the light of Christ and his truth. When we sin, Jesus is ready and willing to receive our confession, forgive us, and cleanse us from our unrighteousness. 

Prayer: Heavenly Father - Help me walk in the truth of Jesus and in humility toward you and my fellow believers. Let me have the courage to humbly lead others back to your truth.

Episode 165 - "Pray in faith" James 5:13-18

James 5:13   Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

I’m going to cut to the chase this week. Numerous times through my Bible study podcasts, I’ve spoken about the element of repetition in literature. When we see repetition, it is likely there to emphasize what is most important. Do you see any repetition in these six verses? How about “pray/prayer.” I counted seven occurrences of some form of “pray” in these verses. This section is about prayer. More specifically, I would suggest that James admonishes these believers to pray because prayer in faith is effective.

I draw this emphasis out first because some of the statements in this section have created no small amount of disagreement between believers. I could probably write pages about every instruction given by James in these six verses. But I want to keep this as simple and straightforward as possible. So, if you get nothing else out of this, I hope you will be encouraged to pray in faith, trusting the Lord will answer your prayers.

Prayer is talking to God. When you talk with a family member, you believe they are accessible and willing to hear you. Otherwise, you wouldn’t bother, would you? The same is true about God. However, we cannot see God and, I would dare say, most of us have not heard an audible voice from heaven. So, faith is that element that causes us to trust that God is accessible and willing to listen to our prayers. James has already accused his readers of not asking God for what they need, and when they do ask, they ask specifically for their own selfish desires. (James 4:2-3) In essence, he is saying they have little faith and are too self-centered. 

In verse 13, James tells the one who is suffering to pray. That prayer might involve giving thanks in faith that God may use it for some unforeseen good purpose. At the same time, that request may ask God to remove the cause of the suffering. That’s what Paul did. (See 2 Corinthians 12:7-10) There’s nothing wrong with asking in faith. Perhaps the Lord will remove it, and perhaps he won’t. But we trust that while God is able to do anything, he will also do what is best for us even if we don’t like it.

James then says that someone who is cheerful should “sing praise.” Praise is a form of prayer. It is telling God how awesome he is. In prayer, sometimes we’re talking or singing, and sometimes we’re listening, just like in any other conversation.

Verses 14-15 are where things get a little tricky (maybe). The advice from James is for one who is sick. That person is to “call for the elders of the church . . .” So far, so good. He continues, “and let them pray over him . . .” Sounds reasonable. Then, “anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” What? What does this have to do with helping someone recover from sickness? More importantly, is this an absolute, works every time promise? I’ve met people who never go anywhere without a bottle of oil with which they can anoint and pray for people. I think that it’s rather nice they have that kind of consideration and foresight to be prepared for such an encounter. As a person who grew up in a church tradition that, for some reason, did not practice this, I must admit that I’m not as prepared as some folks. However, I would be happy to oblige anyone who asked me. Let me explain what I believe is the underlying problem.

There is the potential that some of these people, eager to find someone they can anoint, believe they have the power to heal people. That is not what this letter is suggesting. The evidence for this is that elders are to be called and not people with some particular “spiritual gift of healing.” Secondly, the emphasis on what the elders are to do is to pray. The anointing with oil in the name of the Lord is a qualifying modifier of their prayer. Olive oil was commonly used for medicinal use in that day, and therefore James could just be adding this to make it clear this is not an either/or instruction. In other words, James is likely saying to pray for healing in the name of the Lord while you do what you normally do to address their infirmity. James’ instruction to anoint with oil could have a more symbolic meaning in which the oil represents God’s presence. I don’t have a problem with that. What I believe is most important is that the infirmed person, as well as the elders, should understand that healing is first and foremost from the Lord and not oil or other object or treatment or something within ourselves. Acting like we have some special ability, that other believers do not, elicits pride and is sometimes used for control and manipulation. All the honor must go to the Lord and for the service to others.

The next problem is the meaning of verse 15, which seems to conclude the prayer with a promise. It says, “And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.” This sounds like a guarantee that it works one hundred percent of the time. The problem is that it doesn’t always in the way we want it to. Worse yet, those who think it means that have been guilty of suggesting that when the healing didn’t occur when people hoped or expected it to happen, the infirmed and the elders did not have enough faith. Let’s think about that for a minute. How many of those people who would make such an accusation do you think will be alive 150 years from now? Will they not get sick and die? So, even they don’t have enough faith, right? The Apostle Paul had plenty of faith and was not healed of his thorn in the flesh. David fasted and prayed for healing for his young child whom Bathsheba bore from his adulterous relations with her. (2 Samuel 12:16-24) Yet, the Lord did not heal the child. 

But James' point is that healing is found in the Lord. The Lord does and will heal many who ask in faith. The Gospels have numerous examples of Jesus and the disciples anointing people with oil and healing them. Later in Acts, the apostles heal the infirmed, in the name of Jesus,  as well. Finally, for everyone who has faith in the Lord, “the Lord will raise him up” ultimately and permanently someday (v. 15) For those who trust in the Lord, we are looking for the ultimate healing in the resurrection. 

Through the rest of verses 15-16, James reminds us that sin might be the cause of our sickness. While we believe that Jesus has paid the penalty of our sin on the cross, it is important to appropriate that forgiveness through confession in order that our fellowship with God is restored. 

If we have any doubt regarding the power of prayer, James reminds us of Elijah and his prayer to stop the rain and later again to restore it. James' point is that he was human, just like us. He did not have some special power within himself. He was righteous. He was a person who was not practicing sin or leaving it unresolved with the Lord. He made his requests to the Lord, and the Lord answered his prayers. 

Finally, remember what Jesus taught his disciples when they asked him to teach them to pray. The prayer begins with an acknowledgment of who God is. That is followed immediately with a request for God’s Kingdom to come. That means we are praying that, first and foremost, God’s will happens over anything else we might ask. (See Matthew 6:9-10)

Prayer: Lord - Lead us in your way. Reveal our sin so that we may confess it to others and to you. Grant us faith to make our requests to you and give us joy that will lead us to praise you. 

Episode 164 - "Do not swear oaths!" - James 5:12

James 5:12   But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

Are you getting the hang of interpreting Scripture within its context? In this episode, we’re going to look at just one verse. On the surface, it may look like it has nothing to do with what is in the preceding text or the text that follows. At this point, you may want to stop reading or listening to the podcast version of this and ask yourself, “What does this teaching about swearing oaths mean, and what does it have to do with anything else James has to say to his audience? Is this some random thing that came into his mind that has no connection with what he’s already said or is about to say?” Go ahead and read it by itself and then read the surrounding context and jot down ideas of what you think this is all about.

OK. Here’s my take on this. Let’s first begin by taking it by itself and seek to understand its meaning without great consideration of its relevance to the rest of James’ letter. His statement, “But above all,” should tell us a few things. First, it seems to indicate a sense of importance. If I were to give my children a list of things I expected them to do, I would probably order the action list in such a way that I would conclude with the thing I wanted to be ringing in their ears after I stopped. I might say, “clean up the yard, clean up your rooms, but above all, get your homework done.” I might be thinking about how they might get distracted and not fully clean their rooms and then not have time to finish their homework. The homework has a deadline outside of my control and is important. So, I qualify it with a statement to emphasize the priority. The second thing it teaches us is that this is likely a conclusion of a thought. This is an indicator that what is “above all” to James is the final thought of a point he is making, and therefore, it teaches us that we should go back and read what James said before to ask ourselves what this has in common with the instruction given up to this point. What does “do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath” have to do with what James has already said? We’ll come back to this shortly.

Let’s take this command “do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath” by itself. It seems pretty clear, doesn’t it? Do not swear oaths. It doesn’t seem difficult to understand what this command means. For me personally, the real question is, “Why is this so important? Why would this be ‘above all?’” If this command is a higher priority, it will serve us well to pursue understanding what is so terrible about making oaths so that we are more able to value what is most important.

I think we get a clue from the immediate context of James’ prohibition. He follows this command with a statement of how one should respond, a statement of action that stands in contrast with swearing oaths. He says, “but let your ‘yes’ be yes and your ‘no’ be no.” (v. 12b) So, what is the difference between answering “yes” or “no” to a question and swearing an oath? In either case, you could be wrong. As well-intentioned as we might be in any specific situation, we can respond with integrity and answer honestly based on our limited knowledge and abilities. But an oath is something different, isn’t it? An oath is an absolute affirmation, a guarantee as if one was both all-knowing and all-powerful to bring about the promised result. Is this act of making oaths not an act of elevated pride or arrogance? If we make an oath “swearing by heaven,” are we not suggesting that God is going to back us up on whatever we swear? Now we’re getting somewhere. This explains James’ concluding explanation for not swearing an oath “so that you may not fall under condemnation.” (v. 12c) 

I remember a friend from high school would occasionally act as though he was looking for a fight. I remember telling him that I’d back him up if someone messed with him but that he was on his own if he started it with his own words and actions. It’s an issue of pride and arrogance, and we shouldn’t act like we can do or say anything we want and treat God as though he is obligated to back us up. That is what I think James is telling his readers. Don’t be arrogant. Simply respond in a way that reflects what you honestly intend to do or not do. Don’t make an absolute promise and bring God into it. If you fail, you’re setting God up for the blame. God does not fail on his promises. 

All of a sudden, this makes a lot more sense in the context of James’ previous instruction. Back in chapter 3, James compared the tongue to the bit in a horse's mouth and a rudder on a ship. He spoke of the importance of taming our tongues. Much of this book speaks about what we say to others and exhibiting humility instead of pride among others. Swearing oaths are a means by which pride and an uncontrolled tongue do their worst. So, the importance revealed by James’ “above all” qualifier is telling us that swearing oaths become most problematic because our uncontrolled pride and tongue invoke God’s support and reputation. Therefore, it may bring condemnation upon ourselves. If I’m not mistaken, it’s a form of blasphemy. 

What about the greater context of the Scriptures? Do they say anything about swearing oaths? 

The Ten Commandments state in Exodus 20:7, “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.” Leviticus 19:12 says, “You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of God: I am the LORD.” Ah! So, these verses do not absolutely condemn making an oath. They condemn making a false oath. That seems reasonable enough to warn against using God’s name to make a statement or promise that you know to be false. But what if you intended well, and yet your oath was not true? That’s why James tells his readers, “don’t swear oaths.” Don’t put yourself into that position because you could easily blaspheme God. James, in fact, appears to be echoing Jesus’ own advice on the matter. (See Matthew 5:34-37)

God himself has made oaths. So, oaths themselves are not evil. But God is both all-knowing and all-powerful. He is absolutely faithful to his promises. The Law even made a specific case in which an oath was to be given. In Exodus 22:10-11, “If a man gives to his neighbor a donkey or an ox or a sheep or any beast to keep safe, and it dies or is injured or is driven away, without anyone seeing it, an oath by the Lord shall be between them both to see whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor’s property. The owner shall accept the oath, and he shall not make restitution.” Given the serious nature of making oaths, the person responsible for the animal at the time of injury, death, or loss knows whether he was responsible or not for the loss of the owner’s livestock. Therefore, he is absolutely telling the truth or absolutely and intentionally lying and thereby deserving of God’s judgment upon him.

Hopefully, we will have a greater appreciation for James’ instruction on this matter. Perhaps it can foster a deeper appreciation for our use of God’s name.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us honor your name in our words, our thoughts, and our actions!

Episode 163 "Be patient!" - James 5:7-11

James 5:7   Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 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.

What is going on here? In the preceding text, James indicted the rich who oppressed others by withholding pay and defrauding them of what they deserved and needed. Is he telling them to “be patient?” Or is he telling those who have been wronged to be patient? If the latter is the case, I’m sure these people are not excited about James’ counsel. Perhaps he’s changed his thought altogether. 

Here is another opportunity to hone our interpretation skills by expanding our examination of the text. If the immediate context, such as the preceding verses, does not help us much, perhaps we need to “fly higher” in order to get a view of the broader literary context.

If we return to the opening of James’ letter, we find that the first thing James addresses with his readers is how they handle “trials of various kinds.” (James 1:2) He tells them to be joyful in these trials because it tests their faith and produces steadfastness in their faith. He argues this is the Lord’s way of making us complete in his plan to transform us into the image of Christ. (James 1:2-4) Shortly after, James says, the one who remains steadfast through the trials will “receive the crown of life.” I won’t go into the discussion of the meaning of that other than it is a reward from God for remaining faithful to the Lord through the trial. If the Lord rewards those who remain faithful through such trials, it would appear that trials and even suffering are God’s way of taking something bad, something even that came about through humankind’s sin against God and using it for our good and His glory. 

Perhaps James, by encouraging the brothers to be patient, is returning to this initial instruction on how they (and we) should handle trials and suffering. Perhaps he has never fully left that thought, and the various issues he has addressed and instructions he has given are all somehow related to this instruction to be patient. 

I love the illustration of the farmer waiting for the time of harvest. As one who grew up on a farm, I get this. You plant the seed and hope to ultimately be able to harvest the crop from that seed. Yet, trials come along. Sometimes it rains too much, other times too little. But there’s not much you can do about it. When we stop and think about it, there are often times of trial that we cannot do anything about. Sometimes that suffering is deep and with no foreseeable purpose or resolution. James doesn’t tell us that it’s going to work out the way we would like. He doesn’t promise that God is going to prevent or undo the circumstances and experiences of that suffering. He does tell us that by holding fast to our faith in Jesus, we can trust that God has a very good plan for using that experience for his perfect, divine purpose for our lives. 

This perfect, divine purpose culminates when the Lord returns. (“Be patient . . . until the coming of the Lord.”  v. 7) He adds in verse 8 to “establish your hearts . . . for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” (v. 8) This is a call for resolve to trust the Lord is good and will ultimately deliver us from all such trial and suffering. The Apostle Paul tells us, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28) Paul does not say that all things are good. He says, “all things work together for good” to those who love God. James' assertion that “the coming of the Lord is at hand” means it could happen at any time. We might desire this to happen today, as I’m sure James did. However, God does not operate on our sense of time. But, the Lord could return today. 

In verse 9, it would appear that James’ idea of patience is that we do not allow the circumstances of our trials to lead us to grumble against another brother or sister in Christ. My tendency would be to say, “But what if my brother is the source of the trial?” James’ response is, “a Judge is standing at the door.” His point is that God sees, God knows, and God will justly do what is good and right. 

James reminds his audience of how their ancestors treated the prophets. In reading the Old Testament prophets, we learn that these people God had ordained to speak to the people and call them to do what was right were often ignored at best and abused, if not murdered at worst. Doing what God wants us to do will bring opposition and sometimes trial and suffering for doing what is right.

He then mentions Job by name. According to the book of Job, Satan told God that if God would just allow him to inflict suffering upon Job, that Job would abandon the Lord. God allowed him with the limitation that he could not do anything to Job himself. Satan caused the destruction of Job’s possessions and the deaths of his children. Talk about trials and suffering. Yet, Job did not curse or abandon the Lord. Satan appealed to God again that if he could inflict pain upon Job himself, Job would then curse God. God’s only prohibition was that he could not kill Job. Satan afflicted him with ulcers all over his body. This time even Job’s wife advised him to “curse God and die.” (Job 2:9) Yet, Job refused to curse or abandon his faith in the Lord. The story continues with bad advice and false accusation from his “friends.” Job was faithful. At the end of the story, we see how God, the Judge, acquitted Job and indicted his friends for their foolish judgment against Job. (Job 42:7-17)

The point in all of this is that God knows all, God is just, and God plans for what is best for us through all things.  Patience is the resolve to act in accordance with that truth and not act through our thoughts, words, and actions as though we know better than God.

Prayer: Lord, help me trust you in all things.

Episode 162 - "Don't use your privilege to oppress others!" - James 5:1-6

James 5:1   Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

It has dawned on me that careful reading and interpretation of this letter is a good exercise in the process of hermeneutics. That’s just a fancy word for the process of interpretation. Why is it that this letter is such a good exercise in the process of interpreting Scripture and literature in general? Because James says things in ways that, if we take them very literally and define the boundaries of meaning from our own culture and perception with little consideration of other factors, we could easily misinterpret the intended meaning.

For example, could we not interpret the first three verses of this section to say that rich people are evil or that it’s wrong to have wealth? But, then we have a problem when we think about people we’ve known or been familiar with who are financially successful and are wonderful people of faith. How do we reconcile that conflict? I would suggest that we make a habit of returning to the text and reading more broadly through the work of literature and see if there are clues from the context.

James begins by saying the rich will “weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you (deservedly).” (v. 1) He continues by stating matter-of-factly that these items of earthly value have corroded, and they will testify against them (implied as evidence of judgment as if these items could speak) and will eat their flesh. Already we should recognize a problem with such an absolute, literal interpretation. These are inanimate objects. They cannot speak or eat. For that matter, they even tend not to corrode so quickly. Yet, James speaks as though it’s already happened. But, then there’s the question, what is so wrong with gold and silver that James speaks of it in such a way, and how or why does it speak judgment against its owner? The context helps us interpret what James is really after.

The end of verse 3 says (of the rich), “You have laid up treasures in the last days.” (v.3b) This is not so bad in and of itself. In Proverbs 6:6-8 we find the wise teacher speaking against those who are lazy and don’t want to work and speaks of the ant that stores up for the winter when it cannot find food. There is wisdom in planning for times when provision may be lean. But that’s not what is happening here. James continues in verse 4 that these rich people have been defrauding, not paying, their less fortunate employees. Now we’re getting to the root of the problem.

Did you notice that both groups of people are crying, both the rich oppressors and the defrauded workers? But, the rich oppressors will be crying because of the judgment that will justly come upon them. The defrauded workers are crying to the Lord out of their need and the injustice. Guess who the Lord hears? Verse 4 says it’s the latter group's cry that reaches the ears of the Lord.

James continues his indictment of the wealthy oppressor in verse 5 when he speaks of his self-indulgence. Then in verse 6, James says the rich oppressor has “condemned and murdered the righteous person.” 

Clearly, the issue James is addressing is not how much money one makes. The issue is whether you use what the Lord has blessed you with for righteous and just purposes. If the Lord has blessed us with more than what we need, then we ought to use that abundance to help others with their needs. 

All the way back in Genesis 12:1-3, we see this principle in the Lord’s call of Abram. The Lord promised to bless Abram and that he would be a blessing to others. So, this principle becomes more evident as we read the context in which this indictment is set, but it also is consistent with what is revealed outside of this letter but within the scope of God’s revelation through time. 

Our God is consistent, and he consistently desires that we act justly toward others. The Lord desires to bless us. We must pass on the blessing to others to the measure we are able to according to those blessings.

Prayer: Lord, help me be a blessing to others to the ability that you have made possible.

Episode 161 - Your life is like a vapor - James 4:13-17

James 4:13   Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

In our last episode, James called out brothers in the church who judged others. Essentially, they were putting themselves in place of God, James argued. What is at the root of that attitude? Pride. 

One might think that James is moving to a different issue in verse 13. He is no longer talking about judging others. Yet, you don’t have to read much further to discover that he’s still addressing the issue of pride. It’s just expressed in a different way.

James' hypothetical statement apparently reflects an attitude among some of the believers to whom he’s writing whose pride leads them to think they are on top of life, that they are the master of their own lives and nothing can stop them. James deftly exposes the reality that we are finite, mortal creatures. The first “silver bullet” in this errant and arrogant attitude is “you do not know what tomorrow brings.” (14a) None of us are omniscient. We should not act like we have absolute knowledge or control over what happens in our life when it’s clear that we don’t. 

James follows that with a rhetorical question that he answers. “What is your life?” This is an important question for us today. If we have the attitude that we can make plans to increase our own sense of security or success, it reveals an unrealistic expectation that we are going to be around indefinitely as the “king of the hill.” It’s a little more subtle than playing judge to those around us. But, fundamentally, we’re still acting like we’re our own god through this kind of thinking. Jesus addressed a similar kind of attitude by telling people not to be anxious about their earthly needs. “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these (earthly) things will be added to you.” (Matt. 6:25-33)

James' answer to his question is, “For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” (14b) Compared to eternity, this earthly life is like a vapor that quickly disappears. All of our efforts to serve ourselves and our pride are pointless and with no eternal value. 

James’ antidote to this arrogant attitude is not to simply be passive and allow whatever might happen to happen. Rather, make plans for intentional activity but submit to God’s direction and authority over the turns our life may take that are outside of our control. James says of their attitudes that they are boasting, which reveals their arrogance. “All such boasting is evil,” James asserts. (16b)

This section and chapter conclude with James’ statement, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” (v. 17)

Let’s consider this for a moment. Someone might ask, “How do I know what is the right thing to do?” How do you think James would answer that question? I think he would answer, “Ask God for wisdom. He will give it to you.” It’s important to realize that the God of the Bible is not some supernatural force with a “dark side” that seeks to deceive us and lead us astray. Our God has revealed his character within the Scriptures and, most clearly, through the Incarnation of his Son Jesus. He has also given us the Holy Spirit to guide us in truth and wisdom. 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, lead us in wisdom and humility that in this short life you’ve given us, we may seek what is of your eternal kingdom that is to come. Thank you for providing everything I need today.

Episode 160 - "Do not judge your brother!" James 4:11-12

James 4:11   Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

So in these two simple, clear verses, we have more straight talk from James. It boils down to this; “Do not judge your brother (or sister) in Christ!” But is it really all that clear? After all, it seems like the Scriptures have examples of when people are supposed to judge others within their community of faith. Don’t they? Let’s take a look at this.

Notice that in verse 11, the command is first to not “speak evil against one another,” and then that is likened to judging a brother. The problem with this, James explains, is that doing so “speaks evil against the law and judges the law.” (v. 11) Since it was God who gave the law, you fundamentally set yourself up in place of God by acting as though you are sinless and qualify to be a righteous judge. Clearly, we shouldn’t do that. But exactly how does James understand that judging a brother violates the law? He doesn’t specify a specific command within the law.

A quick perusal of the Ten Commandments from Exodus 20:1-17 reveals at least one commandment seems like a possible candidate to which James was referring. In Exodus 20:16, we read, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” That’s possible. However, it seems like James would maintain the specific nature of that command if that’s all he had in mind. But James says, “Don’t judge” instead of don’t lie against your neighbor. It is difficult to assert that he was thinking of this commandment alone. 

If we take a more broad look at the Ten Commandments, however, we’ll notice that the last six of the Ten Commandments all deal more with our relationship with others instead with our worship of God. Things like “Honor your father and mother,” “Don’t commit adultery,” Don’t steal,” and so forth collectively inform us that God values people and our relationship with others. This faith that the Lord is giving us is not just a belief or reverence for a higher power. Living with others in a way that demonstrates that we value them is very important to God. Therefore, it appears that this judging of others that James has in mind is a means by which we treat others as though we are more worthy or more righteous than others. This thought is not unique to James. 

Jesus taught, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” (Matt. 7:1-5)

What is Jesus' point? Jesus reminds us that we are guilty of sin as well and that our priority should be judging ourselves and finding ways to grow in obedience and faith. 

Jesus taught this “bird’s eye” view of the law as well. “And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matt. 22:37-40) If we love our neighbor as ourselves, then we cannot judge them as though we are perfect and they aren’t.

I think this is where James is going in James 4:12. “There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?” The rhetorical question is, “Who are you to judge your neighbor?” The answer is, “You are not God, the One who can rightly judge, AND you are one who is also a sinner who rightly deserves to be judged by God. Therefore, I do not have the qualifications to judge rightly.

What about those passages in Scripture where the judgment of people seem to be advised or even commanded? Is this in contradiction to what James or Jesus taught? Throughout all of Scripture, there were times when people within the community of faith violated God’s law, and there were false prophets that would arise to deceive people. It’s also very clear that the Scriptures teach that the community of faith should not turn a blind eye to such things. In other words, they were to “judge” actions, ideas, and words to discern what was good and right. The law also provided counsel for such kinds of violations. In Deuteronomy 19:15-20 we read, “15   “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established. 16 If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, 17 then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. 18 The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, 19 then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. 20 And the rest shall hear and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you.” 

This Scripture from the Books of the Law was used by Jesus to authenticate his works and his teaching. He pointed out to those who were judging him that he had witnesses verifying that his words and works were from God. (See John 5:30-47) 

There is a sense in which we are to judge. However, the fundamental issue is one of the heart and our motivations. We can ask the question of whether our judgment is out of a heart that is self-righteous or one in which there is sin or false teaching occurring to which there is adequate evidence the community may appropriately confront the offense. The motivation for the latter case is one of purity within the community of faith and the desire to redeem and restore the offender to what is good and right. It is not about vindictiveness or exalting ourselves as superior, more worthy people. Appropriate judgment is one in which the evidence is clear, and the desired outcome is for the good of everyone. 

Jesus’ statement to “pull the beam out of your own eye” is followed by the statement, “then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” In that second part, he reveals that appropriate judgment requires we first deal with our own sin, and then we can help (not condemn) our brother.

Lord - Make us humble before you and before others so that we can identify and address the sin in our own life. Grant us wisdom and grace to help others return to your truth and righteousness.

Episode 159 "Draw near to God and he will draw near to you" James 4:4-10

4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

I could probably write a blog post for every verse in this section. But I just couldn’t bring myself to split it up. This is a powerful message that resonates with a theme that began in the Garden of Eden. Look at the indictment that begins this section.

“You adulterous people!” (v. 4) Who is he talking to? He is writing to Christians. We often use the word adultery for someone who is unfaithful to their spouse. But James uses it to accuse the recipients of this letter of being unfaithful to God. Isn’t that what Adam and Eve did when they disobeyed the LORD’s command not to eat the fruit of one tree? The LORD had given them instruction to enjoy as much as they wanted from every other tree except for that one. However, the serpent sought to first deceive Eve and then provoke her pride; “You will be like God.” (Gen. 3:5) She already was “like God” in as much as she had been made in God’s image. However, the serpent convinced her she could be more if she only ignored God’s command and warning. The LORD had been more than faithful to her. But she chose to compromise her fidelity to the LORD.

The theme of spiritual adultery against the LORD continues throughout the Old Testament and is especially highlighted as the Israelites repeatedly fail to obey the LORD during the departure from Egypt and later after the time of Joshua and throughout the divided kingdom after Solomon’s death. Time and again, we see the LORD graciously redeeming His people and showing them mercy and love, but people doing “what is right in their own eyes.” (See Judges 21:25) They are unfaithful to the LORD. 

James says there are two kinds of people; friends of God and friends of the world. As a person who sees strong consistency between Paul and James rather than a contrast, this teaching reminds me of Paul’s argument in Romans 5 where he describes our natural state as an enemy of God. Yet he writes that God’s love for us is so great that Christ died to make his enemies his friends. That is love and fidelity beyond imagination and where I think James takes us in verses 5-6. How tragic it is that people who’ve accepted God’s love, mercy, and grace and have experienced that divine faithfulness choose to disregard that and become adulterous and act in ways consistent with our natural, fallen condition. That is the indictment James is leveling against these believers.

Notice after the harsh indictment of verse 4, James’ tone turns toward a redemptive call to these same people. “Do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? This reference to Scripture is not a direct quotation of any particular passage I could find, and scholars seem to be stymied by this as well. What is clear is that James understands the “Scriptures” ( What we call the Old Testament) to communicate the idea, at the very least, that God wants our devotion to being directed toward Him. Why would this be? It’s because He wants what is best for us. James follows this with “But He gives more grace . . . (v. 6a) 

Do you see this? James says to these Christians to whom he is writing, “You are being unfaithful to God. But God will not be unfaithful to you.” (My interpretation) What does Paul say about this notion? “What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? 4 By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar” . . . (Rom. 3:3-4a) James and Paul both extol God’s grace as a means to woo his unfaithful followers back to Him. 

The path to getting back where the LORD wants us requires humility in contrast to the kind of pride evoked within Adam and Eve. In verse 6, James says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble,” and in verse 10, he says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” 

Verses 7-10 offer a number of actions we are to do as we decide we want to follow the Lord and seek His ways over our own. We must “submit to God” and “resist the devil.” (v. 7) I believe the key to all of this is found in the first part of verse 8, “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” (v. 8a) Have you ever experienced a significant betrayal by someone close. If so, you understand the difficulty in wanting to draw near to them even if they apologize and want to make amends. Our tendency is to avoid setting ourselves up to be hurt again. Yet, God is ready to draw near to us when we will draw near to him.

I am going to leave you with that thought and this prayer.

Lord, thank you for being faithful to me even when I’ve not been faithful to you. Help me draw near to you and to remember you are with me. You are a faithful and loving God.

Episode 158 - God is generous and wise - James 4:1-3

James 4:1   What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

So far in this letter, James has spoken of the need for members of the church to have the wisdom that God gives. He has taught us the importance of taming our tongues and not showing partiality to some people over others. Our faith is evident to others through how we act. Demonstrating love and mercy to others are chief means to demonstrate our faith. We cannot bless God and curse people who are made in God’s image. Jealousy and selfish ambition are not compatible with the wisdom from God. We must be peaceable, gentle, and full of mercy to walk according to God’s wisdom.

In these first few verses of James 4, James asks a question. However, it’s rhetorical because he delivers a very clear answer to that question. It appears that he is aware of conflict among the believers to whom he’s writing because he asks, “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you?” His answer is “Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?” (James 4:1) Before we look at how he expands upon this, let’s ask ourselves what this means and how it leads to quarrels and fights. 

From the context of James, it appears that some of the “passions” they’ve manifested is a pursuit of influence that is evidenced when they show partiality. Why would they treat some special and disregard or disrespect another person in their church? In all likelihood, the person to whom they are giving special attention has authority and/or money and they hope to gain some advantage by treating that person well. But, this in itself creates division doesn’t it. When someone exerts their power and control over others, those who are marginalized from that power or privilege may suffer and not receive the benefit of the “one another” philosophy so common in Paul’s letters. The conflict is created through the competing desires of human flesh instead of people seeking the common good in Christ. 

The Apostle Paul describes the internal conflict provoked by the Law in Romans 7. He describes this conflict as knowing what God says is right and wrong in the Law and he wants to do what is right. However, because of our sinful nature, we don’t always do what God wants. The passions from our sin nature are at war with what is good and right and consistent with God’s character. 

In the second verse of chapter four, James explains what becomes of their futile and unfulfilled desires. First he says, “You desire and do not have, so you murder.” Seriously? Does he mean this literally or is this figuratively? I’m inclined to lean toward a more literal interpretation of this. Perhaps he’s not suggesting they commited premeditated murder as Cain did to Able when he didn’t get his way and he was jealous of his brother. (Gen. 4) But, perhaps through their selfish greed for power and filling their own lustful desires, they were not providing for those in need. The Israelites in Isaiah 1 are indicted essentially for murder “Your hands are full of blood.” (Isaiah 1:15b) and within the next two verses we learn the victims are orphans and widows. (Isaiah 1:16-17) Perhaps James’ indictment is similar. 

He follows this with “You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.” (James 4:2b) In these back to back indictments we see the futility of seeking to be satisfied in the pursuit of our fleshly, selfish desires. 

James promptly explains the remedy. “You do not have, because you do not ask.” (James 4:2c) James began his letter by instructing these believers to ask God for wisdom because God is happy to grant that to everyone who asks. Why is that? Because the wisdom God grants leads people to make decisions that are consistent with God’s character and His righteousness. God wants to help us make right decisions for everyone’s good. God’s wisdom is not self-centered. God’s wisdom then should lead us to ask for what we need that honors the Lord and seeks the benefit of others as well as ourselves. 

James follows this with “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4:3) This is James’ response to someone who is thinking, “I have asked and still didn’t get what I wanted.” The point is that God knows our motives and He is not going to fuel our selfish desires. God is happy to give what he knows is truly good and right for us and for those around us. 

Effectively, James is first telling them “You don’t really trust God because you don’t ask Him for what you need.” The second he is saying is “God is not going to give you something to fulfill your own selfish desires and not use it for His kingdom purposes.” 

What do I get from this? I see that our God is generous to give us what is best for us and others around us. We need to respond by thinking how we can serve others needs through God’s blessing to us.

Prayer: Lord! Thank you that I can trust you to provide for my needs. Help me wisely trust you for that provision and how I might use it for your purposes.

Episode 157 - "Wisdom from God leads to peace, mercy, impartiality, . . . " James 3:13-18

James 3:13   Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Does the message in this segment sound familiar? There are two themes in particular here that jump out to me. The first is wisdom. This is an important theme of James’ letter, isn’t it? It was at the forefront of his mind when he wrote this because he writes in the fifth verse of chapter one, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5) James is telling his readers they need wisdom, and he tells them where to get it. In the segment we’re looking at today, he contrasts two kinds of wisdom. 

One kind of wisdom is characterized by “bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts.” (James 3:14) He adds this kind is “earthly, unspiritual, demonic.” (v. 14) What he’s saying here is that people may be able to talk a good game. But, they are only self-serving, self-promoting, seeking to impress or control others through their talk. They are not concerned about the spiritual well-being of others.

If that weren’t enough, James continues in verse 16 by saying, “where jealousy and self-ambition exist, “there will be disorder and every vile practice.” Jealousy and self-ambition are root causes of disorder and every vile practice (corruption, immorality, unjust treatment of others, etc.). Sadly, I’ve actually seen this in a church before. I wish I’d understood this better back then. Perhaps we could have identified the issues before they became so destructive.

What about the second kind of wisdom? This is the kind of wisdom that we ask from God, right? This is the kind of wisdom “from above.” (v. 17) James describes this as “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” (v. 17)

The idea that it is “first pure” shows this to be in direct contrast to the earthly and demonic kind of wisdom which is thoroughly corrupt. The rest of these descriptive words tell us that wisdom from God seeks the benefit and edification of everyone in the community of believers. Words like peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy, and impartial all speak of seeking the best for the community as a whole. James has already instructed his readers not to show partiality but to treat people equally. (James 2:1-13)

The second theme I see as a continuation of James’ emphasis to these believers is that of “good works.” Notice how he discusses the relationship between wisdom from above and good works. The second half of James 3:13 says to the wise person, “By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.” (James 3:13b) Just like good works are evidence of the kind of faith that God gives, so good works are also evidence of the wisdom God gives.” It is a wisdom evidenced by meekness and not arrogant boasting and self-promotion or jealousy. James completes that thought in verse 18, “And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” This says that using the wisdom given by God works to “sow peace” among brothers and sisters in the faith, and it brings a “harvest of righteousness.” This is the value of seeking wisdom from God. We want to experience a community of righteousness or right living. We need and desire peace, mercy, gentleness, and NOT one of disorder and vile living, right?

I love how James is not just jumping from one thing to another. Rather, as these themes reappear, we start to see how they are so closely related. I don’t know about you. But, it fosters in me a desire to experience this more in my own life and of my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Prayer: Lord, as you grant and sustain our faith, grant us wisdom that enables us to value your wisdom and your righteousness that becomes more evident as we seek to be peaceable, gentle, merciful, and everything else that seeks the common good of others.

Episode 156 - The Tongue is set on fire by Hell James 3:1-12

James 3:1   Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 

2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

Whenever I sit down to study the passage for the next episode, I have found myself laughing. I read the text, and I think to myself, why should I bother saying anything about this? This is so clear. Certainly, my words and ideas concerning this text cannot bring any more light to the meaning. Yet, allow me to reflect on this for a bit since I suspect that maybe I need to get the truth and wisdom from this text more than anyone else. This text is cautionary advice with respect to the words that come out of our mouths.

This section begins with a reminder that those who teach others will “be judged with greater strictness.” (James 3:1) By who? I think the implication is that judgment comes from the LORD. That is serious business. We must be careful in teaching others God’s word so that we do not teach them error and lead them astray. There are numerous warnings and examples of false prophets in the Bible and how God deals with them. It’s not pretty. The rest of the text reveals that control of what we say extends to more than just having integrity with the Scriptures.

In verse 2 James says, “if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.” I don’t think James is teaching that any of us can or do live a sinless life. In fact, the beginning of verse 2 states, “We all stumble in many ways.” He is teaching that control of our words is the essential discipline in the pursuit of righteous living. To me, I think he’s saying that controlling what we say must be a priority in our life. He drives the point home of the power of our words by comparing our tongue to the rudder of a ship or a bridle in a horse’s mouth. They are small but have a significant ability to control the direction of the ship or horse respectively. 

Do you need some more conviction or motivation? James continues by saying the tongue is “set on fire by Hell” that affects “the entire course of life.” (v. 6) As if it couldn’t be any worse, he continues by saying that creatures can be tamed by man. “But no human being can tame the tongue.” (v. 7-8) This sounds like a desperate situation. 

Then, in verses 9-10, I think James reveals the worst thing that our tongues can do. He says, “With it (the tongue) we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.” (James 3:9-10) The worst thing we do with this small member of our body is to curse people who are made in God’s image. Is this not blasphemy itself? By cursing people made in God’s image, we are cursing God’s work and thereby cursing God. Therefore, our blessing God while we curse His work is hypocritical as well as blasphemous. 

What’s the solution if this is true about ourselves and we have no power to tame it? My deduction is that we need to pray to the LORD that He helps us see others as He sees them and, at the same time, pray the Holy Spirit controls our tongues.

By the way, this was not an original thought of James. Jesus himself taught, “17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person.” (Matthew 15:17-18)

Prayer: Lord, fill our hearts with what is good, right, and just. Control our tongues so that we may not attack others and offend You.

Episode 155 - "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead" James 2:20-26

20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

This entire chapter of this small letter has been dedicated to James’ argument that “works” are an intrinsic and vital element of “faith.” One cannot have real Christian faith that exists only in ideas or words. Real faith has real evidence. James is going to finish this argument with a couple of illustrations from Jewish history. The point is real faith has always looked like this, and we can see it in the lives of Abraham, the patriarch of the Jewish people, and Rahab, a prostitute from a pagan society that responds to the working of the God of the Israelites.

The story of Abraham (originally Abram) began in Genesis 12 when God told Abram to leave his home and go to a place He would show Abram and promised Abram that He would bless him. Abram obeyed God. 

The story continues with God making a covenant promise to Abram in Genesis 15 that God would make Abram the father of many nations. When Abram was 90 years old, God changed Abram’s name to Abraham (Genesis 17), gave Abraham the sign of the covenant, and specified that He would give Abraham and Sarah, his wife, a son through whom He would bring about these many nations.

It’s in Genesis 22 that we find that God commands Abraham to take this one son that he loves and sacrifice him to God. From a human perspective, this makes no sense. How could Isaac be a progenitor to many nations if he’s dead? Yet Abraham appears to immediately respond in obedience by taking Isaac to the place God would show him three days journey away. It’s only at the last moment that God stops Abraham from going through with it. 

The point of James is that real faith is demonstrated by real obedience to God’s specific word. This was not some plan of Abraham thinking in his own mind, “If I sacrifice my son, God will be pleased with me.” Nope. Abraham most certainly did not want to do this since God specified Isaac, “the one you love,” rather than Ishmael, to be sacrificed. Ishmael was a son Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian servant, bore by Abraham. It was only at the last moment that God stopped Abraham from slaying his son. (Gen. 22:12, 15-18) It was God’s test for Abraham, and Abraham passed. 

James adds that Abraham “was called a friend of God.” This can be found in 2 Chronicles 20:7 and again in Isaiah 41:8. Why do you think James adds this detail? I think it’s because, as a friend, one has the good of the other in mind as well as a strong element of trust. Perhaps James shares this to challenge his readers, “Don’t you want to be a friend of God?” If so, you need to trust God, not only in your head but also in your actions. 

James then mentions that this kind of faith was found in someone other than Abraham. We might expect him to mention Abraham’s son Isaac or even Jacob or possibly even David. Instead, James speaks of a non-Jewish prostitute. Rahab was among the people of Jericho, the city that God would destroy when the Israelites marched around its walls for seven days and blew their horns in obedience to God’s instructions. The people of Jericho had heard stories of what the God of Israel had been doing in delivering the Israelites out of Egypt, including parting the Red Sea. It’s obvious from the account in Joshua 2 the King of Jericho is paranoid about the Israelites. Yet, it’s Rahab who hides the Jewish spies and confesses to them, “for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.” (Joshua 2:11) The Israelites spared the lives of Rahab and her family because they acted in obedience to what the LORD was revealing. What she does is no different from what Abraham did.

James completes this argument by saying “the body apart from the spirit is dead” and likens that to faith apart from works. 

I think we’ve established that James is not arguing that one can earn their way to heaven and a friendship with God on their own efforts and merit. The works we are to do are the ones that God has prepared for us that originate from the faith He gives us. We are simply obeying the Lord by following His word. 

James is also not “playing God.” James is not the divine judge of our faith-works, and neither are we. James is challenging us to reflect upon our own profession of faith in the gospel and asking us “Are just saying you believe, or are you following the Lord?”

Prayer: Lord! Lead us into the obedience of the works you have prepared for us this week.

Episode 154 - "Even the demons believe--and shudder!" James 2:18-19

James 2:18   But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 

Chapter two of this letter is about the nature of true Christian faith. It has been interpreted by some as a message that is not consistent with the apostle Paul’s view on faith or other passages in the Bible. Those that interpret it this way believe that James is teaching “faith plus works” for salvation and pursuing the Christian faith in their life. 

I am advocating a “faith that works” interpretation. I would assert that this view is in perfect harmony with Paul’s teaching and that of Scripture as a whole. What is the difference? First of all, I believe the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, are a divine revelation from God and that God’s revelation is consistent and harmonious throughout time. This means that when Paul says in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God not of works lest anyone should boast,” Paul is not saying something different than what James is saying in chapter two of his letter. Paul is emphasizing something different than James. Paul is saying that it’s not your own efforts that save you and that even your “faith” is a “gift of God.” Do you see that? Faith itself has a divine source. Paul is focusing on the fact that our salvation comes from God and not from within ourselves and our own effort. 

James, on the other hand, is describing the nature of what that divine gift of faith looks like. Just like a plant or a tree produces a distinctive leaf, flower, or fruit, the Christian faith has a distinctive kind of fruit. That “fruit” is obedience to the Lord’s word. Paul supports this in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” The faith kind of works is God’s works that He intends to work through us. Both in Paul’s theology and James’ theology, all the credit goes to God. We might ask ourselves, “Why would God give us a faith that would only serve as some kind of fact that we hold in our heads and has no power to affect any change or good in our life?” This is James’ argument. 

Look at verse 18, where James uses a hypothetical argument, “You have faith, and I have works.” If I’m understanding this correctly, there is a shallow and cavalier attitude behind this statement. Depending upon the perspective of the person, either side could be grossly wrong. Why? Because a person who makes a claim to have faith, yet their life reveals values and beliefs entirely inconsistent with that claim has absolutely nothing to show for it. There is no substance whatsoever to the claim “I have faith.” On the other hand, the other person may work hard, thinking they are a good person and that God will accept them because of all the “good things” they do. The problem with that is they have no trust in the Lord. They are only trusting in themselves and their own efforts. They have made themselves their own God, deciding what is good. They are not working God’s works. They are working their own works. The point is, as wrong as they may be, at least there is something to show for their belief system. 

James is saying, “What I do will be an outworking and consistent with what I say I believe.” Ideally, the Holy Spirit is leading us in working the works God has prepared for us.

Now James gives us another statement that is interesting but serves to communicate his point. “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” (James 2:19) The first sentence, “You believe that God is one; you do well,” is truthful. To believe this is good. The author of Hebrews speaks about faith and asserts that one “must believe that He (God) exists.” (Hebrews 11:6) 

The problem is that it’s not “good enough.” It’s only a good start. James reveals this by reminding his audience, “Even the demons believe–and shudder!” What does he mean by this? The understanding regarding demons is that they were angels in the presence of God. They did not need faith because they saw God. They experienced his glory. Yet, they followed Satan in rebellion against God and were cast out. In spite of what they knew and believed in their mind, their actions said something different. These demons “shudder” because they know who God is, and they know the ultimate judgment they will receive for their rebellion which continues to this day.

Prayer: Lord, let the faith you have given me lead me to do the works that you have prepared for me to do. 

Episode 153 - "Faith without works is dead" James2:14-17

James 2:14   What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

It is widely asserted that Martin Luther (1483-1546) a German priest started the  Protestant reformation incidentally through his attempts to confront and discuss various issues stemming from the practice of selling indulgences by the Catholic Church. That was the idea that someone could pay money to the church in order to allow the person to sin in the manner they desired, and it would be covered by that payment. Furthermore, Luther came to believe that one’s salvation was a free gift of God that could not be earned or paid for with good works. It was a gift received by faith alone. Luther came to this belief through his study of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Rome. It’s also held that Luther did not believe the letter of James should be a part of the Bible because, he thought, it taught salvation by works and was in contrast to Paul’s teaching.

In this episode, we’re looking at a part of James that most likely led Luther to think James was teaching salvation by works or salvation by faith plus works. Is Luther right? Is James teaching something different from Paul? In other words, is either Paul or James wrong in how salvation is attained? Let’s take a careful look at this passage to see what’s going on.

Notice the first part of verse 14. “What good is it, my brothers, if . . . “ Already, the question has been framed in such a way that whatever follows, we know the answer is “not much.” James is clearly attempting to expose some fallacy that he believes exists among the “brothers” (Christians) to whom he is writing. The full question is, “What good is it . . .if someone says he has faith but does not have works?” Then, he immediately follows that up with, “Can that faith save him?” In the original Greek language, this last question begins with a word that informs us this is a rhetorical question that expects a negative answer. James asks the question in such a way that he tells them the answer to the question is “No!” In other words, James is telling them that someone who says he has faith but does not have works has a so-called faith that is unable to save him. My question to you is, “Is James negating or diminishing the importance of faith in this question?” Absolutely not! He affirms the importance of faith, doesn’t he? The nuance in his question shines a light on what he intends by this. In the first part of the question, the hypothetical person “says” or claims he has faith but has no works. James is suggesting to his audience there may be people among them who claim to be Christians. They say they have faith but do not act or live in a way that gives any indication they truly have faith. In his rhetorical question, “Can that faith save him,” he is asserting that it cannot because it’s not authentic Christian faith. That question implies the idea that there is a faith that can save. 

Before I develop this further, let’s take a look at the illustration James gives his audience to drive home his point. In verse 15, he speaks of someone who is poor and does not have adequate clothing or food, and someone in the church says to them, Go in peace, be warmed and filled.” (v. 16) Everyone understands how shallow that blessing is to the person who is poorly clothed and hungry. They are no better off. They are still poorly clothed and hungry. The person in need is not helped, and the person who uttered only shallow words did not honor the person or the Lord. It’s the same thing for the person who says they have faith but do not act in accordance with it. It’s useless. So, is James arguing that salvation is by faith plus works? This is the idea that saving faith is trusting in Christ and doing good works for salvation. I don’t believe James is suggesting that at all. It appears to me that James is telling us what saving faith looks like, and so far, his point is that faith is NOT a shallow claim that has no substance. 

How does this line up with what Paul taught or even Jesus? Let’s take a look. In Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus, he writes, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9) Paul tells his audience that faith itself is a “gift of God, not a result of works.” Now we’re beginning to get a clearer picture of what real, saving faith is and isn’t. Real saving faith is given by God and not a shallow affirmation. Real faith cannot be created or earned by works because it is gifted by God. For someone to say, they have faith but do not demonstrate any quality of it is simply boasting. But, the faith that God gives is given “so that no one may boast.” (v.9) But, notice what Paul adds in verse 10 regarding the kind of faith that is given by God. He writes, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

The purpose of God giving us saving faith, apart from any of our own works, is so that we may do the “good works” he prepared for us to do. When we are truly doing good works that honor the Lord and serve others, it’s because He has created us in Christ to do those things. These works are not of our own power or for our glory but for the Lord himself. They do not “save” us. We are saved by the faith God gives us that leads us to do the good works for which He created us in Christ Jesus.

So, does Jesus have anything to say about faith and works? Let’s look at John’s gospel. “Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28-29)

Ah! Here we go. Jesus is clearly teaching salvation by works, right? Not exactly. In the next chapter, people are asking Jesus what good works they can do. “Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” (John 6:28-29)

Do you see that in verse 29? “This is the work of God, that you believe in him (Jesus) whom he has sent.”  That sounds like “faith alone,” doesn’t it? If you think about this, it’s in perfect harmony with both Paul's and James’ teaching. The Scriptures are consistently testifying that God’s work includes giving us saving faith in His Son Jesus. We receive the gift by believing this message about Jesus. Because it’s a gift, there are no works or anything in our own power to deserve or earn this faith. But, God’s intention of giving us this saving faith is in order that He might work good works through us. 

If you have believed that Jesus is God’s Son who came into this world and laid down his life for our sins and that God has raised him from the dead, then you can be confident that Jesus will return to this earth someday to raise us from the dead and we will have eternal life with God. 

If you have never done that, I would invite you to say to God, “God - Thank you for sending your Son Jesus to die for my sins and to give me hope of eternal life in peace and all that is good. Would you guide me to do the good things you want me to do?

Episode 152 - "Mercy triumphs over judgment" James 2:8-13

James 2:8   If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. 11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

In the preceding verses of James 2, the author has made a strong argument against showing partiality. Essentially, he says that it’s blasphemy against the name by which you are called.

As clear as he is regarding this, he’s not done yet. He reminds his readers of the “royal law.” What’s that? In Leviticus 19:18, “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.” James repeats the essential part, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (James  2:8) Jesus had said the whole law was represented by two things: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and the second thing is to love your neighbor as yourself.” (My paraphrase: Matt. 22:36-40, Mark 12:30-31) In fact, this principle is taught in various Scripture passages.

James argues that showing partiality is in direct contrast to loving your neighbor as yourself and says that it is sin, that they have broken the law. We cannot decide which laws we should keep and those on which we can “fudge.” James says, if you’ve broken one part of the law, you are “guilty of all of it.” (v. 10) No wonder Paul asserts in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory.” All of us have failed to perfectly live up to God’s holy character and standard in one way or another. Therefore, we have no basis on which to show partiality toward anyone.

So, what does it mean then to “speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty?” I think it means that Christians are not to judge to condemn but to redeem and reconcile. As we search other Scriptures, it is clear the Church is not to allow sin to be practiced and embraced as an acceptable lifestyle. To use the point of adultery in verse 11, adultery is against the law. It is sin. We shouldn’t allow it. Yet, the one who is “caught” or revealed to have committed adultery should be addressed with a spirit of mercy. This means lovingly calling them to stop practicing sin and directing them to do what is right and good. The old saying, “Hate the sin. Love the sinner,” is a good summary of this principle. 

This idea is supported in verse 13. Essentially it says if you want to be shown mercy (implied: from God ), then you better show mercy to others yourself. The final statement of verse 13 is “Mercy triumphs over judgment.” There’s a good motto for us. Perhaps we can make that a mantra for ourselves this week. “Mercy triumphs over judgment.” 

Prayer: Lord! Help me demonstrate mercy to others. Help me not show partiality to anyone.

Episode 151 - "Show no partiality!" James 2:1-7

James 2:1   My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?

In reading this, I was tempted to offer no commentary and only a simple prayer. The message is clear. Christians are not to show partiality based upon appearances or economic status. Let’s take a brief look at this, not to suggest that it means anything different, but rather to savor the nuances in James' message that it may make an impact in our lives.

As he has already done multiple times through the first chapter, he addresses his audience once again as “brothers.” (2:1) James is setting an example that he wants his readers to follow. James was a leader in the early church. However, he does not talk down to these fellow Christians. He treats them as fellow siblings in the faith. 

The next thing that is not so obvious in our English translations is that James’ instruction in verse James 2:1 is actually an imperative (command): “Do NOT hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory!” What? Is James telling them NOT to have or hold faith in Jesus? Well, not exactly. He qualifies this imperative by prefacing it with “in partiality.” So, a better translation might read, “Do not hold faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory with partiality.” (My interpretation) The point here is that showing partiality toward people based on their appearance or financial status is in direct contradiction to being a Christian. 

In verse 2, he spells out what this looks like. Notice that he speaks of two men “coming into your assembly.” One of them appears wealthy and the other poor. The insinuation is that if these people are coming to worship with you, they are professing to be believers. This is an important note for what he will soon add. Verse 3 explains partiality as giving favor to the wealthy person while disregarding or even deriding the poor man.

James explains in verse 4 that in showing such partiality, you have “become judges with evil thoughts.”  This is certainly not how the Lord wants to make us complete. It does not demonstrate wisdom or justice that James is telling them is consistent with God’s character. 

In verse 5, James says, “Has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom?” This reveals the foolishness and evil in showing partiality. If God values the poor, who are we to treat them poorly?

James reminds these “brothers” that it is the rich (so-called) brothers who treat them poorly and oppress them through their financial power. (v. 6) In doing so, “they blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called.” (v. 7)

Do you see the connection there? A professing believer with means commits blasphemy if they use their power to oppress others. Yet, we are no different if we show partiality and disregard or deride others. 

Prayer - Lord, humble us to treat everyone in the way that you treat us, with mercy and grace.

Episode 150 - "Bridle Your Tongue and Defend the Oppressed" James 1:26-27

James 1:26   If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

In our previous study, James argued that one who hears the word but does nothing about it deceives himself. Here in verse 26, James asserts that a person who “thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue . . .deceives his heart.” Don’t miss the imagery in this teaching. James gives us a picture of a means to control a large, powerful animal such as a horse. Without a bridle, a rider of that horse has little power to steer or stop the animal as needed. But, a small bridle on that animal, manipulated by the rider, has a tremendous effect on making the animal do what the rider wants. James is likening our tongue to an animal that needs to be controlled. It has power and will do what it wants if not subjected to control. Therefore, James says that our tongues need to be bridled. If we don’t do that and let it run wild, we are self-deceived in thinking that we are religious or worshipful people. 

James adds that this kind of religion is “worthless.” Literally, it means “empty” or “vain.” There are multiple instances in the Old Testament making it very clear that God despises such worship. Listen to what the Lord says through the prophet Isaiah.

11 “Of what importance to me are your many sacrifices?” 

says the LORD. 

“I have had my fill of burnt sacrifices, 

of rams and the fat from steers. 

The blood of bulls, lambs, and goats 

I do not want.

12 When you enter my presence, 

do you actually think I want this— 

animals trampling on my courtyards?

13 Do not bring any more meaningless offerings; 

I consider your incense detestable! 

You observe new moon festivals, Sabbaths, and convocations, 

but I cannot tolerate sin-stained celebrations!

14 I hate your new moon festivals and assemblies; 

they are a burden 

that I am tired of carrying.

15 When you spread out your hands in prayer, 

I look the other way; 

when you offer your many prayers, 

I do not listen, 

because your hands are covered with blood.

16 Wash! Cleanse yourselves! 

Remove your sinful deeds 

from my sight. 

Stop sinning.

17 Learn to do what is right. 

Promote justice. 

Give the oppressed reason to celebrate. 

Take up the cause of the orphan. 

Defend the rights of the widow. (NET Bible)

God is using Isaiah to indict the people for their false piety. They practiced certain religious activities but cared nothing about justice to those in need. 

James appears to be appealing to this very text in Isaiah when he explains that “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father” is to “visit the orphans and widows in their affliction.” (v. 27) The idea here is not simply to visit in the sense of stopping by to say ‘hi,’ but to have compassion upon their needs and seek to meet those needs as able. Isaiah makes it clear that God wants the Israelites to “take up the cause of the orphan” and “defend the rights of the widow.” (Isa. 1:17) In other words, this is an investment of ourselves and our time to serve others and share the blessings we have received from God with others who need them.

Finally, James adds that pure religion or worship is also characterized by keeping oneself “unstained from the world.” (v. 27) In this context, a suggestion of what this looks like is to make sure your actions toward the orphans and the widows are not an opportunity to take advantage of them. More broadly, if our actions are stained by the world, then no one can tell the difference between our lives and the world. That would not fit in with God’s plan of making us complete. 

Prayer: Lord, help me be moved to seek justice for those in need. Help me consider my words before they are said so that they are guided in a safe and healthy direction. Guide my thoughts, words, and actions to be consistent with your character and not that of the world.

Episode 149 - "Be doers of the word!" James 1:22-25

James 1:22   But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

In our last episode, we learned that we are to be “quick to hear.” (v. 19) I suggested that means we should be actively listening to God’s word as well as to our brothers and sisters in the faith. However, James says it’s not good enough just to listen or hear when God is speaking to us. In verse 22, he says that if we just hear the word but don’t act upon it, we deceive ourselves. That seems self-explanatory, doesn’t it? But, let’s not rush on without reflecting upon the implications of this.

Wouldn’t you agree that to “deceive ourselves” would be a foolish thing to do? Why would we want to do that? Foolishness is the opposite of wisdom, and we learned in verse 5 that wisdom is something God wants to give us. It is an essential component of the completeness for which God has intended for us. Therefore, if we genuinely want what God wants for us, we will listen to God’s word so that we will know what to do. How do we do that? How do we listen to God?

There are many people who will say, “God told me . . . “ Perhaps that’s true. The problem is how does one know? The Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments offer frequent warnings about false prophets and people who are inclined to follow people who say what they want to hear. Moses writes that God commanded that false prophets should be put to death. (Deut. 18:20) The point is that we should understand the serious nature of speaking for God. 

The Apostle John wrote in 1 John 4:1-6 that an essential first test of a teacher of God’s truth is that they confess (teach and affirm) that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh and is from God. If someone denies this, they are not to be heard. If God is true, then His word is true. Whatever message someone says is from God must come true. If it bears out to be not true, we should not listen to that person. 

The Church has held that the Scriptures from Genesis through Revelation are God’s inspired special revelation to humanity. We believe the Scriptures are God’s word. Therefore, the most reliable source to follow and act upon is our Bible. It is wise and commended that we don’t just read the Bible and interpret it from our own perspective. We should read how Christians throughout the generations have interpreted the Scriptures and pray for wisdom in understanding.

Then, we are to do what the Scriptures say. We cannot say to ourselves, “Wow! That was great!” and then turn around and ignore it. James gives the illustration of looking in a mirror and immediately forgetting what we look like and likens that to those who listen to God’s word and understand what God wants them to do but ignore it. It seems that James is suggesting that we are not foolish for the things we don’t understand. That’s why he tells us that we can ask God for wisdom, who will grant it to whoever asks. It’s a matter of depending upon the Lord and allowing Him to help us grow in knowledge, wisdom, and faith. 

Verse 25 is the “icing on the cake.” James writes, “But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” What is the perfect law? Some of you might say, “We’re Christians, and we aren’t under the law.” Without going into great detail on this, look at how he qualifies this “perfect law.” He describes it as the “law of liberty.” The point here is that when we read God’s word and we are “listening” to the message, we are not to create a list of things to which we enslave ourselves. James understands that people can and do develop the mindset that if they just follow a list of dos and don’ts, they are pleasing God. In your spare time, read Romans 8. Paul explains that one of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to confront us about things in our life that need to change or to provoke us to what is good and righteous. The point here is we should not get caught up in keeping score by following a list but considering how we can honor the Lord in following Him. James says the one who does this will “be blessed.” (v. 25)

An example of doing this could be Jesus’ new commandment. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:34-35) Jesus taught his disciples and made it clear that what he was telling them was to be obeyed by them. He also told them the good that would come out of them obeying his new command to love one another. He told them that all people would know they were disciples of Jesus if they loved one another. 

Jesus also told people the entire Law of Moses was represented by two things: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-44) It seems to me those teachings reflect a “law of liberty.” Rather than seeking to follow a list, we are pursuing a philosophy of loving God and mankind.

Prayer: Father in Heaven - Give us a hunger to listen to your word and for your Spirit to provoke and enable us to honor you by obeying your desires for us. Thank you for the blessing you are offering us through this. 

Episode 148 - "Be quick to hear! Be slow to speak and become angry!" James 1:19-21

James 1:19   Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. (ESV)

I sure hope this study is encouraging or otherwise helpful to you. In the nearly three years I’ve been writing this blog and podcast, it has been my desire to share with you what I’m learning and getting out of the Scriptures. Making an effort to produce this once a week is a means to keep me accountable for working through a short passage and discovering or awakening a perspective that I’ve forgotten or let wane. James has a way of being direct and mincing no words. This section of his letter is no exception and I must confess that I need to embody the truth of this more than ever. Let’s break this down and meditate upon it for a little while.

First, we have what I understand is an imperative. He says, “Know (this)!” It is his way of getting our attention and implying, “I’m telling you something important for you to understand and value so that you will do it.” He qualifies his audience as “My beloved brothers” (v. 19) What he wants them to know is out of his love for these believers. It’s not a warning to his enemies or unbelievers but a passionate imploring for the spiritual benefit of other believers. Let’s accept that this applies to us as well.

The imperative has three elements. The first is “be quick to hear.” What does that mean? I suspect it means what we call active listening. It seems to me that it suggests that we turn our focus from off ourselves and toward others. In the age of social media that we’re in today, everybody has a soapbox. People have opportunities to share their mind and their opinions. But that’s not being quick to hear. That is being quick to speak. James is telling us that we need to be the opposite. 

While the immediate context seems to indicate that “being quick to hear” is speaking of our willingness and effort to listen to others, I cannot help but consider that the “speaker” in the preceding verse 18 is none other than God. James says, “Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth.” (v. 18) Perhaps James wants us to consider that we also need to be listening to God’s word of truth in order for it to accomplish what God wills for our lives.

While we are to be quick to hear, the other two elements are something in which we should be slow. We should be slow to speak and slow to anger. How interesting it is that nearly 2000 years later, we know exactly why these are paired together. If we don’t like what we hear, perhaps we aren’t actively listening and seeking to understand the perspective of the speaker. If we take offense to it and become angry, what are we inclined to do? We quickly offer our retort or argument. Being quick to anger and being quick to speak often go hand-in-hand. 

Verse 20 is what I suspect is James’ chief concern in this instruction. It is God’s righteousness being displayed through our actions of humility by being quick to hear but slow to speak and slow to anger. I don’t think about that enough. Too often, it’s easy to listen and carefully speak when the conversation is going agreeably. But what if it’s not? What if the message or the tone of the message was offensive to me? It is very easy to become angry and speak back quickly. James says that’s not demonstrating God’s righteousness, and that’s what we should really be about as Christians.

Verse 21 begins with “Therefore.” At seminary, we are taught that whenever we see the word “therefore,” we should go back and read the preceding text to see what it’s there for. In other words, James is about to continue giving more imperatives on how these believers should live and the reasoning or justification for doing this is in light of what he said earlier. 

James tells them to “put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness.” (v. 21) Why? Because God wants us to reflect or manifest His righteousness through our actions. It seems to me that James is suggesting that if our pride manifests a lack of self-control regarding our tongue, then it’s likely that we have little self-control over other areas in our life. Our priority is to take inventory of what in our life is counter to God’s righteousness and seek the Lord to help us turn from those things.

How can we do that? I think James points us in the right direction when he says, “receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” (v. 21) The instruction to “receive with meekness” speaks of humility which is the antithesis of pride. To do this, we must be quick to hear and slow to speak. What are we to receive? “The implanted word.” What is that? At the very least, it is the message about Jesus and the cross. That is a message of the Son of God humbling himself to enter into the world of his own creation as a human without sin and laying down his life for the sin of others. Is there any greater manifestation of humility in the history of the world? Nothing comes close to it. Through God’s eternal plan, He chose to do this and hand it to us. The idea of God implanting this word speaks of the extent God goes to in order to make this truth and this hope available to humanity. Here he instructs us to “receive it.” His humility was a significant component in this act. Our humility is required to receive this implanted word. We cannot think of ourselves as being “good enough” on our own. We cannot think of ourselves as being “too bad for God to forgive.” Both of those concepts demonstrate a form of pride. One says, “I’m good enough. I don’t need Jesus to die for me.” The other says, “God isn’t really that loving or that powerful to forgive what I’ve done.” 

James says, that implanted word is “able to save your souls.” That begins with our conversion and salvation, but also speaks of how God’s word working in our life delivers us from troubles that pride and sin lead us into.

Let’s boil this all down into a prayer for this week.

Heavenly Father - Make your implanted word confront the pride in my life. Allow your will and your word to produce your righteousness in my life so that others will see Jesus and not me.

Episode147 - "Every good gift is from God" - James 1:16-18

James 1:16   Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will, he brought us forth by the word of truth that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

In the last episode, we saw how James transitioned from the experience of trials in our lives to that of temptations. I spoke about how trials and temptations are very different yet may be associated. When we face trials, we experience some degree and form of suffering. James says that God wants to use these trials to change us into what He wants us to become. However, it is not difficult to allow our flesh to rebel and let our trials become an excuse for temptation. The source of the temptation is never God. God does not tempt anyone. (v. 13) One might argue, “Didn’t God tempt Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden by putting a tree within it that He also prohibited them from eating?” The answer is “no.” There is no evidence they had any problem avoiding the tree until the serpent questioned God’s word, denied God’s word, and impugned God’s character and motivations. The serpent tempted humanity to think of itself over God. 

In verse 16, James implores believers to not be like Adam and Eve. He tells them not to be deceived. About what? He writes,  “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.” (v. 17) In other words, God is the source of everything that is truly good. Adam and Eve chose to eat what they were clearly told not to eat and that the result of their disobedience would be death. Obeying God would lead to life. In Matthew 7:9-11, Jesus taught that God’s ability to give good things to us who ask Him surpasses our own desire and ability to give good things to those we love, 

“9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matt. 7:9-11)

 We cannot allow ourselves to become deceived by thinking that God is just looking for an opportunity to deny us something we need or is looking for a reason to trip us up. That is not true. God is good and wants what is good for us.

Why does he speak of God as the Father of lights? It seems to me that it speaks of illumination. Deception, trickery, and trouble originate in darkness and are hidden. When there are lights, there is illumination, and people can see their way and the dangers in their path. The good things God is and does are evident because He illuminates what He is doing. This is exactly what God was doing in sending Jesus into this world; to make God known. Jesus healed people. Jesus fed people. He taught and explained God’s truth to people and invited them to receive the good and abundant life God wanted to give them. 

The last part of James 1:17 says of God, “with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” What does this mean? It means that God doesn’t change. God can be depended upon because He is perfectly constant in His goodness, reliability, and in all of His characteristics. We say that God is immutable.

In verse 18, James says of the believers to whom he is writing, “we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” This is speaking of God bringing them to faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. They were among the earliest Christians. He says, “Of his own will, he brought us forth by the word of truth.” (v. 18) This is one of the good gifts the Father of lights gave them. He gave them the truth about Jesus and faith to receive this gift. James’ argument in stating this is if God gave us forgiveness of sin and hope of eternal life through Jesus, how could we possibly think that God is malicious in any way? 

Prayer of thanksgiving and trust: Heavenly Father - Thank you that you are good and trustworthy. I know I can depend on you for all things. Help me not to become deceived.