Skip to main content

A Daily Exercise in Godliness - James 1:1 - 27

 Tuesday, October 6 –

Tuesday and we’re beginning a new book today in our reading through the New Testament.  We will read the book of James this week.  Today, we’ll read James 1:1 – 27.  If you can, please come back and we’ll gain some background, and take a look at this first chapter together.


There are several James’ in the Scripture.  One of Jesus’ disciples was James, the brother of John.  He became the Jerusalem church’s primary leader and was the first martyred believer of the Church (Acts 12:1-2).  This James is the brother of Jesus, another son of Mary (Matthew 13:55).  He became the leader in Jerusalem after the first James was killed, and was the head over the Council in Jerusalem in Acts 15.  He is identified by Paul in Galatians 1:19, as “the brother of the Lord” and Paul lists him with Peter and John as “pillars of the Church” (Gal. 2:9).  James grew up with Jesus, but was skeptical of Jesus’ claims (John 7:5), but was converted when he became an eyewitness of Jesus’ resurrection,
(1 Corinthians 15:7).  He was called “James the Just” by an early church father, but because of his devotion to prayer – on his knees - he was affectionately referred to as “Old Camel Knees”. According to the early church historian, Eusebius, he was martyred in Jerusalem by Jewish zealots in 62 a.d.

The book of James has been a source of controversy because of its strong emphasis on good works.  Martin Luther, for a time, disputed whether the book of James should be in the Canon of Scripture.  James opens his letter by saying he was a “servant of God, and of the Lord Jesus Christ” – therefore,  humbly taking a position of a disciple and not a sibling.  He does not address any church, but instead, Jewish Christian believers spread across the Roman Empire (the dispersion) (James 1:1).  James’ primary concern is the practical aspects of church life, and how as individuals must know that our actions demonstrate what faith in Christ’s people looks like. 

The first thing he addresses is the need for wisdom when faced with various kinds of trials -
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (1:2-5).
Trials, we usually don’t want anything to do with them.  I don’t think James has temptations in mind, since he repeats the word again in 1:12 and makes it clear that God is not the author of temptations.  Yet, God does test, or challenge us, with trials that inevitably will happen, and go to the heart of what we are depending upon in life.  He says these trials are “of many kinds”, and don’t come when they are convenient or leave soon enough.  We see them outwardly as a nuisance, an annoying irritant to normal life, and interruption to an otherwise even day.  God sees it as a way of refining our faith.  The key to withstanding pressure from trials is in welcoming them and enduring through them.  Trials are meant to produce wisdom, understanding, and a greater dependence upon God as the source of our security and Joy.  The secret is to choose Joy in “faith producing perseverance”.  It is a faith that does not “lack anything”, because God is always the source of wisdom, and loves to give it to those who cooperate with Him.  What we lack, God does not.  He has wisdom to be gained if we only will ask for it.

Still, the temptation is to deny God’s power and purpose and lean upon our own wisdom, that quite frankly, often looks and acts like the flesh. 
“But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do” (1:6-8).
The “two-souled” person is torn between what he needs to do by waiting upon God, and what he ends up doing by taking the matter into his own hands.  The issue is to “believe and not doubt”, which I confess is more frequent than I would prefer it to be in my own experiences.  Whenever I read James I feel like I’m talking to one of my farmers.  They are direct, no-nonsense, and not equipped to give way to self-pity.  It’s as if James is one of them, saying, “God is generous, stop trying to do it on your own, and ask!”  James had spent many a day and night with his brother fishing on the Sea of Galilee.  He knew all about winds and waves arising from nowhere, blowing and tossing the boat in an unsettling way.  He likens our doubts-over-faith in asking God to that kind of setting.  This is what leads a believer to live with two souls.  While they want to believe and trust, they cannot understand it comes with the condition that faith in Christ is not a negotiable thing.  After a while, many begin to realize that God is more than willing to let us keep knocking at the wrong door if we won’t grow up.

James’ letter seems, at times, to be a series of post-it notes as reminders to “make sure you say this”.  He shifts the focus towards the differences between the poor in the church and the rich -
“Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position.  But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower.  For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business” (1:9-11).
The contrast between poverty and wealth are also trials of life.  Life is full of trials, and the poor often know it, but the wealthy can be deceived into not knowing.  Both are addressed with the theme of pride.  God’s wisdom is that wealth is often a trap, something that is a false security, and like the blossom that falls from the stem, or the plant withered by the Sun, it is perishable.  James is remembering Jesus’ teaching that “no one can serve two masters…you cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24). 

James is keenly aware that the issue goes beyond having money.  The trial of circumstances is not the same as the temptation of trusting in wealth – “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.  When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (1:12-15).  There is a fundamental difference between trials that produce Godly wisdom and temptations that birth sin, and sin, ultimately, leads to death.  Temptations come to us promising things we covet – desire – but the purpose is selfish, thus it is an “evil desire that entices”.  James, the former fisherman, uses a fishing word for “enticed” – it’s the bait!  “Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the courageous German theologian put to death by the Nazis for taking a stand against Hitler’s evil regime, articulates the process of temptation as clearly as I’ve ever found it explained:

In our members there is a slumbering inclination towards desire which is both sudden and fierce. With irresistible power desire seizes mastery over the flesh. All at once a secret, smoldering fire is kindled. The flesh burns and is in flames. It makes no difference whether it is sexual desire, or ambition, or vanity, or desire for revenge, or love of fame and power, or greed for money, or, finally, that strange desire for the beauty of the world, of nature. Joy in God is in course of being extinguished in us and we seek all our joy in the creature. At this moment God is quite unreal to us, he loses all reality, and only desire for the creature is real; the only reality is the devil. Satan does not here fill us with hatred of God, but with forgetfulness of God”. [1]

The one “Blessed” in verse 12, endures under trials, but the one who succumbs to the flesh in temptations takes on evil within.  Choices…we all have them, and wisdom is needed to guide us in what to choose – it seems like, moment by moment.  Now we see, the trials we all try to avoid are actually blessings from God brilliantly disguised.  The wealth that so many people seek is a subtle bait, that when caught is unwilling to let go.  The balance is in realizing that life lived simply, and for God, can be a place of joy in every provision -
“Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.  Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created” (1:16-18).
Food, clothing, shelter, jobs, money, possessions, all can be gifts of God when we see God as the one who provides them all.  The forgetfulness of God in possessions is the real danger.  God is one who gives, good, and perfectly.  He has given us everything to enjoy, but with thanksgiving, and not with an attitude of “I earned this, and I deserve this”!  The greatest gift is “new birth through the word of truth”.  James says, “He chose to give us birth”, reminding us that the gift of salvation is a sovereign work of God’s grace, and not a choice we made because we’re better than others. 

It all seems to refer back to remind us, again, that we are making choices that either lead slowly towards death or keep reminding us of our generous, good God.  In a series of ways, he reminds us of that our lives can be lived much differently from the world, and thus much more Christlike, if we remember God’s word in the choices we are making –
“ My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,  because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.  Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.  Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do” (1:19-25).

The long list of things is not a list of do’s and don’ts, but a reminder that the life God has given us is a seed that grows best in the right kind of soil.  For example, learning how to be godly through listening, being slow to speak, and not becoming emotionally drawn to anger as a response is far better than not listening, making judgments, reacting emotionally, and demonstrating it all with anger.  Just think how much difference it would make if, as Christians, we stopped to make a conscious effort of how to respond to the things we hear and read (especially in social media).  I am struck by James’ reminder that “human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires” (1:20). 

James confronts the choices, the ways in which we deal with words.  Words can take on “moral filth”, or they can be “the word planted in you” – i.e. God’s word.  When God’s word is spoken, it isn’t for information, but for transformation.  If we listen but walk away unchanged, it has not done anything to us.  Yet, the word is meant to bring us to freedom because hearing it, we also do it, and receive the blessing of a life changed by God.  Failure to do that – no matter how much our public religion is – is seen and known by God, who pronounces it as “deceitful and worthless”.  The choice is before us.  We can either be deceived (1:22), or be blessed (1:25).  Read the Bible, and treasure it for the wisdom, grace, and favor it shows us, but most of all, do it! 

I have never liked the word “religion” to describe a Christian.  I have been asked “what is your religion?”, and my usual answer is “I am a Christian, a believer of Jesus Christ.”  James uses “religion” to make the point that if you say you have a relationship with God, then demonstrate it. 
“Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.  Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (1:26-27).
How do we evaluate our relationship with God?  Our choices are a good start.  Your tongue (1:26), is one way.  He doesn’t say keep it shut, he says, “keep a tight rein” on it.  Be deliberate, thoughtful, kind, as if you were talking, writing, or thinking about someone in front of Christ.  
Another way is looking at we care about, especially when it comes to those who have needs.  Widows and orphans in James’ day filled up the streets of many Roman cities.  Destitute, homeless, and beggars, James says “pure religion” will not look the other way.  How do we practice this?  Perhaps directly when we know the need is there.  Sometimes through people, organizations, churches that are directly helping those who have genuine needs.  Authentic Christianity touches people’s lives whenever the need is presented.  

James wants us to practice Christianity in concrete ways.  Live in the truth, practice it daily.  The practice of Christ’s life exposes our selfish, and sinful nature.  We hear God’s word, but we must incorporate it into daily life.  Our faith is on trial every day in a courtroom called the neighborhood, the community, the home.  

Peace



[1] Chuck Swindoll, “Insights on James, 1 & 2 Peter”, Zondervan, page 29.  The quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer was from his book, “Creation and Fall/Temptation”, Collier Books, page 116-117.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The difference between defending and explaining

The news of recent has focused the suffering of Christians in the middle east who have been martyred for their faith in Christ at the hands of Islamic Terrorists. Through the centuries many Christians have lost their lives as a result of their faith. For us, who live in America, there is little chance that we would have this happen here - but it's entirely possibly that terrorism will strike out at Christians sometime.  But, for many Christians in the western world - especially here in the U.S. - being a Christians who believes God's word there is a form of persecution that is defined by words like "ostracized", "passed over", "ridiculed", and more. What do we do in the face of opposition to faith? When the Apostle Peter writes to the early believers who are undergoing great pressure, even persecution for their faith in Jesus, he gives them this charge. 1 Peter 3:8-18 8  Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly lov

Wednesday, Day 25: Christmas Eve - God Loves Us (So We Can Relax)

For Kids: There’s a lot of things we have to do each day. Get up from our sleep, Get dressed, Eat Breakfast, Get ready for School, Listen to the teacher, play with friends, eat our lunch, and after it’s all done, go back home. There’s time to play, Then we eat our supper… And eventually we have to get ready for bed and go to sleep! And then we do it all over again the next day. Sometimes there’s a vacation - like right now - and we get more time to play, to have fun and not have to do work at school. Our parents are good at helping us know what time it is and what we need to do next – even when we don’t want to move on to the next thing.  God is also good at helping us know what time it is, and what is next.  He doesn’t shout at us, or yell, or even scream…he does it peacefully, quietly.  He wants us to understand that he does it, most of all, for us. Christmas can be quite busy and there’s lots of things going on at once…but let us not forg

The Tabernacle

The readings today are Exodus 36, 37, 38 I wanted to post some pictures of what these various parts of the Tabernacle looked like. It's not the easiest read in the world, but if you persevere through it, you can get a picture of all the different pieces that made up the tabernacle. It is a replica of the various parts of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness: First thing in the chapter listed is the outside of the tabernacle which consisted of curtains tied together and put on cross bars through loops. Next at the beginning of 37 is the table and lampstand: Also, the altar of incense: And, the altar for the burnt offering which was in the courtyard: Finally, the courtyard which made it all come together: Hope that helps with what it might have all looked like. Most importantly, this was their "place" of worship they were building. I hope you have a great day of worship. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad