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.
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