It’s important to note that Biblical concepts do not always fit into the nutshell of one or two verses.  Sometimes, they don’t even fit into a chapter. I had a Sunday School teacher back in college who used to joke that the monk who divided up the Bible into chapters and verses must have been riding a balky mule at the time. This was the only thing that would explain the odd breaks that sometimes occur.  This is such a section. The chapter is meaningful, but it is more meaningful with the transition sentences that are in the flanking chapters.

Paul wrote Romans from Corinth around AD 55-56.  It’s to be noted that this was nearly a decade after James wrote his epistle to the Jewish Christian churches in Asia Minor. Paul was writing to, mostly, Gentile Christians.

“Do we then cancel the law through faith? Absolutely not! On the contrary, we uphold the law.  (Romans 3:31)

 “What then can we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? If Abraham was justified (acquitted) by works, then he has something to brag about—but not before God.  For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness. (Gn 15:6)
   

“Now to the one who works, pay is not considered as a gift, but as something owed (earned). But to the one who does not work, but believes on Him who declares righteous (acquits/justifies) the ungodly, his faith is credited for righteousness.”  Romans 4:1-5

Paul wanted his readers to understand that the Law of Moses had had an important function in God’s salvation plan. It had been a stepping stone to understanding Jesus.  Abraham, however, was born before the Law. He believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.

“Is this blessing only for the circumcised, then? Or is it also for the uncircumcised? For we say, Faith was credited to Abraham for righteousness.  

"How then was it credited—while he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while he was circumcised, but uncircumcised.  And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith  while still uncircumcised. This was to make him the father of all who believe but are not circumcised, so that righteousness may be credited to them also. And he became the father of the circumcised, not only to those who are circumcised, but also to those who follow in the footsteps of the faith our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.” Romans 4:9-12

 

Abraham was not circumcised when he obeyed God in faith.  He lacked the seal of Israel. It did not matter. He was still the father of Israel.  Not only does all of Judaism ride on this, it was a sign to Gentiles that you can be justified without being Jewish.  Given an ongoing debate on this blog, you might substitute baptism in the place of circumcision and see if you can derive a meaning for our own day.  God requires on the seal upon our heart. What we do with the flesh is evidence of obedience, but not necessary for salvation.

 

“For the promise to Abraham (or to his descendants) that he would inherit the world was not through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.  If those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made empty and the promise is canceled. For the law produces wrath; but where there is no law, there is no transgression.

"This is why the promise is by faith, so that it may be according to grace, to guarantee it to all the descendants—not only to those who are of the law only but also to those who are of Abraham’s faith. He is the father of us all in God’s sight. As it is written: I have made you the father of many nations.  Gn 17:5 He believed in God, who gives life to the dead and calls things into existence that do not exist. Against hope, with hope he believed, so that he became the father of many nations, (Gn 17:5) according to what had been spoken: So will your descendants be.  Gn 15:5

"He considered his own body to be already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb, without weakening in the faith.  He did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, because he was fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.

"Therefore, it was credited to him for righteousness.  Gn 15:6 Now  
it was credited to him was not written for Abraham alone, but also for us. It will be credited to us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered up because of our trespasses and raised for our justification (acquittal).”   Romans 4:13-25

 

The law came a long time after Abraham. He could not have been justified under the law because it didn’t exist for centuries after his death.  Abraham was justified by faith.  The law revealed God’s disciplinary wrath. Faith reveals God’s mercy (called grace).  Because Abraham believed this, he consented to follow God in all his ways, and this was counted as righteousness, apart from the Law, since it didn’t exist yet.

In order for those of us who don’t follow the Law of Moses to receive Abraham’s inheritance, it was necessary for Jesus to die for our sins. This is really not different from what occurred in the Old Testament. Those who believed God were made righteous. Those who believed in God or not at all were not believers in the true sense of the word.

“Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we let us grasp the fact that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Also through Him, we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.”  Romans 5:1-2

We do not earn righteousness. God declares us righteous because of our faith.  Through faith, we obtain grace (God’s mercy) and for this reason, we rejoice.  Think of righteousness by faith as a pardon. You get to get out of the rightful sentence for your crime – eternal death. This is not because of something you have done, but because of something God has chosen to do for you. 

Our town is undergoing a spruce bud worm infestation. Spruce bud worms are voracious little caterpillars that like to munch the bud tips of white spruce. These mature trees have marvelous root systems (I cannot dig a hole in my yard without using a saw to cut the roots, sometimes 30 feet away from the nearest tree).  Their root systems have nourished these trees for generations.  Now, a tiny little bug is eating the green growing part of the trees.  Because older trees grow slower, they produce less new green every year, so are more susceptible to bud worms. If the tree cannot at least replace what the bud worms have eaten, it will stop producing cones and eventually die.

 

The roots of the white spruce are vitally important to their existence. Without the roots, the trees will die.  However, if the tree doesn’t produce fruit, something in the chemistry of the tree signals the roots that it’s time to die.  So you see, faith provides the sustenance for works and works provides the evidence for faith. (And, the spruce buds probably represent the world, but that's a different lesson!).

 

Evangelicals are often accused of holding a singular notion about salvation – that it rests solely upon faith with nothing surrounding it.  True faith alone, by which humans take part in Christ's righteousness, atonement, and grace, saves our souls. There is no doubt of this. The concept is found everywhere in Scripture, particularly in Paul’s epistles. James did not disagree, but he did explain that true faith produces holy fruits, and its effect on our works shows it to be true.  Mere assent to any form of doctrine or historical fact wholly differs from this saving faith. A religious profession may gain the good opinion of people who value such things and might even bring worldly good things to the confessor, but what profit will it be, for any to gain the whole world, and to lose their souls? (Matthew 8:36)  Can such a faith save us? (James 2:14)

 

I love when the various books of the Bible work together!  To me, it is among the myriad proofs that God exists.  Something beyond the authors, who were many and diverse, controlled the message so that Paul can speak about faith and emphasize that it is faith and not adherence to the Law that saves us while James can write about faith and emphasize that it will bear fruit.  Two authors talking about different aspects of the same topic. Now, if that doesn’t present evidence for a deity who was in charge of the whole thing, I don’t know what does!

 

We have just finished the Roll Call of Faith in Hebrews 11 and now we turn to James, where two members of the roll call are mentioned in a different light.  My next post will be on Paul’s handling of the subject.  As all the Bible works together, it is nice to be able to look at these three authors address the roll call from different angles rather than to hold the members in a one-dimensional view. Human beings are rarely one dimensional. The God Who created us in His image has dimensions we can’t imagine!

 

“Foolish man! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless?

"Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was perfected. So the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness, and he was called God’s friend.  You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 

"And in the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by a different route?

"For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”  James 2:20-26

 

All things should be accounted profitable or unprofitable to us (Romans 8:28 and I Cor 6:12), as they tend to forward or hinder the salvation of our souls. This passage of Scripture plainly shows that an assent to the gospel, without works, is not faith. We do well when we say “Yes, Lord”, but we haven’t really said “Yes” until we’ve obeyed. There is no way to show we really believe in Christ, but by diligence in good works, motivated from the gospel, and for gospel purposes.

 

Conceited men may boast to others of that which they really don’t possess.  It’s not enough to just assent in faith, but we must consent also.  We are called not only to assent to the truth of the word, but consent to take Christ as Savior and Lord. True faith is not an act of the understanding only, but a work of the whole heart. That a justifying faith cannot be without works is shown from two examples, Abraham and Rahab.

 

Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness. (Hebrews 11, Romans 4:1-4).  Faith, producing such works, advanced him to a favored status. We see then, Jas 2:24, how that by works a man is justified (made just as if he’d never sinned), not by a bare opinion or profession, or believing without obeying, but by having such faith that produces good works. Remember that James earlier said trials produce faith in believers.  To deny Abraham his own reason, affections, and interests was enough to try his beliefs. He was asked to kill his son, but he was not required to do so.  His assent to God followed by his consent in following God’s commands was all that were required.  Faith made him righteous; works provided evidence of that righteousness.

 

Observe the wonderful power of faith in changing sinners! Rahab's habitual lifestyle was that of a prostitute.  In Canaanite culture she would have been a needed, but outcast member of society, valued only for her means of worshipping the Canaanite fertility gods. She wasn’t a priest. She was a pawn, but she had some small value in that regard because sex was one way to worship Baal.  To the Israelites, she was a good reason to gather stones.  Prostitutes destroyed families and spread disease. The Israelites were commanded to remove them from their society.  Yet, Rahab had seen the evidence for the Living God of Israel (Joshua 2) and she had faith that He would destroy her people.  Her conduct toward the spies proved her faith to be a living faith; she believed with her heart, not merely by an assent of the understanding. Sure, she had facts to back up her belief. Israel’s reputation had preceded them. They were a scary army, but her assent of that knowledge was followed by the recognition that their God was mightier than the gods of her people.  Having assented to this knowledge, she then consented to obey God by helping the spies escape.  Let us then take heed, for the best works, without faith, are dead (or useless).  Had Rahab merely conspired with the spies to escape, she would have been a traitor to her people. It was her newfound faith, confessed to them, in the Living God of Israel that changed her heart.

 

Works without faith lack depth and character. There’s a United Way booster in my town whose eye is always on how much money he’s raised and how much money he can raise. He resents other non-profits for “taking money” from United Way.  Sure, United Way does good things, but it doesn’t do all the good things. This man comes off as shallow and mean-spirited, even as he raises money for a worthy cause.

By faith any thing we do is really good because it is done in obedience to God, with the aim of pleasing Him. Conversely, when belief lacks fruit, it is evidence of root death.  Faith is the root, good works are the fruits; and we must see to it that we have both. This is the grace of God in which we stand. We should be firm in this; there is no middle state. Every one must either live as God's friend or His enemy. Living to God, as it is the consequence of faith (which justifies and saves) obliges us to act solely in God’s interest because we love Him and are grateful for what He has done for us.

 

It does not work the other way around. Had Abraham simply gone out and killed his son (even in a ritualistic manner) expecting a reward from God, he would have been condemned by his covenant with God as a child sacrificer. His actions, up to the moment of finding the ram in the bushes, were those of a madman.  It was his faith that God would provide a sacrifice other than Isaac that saved him.

 

Similarly, Rahab was a traitor to her people if she merely sided with the Israelite spies to save her own neck. Good sense says you don’t trust a potential double agent and Joshua certainly seems brighter than that.  We know God is.  It was Rahab’s confessed faith in the God of Israel that made the difference for.  She was saved and is found in the roll call because of her faith. Her actions up to the moment of her confession were those of a traitor. The confession of faith placed her on the side of the angels.

 

I will reiterate this because I think it is vital to an understanding of faith.  Faith is what saves us.  Paul shows this again and again in his writings. He was dealing with the heresy of Judaizing. He needed to emphasize this aspect of our relationship with God. Faith and faith alone is what saves us.  Works are the evidence of that faith. If a tree doesn’t produce fruit, we suspect the root is dead. If a person claims to be a Christian and doesn’t produce fruit, we suspect that their “faith” is mere belief without consent to be filled with Jesus.  Faith is more than belief; it’s turning to God with your whole heart and your willingness to be led by Him. However, all our works are as filthy rags, Isaiah told us. We must beware that are works are motivated by genuine faith and not simply as a substitute for a relationship with Jesus Christ.

 

There is a difference. We need to know what that is!

My grandfather was a farmer and my mother was a gardener.  I am really not either, but I have enough knowledge from them to grow stuff.  A while back my husband brought home a cutting from a tree and followed instructions from his friend in order to create another tree. He stripped the bark off the end and dipped it in rooting solution and then put the cutting in a bucket of light dirt.  For a few days the little tree seemed to do pretty well. The leaves remained green and my husband thought he’d end up with a pretty chokecherry tree from this deal, but then the leaves all fell off and the tree dried out.  What happened, BJ wanted to know. When we unpotted the tree, I saw immediately that the roots hadn’t formed. BJ used some rooting solution I had made a week before for another project and apparently, it had gone bad. The few immature roots hadn’t had enough companions to nourish the little tree.

For want of a good root, the tree died.  Faith is the root of salvation.  Without it, the Christian cannot exist.  We can live in our human bodies, of course, but we do so possessing dead men’s souls. The strong root of faith produces a healthy tree – a saved soul.  Like our abortive chokecherry, if the root is strong, the tree is healthy and will produce fruit.  The fruit of salvation is good (Christian works).

It is a misunderstanding that Paul did not value Christian works and that his writings in Romans contradict James’ epistle.  The divisions of Corinth come to mind in this discussion.  “I am of James and will show you my faith by my works,” one person says, while the other says “I am of Paul and I don’t need works.”  This is a fallacious argument. The Bible is not divided against itself!  It is not the messages that are in disagreement, but only those who read their own presuppositions into Scripture. Paul did not deny the value of good works in the life of a Christian.  James did not deny the role of faith in becoming a Christian.  Both writers believed in salvation by faith with works as a fruit of faith. They simply emphasized different parts of the issue depending on their audience.

James wrote to Christians at a time in the Christian era (about AD 48) when he could afford to assume that anyone actually caring to read what he wrote was a Christian. He wrote to Jewish Christians who had come out of Judaism.  Although the gospels hadn’t been written yet (histories usually take a few decades to develop) these Christians knew the gospel story. It had been imparted by oral tradition. They knew that Jesus has argued with the Pharisees about their picky little rules.  They probably understood that there was a difference between the picky rules of the Pharisees and the “law of freedom”, as James would called what Paul termed the “law of the spirit.”  Grasping that the Pharisees with their rules were dead men walking, it is easy to imagine that James’ audience naturally emphasized faith over works. James wanted to assure that they understood that faith was the root of their salvation and works were the fruit.

Paul wrote a number of years later (Galatians, perhaps his first letter, was written in the 50s).  The heresy of Judaizing was a growing concern. Judaizers emphasized the fruit and said it needed to be the root.  Forms and formalities were the important issues to these heretics.  Paul, seeking to fight this heresy, emphasized the root.  Without a good root, the fruit won’t be good. Take care of the root and the fruit will flow naturally.

“They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”  Romans 3:24  “For we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from works of law.” (Romans 3:28)  “Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace (or reconciliation) with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Also through Him, we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1-2)

In unequivocal terms, Paul wrote that salvation comes by faith.  Faith is our entrance into God’s grace and it is the motivator of all that we do.

Throughout the letter to the Romans Paul speaks of how Christ took rotten human beings and reconciled them to Himself through faith.  For this reason, we “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires. And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness.  For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under law but under grace.”  Romans 6:12-14

Here is Paul’s call to holy living.  He doesn’t focus on the acts, but on a right relationship with Jesus. We have a choice to obey our urges to sin or control ourselves. Paul emphasized, however, that this is done through grace, not following rituals and rules, but living in close approximation with God.

“Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus, because the Spirit’s law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death."  Romans 8:1-2

James called his readers to act out their faith through holy living.  Paul called his readers to let their faith power them in holy living.  This is not a disagreement. It is two slightly different views of the same issue.

I am not of James.  I am not of Paul. I seek understanding of Jesus through the writings of these men, but I don’t worship one or the other. I worship Jesus Christ. I find value in these writers because of their relationship with Jesus. I will follow their inspired admonitions to live my faith out loud through Christian works. I recognize that the works apart from Jesus will not save me. They are only evidence of the faith in Jesus that has already saved me. My root is strong and it produces good fruit.

My brother drilled a well on his property in the spring because his old well was collapsing. My family was helping him with this major project. When we got down to the depth of the old well, there was no water to be found just yards from the old well head.  My step-niece, who is pretty new up here and thus unfamiliar with domestic water wells, wanted to know why we weren’t done if we were at the right depth.  To which our 14-year-old daughter replied, “A well with no water is a hole in the ground.”

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith, but does not have works? Can his faith save him?  

“If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food,
 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it?

“In the same way faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead by itself.
 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.”[Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works.  You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe—and they shudder.

"Foolish man! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless?”  James 2:14-20

Some people think that Paul and James contradict each other in their teachings about faith and works. James 2:14-20 says that people are justified by faith and works, not by faith alone. However, closer examination shows that James used the word “works” to refer to what Paul called “good works.”  What is meant by this term is Christian ministry stemming from faith as opposed to what Paul called “works” which is man’s attempt to reach God through his own effort.  They were saying the same thing, but in different ways.

James and Paul were both dealing with people who wanted to rely on works of the law for their salvation. James was dealing with Jews who professed to believe in Jesus Christ but whose lives often showed a miserly sort of faith. Wedded to the Mosaic Law prior to their salvation, they had not yet fully embraced the “law of freedom” as James called it.  Paul was dealing with Gentiles who did not have a background of Mosaic Law to know what was right and what was wrong. It is important to note that James wrote several years before Paul did.  He was probably aware of the hubbub caused by Peter baptizing Gentiles in Caesarea, but he was not yet dealing with the heresy of Judaizing.  That was a year away when Paul and Barnabas would come to Jerusalem and ask for a ruling by the apostles on the topic of Gentile circumcision.  The controversy received a ruling, but the ruling didn’t stop the heresy. That continued to be spread throughout Asia Minor and, at one point, Peter fell into this heresy when he refused to eat with Gentiles in Antioch.  Paul confronted him on it and Peter adjusted his attitude to what God wanted. Because of this heresy, Paul emphasized that sinners cannot make themselves acceptable to God by keeping the works of the law. Dealing with a different situation, James emphasized that true faith shows itself in good works, a point Paul that also made. They were ultimately saying the same thing, just with different emphasis because they were in different circumstances.

The Lord knows the works of His people. He commends His churches for their good works and rebukes them for the works that are not worthy of His people (Rev. 2:2,5,9,13,19,23,26; 3:1,2,8,15). God does not judge according to outward appearances but according to works (1 Pet. 1:17; Rev. 20:12-13; 22:12).  We think of works as having an outward appearance, but God knows whether these works are derived from faith (and are thus good works) or from human motives (and are thus merely works of the law).  Although true believers are accepted into God’s eternal kingdom by grace through faith, God will condemn those whose profession is proved false by their evil works (Matt. 7:21-23). True believers are saved because their lives are built on the solid foundation of Christ Himself. They will be rewarded for good works but any unworthy works will not survive God’s judgment (1 Cor. 3:10-15).

The Scripture specifically says some things that are noteworthy.

James gives an example of religion without works. The poor are all around us and we bless them with our words, but we don’t give them food or clothing.  Thanks for the blessing, but can I trade it in for a turkey sandwich?

“In the same way faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead by itself.” 

I would note that “kata” (the Greek word for alone (by itself)) has a connotation of “private”.  Those who say their faith is “private” are ignoring this verse. Faith without works is indeed private because outside observers can’t see the evidence. “Private” faith is rightfully suspected of being dead faith – or mere assent to the knowledge of God’s existence without consent to His leadership.

Faith that does not result in works is evidence of a false faith.  “The demons also believe—and they shudder.”  Demons have no choice but to believe in God. They’ve met Him face-to-face as it were. But their belief in God only produces fear.  They do not accept that Christ is savior and they don’t confess it. They have no faith beyond their belief.  Their works are evil. And, they know they are bound for eternal destruction.  It makes them afraid.

In the same way, someone who has religion and claims that this saves him has an intellectual belief in God.  This empty sort of faith will not result in salvation, but in damnation.  “If your body walks an aisle, but your mind and spirit remains in the pew, you aren’t saved, you’ve just gotten some exercise,” to quote a Navajo shouting evangelist I know.

“But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.”  Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works."

The faith versus works argument was not new to James.  He’d heard it before. He quotes it here.  He basically says “Show me the evidence for your faith.”  He challenges those who want an empty religion without obligations to show the evidence of faith. It is works that provide us with the evidence of faith.

“Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless?”

Some will note that the Holman Christian Standard Bible uses the word “useless” instead of dead.  A friend who is a Biblical Greek scholar assured me, and showed me in resources such as Strongs, that “nekros” can be translated “ineffective” in some circumstances.  We’ve all said “my leg feels dead” when we sat on it too long. It’s not really dead, but don’t try walking on it right now or over you’ll go. Same basic idea.  Within the context of the Scripture, “useless” is – in his learned opinion – a closer translation of the term.

It’s a fine line that we walk between faith and works.  Faith is our relationship with Jesus Christ.  We have believed that He is the Messiah (Savior) and we have confessed that – making us right with God and saved through confession.  Romans 10:9-10 tells us this.  Salvation is a past event that has forward-reaching power for us. Now we move forward into sanctification (what evangelicals call “becoming more like Christ”).  Some who call themselves Christian would rather place this step first.  Become more like Christ and then be saved.  They feel this is more worthy of God’s consideration.  But, it’s not how God set things up. We were never worthy and we will never become worthy.  Jesus’ sacrifice was needed to make us worthy.  The rich young ruler in (Matthew 19, Mark 14, Luke 10,) wanted to be more like Christ, but he lacked the faith to do so.  “With man it is impossible, with God all things are possible.”  Faith is about being willing to let go of everything you hold precious in order to grasp Jesus. Think Abraham laying his only son on the altar. You can’t come through the eye of the needle clinging to your old life.  Note that the camel is free of his burdens when he threads the needle, but he does so on his knees.

The Jewish Christians that James was writing to had already accepted Christ as Savior. They wanted to know how to become more like Christ.  James told them “let you faith motivate good works.”

We must be careful not to claim the evidence of faith as the foundation of faith.  It was pouring down rain the day we drilled that well and we were standing in water up to our shins.  That water was not evidence of the well.  It was coming from the wrong source – the sky, not the ground. The rain did not prove the existence of water in the well.  Neither did the well hole prove the efficacy of the well.  Had my brother stopped drilling at the level of his old well, he would have had a dry well.  There would be a well there, but without water, it’s just a hole in the ground.   Ten more feet of drilling and we encountered water – the evidence of the well.

Metaphorically speaking, the well is faith and the water is works.  A well that does not produce water is useless.  The rain did not prove the well any more than works that are motivated by reasons other than saving faith will save you.  All the water in the world would not prove the well if it came from the wrong source.  Only when the water bubbled up the well pipe had the well been proved.  All the works in the world apart from Jesus are not evidence of faith because they stem from another place – fear, social pressure, something.  Works that stem from faith are the evidence of faith and are Godly (good) works.

Faith that does not show evidence is useless and ultimately suspect.  Christians should desire to do the work of the One Who sent them.  If some claim the name of Jesus, but say things like “bless you, go and be filled”, but don’t part with that turkey sandwich, it’s likely that they have no faith at all. The works don’t save us; they just present evidence of our salvation.

I want to pause for a moment’s reflection before continuing with the study of James.

It is important to acknowledge that this was a letter to people.  It is not chunks of thought thrown down in random lumps to be studied separately.  There is an overall theme that is examined within the letter.

The general content of the letter is a call to holiness of life. That is the larger theme of this letter.  James specifically addresses the components of lifestyle holiness, but it is important not to put too much weight on any one passage.  As James explains in the passage on favoritism, we are called to keep all the Law, so if we steal, but do not murder, we are as guilty as if we also had murdered.  We’re not halfway okay because we only do one sin rather than the other.  Similarly, God speaks to us with purpose. He is not just flinging words at his inspired apostles so their readers can amuse themselves.  The apostles wrote on a topic because that topic is important to God. While there are especially poignant passages that teach us a lot, these are of no greater importance than the more mundane passages. Also, just because we prefer certain theology to other theology doesn’t mean it’s more correct.  We are to adjust what we believe to Jesus Christ, not the other way around.

So, let us look at what we have learned so far from the Epistle of James and what we will be studying in the near-future.

I.                    True religion is developed by hard times

A.    Joy is the correct response to trials because when our faith is tested   we learn endurance and mature endurance enables us to be perfect, complete and lack in nothing. Trials help us to grow closer to God, which is a reason to rejoice.

B.     Wealth may be a test of faith, but it is not a proof of faith.

II.                 True religion is initiated by faith.

A.    Salvation by faith is a gift from God, as are all good gifts.  God is never the author of evil, including our sins and the temptations that drive us to them

B.     Salvation as an expression of God’s will is related to God’s Word.  We are to receive God’s Word.  We are to do God’s Word, not just hear it.

C.     Saving faith does not show favoritism but shows love to all.  Christians are to judge with mercy and rule by the law of freedom (grace). 

 

III.             True religion is guided by wisdom, but not by earthy wisdom, which produces evil attitudes and actions. A wise person in God has a life characterized by moral behavior.

 

IV.              True religion is demonstrated by works .  All professions of faith are empty if not producing love and justice for others.

 

V.                True religion is expressed in prayer. Every Christian has an important responsibility in this regard.

 

Christians are to live holy lives. We may learn how to do that through the study of James and other books of the Bible.  We should always be willing to listen to God and to correct our religion in response to His faith.

The church was crowded by the time the music started.  This was just a preliminary to the speakers who most of the audience had come to see.  BJ and I were there for the conference, but we were primarily there to meet a friend (who currently lives out of state) who was speaking at the conference. Since we bring the teens down for the youth evangelism conference a month later, the adult evangelism conference itself would not have induced us to drive 400 miles in -20 degree temperatures to spend two days in Alaska’s sprawling and frenetic largest city and turn around and drive the same 400 miles home.

As we sang, I saw a man in a very nice three-piece suit with $200 leather shoes on his feet come in the back door.  An usher greeted him by our friend’s name and took him right down to the reserved front row. Since I didn’t recognize this man who answered to Mark’s name, I watched curiously as a deacon of the hosting church got the man water and ministered to his requests.  While the moderator (pastor of the hosting church) gave his opening remarks another man came in the back. He was dressed in the wool pants many of the miners still wear, he had on a shabby Carrhart jacket and he was wearing worn work boots. His gloves were mended with duct tape and the hair sticking out of his stocking cap looked dirty.

The moderator introduced our friend in glowing terms and the stranger mounted the stage.  He paused a moment and then admitted there’d been an error.  “I’m not Mark J,” he said. “I’m the guy who volunteered to carry his bags this trip. But I sure fit the profile of a featured speaker, don’t I?  (With a jaunty and somewhat arrogant jig, he turned to show us his expensive suit.)  Mark, why don’t you join me on stage?”

The guy in the grubby Carrharts peeled himself off the back door where the usher had left him to stand, trotted down the aisle and mounted the platform.  He pulled off his stocking cap, revealing the golden waves he’s known for, and leaned into the microphone.  “Hi, Alaska. I’m Mark J and I’m here to discuss the Epistle of James with you.”  Then he asked us to turn to the following passage.

“My brothers, hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ without showing favoritism. For suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring, dressed in fine clothes, and a poor man dressed in dirty clothes also comes in. If you look with favor on the man wearing the fine clothes so that you say, “Sit here in a good place,” and yet you say to the poor man, “Stand over there,” or, “Sit here on the floor by my footstool,” haven’t you discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

"Listen, my dear brothers: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that He has promised to those who love Him? Yet you dishonored that poor man. Don’t the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? Don’t they blaspheme the noble name that you bear?

"If you really carry out the royal law prescribed in Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well. But if you show favoritism, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the entire law, yet fails in one point, is guilty of breaking it all. For He who said, Do not commit adultery, Ex 20:14; Dt 5:18 also said, Do not murder. Ex 20:13; Dt 5:17 So if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you are a lawbreaker. Speak and act as those who will be judged by the law of freedom. 

"For judgment is without mercy to the one who hasn’t shown mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” James 2:1-13

This reminds me of Jesus’ speech in Matthew 5 where He calls for a new (actually, renewed) understanding of the Law. Adultery is not just about the body, He said.  It starts in the mind and you’re just as guilty when you think adulterous thoughts as when you perform them.  James reminded us, as Paul would, that if we’re guilty of breaking one of the laws of Moses, we’re guilty of breaking them all.  Then he told us “speak and act as those who will be judged by the law of freedom” and reminded us that there is no mercy for those who lack mercy.

The New Testament church was peopled largely by the poor, but of course, there were members like Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea who were wealthy.  Those of us who know wealthy people have often noticed a certain arrogance that apparently comes with wealth.  People seem to think their material possessions should gain them entry and provide them treatment that is not available to others who have fewer resources.  Most of us don’t find this attractive in Paris Hilton, but I’m sure we all know people who fit this description in our home towns.

James had apparently noted this also.  And, he had also apparently noticed the sad behavior of some of the middle-class when the wealthy enter their presence. Perhaps it’s the false confidence that wealth gives some people, but a lot of us just want to give them their props.  Here, have the nicest seat and let me get you some water.  We don’t feel so inclined to do this with poor people. Our friend Mark, the featured speaker at a state-wide conference, was left standing in the back because he wasn’t dressed appropriately, while the guy they ushered forward was his baggage handler.  Ironic, eh?

Of course, Mark set it up that way to make a point in his address to the crowd, but in the larger context of 2000 years of Christianity, I might say I’ve seen a lot of favoritism in Christian churches. There’s a local businessman who after years of double dealing and “shrewd” business practices that made him rich finally decided to share some of his wealth. For years he was a town pariah, wealthy and considered utterly untrustworthy. Now, because he’s feeling philanthropic, he’s welcomed at almost any church or non-profit in town. Nobody mentions where he got the money and if it might more appropriately belong to those he stole it from in the first place. We favor him because he’s rich and feeling generous.  Even I keep my mouth shut because, hey, he’s given the Rescue Mission and the Community Food Bank a LOT of that ill-gotten money in the last few years and I wouldn’t want to mess that up for them.  I’m wrong and I know it. 

There are many different forms of favoritism that James does not deal with; however, we should be aware of them.  My own church has overcome favoritism with regard to our mission groups. They are a vital part of our church with full membership rights; we do not view them as parasites that we hope to send down the road as soon as they get mature enough. Other churches, used to more traditional missions, find us strange. We are not alone in addressing our cultural conceits and finding ourselves needing to adjust our personal theology to the perspective of the cross. There are many areas where favoritism hinders the work of the gospel.

James reminded his readers that they were to judge others from the perspective of the law of freedom.  What an interesting turn of phrase!  It is similar and, I believe, the same as Paul’s law of the spirit.   The Jews James was addressing were Christians, no longer bound by the Mosaic Law, though many of them doubtless continued to attend synagogue and keep the Passover concurrent with the Lord’s Supper. They lived under the law of freedom in Christ, just as we who are Christians today. Freedom in Christ means that we don’t have to follow 137 rules that split hairs finely and this is (and was) a good thing. However, we are called to understand the spirit of the law rather than the letter.  If I don’t kill someone, that’s a good thing, but if I drive by someone in a broken car at -20 degrees along an Alaskan highway and he freezes to death waiting for the next car, I’m guilty of murder as surely as if I had truly caused his death.  If I treat that scruffy-looking dude at the back of the church like the street person he resembles, I have not loved my neighbor and I am as guilty of transgressing the law of freedom as if I had murdered someone.

Those who lack mercy will not themselves be judged with God’s mercy.  That’s a scary thought because without God’s mercy, we’re doomed.  For myself, I hope that I treat those around me with the same amount of Christian love that I would want them to treat me, for this is the law of freedom.

Ben  (not his real name) was a great church member. He reroofed the church, planted flower gardens, tiled all the bathrooms, and generally kept the building running smoothly.  I would guess that at one point he was spending 15 hours a week at the church outside of services.  The one problem with Ben was that he had a mouth like a sewer. A construction worker by trade, he had a temper and when things weren’t going his way – or even sometimes if they were – he had to sprinkle his speech with epithets.  Despite his good works around the church, his language turned some people off from visiting.

“If anyone (among you) thinks he is religious, without controlling his tongue but deceiving his heart, his religion is useless. 

"Pure and undefiled religion before the God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”  James 1:26-27

A pastor was known for having a odd-ball sense of humor. This resulted in his occasionally saying things to church members that insulted them. Since he thought he was being funny, he couldn’t understand why some church members occasionally wouldn’t talk to him for periods of time.  Finally, a teenager informed him that he had insulted her father who was just returning to church after a period of backsliding.  What he said was meant to be funny, but the father and the daughter didn’t take it that way.  This caused him to re-examine and more closely control what he said.

Harley Shield, a famous Alaskan missionary, chewed out a bank clerk for a banking error that his wife had caused (he didn’t know this at the time).  Though he apologized, he found he could never talk with this young woman about Jesus without her looking skeptical.  He proposed to himself to always control his temper in the future, but he’d already lost his opportunity to lead one woman to Christ.

All three of these men are Christians (Harley went to be with the Lord a few years back, but I don’t think that changed his salvation status in any way. He’s probably singing Eskimo songs loudly and badly with the angelic choir).  They are extended members of James’ intended audience.  Ben’s religion is largely useless. I know people who will tell you that if he’s an example of a Christian, they don’t want to know more. He’s a nice guy who will give you the shirt off his back and the shingles off his roof, but his language could burn the paint off your car.  He occasionally tries to quit swearing, but he relapses fairly quickly.  The pastor still occasionally insults his church members and has to repair relationships because of it, but at least he now recognizes his errors.  Harley reported he was so much more careful after that incident, but he always regretted that he could not witness to the clerk.

These men did not lose their salvation for letting their tongues control them, but they suffered consequences that reflect on the kingdom of God. James went on in 3:3-12 to explain:

“Now when we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide the whole animal. And consider ships: though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how large a forest a small fire ignites. And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among the parts of our bodies; it pollutes the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by  hell. 

"For every creature—animal or bird, reptile or fish—is tamed and has been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who are made in God’s likeness.   Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things should not be this way.  Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water.”  James 3:3-12

I’ve never sailed a boat, but I’ve canoed and I marvel at the way a fully loaded boat will obey you even in a fast current simply by putting a little piece of wood into the water at the stern and turning it one way or another.  And, horses – I’ve never met a horse that didn’t seem big to me.  I’m not a great rider, but I can post a trot.  It is amazing that you can control a creature so large with a tiny bit of metal in his mouth.  In Alaska, we’re really careful with fire in the woods. Black spruce is very flammable. A dry tree to begin with, it is full of pitch, which burns easily and is very hard to put out. A tiny spark can burn millions of acres of pristine forest.

James said the tongue is all of these. A rudder and a bit that controls the larger entity it inhabits (our bodies) and a fire that consumes all around it.  It’s a poison, he wrote.  And, that is a shame because Christians are to produce godly fruit (Colossians 5). We’ve all heard the joke “You tell your mother you love her with that mouth?”  How can we expect a poisoned well to produce sweet water?  Yet, we do it all the time in our Christian lives. We bless God one minute and then turn around and “bless out” the driver who cuts us off on the freeway.  With the same mouth! Is it any wonder people think we’re hypocrites?

Christians, these things should not be!!!  If our anger does not serve the righteousness of God, our voicing our temper is even worse.  Why is it that we can tame even wild animals, but we cannot control something as small as our tongue?

Christians, these things should not be!!!!

 After reminding his readers that every good impulse a human being might feel comes from God and not us, James begins to discuss effective Christian living.

“My dearly loved brothers, understand this: everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for man’s anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. Therefore, ridding yourselves of all moral filth and evil excess, humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save your soul.

“But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror; for he looks at himself, goes away, and right away forgets what kind of man he was.  But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who acts—this person will be blessed in what he does.”  James 1:19-25

First, the most important statement to draw attention to is that James addressed his statements to “my dearly loved brothers.”  He’s preaching to the choir. His audience were already Christians. He was not telling them how to become Christians. He told them how to live as Christians.  Therefore, all of his subsequent comments should be read as people who have already accepted Christ unless he gives clear evidence that he is directed his comments to unbelievers.

Christians, according to James, should hear and learn quickly. If we’d just listen to other Christians and to pay attention to what is written in Scripture, we’d have much fewer problems in our Christian lives. We should be slow to speak.  Like a tact-challenged friend of mine explains “When I count to 10 before I make that brilliant remark, my wife and I fight less.”

We should be slow to anger, James wrote, because our anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.  Harley Shield, the great Alaskan missionary to the Kobuk region told a story. He and his family were living in Kotzebue, which isn’t a very large town, but is bigger than a village, so had a bank. He went to take money out of his account for a trip he was taking and discovered that the account was empty. He got huffy with the clerk, who got huffy with him, and then he told her off.  He got home a little later to find out that his wife had already withdrawn the money in anticipation of his need.  Harley said “Well, I went and apologized, but there was no way I could ever talk about Jesus with that young lady. She viewed me as an angry old man for the rest of the years I knew her.  I blew it!”  (Those of us who knew Harley would tell you that he was the furthest from an angry man that any of us knew; this was an aberration). Our anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.  We should be slow to anger, recognizing that only the dead don’t ever feel anger.  If you are living we will feel anger, but we shouldn’t wear it on our sleeves, quick to take offense.  Think about this passage the next time you’re tempted to engaged in road rage. You may be the only example of a Christian that stupid driver knows.

Set aside all the human weaknesses toward sin and excess and receive the Holy Spirit’s implanted word, which is able to save your soul.  Non-Christians do not have the Holy Spirit. They are limited in their contact with God because they do not have a salvation relationship with Jesus.  They can read the Bible. They can listen to Christian friends. They can watch Billy Graham preach, but they don’t know the mind of God like Christians do. When we become Christians, we are new creatures (already established earlier in the chapter) and we are to allow the Holy Spirit to transform our lives. It’s now time to live as Christians.  A good start is getting rid of the moral junk in our lives, but we need to recognize that only Bible study and the Holy Spirit’s speaking the truth to our hearts will continue the transformation.  A friend of mine grew up in a Mennonite home. She can quote huge sections of the Bible from memory. However, she says she became a Christian when she was 19 years old, a long time after that memorization.  According to her, after her salvation experience, she would find herself reflecting on that memorized Scripture. It hadn’t changed one letter, but her understanding of it had been greatly transformed.  She had received Scripture as a child, but the Holy Spirit implanted it in her heart when she was 19.

We now come to the passages that are often problematic for some.  “Be doers of the word and not hearers only.”  Doesn’t this mean that if you don’t do whatever people believe Christians are supposed to do that you can’t be a Christian?  Well, not exactly. First, we don’t serve at the behest of humans. God’s plan for my life may be very different than for your life and our fruit may look extremely different because of that.  Second, parsing Scripture gets us into trouble every time.  When you just quote that one verse out of its context, you miss the full meaning.

Christians, be doers of the word and not hearers only, is really the correct way to put this. Remember, James addressed his remarks to Christians, those who had already heard the gospel and therefore had already looked into the metaphorical mirror. The gospel tells us what sort of people we are just as a mirror tells us what we look like. Christians are called to do good works. If we fail to do so for whatever reason we’re denying who we really are, the people we have become in Christ. Since James addressed his audience as brethren (and no doubt sisteren) of Christ, he was not writing to non-believers.

James’ remarks are to those who have already believed and confessed that Jesus is Lord. They have begun to learn what the gospel says a Christian looks like.  He’s warning them not to simply read those verses and turn away back to their old lives.

The hearer looks into the “mirror” of the gospel and learns what is expected.  They read this section of James and they read Paul where he lists the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22 – “ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.”  (In James’ day, they would have had to rely on the oral traditions that Scripture would later document or on this first letter written by an apostle of Christ).  If the believer (the hearer) has allowed the Holy Spirit to inform their character with this new knowledge, they will want to become doers of the word.

Drawing from Jesus’ parable of the seeds (Matthew 13, Luke 8) we know that some times seed produce plants that are strangled by the weeds of this world (the love of riches, prestige, drugs/alcohol, I think Samson would list sex, just to name a few) and do not produce fruit.  These are distinguished from the seeds that produced nothing and the seeds that were carried off by, shall we say, heresies. These seeds produced plants, but the plants didn’t produce fruit because they were strangled.  Some Christians hear what is said and believe it, but simply turn away when asked to do stuff for God.  They are hearers, but neglect to become doers.  James addressed his remark to Christians, so both the hearers who do nothing and the hearers who become doers are Christians.

Finally, James explained that the person who studies the Bible and puts it into practice will be blessed for their lifestyle choices.  It does not say that their reward will come to them in this lifetime.  It just says they will be blessed, not how or when.

It's also important to note that James says they are looking into the "perfect law of freedom."  Freedom from what?  James' audience were Jewish Christians. Freedom from sin, freedom from meaningless rituals, freedom from the Pharisees with their hundreds of nitpicking rules?  Jesus said "I have come to bring you truth, and the truth shall set you free."  Time and again, He clashed with Pharisees who thought keeping their nitpicking rules would save them.  Yet Jesus called them white-washed grave stones.  Their rules wouldn't save them. Jesus would save them.

I have repeatedly said that Bible study must be conducted in context.  A verse plucked out and parsed can say almost anything, but when viewed in the larger context of the letter in which it is written, the meaning becomes more established. When the letter is viewed in the larger context of the New Testament, we often see balance.

I think it is important to reiterate that James and Paul, while basically in agreement with one another, were apostles to different cultural groups and therefore, their messages differed somewhat.  The message didn’t differ in essence, but in emphasis.  James was also writing in AD 48, prior to the Jerusalem Council discussing the Gentile issue. He did not have to confront Judaizers, which were an outgrowth of their failure to make Mosaic law the foundation of Christianity for Gentiles as well as Jews.  I suspect there were Judaizers who used James’ letter to argue that Jesus would have agreed with them. He wouldn’t have and James’ testimony at the Jerusalem Council makes clear that James didn’t agree with the Judaizers either, but the subject was still there.  Thus, Paul’s later arguments needed to address these very issues.

Are we saved by works through the things that we do or are we saved by faith that will bear the fruit of works?

In James 1, the hearer is a Christian already. Now, they are being asked to be doers.  The horse is in front of the cart.  Faith has worked to save these people and now, in gratitude for what Christ has done for them, they should want to do works.

Remember that this verse is a later portion of a larger chapter.  James has already taught this.  Every good thing comes from God.  Only bad comes from us when we’re in our natural state.  Jesus’ salvation is perfect. Our works are, by nature, imperfect. Why do we have a dilemma, then, about which is more likely to bring us salvation?  Good and perfect trumps bad and imperfect every time.

“Don’t be deceived, my dearly loved brothers. Every generous act and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights; with Him there is no variation or shadow cast by turning.  By His own choice, He gave us a new birth by the message of truth so that we would be the  firstfruits of His creatures.”  James 1:16-18

James has just finished saying that God is not the author of sin. Now he strongly contrasts this with God is the author of every generous act and perfect gift.  There is a strong admonition given in “Don’t be deceived!”  It is similar to Paul’s “God forbid” (sometimes translated as “Absolutely not!”  James is telling his readers in very strong terms not to err or stray from the gospel. That he then also references salvation as the “new birth by the gospel (message of truth) is quite indicative.  A part of the gospel truth is that God is never the author of evil.

The light of faith, purity and consolation is from God.  Human beings have nothing good, but what we receive from God.  He didn’t give us our sin or encourage us to do it. We do that ourselves.  Conversely, there is no one good , except God (Luke 18:19), Who is the fount of all perfections.

James’ reference to salvation brings to mind Paul’s admonition in Romans 3:

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (verse 23)….  Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law (or principle)?  By one of works? No, on the contrary, by a law (or a principle) of faith. 

"For we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from works of law (verses 27-28)”

The renovation of our nature from sinful to perfectly forgiven is completely God’s work.  We come to Him with absolutely nothing to boast about and any boasting we can do afterward is in what He has done in our lives. A new Christian is a creature who was been reborn anew (as discussed with Nicodemus in John 3).  He becomes a different person from what he was before.  This is echoed by Paul’s writings in 2 Corinthians 5:17:

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come. Now everything is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:  that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us.”

This was restated in Galatians 6:15, Ephesians 4:24 and Colossians 3:10.  Again and again, the Scripture talks about God renewing our spirits and recreating us as we should have been.  Never does it say we do this for ourselves.  The focus is always on Jesus’ salvation work. Our part in it is only the act of faith and even that is a gift of God that we merely accept.  “…man is justified by faith apart from the works of law.”  We cannot work our way to salvation. We are justified apart from works.

The means of our salvation (new birth) is the gospel (word of truth), James wrote, drawing a parallel with Jesus’ own words in John 17:17.  It seems important to remember that the Gospel of John would not be written for decades yet, so it is clear that James was reiterating that which he had learned from his brother, not something one of the gospel writers had asserted.  Not many years later Paul would express it more plainly in I Corinthians 4:15 “I have begotten you in Jesus Christ through the gospel.”

It is important to note that James draws distinctions between his audience of Jewish Christians and others who are not followers of Christ.  He is writing to his dearly loved brethren in Christ. His audience is born of the gospel. They are the ones he is leading in appropriate lifestyle choices.  He is not speaking to a general audience of non-believers and Christians alike.  Paul is, later, writing to non-Jews who have become Christians.  The intended audience affects a different emphasis in the message, but the same underlying message abounds toward believers.  Salvation is from the Lord, “not of ourselves, lest any man should boast.”  James urged us not to be deceived. He knew there were deceivers out there and that they would teach Christians anything they would be willing to listen to.

James urged them to know what they believed and to cling to it.  Example number one – God is not the author of evil, but He is the author of good.  One of the good things He’s given us is the gospel and it is through the message of truth that we are made into Christians.

RG LeTourneau was a brilliant engineer who invented many of the earthmoving and mining machines we know today.  Think off-shore drilling rigs and rubber-tired bulldozers and you’re thinking about something he invented.  As a Christian, he recognized that his love of designing could easily overshadow his love of Jesus. He further recognized that the love of money of ten destroys Christian people – more so when you become rich in material goods. LeTourneau’s genius for engineering made him rich, but he purposed not to let money become more important than his relationship with Jesus Christ. To this end, he turned tithing on its head. For the greater part of his adult life, he gave 90 percent of his income to church and ministries, founding Christian colleges and publications as well as many other ongoing ministries. He lived on 10 percent and was still wealthy and able to pass a good inheritance onto his heirs.  RG LeTourneau's understanding of wealth was drawn from Bible verses such as we study today.

"The brother of humble circumstances should boast in his exaltation; but the one who is rich should boast in his humiliation, because he will pass away like a flower of the field. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and dries up the grass; its flower falls off, and its beautiful appearance is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will wither away while pursuing his activities."  James 1:9-10

James would deal with the subject of wealth throughout this letter.  It is a common theme through the New Testament. Wealth is so often used as a gauge for how well we are doing, yet Jesus and his apostles were not respecters of wealth.

Jesus Himself taught that wealth was a hindrance to truly worshipping God.

"Now the one sown among the thorns -- this is one who hears the word, but the worries of this age and the seduction of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful."  Matthew 13:22 (parallel in Mark 4:19 - the parable of the seeds), is one example of Jesus' feelings on wealth.  He never said wealthy people can't become Christians, but that those who care more for wealth than for Him will become unfruitful, choked by the world and its cares.

In the encounter with the rich young ruler (Mark 10:23, Luke 18:24), Jesus again shows how hard it is for the wealthy to turn from their love of wealth to follow Jesus Christ.  This is because we all have trouble letting go of that which defines us and so often we allow our wealth or lack of it to inform us and the world of who we are.  The rich young ruler desired to follow God, but he couldn’t leave behind his baggage of wealth. Jesus knew this and He drew attention to this.

Paul wrote about wealth in his letters, redefining it in spiritual terms, taking the emphasis off material wealth (see 2 Corinthians 8:2).  In his letter to Timothy, Paul gave instructions to the wealthy.

“Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the age to come, so that they may take hold of life that is real.” I Timothy 6:16-18

James and Paul were on the same page, so to speak, with regards to wealthy Christians.  Those who are materially blessed should recognize that the blessings of wealth are no more permanent than the grass or flowers.  As the old saying goes “You can’t take it with you.”  James warned that if you focus on the acquisition of material wealth, you might easily miss out on the acquisition of spiritual blessings.  Paul instructed that the wealthy should avoid becoming arrogant (which, let’s face it, wealth usually brings power and power usually brings arrogance) and that they should focus on being wealthy in Christ through doing good, being generous and sharing and focusing on the rewards they’ll get in heaven. Paul explained that “real life” is the life that will be lived in heaven. This begs the conclusion that the life we live on this planet is a mere fantasy and not really worth all the effort we put into it.  We need money to live, but we really can’t take it with us.

“Come now, you rich people! Weep and wail over the miseries that are coming on you. Your wealth is ruined: your clothes are moth-eaten;  your silver and gold are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You stored up treasure in the last days! Look! The pay that you withheld from the workers who reaped your fields cries out, and the outcry of the harvesters has reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts. You have lived luxuriously on the land and have indulged yourselves. You have fattened your hearts forOr hearts in the day of slaughter.  You have condemned—you have murdered—the righteous man; he does not resist you.”  James 5:1-6

This passage gives James’ concluding instructions on wealth.  It won’t last. It is doomed for destruction. If we focus too much attention on it, we will gain the rewards of a wealthy life, but we will miss out on the rewards of the spiritual life that is beyond.

Much effort has been spent on my blog with a discussion about whether it is works or faith that saves us.  I draw attention once more to the rich young ruler in Mark 10 and Luke 18.  He wanted to know God, but Jesus ended up saying of him:

“ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” So they were even more astonished, saying to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Looking at them, Jesus said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God, because all things are possible with God.”

The rich young ruler never asked Jesus if Jesus could save him.  He asked what he must DO to be saved.  The reference to “the eye of a needle” and the camel was actually well-known in first-century walled cities. A camel could enter the wide open gate of the city quite easily, but at certain times of the day, or during times of conflict, the large gate was closed, so that only a much smaller gate (the eye of the needle) within the larger gate was available. A camel had to unload its cargo and get down on its knees to go through the gate. It was possible, but very difficult.  Jesus’ disciples would have understood the reference.  They were thinking “If it’s that hard for this young man to get into heaven, how are any of us to be saved?”  Jesus explained that, on our own, through our efforts, there is absolutely no way we’re going to be saved.  God is the only one who can save us.

As was often the case, His disciples didn’t quite get it. They had left everything for Jesus, they reminded Him (this is strictly not true, as Peter and others returned to their former professions of fishing for a short while after Jesus’ death – obviously, they had homes, boats and nets to return to).  He corrected them, saying that they would be richly rewarded for whatever they gave up, but that concepts of wealth are backwards and upside down in Jesus’ kingdom.

--The first will become last and the last will become first.

--A rich man is sitting on a heap of rust and rotten cloth.  A poor man who has Jesus owns the treasury of the universe.

--The servant will become the master and the master will become a servant.

James clearly understood the concept that material wealth cannot be equated with spiritual wealth.  He was firm with his Jewish Christian audience in stating that wealth was not a measure of how good they were doing with God. That was a Pharisaical idea, not a spiritual one. Material wealth goes away eventually, though while it is in force, it allows the wealthy to murder the righteous.  Note that passage.  James did not include the rich people who rely on their riches among the righteous. Their god is their wealth.  They do not worship Jesus Christ. They worship what they can count and carry.  Therefore, any instructions as to righteousness do not apply to them.  They are outside of the kingdom of God.  James wrote that those who worship their wealth should weep and wail for the miseries that were coming their way. They had placed their allegiance on the wrong kind of wealth.

While James did not include those who worship wealth in the righteous, Paul did address comments to those Christians who are wealthy in the world, telling them to be generous with that which God given them.

We live in a world where wealth is all around us. My own observation is that many American Christians are some of the most arrogant Christians I’ve ever met. As a society we assume that we are blessed because we deserve it.  We are generous with our funds, yet there are Christians in much poorer countries who are even more generous with their much-reduced funds. American Christians should be commended for what they do, but we should never think we're doing better than anyone else.

We should strive to do well with what God has given us. I don’t believe we’ll even acknowledge what God has done for us, however, if we do not acknowledge Him first.  I find support for this in the verses I’ve shared above.  It is because I believe in Jesus that I understand that my materials blessings came from Him and are therefore His.  If my focus were on making money, then I would think that I had earned my money and that it was mine to keep.  Jesus turns this concept on its head.  My money is God’s money.  How can I object if He takes some of His money to help those less fortunate than myself?  It’s not my money to claim.

This should not be a difficult concept for Christians. It ceased to be a difficult concept for the apostles after Jesus' resurrection. For them, it also required that faith in Jesus' redeeming work came first.  Prior to that, their focus was on material riches and they were busy at the Last Supper trying to secure their positions of prestige in heaven.  After the resurrection, they lost the focus on material wealth and truly gave up all that they had to serve Jesus.

Can we in the wealthy United States do any less?

“Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him.  But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. An indecisive man is unstable in all his ways.

“Blessed is a man who endures trials, because when he passes the test he will receive the crown of life that He has promised to those who love Him. No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God.” For God is not tempted by evil and He Himself doesn’t tempt anyone. But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.” James 1:2-15 (minus 9-12)

 

I removed verses 9-12 (violating my own rule about skipping verses) because they are stuck like a sore thumb in the middle of this great passage on trials.  I am not skipping the passage on riches. I am simply dealing with it separately.  I do not doubt that this is what James wrote and in the order in which he wrote it. I’m sure subjects were often jumbled up in the days before word processors when writing material was precious. I simply don’t want to deal with it right in the middle of the subject of trials and see no need to do so.

 

The humility that James shows in this letter is in sharp contrast to some pastoral communications I’ve seen.  James was the half-brother of Jesus and the pastor of the church at the center of the Christian universe at the time.  Yet, he introduces himself as a “slave of Jesus Christ.” We could all learn from that. He sought not to aggrandize himself, but to focus on the teachings of Jesus.

 

James began right away writing that Christians should consider it a joy when they face difficulties because difficulties test our faith.  Endurance is the necessary engine that brings us to maturity and completion if the Christian responds to difficulties wisely.  In some ways, it is an end-justifies-the-means idea. Because trials produce endurance and endurance grows our faith, and we should always rejoice when we grow in the Lord, we should rejoice in our trials.

 

Please don’t think I’m making a Pollyanna statement here. A person whose life is undergoing massive destruction would have to be mentally ill not to mourn that loss and not to work toward resolving the crisis. Been there, done that, bought several expensive t-shirts.  Yet, many Christians waste far too much effort in fighting to keep a life God is transforming into nonexistence because they fail to understand this concept.  Christianity is a life-transforming process.  We should not be surprised when God transforms our lives by making use of our character faults.

 

Becoming a Christian does not mean that our lives will be easy and comfortable from now on. We bring ourselves to the party and rarely do we arrive looking like God would have us look.  Our characters are almost always wanting. God can only change our character if we let Him. He does that through allowing trials and tribulations to happen in our lives. Depending on our past, we have a lot of character to correct.  In most cases, either we or our choices are the genesis of the trials in our lives, but He does not shield us from them because, as Charles Stanley has said, “God is more interested in our character than our comfort.”  Trials build Christian character, provided we face our trials in Jesus’ strength instead of our own.

When we ask for something in faith, God will answer us, but if we act in uncertainty, our own lack of resolve will hinder our ability to hear God’s answer.  An example – a Christian friend is trying to quit smoking.  She asked God for help and she bought patches, but she now admits that she didn’t turn smoking over to God.  She didn’t doubt that He could help her stop smoking, but she doubted that her resolve would stick and she didn’t want to disappoint God.  “An indecisive man is unstable in all his ways.”  My friend’s doubts clouded her ability to trust God in this area.  When she finally is able to do so, I think she’ll find that God will more than amply answer her needs. This does not mean Christians always know the right thing to do at the right time. It simply means that when we ask God for solution to our problems and guidance in our lives, we should expect Him to answer and we should be prepared to follow what He communicates.

 

One of the most harmful fallacies about Christianity is that God causes our trials. My mother remained a lifelong unbeliever because she was certain God had caused every bad thing that had ever happened in her life.  She did not accept responsibility for her own life choices.  The fact that we live in a troubled world is the usual source of our difficulties.  God is not the father of evil. He created the universe to be “good.”  It was only rebellion by Satan and then Adam and Eve that caused Creation to become corrupt. God did not cause their willfulness; He just created them with the capacity to choose their own will over His. Our choice of our own will over His is most often why we’re in trouble.

 

Who is responsible when a person falls to sin?  The devil did not make you do it.  You were enticed by your own evil desires. A friend used to say of thoughts of adultery, “It’s not the first glance that gets you in trouble, but the long second look.”  Desires are normal, but when we dwell on them, we become tempted and once tempted, if we continue to feed that desire, we will sin.  The wages of sin is death, to quote Paul, James’ fellow minister in Christ.  Sin is disobedience to God.  We were created to obey God, but given the freedom to disobey Him. When we disobey God, we poison our souls. We cause our own spiritual death, just as Adam and Eve and Satan caused their own spiritual deaths. We make our own choices in life. God just gives us the freedom to choose.

 

In conclusion, trials will come to all Christians, as they come to all people. God is not the author of our trials, but He does not protect us as they are usually a consequence of our choices. Trials will happen. When we turn our fears and doubts over to God and seek His guidance in dealing with the hurricanes of life, we grow in our relationship with Christ. We build endurance as we live through that which we’d rather avoid. We develop character as we learn the Christ-like response to life’s tribulations. In the end, if we have found our way in Jesus, we will find that we are better Christians and better human beings for what we have gone through.

 

Trials are rarely the end of the world, though they may sometimes to be end of life as we know it.  Jesus is the solution not to trials, but to our angst.  We should not seek to be rescued from our circumstances, but we should seek to be transformed through them.

After reading yesterday’s post, my team tells me I’m not finished with introducing James, so here’s the second part of that.

The New Testament was written over a period of decades and to several different people groups.  This is not to say that earlier writings were less Scriptural than later writings, but they addressed different concerns and were often not addressed to a wide-spread audience.  Those who share a common culture may make assumptions about core beliefs, but those who share disparate cultures do not have that luxury.  Please keep this in mind as we go forward in this book.

James, the brother of Jesus and writer of the epistle bearing his name, was a Jewish Christian. Until the resurrection, it appears that he agreed with the Pharisees and scribes that Jesus was out of line.  James was a good Jew at that time. He became a Christian because he saw the resurrected Jesus. This did not immediately make him less of a Jew.  Later, he would become a pious, praying pastor of the founding church of Christendom – Jerusalem.  He died in AD 66, martyred for his faith.

I’m going to go with my gut, which says that the earlier dating of this letter is the correct one.  My main reason for this is that my two New Testament scholar friends agree with the earlier dating, having been swayed from the later dating by new evidence.  There is internal evidence in the letter to suggest it was written before the Jerusalem Council. For one thing, James never mentions Gentile converts or the work of Paul and Barnabas. While this is by no means proof, it is curious unless you consider that at the time of this writing, the issue of Gentile Christianity was not something the church in Jerusalem was dealing with – yet. Had the letter been written only a year or two later, James likely would have addressed it to a more diverse group.  If he had written the letter as late as AD 60, he might even – as Peter did – reference Paul’s writings. He doesn’t, so I think the earlier date is more believable.

In about AD 48, James wrote a letter to Jewish Christians around Asia Minor. Scholars note that his letter is filled with references to the Old Testament and it reflects an Old Testament worldview centered on Judaism.  This makes sense. James was raised a Jew and became a Christian and was pastoring a church of Jews who had become Christians. He was writing hardly more than 15 years after his brother’s death. His audience consisted of Jews who had become Christians. Although Gentiles were becoming Christians in the areas where Paul was ministering, the Gentile question had not yet been discussed in Jerusalem. This would become a topic in a year or two when Paul came from Antioch to ask for resolution on the circumcision controversy, but it wasn’t a topic yet.  This has a great bearing on what James wrote. His audience understood what it meant to keep the Law of Moses; they were steeped in Old Testament theology.  They were also steeped in Pharisaical teachings because the Pharisees were about one-fifth of the population of Jerusalem and, as it obviously by Paul’s birth in Tarsus, had spread among the Dispersion.

Apparently pastoral council suspected that these Jews of the Dispersion did not know how to keep the Law of the Spirit. We have no way of knowing if Jewish Christians were writing to Jerusalem asking for guidance because the letter doesn’t mention it, but I think they probably were.  I can see leaders in the provincial churches writing to Jerusalem and saying “Hey, these guys are good Jews and great at following rigid rules, but they need practical guidelines in how to be effective Christians. Can you who knew Jesus so well help us out here?”

Practical guidelines act as fences to keep us on the right path in Christ-likeness.  Theology provides us with a foundation on which to base our practices. They work hand in hand to grow Christian character.  They do not contradict one another, but they do sometimes balance one another.

Jews came to Christianity from a religious system that emphasized practices.  Gentiles came to Christianity from a system that emphasized the intellect.  Jews wanted to know HOW to be better Christians. Gentiles needed to know WHY Christians live as they do.  James addressed the first, Paul addressed the second. They were not contradicting one another. They were simply emphasizing two parts of the same whole.

Let us turn to the text to see what I am saying.

“James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ: To the 12 tribes in the Dispersion. Greetings.” James 1:1

The letter called James is traditional ascribed to James, the pastor of the church at Jerusalem, who was half-brother to Jesus (younger son of Mary and Joseph).   This makes the latest possible dating for this epistle to have been written as AD 66, the year of James’ martyrdom.  Although there are some Bible students who date James after AD 60, many scholars are convinced that James is the very first book of the New Testament to be written, perhaps as early as AD 48, which would place it before the Jerusalem Council in AD 49-50.    We’re talking a mere 15 years after Jesus’ death, when Christianity was still largely a sect of Judaism.  Thus, it provides us with a unique opportunity to glimpse the developing concerns of the church in its earliest period.

Largely an exhortation for practical Christianity, the letter stated principles of conduct, frequently providing poignant illustrations. The author's concerns were much more practical and less abstract than those of any other New Testament writer. This may be why no other New Testament book has received criticism to the extent encountered by James. 

Generally, the letter calls for holy living. James was known for his piety and prayer and was steeped in an Old Testament worldview and Judaism.  Evidently the product of concerns on the part of early pastoral leadership about the ethical standards of early Christians, the subject matter of this letter includes an analysis of how to respond to temptation and trial. There is a focus on the necessity of “doing” the word as well as “hearing” the word. Treatment of the poor and the appropriate management of wealth are topics of concern as are the waywardness of the tongue and the necessity of its taming. Conflicts and attitudes toward other Christians are discussed and appropriate responses to life’s demands and pressures are suggested.

The theme of the book is that practical religion must manifest itself in works which are superior to those of the world. The essence of such works covers the areas of personal holiness and service to others, such as visiting “the fatherless and widows,” and keeping oneself “unspotted from the world”. These “works” further demand active resistance to the devil, submission to God, and even brokenhearted repentance for sins.

Patience in the wake of trials and temptations is the subject both of the introduction and of the conclusion of the epistle. Readers are to “count it all joy” when trials come and expect reward for endurance of those trials. Later, James returns to the subject, citing both Job and the prophets as appropriate examples of patience in the midst of tribulation.

Two difficult and widely debated passages in James challenge Bible students. In 2:14-16, James argued that “faith without works is dead”. This apparent contradiction to the teaching of the apostle Paul has caused much consternation among some theologians. Martin Luther referred to the book as “an epistle of straw” when compared with Paul’s writings.

More careful exegesis has shown that the contradiction is apparent rather than real. James argued that a faith that is only a “confessing faith,” such as that of the demons, is not a saving faith at all. The demons believed in God in the sense of “intellectual assent,” but they were void of belief in the sense of “commitment.” Orthodoxy of doctrine which does not produce a sanctified life-style is, in the final analysis, worthless.

In 5:13-18, James spoke of the means of healing, but the passage only treats the subject of healing incidentally. Actually, the discussion stresses the effectiveness of the earnest prayer of a righteous man. Elijah is referenced as one whose prayers both shut up the heavens and opened them, depending on the need. Whatever else may be intended, clearly the prayer of faith “saves the sick.” The anointing oil, whether medicinal, as some have argued, or symbolic, as others have held, is not the healing agent. God heals, when He chooses to heal, as a response to the fervent prayers of righteous men.

The Letter of James holds lasting value and consequence to the Christian confronted by an increasingly secular world. Christ ought to make a difference in one’s life. That is the theme and mandate of James.

(Basic facts drawn from Holman Bible Dictionary)

The people on the roll call of faith are mostly well-known figures from Biblical history. These were men and women whom we thought were justified under the Law. Yet we know that everyone before Moses lived before the Law and therefore, could not have been held to the Law.  So how did they get into heaven?  Faith!

Faith is what motivated the Old Testament heroes, an assurance that God was with them if they simply turned to Him and asked for His aid.  Faith motivated Peter to leave the safety of the upper room to preach upon the streets of Jerusalem. Faith allowed Stephen to stand before the Sanhedrin and proclaim the gospel and then ask God in heaven to forgive those who were killing him.  Faith sent Paul from the comfortable confines of Judaism to walk upon roads, to face dangers, to be arrested, beaten, sneered at, and eventually killed.  Faith allowed the young preacher Timothy to shepherd congregations much older than himself.  Faith was the glue that bound the men and women of the Bible together -- from Abel to the apostles.

Some would like the credit these people for their works, but the faith came first. It was the motivator of the works.  Thus, since some think this such an important topic, I will turn to James and draw parallels with other New Testament writings to get to the bottom of this faith versus works thing.  It is not an and/or parallel. One issues from the other and I hope that we will see that as we study.

“And what more can I say? Time is too short for me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the raging of fire escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength after being weak, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight.”  Hebrews 11:32-34

We’re coming to the end of the roll-call, but I want to briefly touch on the unnamed members of the list because they would have been immediately recognizable by the readers of Hebrews, where perhaps they are not so recognized by us today.

Solomon was known for his wise administration of judgment.  Unlike his father David, Solomon fought no wars.  His kingdom was secure.  He ruled Israel wisely. It is sad that he did not rule his own passions as wisely, but as I have amply shown in this series, many of the listed were less than perfect.  How human of them!

“Obtaining promises” could refer to many in the Bible, but I’m going to focus on Esther.  This young Jewish woman whose beauty won her a marriage to the king of Babylon risked her very life to obtain promises of protection for her people. She had no power. She performed no mighty deeds. She simply spoke up when the need was great and thus saved her people.

Daniel is famous for the lions’ den.  Some people would like to believe this was a heroic feat, but he was cast into the pit with them without weapons.  All he had was faith in God and God sealed the lions’ mouths.  Daniel was faithful, not heroic.

Of course, fire makes us think of Daniel’s three young companions – Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego.  When the king looked into their furnace of death, he not only saw they were alive, but he saw a fourth figure moving about in the flames that were so hot they consumed the guards who threw the three in.  The three amigos did not quench the fire. They exercised faith, proclaiming as they stood on the precipice of the blazing furnace:  “If the God we serve exists, then He can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He can rescue us from the power of you, the king. But even if He does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.”  Daniel 3:17-18.  Their faith was such that they were willing to die for it. The only weapon they wielded against the flames was their faith in God.

The image of fire quenched conjures up Elijah on Mount Carmel. The sole remaining prophet of God not hiding under a rock, Elijah stood against 450 prophets of Baal and challenged them to show whose God was greater.  All day, the prophets of Baal called to their idols to set fire to the offering upon its dry wood, but nothing happened.  Then Elijah, having thorough water-logged his offering, basically said “Hey, God. I could use some fire here.”  Not only did God send fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice, but the altar stones were cracked by the heat.  He then sent a deluge to quench the fire.

Elijah was an impressive figure in the Old Testament, but again, he was a prophet and priest, not a soldier, not a national hero.  He wielded no weapon beyond faith that his God could do mightier things than dumb idols.

Faith can lead to mighty deeds and the role call of faith shows that men and women who were afraid were emboldened to act on God’s behalf because of their faith.  Yet, faith does not necessarily lead to mighty deeds. Sometimes it leads to simply living life in a way that is different from the world around us.  Christians may choose to act just as their coworkers and neighbors do, but we may also decide to rely in faith that God will not return our efforts empty if we live according to His rules. Yet, even when we fail at that, God can still use our faith to advance His will on this planet.

The roll-call folks were not perfect. Some of them weren’t even good people. God used them with “the strength they possessed.”  For those of us well-aware of our humanity, this should be a comforting thought. While we should strive to be like Jesus in all of our affairs, when we fail (and we will), God can still use us. In fact, it may be that in our failure and repentance we will be more useful to Him than we would be in our strength and self-possession.  Jesus said the “first will become last and the last will become first.”  While that seems odd to our human way of thinking, it is relieving to know that God can use even those of us who are far from perfect.