It’s not enough just to believe in God, because even the demons “believe in God and shudder with fear” (James 2:19). If there are no deeds or good works that come as a result of faith, then that is not genuine, saving faith. But someone will say, ‘You have faith I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do” (James 2:17-18). He writes that “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James says of that person that their faith is dead. Talk is cheap, but if they have no works to prove it, then they are only hearers of the law and not doers. James’ letter could have well been written for our time because he makes a point that people can say they’re believers all they want, but the proof is in their works, or lack thereof. Only by God’s Spirit can we produce godly fruit, and salted speech. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing” (James 3:8-10). With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. We need God’s help to control our tongue, and James says as much, writing that “no human being can tame the tongue. Regardless of the fact that “the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things” (James 3:5a) and “ How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire” (James 3:5b). He says “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire” (James 3:5)! Even worse, in our duplicity or hypocrisy, we use our tongue to both bless and curse people (James 3:10), even though they’re made in the image of God (Gen 1:27 James 3:9). You might think I’m exaggerating, but James compares the tongue to a tiny little rudder directing a massive ship, and that tiny little rudder can ram a ship into the rocks or sail into smooth waters. Most people would not think about the tongue as being the most difficult member of the human body to control, however the tongue wins the prize for being the most unruly, unwholesome, filthy, degrading, and destructive of all physical members of the human body (James 3:6). This section is reminiscent of Galatians 5:22-23 where the Apostle Paul lists some of the fruits of the Spirit. There is no reason why God would not grant a prayer request like that, but the wisdom James wrote about was not about human wisdom, but it was “from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17). Remember when Solomon could have asked for riches and wealth but he instead asked for wisdom? James writes that we can also ask for wisdom from God, writing, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5). Most were later expelled from Rome and many even put out of Jerusalem. The Dispersion refers to the Jews who were dispersed throughout all around the Roman Empire due to persecution. Even though the Book of James is written for all of us, it was written specifically “To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion” (James 1:1b). Christians were losing their jobs, their families disowned them, they were put out of the synagogue, their property was confiscated, and many were being martyred for their faith. He was called that because he spent so much time on his knees in prayer, but James wrote this to encourage the church which was going through great persecution at the time. James only came to believe in Jesus after His death and resurrection, but James had another name: Old Camel Knees. Many consider the Book of James as “wisdom literature” because so much wisdom is packed into this little book.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |