James (Part 2)
Humility 1:9-11
A humble spirit is very important. If we are (or believe we are) poor or weak; not overly intelligent, skilled, good looking or popular, etc., then it is not so hard to be humble!
But the rich, famous, intelligent, popular, successful and good looking need to be humble too – for everything they have is a gift from God and all they have (in a physical, material sense) will one day pass away.
We all need to give thanks to God for all His gifts and remember that "Much will be required of those to whom much is given" (Luke 12:48).
Besides, if we don't humble ourselves, God may well have to humble us, for God resists the proud but exalts the humble (1 Pet. 5:5-6).
Some practical points for Christian living
(a) Hearing and speaking 1:19-21
Be quick to hear what is true, edifying, good and Godly.
Be slow to speak – make sure it is true, kind, loving, fair and encouraging.
Be slow to anger – there is such a thing as "Godly anger" but most of our anger probably comes as a result of pride, self-centredness, greed, frustration, etc. Jesus was righteously angry in the Temple but He never lost His temper – He was in total control. "Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger; and do not give room for the devil" (Eph. 4:26-27).
We must make sure that the righteousness of God is in everything we listen to (not evil gossip or slander), and in all we say and all we do. We must “lay aside” everything that is filthy (unclean), wicked and evil, and instead humbly receive the Word of God into our hearts, minds and lives.
(b) Doing – not just hearing 1:22-25
Matthew 7:24-27 The wise person does what he hears the Lord tell him!
If we hear, believe and know, but do not do, then we end up in deception, making excuses for our disobedience.
Blessing comes as a result of obedience, not just an intellectual acceptance of the truth. The blessed servant is the one who does his Father's will, not the one who says "I go" but doesn't go! (Matt. 21:28-32).
See also what James has to say about Faith and Works (below).
(c) True faith 1:26-27
If we think we are a good Christian, then we need to make sure we bridle (control) our tongue.
Pure, undefiled religion is this:
· visit orphans and widows in trouble – practical, physical, social; and
· keep ourselves unstained by the world – moral, spiritual
This is faith and works!
People often have a tendency to go to one extreme or the other – all "faith" (head knowledge, intellectual belief, all the right words and beliefs) or all works (humanism – but devoid of God). James says we need both faith and works – in balance, and both inspired by God!
Faith and works 2:14-26
Martin Luther was brought up on "salvation by works". In some parts of the church today there is still a strong emphasis on getting to Heaven by your good deeds: "If you are good enough you will get to Heaven"!
Probably most non-Christians in the Western world today believe that, if there is life after death and there is a Heaven, then they will get there because they have basically lived “reasonably good” lives.
The revelation that came to Luther, from reading the book of Romans, was that "the just shall live by faith" (Rom. 1:16-17).
Sadly, in some parts of the evangelical church today, salvation by faith has been so emphasised that some people think that intellectual belief in the correct dogma, signing a creed and joining a good evangelical church will get them to Heaven. They live like saints on Sunday but are as worldly as non-Christians for the remainder of the week. Their so-called "faith" has little influence on their daily lives.
Both salvation by works, and salvation by intellectual beliefs, are unbalanced extremes, giving some people false hope of salvation.
Salvation is centred on Christ and His atoning death for us on the Cross. And nobody can have a true encounter with Christ without their daily lives being transformed. E.g., Zacchaeus, Paul.
Balance
People have a tendency to go to extremes, but the Scriptures are so balanced! Jesus was the most perfectly balanced Person Who ever lived, because He believed and practiced the truths of Scripture.
Two equal and opposite forces hold things in balance. If there was only one force, or one of the forces was stronger than the other, it would go off balance.
Often in Scripture there are two counter-balancing truths which may seem to contradict one another. In actual fact they hold each other in balance! For example:
· faith and works
· the evangelical Gospel and the social Gospel
· free-will and election
· God's grace and His wrath
· the physical world and the spiritual world
· the Man Christ Jesus and Jesus the Son of God
So, “Be doers of the Word and not hearers only …” (James 1:22).
QUESTIONS
1. How do we “humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God” (1 Pet. 5:5-6)?
2. James 1:19-27 speaks about (a) hearing and speaking; (b) hearing and doing; (c) true and false religion. Sum up in a sentence or two what James says about each of these pairs.
3. What is “righteous anger” and how can we tell if our anger is righteous or unrighteous?
4. What does Ephesians 2:8-10 say about the places of Grace, Faith and Works, in our salvation?
5. Why do many people live “like saints” on Sunday but “like the rest of the world” for the rest of the week?
6. Why is balance so important in the way we live our Christian lives?