The Book of James
Last week, my best friend was praying for me and the LORD gave her Jame 5:11.
As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
The same day some other friends blessed us, using James 2:16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? And we were humbled.
So I decided to spend a few days reading and praying through James. A book written by the brother of Jesus. One of the first books of the New Testament chronilogically speaking. A book, not written to a specific church or town, but to the Twelve Tribes dispersed among the gentiles.
I first read it in the King James Version. Then in The Message. Checking verses in the NIV, and NASB, and Amplified.
And as I read it, I payed a great deal of attention to verse 1:5If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him. 6Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind.
Asking in faith for wisdom. It's wisdom that this asking verse is referring to. Not riches or healing, or signs and wonders. Plain, pure wisdom.
More on Wisdom from chapter 2
13Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. 14But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. 15This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.16For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.17But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.
Seems to be two kinds of wisdom. Gentle and pure or bitter and demonic. God, help me to be pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. God, give me the right kind of wisdom.
So what about James' declaration that faith without works is dead.
Here is how The Message puts it:
22Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear!
26Anyone who sets himself up as "religious" by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. 27Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.
from Chapter 2 NASV
14What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?
17Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
19You believe that God is one You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.
20But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?
from Chapter 2 NIV
14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?
17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18But 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.
19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.20You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?
How much clearer does that have to be?
Faith can be held without actions...but it won't save. And what about the royal law?
If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself,"
Forget all this faith only, scritpure only, who cares what the world thinks of us nonsense.
Let's focus on the widows and orphans, let's focus on the sick and homeless.
let's make disciples who understand what it means to be the hands and heart of Jesus in this dark and depraved world.
Well that's all I have to say right now...thanks to all of you who have been praying for my family...my class and my community! Love and Blessings to you all!
12 comments:
Protestants (and Lutherans especially - note: I worship in a Lutheran church) speak often of the Sola's of Luther: Grace alone, Faith alone, Scripture alone) without seemingly having read Luther or Scripture.
It is true according to the Apostle Paul that we are saved by grace through faith and not by works lest any should boast. Moses, Isaiah, Paul (in Galatians for example) and I believe James and even Luther, all say that we are not saved BY works like circumcision or the sacrifice of animals or even pious works of prayer and fasting and the like, but rather we are chosen and saved FOR works. These works which proceed from faith are the very same works Jesus did when he was on earth. He called for repentance, healed the sick, raised the dead, cast out demons, fed the hungry, comforted the brokenhearted, forgave sins, took care of widows and orphans, preached the good news of the kingdom of God, and so many other works of love. He also said that we would also do those same works and more. If these works are not done, then the gift of faith is not present is what I hear James saying. If we have faith in Christ then we will obey him and he will consider us friends rather than servants (John 15). It is this faithful obedience that works of love flow from. These works bring fruit that lasts in our lives and in the lives of others. It is our trying to obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit to join with God in what he is doing that activate faith. Faith is not a head/mind/thought game, it is a confidant trust in the promises of God in Christ Jesus. It answers the question "Who do you say that I am?" with the reply, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God" and then obeys his commands out of love for him (and for those he loves) and in gratitude for what he has done.
I love James... great post.
Eph 2:
8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
These are the works James is speaking of i.e. verse 10. Doing good works is not evidence of salvation. Doing the good works that are prepared beforehand, which are His works, are evidence of salvation. Faith without these works being manifest is dead, i.e. it is not faith at all. Something that is dead is non-existent.
There are many who do good works that do not profess Christ, and Jesus said the gentiles, and sinners are capable of love and good works. However, we are to exceed their "righteousness"
Matthew 5:20 and Matthew 5:44-48
This can only be done by spirit-filled believers and members of His Body.
You are saved only by His grace through faith. Our good works do not save us, and do not save anyone else. Only the atonement at work through Jesus on the cross does that.
I have yet to see a scripture that says becoming someone's buddy saves them. Only God can save, and forgive sin.
Romans 10:8-10 says to confess verbally He is LORD and believe that He rose from the dead and you are saved. Paul stresses the resurrection several times in Romans as the evidence that Jesus is truly the Son of God and therefore able to save. That is not the same as the question "who do you say that I am?"
Even the demons believe and tremble, James 4:19.
Many will come in His name saying that He is the CHRIST. According to Jesus that is not evidence of salvation. Matthew 7:15-23 and Matthew 24:5
Good works for the believer are the out-working of the salvation being worked in us by God. Phillipians 2:5-13
Faith only comes by hearing, and hearing comes only by the WORD of God. The good works that were prepared beforehand, being performed by those that are truly His, are the evidence as to who are the ones who actually hear His voice, i.e. His sheep. John 10:4-5
When the "appearance of righteousness" becomes the evidence, you then have the Gospel of Bono, who discards sound Biblical doctrine, but looks "so good" Which of course is good publicity.
Matthew 6:
1"Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
2"Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Matthew 23:
27"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. 28So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Judge with righteous judgment and not by what appears to be good. Don't condemn the ones who adhere to sound doctrine and exegesis as uncaring. This is a strawman argument. We simply don't brag about what we do.
John 7:
24Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment."
Is there a difference between works and rituals, or works and the sacraments? When I was growing up in the Catholic Church, being educated by Sister Mary's what-ever...I was told that Jesus was the key to heaven, by His blood we were saved, and that no amount of good deeds could get us into heaven. It wasn't as if we had a list of sins and deeds and if our deeds outweighed our sins we would get in. That is NOT what I was taught. Yet I hear that the Catholics teach salvation through works. Pressed, I discover the it is not works that the opponents are talking about, but rather the Sacraments. Can one be saved if they do not confess Jesus with their lips...if they don't come forward and publically say some form of the sinner's prayer, make their way down the Roman Road? If they aren't baptised? If they don't ever speak in tongues? Are those things works, rituals, sacraments????Are they necessary. No, I am not really asking those questions, I am just thinking out loud. I believe that true fatih and saving grace is measured by what we do.Though we are not under the "LAW" we are subject to the "Royal Law" which James mentions. to love our neighbor (whoever that may be), to care about them, to not wound them, to do no harm, to do nothing that would in anyway tarnish the Name of Christ that we bare. Those good deeds we are saved to do? Can we sit back and say...it's all planned out, if I don't do them then I wasn't meant to do them...if I fall flat, if I offend, well that is part of God's plan for my life...ooops I'm going there again, aren't I...time to get back to work.
So why do you always steer the commentary in this direction? I am quoting Scripture, not Calvin.
We are saved by grace through faith. The Word says this, not me.
I am saying James' letter, and Paul's letters, and Jesus' words are all part of the context of Scripture, and are therefore not contradictory.
God is the author of scripture. We would have nothing but conjecture without the Bible. Good Lord, look at what we have with the plainly presented Bible.
The good works of Ephesians 2 are the works of faith
that James speaks of.They are the works of Matthew 7:24-25. Such men that Jesus spoke of are doers, and not hearers, loving in deed and in truth, not merely in word. Looks like James, Paul,John and Jesus all are talking about the same thing.
If everyone would get from behind the tree we might appreciate the beauty of the forest.
In response to Chris, I think I am saying essentially the same thing you are though not so succinctly as in your last comment.
because it is my commentary and I can steer it where I want, and who mentioned Calvin?
book by book and letter by letter, the Truth becomes more and more clear. Yet, I do not know the whole truth.
I would agree that James, Jesus, and Paul...all of them, are in agreement although they may be presenting a different perspective, a different facet. Sometimes there appears to be a conflict, or a contradiction. That is only there to get us to dig deeper, we cannot throw away one teaching for another, nor throw away the whole book.
In reading Paul's letters it is clear to see two areas of contention. There are those who were saying, well if Faith saves, and we are no longer under the law, than anything goes. And there were those who were saying, since Jesus was a Jew, everyone must become a Jew to be saved, so get circumcised. Both of these doctrines are mentioned and warned against many times in the New Testament. Sometimes it seems that the modern church uses those arguments, against those specific problems, to prove a lot of stuff that isn't there. Saying that faith saves is not saying enough. Saying we are not under the law, is not saying enough. In these desprate times we must focus less on methods and traditions and more on the Gospel and the great commission.
Those last thoughts are a bit disjointed...I'm being distracted by a lot of other stuff and right now, my students need me...later
inheritor of heaven...wait let me get my dictionary :) succinctly ?????
I actually thought of using that word and then....just to make sure I was using it correctly...had to look it up. :)
Not bad for a mathematics teacher huh?
Chris - Read that passage from Matthew again. It condemns you. It speaks directly against those such as you that would wave your apparent adherence to the words in front of others to put yourself on a plateau against others. It speaks against those such as you that hide behind your words in a forum that doesn't know you in order to show your godliness.
You claim that you are trying to save yet it is known by those who are familiar with those in your closest circle that you don't try to affect these teachings with the folks whom you know personally in the "real world."
A direct correlation can be drawn from this scripture verse to the one who can preach into the blogosphere a superiority while not attempting to touch the ones they know personally in a close field.
I spoke directly to a person thousands of miles away from me today about these various subjects when you are only a few miles away yourself and won't speak personally with her, instead throwing your perceived superiority to the wind hoping to appear great to those of us out here who see you speak. You tout Matthew with your verses. I think by the evidence of the writings you quote, the God you tout would be sickened by your treatment of others. Physician, tend to yourself, for you indeed are ill.
Although, I tend to think that Chris is not "bothering" with my blog much these days, I just want to clairify that "it wasn't his fault". And we have gone beyond the point that we can and should talk it out. A time to embrace, a time to refrain from embracing, a time to be silent and a time to speak...
You have already indicated as much to me. To the greater extent, this is my point. Many of us talk and trade advice and try to help each other out through this connection we have on the internet. Obviously it is not his intention to help you, when he addresses things in this public forum, and yet can't make the short trip (the one the rest of us can't easily make) to try and do it in person. What this fact says is that he is not actually interested in helping you. He is not interested in your salvation. He is interested in all of us who visit seeing how "interested" he is in the subject. This is why I address the Matthew quote, for it speaks against this method.
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