James ...

Now for another brother’s perspective; we turn from the writings of Jude to James.  Again there are various theories about who the writer of the book of James was; one of the more prominent ones is this James was another half-brother of Christ.  Since it is entirely possible this was the case, we will focus on James and see what a second look at his little 5 chapter book might reveal to us.  On first glance, I might characterize James as a realist, or a pragmatist.  Jude focused his writings on the danger of using grace as a license to lust.  James however, focuses more on the things we “should” be doing, more than the evil we often do.  James presents a more practical view of what it means to be a Christian, not just to yourself, but to the world around you.

Chapter One …

So in chapter one, James begins with a premise that learning is not completed in an instant, but rather it is a process we must endure in order to actually learn.  If perfection were granted to you in an instant, would you even know how much transformation had just occurred?  Could you truly appreciate perfection if you did not know the scope of the change you had instantly undergone?  And while faith is a gift of God, the constant exercise of faith, leads to the growing of faith.  Trust is built over time, and to be saved from ourselves, we need to trust God to save us.  This tends to happen little by little as opposed to all at once.  In chapter one, James begins by focusing on this idea.

James counsels us to “count it all joy” when we are confronted with temptation; for to be saved we must allow perfection to do its work within us – this requires our patience.  As we are patient with God and allow Him to change us on the inside, we see the process work over time.  As such our faith is built up.  James continues the idea that if we see our need where it comes to the learning process, we should simply ask God for the wisdom we need.  But we should ask with purpose and intent, not wavering or uncertain of our request.  And wisdom will be granted.  James then reminds us that our status in this world, our wealth, means nothing to the growing of our faith.  The Jewish people had been taught in error, that their wealth was a sign of their favor from God; and they had interpreted this to be a sign of their spiritual favor.  James shatters this idea and reminds them that the wealth of this world is taken in an instant, so do not use it as a barometer of how your faith is doing.

James continues by reminding his readers that God has no evil in Him, and does not tempt men with evil.  It is instead our own carnal nature and desire to please self that is at the root of our temptations.  To be subjected to temptation is then a sign that the process of change is occurring within us.  We must be patient with this process and allow God to complete His work within us over time.  In so doing we learn to rely on Him more and more and to trust Him more and more; this is the key to receiving the crown of life.  James reminds us again that “every good gift” comes down to us from the “Father of lights”.  Faith, and the victory over temptation, the removal of sin from within us – are GIFTS from God the Father.  This is how we receive them, James does NOT say that we earn them from what we do, but rather that we make no mistake as to their origin, and that they are indeed gifts given to us.

Then James the pragmatist emerges.  Beginning in verse 19, James gives practical advice about a Christian should expect to conduct themselves.  We should be “swift to hear” and equally “slow to speak”.  James it would appear from his book, was very concerned about how we speak, and what we say as Christians.  In reading over his little book there is a great number of texts that reference controlling the tongue.  I would guess that James had been exposed to non-believers or perhaps even to former Christians who had endured ‘hateful speech’ offered them by those who claim the name of Christ.  James wishes to state right up front, that what we say, and how we say it – matters.  He adds that we should be “slow to wrath”.  Getting angry does not bring people to Christ; rather it gives them a reason to keep their distance.  James completes his thoughts about the bridling the tongue in verse 26 where he plainly states that a belief we have in our own religious piety can easily be measured against how we speak.

James’ practicality continues, our words will mean less, if they are not followed by what we do.  When engaged in the precious work of spreading the gospel, what we say and how we say it is extremely important.  But it should be backed up by what we do.  In verses 22-25 James makes the point that we should be more than just “hearers” of the word, but “doers”.  When we only focus on ourselves, we quickly lose sight of what is important.  Instead when we keep our focus on the law that liberates (or the law that defines a basis for how to serve and love others), we find our joy in its fulfillment.  We bring a blessing to world when we focus our lives on service to others, instead of only reflecting on ourselves (the guy in the mirror).  James makes this point again and again in his little book.

James ends his first chapter, or the first section of his letter with a definition of what “pure religion” really is … “to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction, and keep himself unspotted from the world.”  There you have it according to James.  It is not about the Jewish traditions of strict adherence to every Levitical custom outlined by the Priesthood that took matters to extremes.  It is about meeting the needs of those who need it most.  It is about taking care of those who are unable to take care of themselves.  This is the first priority of a “pure” religion.  Then it is to allow God to reform us to the point of remaining unspotted from the world.  In other words, to have the world at large have nothing bad to say about how we conduct our lives.  This was a radical departure with how traditional Judaism measured purity.  It was a radical difference between what the established religion of the day had advocated, and perhaps the reason why the establishment had failed.  Our religion should have been defined by what it did for those in need on a practical basis first.  And let those actions lead to an unspotted reputation; instead of perhaps trying to appear holy, by keeping a distance from those in real need.

Chapter Two …

In chapter two, James opens with a discussion that hits at the heart of each Christian.  He addresses how we treat each other is all too often influenced by the wealth and status of the people we encounter.  I remember being told as a child … “you would not greet the Queen of England in those clothes.”  Or perhaps … “you would not meet the President looking like that.”  The intent of this counsel was to make we want to dress better, be cleaner, and keep a certain decorum at certain times and events.  But there is a reason behind using the President, or the Queen, to make a point.  We associate those people as being special, perhaps more revered, or more respected than “normal” people.  I dare say the coverage of the wedding of William and Kate was a spectacle for the entire world to see; an event requiring the best of our finery to attend, and by select invitation only.  But the thinking that treasures the Queen, is the same thinking that influences how we treat those of status and wealth around us, versus those who are visibly in great need.  This is at the heart of what James addresses in the first few verses of chapter two.

In verses 1-13 of chapter two, James has an extensive discussion about our motives and thoughts being more important to us spiritually, than our outward appearance.  James reminds us that the poor often have more faith than those with means, and as such are often more blessed to take part in the work of spreading the good news, than those who rely on their wealth instead of their savior.  James reminds us that ‘to serve’ is the point of our religion, not ‘to be served.’  From that perspective, I would think both the President and the Queen would be all too happy to have me dressed appropriately to serve them.  But perhaps more importantly, were they true Christians as well, they might also be dressed appropriately to join with me in service to the poor; generally not always something those with wealth and status are comfortable thinking about doing personally.  Perhaps if we ALL dressed to serve, the finery of our clothing would be a thing of the past.

James continues to shatter illusions of Christianity in the verses 14-26 of chapter two.  Just like in the above verses where we sometimes mask our spiritual condition by what we value in ourselves and others, namely wealth and status; we can also deceive ourselves into thinking that knowledge of God is the same thing as faith in God.  Knowing that God exists, is not the same thing, as having a faith in God that allows Him to transform who we are from the inside out.  To realize you cannot remove the sin that is inherent within you, requires a trust, a belief, a hope, and a faith that God will do this work on your behalf.  It is no easy thing to turn over your own salvation to God.  In effect you are trusting that He will do the work of saving you from yourself.  That is real faith.  It is experimental.  It has a cause and effect.  It transforms the life.  It moves beyond just having a knowledge about God, to having a transformative relationship with God.  And James points out, when your faith is real, it cannot help from revealing the transformation in how you think and what you do.

James points out that a real Christian, cannot ignore the plight of the naked and the hungry.  It is not a sense of guilt or obligation that motivates; instead it is love that will NOT remain silent, complacent, or inactive in the face of human need.  James blatantly tells his readers, that a real Christian, one who is undergoing the transformation away from self-service and towards love reflected in the service of others, cannot just offer those in need – nice words.  Can you even imagine Christ having such a casual reaction to those in need?  Christ loved with passion and intensity and genuine concern for each of us.  Christ did not care if you were rich or poor, young or old, male or female.  He did not restrict His love and affection because of the nature of your disease of sin.  He longed only to meet your needs and free you from the bondage of your sin and slavery to self.  A Christian who begins to love like Christ loves, cannot ignore the need of another – they are literally compelled to take action that has meaning.  They simply cannot help themselves.  This is how James measures the “faith” of a Christian.  Does that faith result in emulating the works of Christ, because we share the love of Christ?  Or is our faith, really only a knowledge of Christ, that has not actually transformed how we love, and therefore is comfortable walking away from the needs of others, due to the apathy we hold within our slavery to self.  In short, are you a Christian or not?

To say you have faith, but to remain unchanged and unmotivated to love like Christ, is to mistake a belief that Christ existed for a working-trust that allows Christ to free you from your slavery to self.  Christ did exist.  Believing that to be true does not transform who you are.  To allow Christ to change you, by putting your faith in His gift, in His re-creating power to change who you are – that is how James measures faith.  That kind of a transformative faith in Christ is what the gospel of good news is all about.  We are saved by Christ.  Our “righteousness is imputed” to us, it is given to us as James points out.  This is where faith results in action, it simply cannot help itself.  When you love like Christ loves, your passion begins to spill out in selfless service to others you simply are unable to restrain.  You WANT to serve, you WANT to love, to do not want to sit still and allow one in need, to remain in need. 

For James the transformative power of faith, is like breathing.  Your body cannot live without breathing.  Neither is the love of Christ that is put within you content with sitting still and doing nothing in the face of need.  James points out that Abraham did not just have a philosophical understanding about God, instead his works revealed what faith had done within him.  James continues and cites the example of Rahab the harlot.  Imagine how distasteful that example would have been to a male-centric culture of using a woman to illustrate the transformative power of faith in God.  Note too, the fact that Rahab made her living by engaging in sin, did not prevent her from being a vehicle of faith in action.  As I recall, Rahab was included in the lineage of Christ as well, as was Bathsheba who was equally guilty of adultery, and likely complicit in the murder of her husband by David.  God forgives.  God transforms.  Our destiny is not defined by the sins we have committed, it is defined by the faith in God to save us from the sins of our past, and the nature of our present.  Our future is one of perfection, where Rahab is no longer remembered for her harlotry, but only for her passion to love like Christ loves.  This is the point James is trying to make.  Faith is alive.  It reveals itself in the actions we take.  It is important in both men and women.  And our condition of sin does not preclude us from revealing the transformation even while it is still in progress.

James in chapter two, never once says that we are “saved” from our sins, because of our works.  Instead he is calling us to examine our ideas about faith, to see if our faith takes action, or is content to be complacent.  James is not looking to judge us, and our works, or our apathy.  He is trying to get us to wake up to the idea, that a transformative faith is the basis of our salvation.  The work of removing sin from us is not only about forgiveness for our past, but about transformation of how we think, and how we love, and how we serve.  It is this transformation that leads to perfection.  It is this transformation that kills the “self” in us, and replaces it with Christ.  It is this kind of faith, that will abound in good works because it comes from a passion to love others like Christ loves them. 

What we call “love” can hardly hold a candle to how we see love defined in the life of Christ.  Christ went so far as to be killed by those he was trying to save.  He did not hate those who were literally torturing Him to death, instead in the moments of His greatest agony, He prays for His Father to forgive them.  That is the definition of love itself, to think of His torturers and murderers ahead of Himself even at the moment of His death.  Even then, His thoughts were about the salvation of the guy with the spear, and the one who had nailed down His hands and feet, and the ones standing off to the side, mocking Him as being the true Son of God.  His thoughts even under the extreme physical duress of death, were about their salvation, not His own pain.  That kind of passion to love does not concern itself with the wrong doing of others, only in the relief of their pain that comes from wrongdoing.  The ministry of Christ was not about judgment and condemnation; it was about redemption and the relief of pain.  This is why Christ met the needs of those He encountered.  And it is why James is so adamant, that a transformative faith in Christ results in actions that make a difference in the world.  We are not saved because of what we do.  We do what we do, because the love that saves us, now motivates us, and we simply cannot remain content to be still any longer.

Too often, Christians have been content to read the second chapter of James, and try to apply its meaning that our salvation may be affected by what we do.  It is as if we could somehow save ourselves by the actions we take.  But this was not the intent of what James writes, instead he only uses our actions to reveal to us whether our faith has been transformative or not.  James uses the fruits to define and reveal the tree, not to replace it.  When we attempt to replace the work of Christ within us, with actions we can simply take on our own, we are not actually transformed from our sins.  We do not offset how we think and our desire to sin, by simply doing a few good works.  That work can only be accomplished by Christ, and it is why our righteousness is “imputed” or given to us.  That work of transformation is the “gift” of Christ to us.  Changing the core of who we are, is not something we can do for ourselves, but rather must allow Christ to do within us.  Our actions then are only a reflection of where we are in that work, not the work itself.  This was the point James was trying to make.

Chapter Three …

In chapter three, James returns to discuss our tongues once again.  Perhaps he felt he had not adequately addressed this topic of concern in the verses in chapter one.  Or perhaps while writing his letter, he had yet another negative verbal encounter with himself, or another Christian.  But nonetheless he spent the entirety of chapter three addressing the duality of how we speak and what we say.  Out of the same mouth can come the words that uplift or the words that tear down.  James’ practicality emerges again and he tries to focus us on how things should be, rather than perhaps how they are.  He advocates that Christians should be known for what they say and how they say it.  James reminds us that the bitter speech of envy and strife reveal characters that still bent on the service of self.  As the transforming power of faith in Christ is allowed to bear fruit, our speech of bitterness gives way to words of peace, and meekness in wisdom.  In this James points out, the goal is not just to be right about what we say, but to be able to say it in a meek way that will have an effect, rather than in a proud way that seeks to use “being right” as a vehicle to show off our wisdom.  Even apart from not using our mouths to speak the words that curse and tear down others; James focuses on being careful when speaking the words that lift up, so that we do it in a way that is mindful of those we serve, more than of ourselves.

Perhaps this was a lesson he learned from his Brother.  He was a witness to how Christ spoke to those He was here to redeem.  Christ spoke in words they could understand and relate to.  He never attempted to water down the truth, but He did not use it to condemn either.  Instead He stated the truth of the law, and the beauty of grace and transformation found in submission to God.  The speech of Christ was always designed to draw in His listener not to repel them.  The words were pure and uncompromising and filled with hope, peace, and love.  Christ never excused sin, instead He focused on the beauty of seeing sin removed, and the relief of pain that comes when this happens.  Perfection is not a punishment, it is the cure, the relief from the pain that slavery to self inevitably brings.  The language and manner of Christ was effective even from the age of 12 when he taught the learned masters what the scriptures truly meant in the temple at Passover for 3 days.  Perhaps since James was the half-brother of Christ, he learned well what it means to communicate effectively.  Perhaps the lesson of his Brother was how to speak effectively when working for the redemption of others.  In any case James seems painfully aware of the damage we can cause from our mouths, or the potential blessing we can be to the world.

Chapter Four …

Chapter four of his book contains some of the most often quoted thoughts in scripture.  But all too often they are quoted without context and so their meaning is lost.  When reading the chapter James makes a greater point about humility that is often lost.  In verses 1-5 James reveals how pride in ourselves leads to lust, envy and strife with each other.  When we substitute our own ideas about Christian purity and transformation for the humility of submission, we wind up looking more like the world than like our Lord.  In verse 6 James outlines the precursor, or the prerequisite for the removal of our sins – that is to lose the pride in self.  For God to transform us, we must begin with humility.  This is a work that will be done for us, not by us.  We will see relief from our sins, not when we engage our pride, but when we let it go and seek God in the humility of knowing only Christ can change how we think and what we want.  James then continues in verse 7 … “Submit yourselves to God”  This part of the quote is almost always omitted, as is the precursor in verse six about humility and the lack of pride in ourselves.  But it is only in this context, that the words that follow can actually be achieved.

Verse 7 continues … “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”  That is the quote that gets all the attention in general.  Taken without the preceding verses that outline humility and submission, it makes it sound like we somehow have the power and ability to do this resistance on our own.  Instead of recognizing as James does in the preceding verses the need for humility and submission first; or even ignoring the verses that follow which again outline getting close to God and in so doing become clean through His transformative power; we focus only on the idea that we can resist the devil and he will flee.  But in truth, have you ever seen this happen in your own life?  Have you ever met the devil with a temptation, resisted him, and found he left you alone?  So you were never tempted again on that score huh?  I doubt it.  Cause it simply does not work that way.  This quote should be taken in context and then it makes perfect sense.  When we are humble and lose our pride, when we recognize that we cannot win, and therefore we submit ourselves to God – then God does our fighting for us, God does our resisting for us, and the devil flees from God, not from us.  Satan flees from the power of God he sees in us, as we allow God to do His transformative work in us.  It is this the devil fears, and runs from.  The devil is only being practical, he cannot win against Christ, he knows it, so he moves on to someone who still thinks they can do it for themselves and does not need Christ to fix them.

As if to punctuate the point, James calls out in verse 10 of chapter four … “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.”  Here we are again.  We are lifted out of our sins by Christ, not of our own doing.  We are lifted out of our sins, transformed by His power, as we accept that this work is a gift, not something we will ever earn or deserve.  This knowledge brings humility, and in humility we accept the gift of our transformation.  Our pride is the very thing that causes all the troubles outlined in verses 1-5, only our humility and acceptance of the work of Christ, a work founded in our submission to Christ, sees us think differently, want differently and love differently.  Only the power of Christ scares the devil into walking away from us.  Only the power of Christ can so change us that what once caused us a temptation no longer has any appeal to us whatsoever.  This is the work of perfection only Christ can bring. 

Yet too many Christians quote the phrase “resist the devil and he will flee from you” without mentioning the humility and submission that precedes it.  Out of context, this phrase leads to the exaltation of our own abilities to remove sin from ourselves and away from the gospel of humility and submission to Christ.  It represents a pattern in Christianity to replace the work of Christ in the removal of our sins, with a work we think we can do for ourselves.  It is not what James was saying, but it is what the devil knows we would prefer – the illusion of control.  The devil knows he can easily defeat us on our own, and so he attempts to lure us into the idea that we do not need Christ to defeat the evil that is within us, we can simply resist him and do it on our own.  He adds to that the twisted idea from the earlier texts that perhaps we can somehow save ourselves by our good works.  And he comes up with the perfect trifecta of replacing the work of Christ with a reliance on self. 

Self becomes the center of our “Christian” religion, and the devil wins completely from inside the church of Christ, not having to attack it from the outside where he could not hope to win.  This is the ploy of Satan that we interpret scripture to rely on us, and omit the need to submit to God, and recognize the humility of requiring His gift to save us.  Too often the words and meaning of the writings of James have been twisted in this regard, even by those who bear the responsibility of leading from the pulpit.  Sermons that advocate a reliance on self to see sin ended within us, are exactly what the devil prescribes.  If he can keep our gaze in the mirror and away from Christ, he wins, and he knows it.  But these ideas are not based in what James plainly writes.  James plainly states the absolute need for humility and submission before and after this phrase, and in that context it works.  Absent that context, the devil uses the lure of control over our own salvation to replace the faith and humility and submission he knows we actually need.  It is an excellent case of illustrating that truth is not found in the interpretation of scripture, it is found in the person of Jesus Christ.  Had we kept Jesus Christ at the center of our every belief, we would not ever debate the possibility of our own control over sin, and instead kept focus on the only cure for sin, that can ever or will ever exist – Jesus Christ.,

Farther down in verses 13-17 of chapter four, James reminds us that we have no “control” over even our own lives.  What we do we are able to do, only as God permits us the ability to do it.  We do not have the power to keep our promises, or attain our ambitions.  Only God is in control over us, and to stay on point, only God can remove the evil that lies within us.  The point of chapter four of James is about our absolute need for humility and submission.  This allows the work of transformation that removes our pride, and with it, the number of evils that spring from a dedication to the pleasing of self.  James clearly understood the nature of how salvation worked.  In this his writings are precisely consistent with those of his brother Jude.  They may have shared different concerns about what the church needed and the problems it was facing.  But the mechanism by which each member would come to know perfection and the removal of sin was absolutely consistent between them, and further consistent with every other Biblical author as further study will reveal.  It is Christ alone that saves us.  Nothing we will ever do will accomplish that for ourselves.

Chapter Five …

In chapter five, James begins to summarize the key points of his letter.  He begins in verses 1-6 by reminding his readers that wealth has nothing to do with measuring our spiritual favor with God.  Wealth is more of a curse than a blessing, and in the day of James in the early Christian church it was common practice for a believer to sell literally everything they owned and give every cent to the church.  It was a communal lifestyle that no-one in our modern ideas of Christianity would ever even consider.  Our own ideas of self-reliance seem to have found deep roots within us over time.  In verses 7-11 of chapter five, James reminds us that patience is a part of our learning process.  It builds our faith, and is part of the work of perfection within us.  In verse 12 he again focuses on making sure we watch what we say and how we say it.

In verses 13-18 of chapter five, James includes the idea that the power of prayer is real, and will have real results for his readers.  It is incredible to me, how unequivocal James is about praying for the sick.  He does not dabble with wording couched in the ability to explain a “no” answer from God.  He simply says, if someone is sick, let them pray for healing.  If it is really bad let them be anointed with oil and prayed over by the elders of the church.  And they will be healed, what is more their sins will be forgiven them.  James makes no apologies for the power of prayer.  He does not temper down his readers expectations, with the “reality” that often sick people die in the “real” world.  Instead he says pray, and be healed.  Our problem with our prayers is in the mirror.  We pray with timid expectations and couch our words so that a “no” answer is not something that would test our faith.  Why not simply follow the counsel of James, seek anointing when our bodies lay in infirmity, and expect fully the healing power of our God to be employed on our behalf, or on the behalf of those we love.  Perhaps it is time that as people who claim the name of Christ, we begin to pray like our God has the power we say He has.  Perhaps it is time we have more faith in His desire to heal us and remove our pain, and less doubt about His intentions to do so.  James did not seem to doubt, or equivocate about it.  I say we join him, and heed his counsel regarding our prayers.

Finally James ends in verses 19-20 of chapter five, by once again focusing on our core ambition, our primary mission in this world, to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.  To lead an erring soul to Jesus, to point out to them how Christ transformed us, and is in the process of removing our slavery to self, is the highest goal any Christian can hope to attain.  James’ practicality once again emerges as he declares the value of saving one lost soul, even in our sinful condition, gives our lives much more value than all the degradation we may have embraced in our quest to serve self.  We may not yet be perfect, but we can still lead others to the source of perfection.  We can show them that Jesus will begin the work of transformation within them as well, and they can join us on the journey home.  It is obviously then, not our own perfection we point them to, but the perfection that Christ alone can offer.  James understood plainly the nature of how salvation from sin worked.  He was absolutely consistent with his brother Jude.  And despite some traditional misinterpretations of his writings to be works-centric, when read in context, one cannot draw any other conclusion than that James understood humility and submission to God were the only mechanism by which one could be saved.  James challenges our ideas about faith, and questions whether our faith is transformative or not.  But he never suggests we can replace or augment our faith based on what we do.  Our actions reflect our transformation, they do not cause it or define it.

Now that we have reviewed what the family of Christ may have had to say about Him, we will turn to re-examine the writings of those who were His disciples and knew Him personally as we continue to take second look …