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Practically Speaking: James, Part 12

Published December 30, 2008 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: Faith, hope, James, perseverance

A Hope For All Believers, James 5:7-12

In this closing section of the letter, from verses 7 to the end, James returns to addressing believers in a pastoral way. He has expressed his disdain toward the godless rich, and now James is going to affectionately express his concern that his friends exercise the great virtue of patience. This is clearly an important topic for James since he repeats the term four times in succession. Almost as important as patience is the concept of perseverance, which he emphasizes twice.

The overriding theme, though, is God’s providence in the lives of believers. Verses 1-6 tell us that God will punish unrepentant sinners. Now James tells his readers that He will fully reward all faithful followers of Christ.

1. Christ will come again, 5:7-8

Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.

The first thing you notice is that James does not go into any kind of detail about the Second Coming; he doesn’t try to convince his readers of its reality or certainty, or prove it to them. This tells us a lot about what the early church believed: they believed that Jesus Christ was coming soon. In fact, this doctrine, which may seem so esoteric to us, was so real to the early Christians that it was part of their everyday thinking. The fact that Jesus was returning soon was reason for patience.

The verb for “be patient” is makrothymesate, and it suggests “long-suffering” in the face circumstances or an attitude of self-restraint in the face of being wronged (Lightfoot). It is, as one commentator has noted, “a virtue possessed by few and sought by many.” The old fashioned word, long-suffering, does not mean to suffer while tolerating someone or something for a long time. Rather, it is the opposite of being “short tempered,” it is the art of living life despite persons or circumstances that may oppress us.

James goes on to give some illustrations of patience.

The patient farmer. His crop was precious because the lives of the farmer and his family depended on it. In Palestine, the grain is planted in the fall and gets the early rain in late fall and the latter rain in the spring. In between the rains, the farmer has to be patient and trust that the (1) the rains will come and (2) the crop will grow.

In interpreting his own parable, James teaches that believers must be patient for the Lord’s coming just as the farmer is patient for the rains and his eventual harvest. The phrase “stand firm” comes from the Greek clause sterixat tas karias hymon, and means “strengthen your hearts.” In other words, be strong inside, don’t lose heart and don’t yield to discouragement. The reality of Christ’s coming should be a powerful motivating factor that shapes our everyday attitudes. Tasker observes:

If the Lord’s return seems to us to be long delayed, or if we relegate it to such a remote future that it has no effect upon our outlook or our way of living, it is clear that it has ceased to be for us a living hope; and it may be that we have allowed the doctrine that ‘He will come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead’ to be whittled away by skepticism, or to be so transmuted into something else, such as gradual transformation of human society by Christian values, that it has ceased to exercise any powerful influence on our lives.

2. Pressures that tempt us to be impatience, 5:9

Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

It’s one thing to be patient with those outside the Church, but what about those inside the Church that “rub us the wrong way?” Someone once wrote:

To walk in love with saints above
Will be a wondrous glory;
But to walk below with saints you know–
Well, that’s another story!

James warns believers not to “grumble” against each other. When times are difficult, the temptation is to do just that. The word stenazete, “grumble,” means to “sigh” or “moan.” It actually refers to an “inner distress,” not so much to an open complaint. In other words, what James is warning against is not so much the vocal complaints or denunciations we may speak to someone, but the feelings of bitterness and anger we harbor inside. Many of us, when really annoyed with a brother or sister, would never speak out against them, but we would easily sigh, and role our eyes behind his back. This is what James cautions against.

To hold onto that kind of attitude invites judgment, and the Judge, says James, is right at the door, as if holding onto the doorknob, ready to come in.

3. More examples of patience, 5:10-11

Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 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.

Back in verses 7 and 8, James offered an example of patience, and now he picks up that theme again with some more examples.

The patient prophets. James is suggesting believers “imitate” the prophets of old. If we suffer for God, then we walk in good company; Hebrew history is replete with godly men who worked for and suffered for God, yet remained steadfastly loyal to Him. All the prophets suffered for the words they spoke, but probably the one prophet that stands out more than any other was Jeremiah, who is known as the “weeping prophet” because he cried so much for his people and suffered so much for his words. Consider what he went through for his faith: Jeremiah 20:2; 32:2; 38:6. All the while, though, he continued his God-ordained ministry without any bitterness or resentment. Such are the kind of me believers are to emulate.

The perseverance of Job. When we think of patience, we always think of Job. James echoes Jesus’ teaching when he writes that we consider blessed those who have persevered. Imagine, when we persevere, we are blessed. Note what James is not saying. Believers are not blessed in the suffering or persecution, it’s in the perseverance blessing comes. James has already stated this back in 1:12. As an example of perseverance, James offers Job. It’s not his patience that Job is noted for, it’s his perseverance.

James isn’t the first Biblical writer to mention Job. Ezekiel puts Job in the company of Noah and Daniel. But, again, it’s not for his patience but for his righteousness (Ezekiel 14:14, 20). In fact, in studying the book of Job, it becomes obvious that he was not a patient man; he curses the day of his birth and complains about his friends long winded speeches, all the while making his own!

What makes Job memorable is his steadfastness–his persevering faith that triumphed in the end. God blessed Job abundantly because he “did not sin in what he said” (2:10). God blessed Job because he persevered. God will bless James’ readers if they persevere.

4. No swearing allowed, 5:12

Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, or you will be condemned.

On the surface, this verse seems out of place or unrelated to the context. But there is a connection with the thought of verse 9. The warning not to grumble against a fellow believer in order to avoid being judged is related to this prohibition against making too casual oaths, “or you will be condemned.”

Obviously, sometimes making an oath is appropriate. God Himself is said to taken an oath (Psalm 110:4), and Paul had called on God to witness (2 Corinthians 1:21; Galatians 1:20). But sometimes, when circumstances are bad, there is a temptation to make a hasty oath or to use God’s name carelessly, and so James says “Don’t do it.”

In our time, unlike the days of James, we don’t “swear by heaven or earth” or by our ancestors. But some believers don’t think twice about saying things like, “I swear to God…” or “I promise I will…” or variations on that theme. Others “cross their hearts and hope to die” to prove the sincerity of their words. But those are worldly practices that James condemns. So much so, that James says those who resort to such practices are under God’s condemnation.

A building built on a firm foundation can weather any storm. If your foundation is Jesus Christ, and you are in a relationship with Him and communicate to Him, then you have no need to strengthen your words or beliefs. As Kistemaker said,

Truth depends not on the use of expressions that approach profanity, but on the simple yes that remains yes and no that stays no.

(c) 2008 WitzEnd

Practically Speaking, James Part 11

Published December 23, 2008 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: Hording, James, Poor, Rich, Stingy

A brief look at an apostrophe, James 5:1-6

Consider what Solomon wrote in Proverbs 10:22 as we begin our look at this apostrophe:

The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.

Unfortunately, when wealth comes without the Lord’s blessing, then troubles comes right along with it. This trouble takes the form of many things: jealousy, envy, fear, abuse, misuse, just to name a few. The trouble is, wealth without the blessing of the Lord takes the love we should have for people and God all for itself. When that happens, we are only concerned with the wealth; preserving it, protecting, growing it, and acquiring more of it. We move from being a friend of God to a friend of the world.

This handful of verses is a natural continuation from the previous section of verses, 4:13-17, where James had discussed carrying out business plans and making money without adding God and His will into the mix. However, in that section, James is writing about believers. With this new section, the ungodly rich are in his view.

1. What is an apostrophe?

The question Bible students ask is this: Why does James suddenly change his focus? First, we assume that the believers to whom he is writing are meant to learn something from these verses, even though they are not directed specifically at them. Second, James is employing a literary technique known as an apostrophe. In the simplest of terms, an apostrophe is a technique whereby a writer or speaker appears to turn away from his intended audience to address some new and unrelated person or situation, but he expects his audience to get the message. James uses this device at this juncture, perhaps, as a way to both warn the ungodly rich and at the same time to encourage those who are serving the Lord but with little wealth to speak of. People like that might be tempted to become discouraged or begin to resent all wealthy people, the Christian business person of the previous section as well as the ungodly rich of this section.

It might very well be that James, writing under the unction of the Holy Spirit, had hoped that his letter might well fall into the hands of unbelievers. That’s the wondrous thing about the Holy Scriptures; every verse, regardless of who the human author was writing to, was inspired by the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit intended those verses for every person to read.

2. A woeful indictment, verse 1

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you.

Verse one reads a whole lot like something from the Old Testament, for assailing the ungodly, wicked rich was more or less a common practice among the prophets. God does not carry a grudge against wealthy individuals; nowhere in the entire Bible are the rich condemned because of their wealth; rather, God simply warns against the special temptations the rich face. Of note is that James is addressing a particular wealthy group: those without God.

To be wealthy but without God and to treat others in an ungodly way invites judgment, James warns. There is no escaping this; they have all the comfort the world has to offer, but because of their ungodliness, “misery” in fast approaching them. James tells them to “weep and wail.” These are very descriptive words which describe a loud crying and moaning. In fact, James is telling them to “howl,” like the wind, so terrible is there forthcoming misery.

At the same time, however, James is not indicating this “howling” is something that leads to repentance. John Calvin:

Repentance has indeed its weeping, but being mixed with consolation, it does not proceed to howling.

Their comfortable life of luxury is about to come to an abrupt end.

3. Selfish hoarding, 5:2-3

Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.

There are a number of “crimes” with which these godless rich are charged. The first one is the crime of hoarding. Apparently, these people hoarded so much of their wealth that it had started to rot. In the Apocryphal book of Sirach, we read this little bit of wisdom, which, though not inspired, is nonetheless priceless:

Lose your money to a brother and friend, and let it not rust hidden beneath a stone.

The initial wealth James refers to here is probably agricultural in nature; food supplies, grain, wine, and so on. What is interesting is that the way this verse is written in the Greek, this “rotting process” has already begun.

He moves on to clothing, which he says are becoming moth-eaten. In James’ day, a person’s wealth was determined, not so much by coinage, but by their clothing and how much grain, oil, and wine they possessed. All of these things are temporal in nature. They are meant to be consumed–eaten or worn–not hoarded.

The final phrase of verse three deserves some attention:

You have hoarded wealth in the last days.

What does James mean by this somewhat cryptic sentence? Some scholars, like Burdick and Harper see James referring to The last days, that is, that is, James has the future judgment in mind.

It was even in the last hour, as it were, before Christ comes to judge, that the rich “hoarded wealth.” (Burdick)

Perhaps James has another “last days” in mind. How wicked is it for a man, who is on the verge of death–his literal last days–to keep on hoarding his wealth? What good will all his stuff do him as he struggles to take his last breath?

Believers should leave this world the way they came into it: with nothing.

James’ teaching here sounds a lot like his more famous half-brother’s on the same topic:

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Matthew 6:19-20)

The apostle Paul gives some balance, as he frequently does, to James’ teaching.

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:17, 19)

4. Dishonest dealings, verses 4, 6

Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.

You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.

It surprises many believers to learn this, but God is as much concerned with how we earn our money and how we spend it as He is with how much we give in offerings. It’s a truism that one sin leads to another and the sin of hoarding ones riches leads to being stingy. Verse four condemns those who grew rich at exploiting the poor. James uses harvesters as an example of the “working poor.” The language James uses reflects the teachings of the Old Testament, in particular Deuteronomy 24:15,

Pay him his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and is counting on it. Otherwise he may cry to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.

The last phrase of verse four is powerful. The NIV translates it like this:

The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.

But the New King James Version, to its credit, gives the reader a literal translation:

The cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.

That phrase, “Lord of Sabaoth” simply defined was an ancient Israelite name for Jehovah, but it means a little more than that. It suggests an omnipotent “Lord of the armies of heaven.” God is always on the side of the oppressed. He metes out justice and saves from harm. Thanks to Martin Luther, most of us have become familiar with the name Sabaoth:

Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus it is He.
Lord Sabaoth His Name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

James is using the most graphic language of his time to declare that God is absolutely almighty. The godless and stingy rich are without excuse, for this almighty God hears the cries of His suffering people and He will, in His own good time, rescue them.

I grouped verse six with four, not because verse five is unimportant, but because verses four and six are somewhat related. Just as the rich withheld wages from those who deserved and needed them in verse four, verse six deals with more dishonesty: wealth through fraudulent court actions.

It was back in 2:6 that James makes mention of the rich who were dragging the believers into court, and here 5:6 they have been charged with murder. We may interpret this verse literally or figuratively. Burdick sees the literal interpretation as the only one: the rich, for their own wicked reasons, dragged believers into court n trumped up murder charges. Kistemaker, on the other hand thinks there is both a literal and figurative meaning to this verse. He cites Joshua ben Sira, a Jewish sage who lived two centuries before Christ:

The bread of the needy is the life of the poor; whoever deprives them of it is a man of blood. To take away a neighbor’s living is to murder him; to deprive an employee of his wages is to shed his blood.

These wicked rich were not only taking advantage of the poor, but were also guilty of, literally and figuratively, attacking those who were unable to defend themselves.

5. Selfishness, verse 5

You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.

“Luxury” and “self-indulgence” are very similar in the Greek but with a very slight difference between them. The first, “luxury,” means more affluence. It refers to a kind of luxury Thoreau made reference to:

“the luxury which enervates and destroys nations”

It’s the kind of luxury that leads to one becoming morally and ethically lazy. The second term, “self-indulgence” extravagant and wasteful living.

Jesus spoke of this kind rich individual in Luke 16; the kind who cared only for himself. This man suffered eternal punishment, not for what he had or what he did, but rather what he failed to do in life: the rich man failed to love God and failed to care for his neighbor (Kistemaker).

In some powerful language, James compares these rich people to farm animals who, day after day, gorge themselves on food, not realizing that their slaughter is at hand. The term “day of slaughter” refers to the day of judgment:

Yet you know me, O LORD;
you see me and test my thoughts about you.
Drag them off like sheep to be butchered!
Set them apart for the day of slaughter! (Jeremiah 12:3)

The Contemporary English Version captures the real spirit behind James’ words:

While here on earth, you have thought only of filling your own stomachs and having a good time. But now you are like fat cattle on their way to be butchered.

Because of the way they lived their lives, the end of the rich will be inescapable.

You must pay with your lives for the wanton indulgence that has cost your victims their lives, the victims of your social and judicial oppression.

Practically Speaking: James 9

Published November 20, 2008 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: arrogance, business travel, General Epistles, James, New Testament, self-sufficiency

Some observations on how we treat each other

James 4:11-17

As we begin reading this group of verses, two things come to mind. First, the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 7:1-2,

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

And second, something James said earlier in this letter:

Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? (2:2-4)

What makes this section curious is not necessarily the subject matter, although it seems that believers judging other believers for no apparent reason was all-too common in the early church, and that is something very curious to me. What is extremely curious is how James address his readers. Not a handful of verses previously, he called them “double minded” and “adulterous” people. Now he comes back to refer to them as “brothers” or “brothers and sisters.” I don’t want to read too much into this, but to me, it is a very comforting thought to know that even when believers behave badly, even to the point of slandering one another, they are still members of God’s family.

Even though it seems like James is launching into a series of unrelated series of topics, it should be noted that verses 11 and 12 are, in fact, very closely related to the preceding passage. In Psalm 101:5, David actually links slander to a lack of humility:

Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, him will I put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, him will I not endure.

The connection is really very simple. Slander comes from a person who thinks they are superior to others. When a Christian begins to drift away from God, they begin to draw away from other believers and begin to be unduly critical of them. Such was the case of James’ friends.

1. The evil of evil speaking, verses 11, 12

Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. (Verse 11)

This prohibition might better be translated like this:

Do not speak against one another.

The Greek word, katalaleite does mean “to slander,” but it is a more encompassing word. To slander some one generally means to lie about them or make false or misleading statements about them to others. But katalaleite properly refers to any form of “ugly speech” against somebody else. In fact, it refers to more than just the unkind words but also to the way they are spoken.

The grammatical construction of this sentence indicates an ongoing activity. James is not only prohibiting a nasty habit, but he is telling to stop doing it. And the reason James gives for stopping this despicable practice is that the one who speaks against his brother will soon find himself in trouble with God. “The law” to which James refers is “the royal law,” mentioned earlier in the letter. A/F. Harper’s comments on this verse are extremely helpful at this juncture:

When I violate God’s law of love, I set myself up a judge and say in effect, God’s law is not a good law. Thus the real evil of speaking evil speaking rests in a sinful pride that refuses to accept and obey the law of God.

The one who slanders a brother literally puts asides the Word and wishes of God and places himself on the same level as God. Debelius:

Slander is not a transgression of merely one commandment, but a transgression against the authority of the law in general, and therefore against God.

When viewed like this, we can see the seriousness of this sin. It is not merely against a brother or sister, but against the God of the universe. Of course, James is not condemning legitimate human judgment, for elsewhere in Scripture believers are encouraged to exercise godly judgment of one another.

But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. (1 Corinthians 11:31)

Ultimately, as verse 12 says, God is the only Lawgiver who has the ability to administer His law righteously; God shares that position with no human being. James goes so far as to describe God as:

one who is able to save and destroy

That’s a powerful statement of the sovereignty of God, that finds two parallels:

There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal. (Deuteronomy 32:39)

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)

As believers and members of one great Body, we are all guilty of our sins, though we stand forgiven by our heavenly Father. Still, we are the accused, and therefore rather than standing in judgment of each other, setting ourselves up as their judge, we should encourage, comfort, and love our family in the Lord. Simply put, you and I are in no position lord it over another in the position of their judge because we ourselves are in need of the grace and mercy of Jesus. It would do us well focus our attention of Jesus, and direct others to do the same.

2. Recognize the presence of God, verses 13-17

In this section, James returns to the “arrogant rich,” first to condemn their arrogance and to show their evil end. However, it is not a new discussion; it relates to the previous verses in that it illustrates the danger of an unchristian attitude toward material gain (verse 2) and to what James has been saying in regards to pride and humility (verse 6-7, 10).

(A) Setting the scene

The Jews of the Diaspora, the Dispersion, eventually came to settle in various Roman cities, and once there, they began to settle in and become very successful merchants and traders. Some of these prosperous Jews converted to Christianity, like Lydia, for example. Perhaps it was people like her that James had in mind: Christians who had become comfortable and successful and had either forgotten or failed to see what the true meaning of the Gospel was in relation to life and business. James advises: Realize the reality of God in every area of life.

(B) Ignoring God, verses 13-15

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

“Now listen” is serious call to pay attention to what follows and the word “say,” legontes, is in the present tense, which indicated the situation James describes is an ongoing one. Traveling for business in the first century was very common, and Jews especially were known to have traveled extensively. Here is a prime example of people who do their planning and engage in their day-to-day work without thinking about God. By ignoring God, they show as much arrogance as the person who slanders his brother. It has been said that failing to come to God regularly in prayer is one of the most common offenses in the Church.

James is not condemning the practice of doing business, but he condemning the attitude of people who live as though God does not exist. To such people–people who carry on their business without regard for God–money is more important than serving the Lord. People like this are just like the “rich young fool” Jesus taught about in Luke 12:16-21, who failed to realize that he could not add even a minute to his life. The lesson: we are all dependent on God. Calvin notes:

But James roused the stupidity of those who disregard God’s providence, and claimed for themselves a whole year, though they had not a single moment in their own power.

Verse 14 is a not-so-subtle wake-up call, which Moffatt translates:

You who know nothing about tomorrow…

Even though the Bible is not a medical textbook, it does offer some profound medical truths! A tiny clot of blood in the brain may cause an instant and unexpected death. No wonder the Psalmist wrote:

My days are like the evening shadow;
I wither away like grass. (Psalm 102:11)

In the KJV, that verse is even more graphic:

My days are like a shadow that declineth…

People who make no room for God in their day-to-day lives leave themselves wide open to be knocked about by unforeseen circumstances. James shows the foolishness of living like this: they plan way in advance to do something as though they themselves are in control of the future. Proving his point, James points to the transitory nature of life, comparing it to mist that vanishes in the morning warmth. There is nothing wrong with making plans, as long as God is in the plan. That’s the main point of the next verse:

Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

Today, the notion of “the Lord’s will” has become almost hackneyed. Christians use that phrase as a kind of formula in their prayers in hopes of having them answered. In it’s overuse. “in the Lord’s will” seems to have lost its significance. Yet it is the most important thing a believer can defer to.

Interestingly enough, this phrase does not appear at all in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament era, Paul used it constantly as if to teach people about its proper use.

When he left Ephesus, Paul said to the Jews, “I will come back if it is the Lord’s will” (Acts 18:21)
He told the Corinthians, “I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing” (1 Corinthians 4:19)
He promised the believers in Corinth to spend some time with them “if the Lord permist” (1 Corinthians 16:7)

But in many other instances, neither Paul nor the other apostles used it. But they lived according to it. In other words, believers do not need to use the words “God willing” as a Christians talisman, in a mechanical fashion. Instead, our entire lives should be lived in the knowledge that we are God’s children and that we are safe and secure in Him and that He holds sway over them, to our benefit. Mayor’s comments are valuable:

The boaster forgets that life depends on the will of God. The right feeling is, both my life and my actions are determined by Him.

(C) From neglect to opposition, verse 16

So, how far can one go in neglecting God before they cross the line into outright opposition? The merchants to whom James is addressing, apparently had taken business risks and made a profit. Success breeds success, and sometimes along with prosperity comes pride and an unhealthy sense of self-sufficiency. J.B. Phillips’ translation provides a helpful insight:

As it is, you get a certain pride in yourself in planning your future with such confidence. That sort of pride is all wrong.

The Greek is powerful and literally means:

You are boasting in your arrogant pretensions.

One word in that long Greek phrase is alazoneiais, and refers to one taking pride in their knowledge or cleverness, but implies that those qualities are not really possessed by the person. Sinful boasting, then, is rooted in unreality.

There is a good boasting. Paul teaches that one can boast only in the weakness, for Paul had come to realize that in his weakness the power of Christ becomes evident (see 2 Corinthians 11:30; 12:5, 9). Hahn rightly observed:

A Christian may boast of himself only in so far as his life is lived in dependence on God and in responsibility to Him.

(D) Sins of omission, verse 17

James ends this part of his letter with a proverbial saying that may have been popular in James’ day. It’s a very stern warning the sin of neglect.

Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

Once again, James’ words seem to echo the words of his brother:

That servant who knows his master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. (Luke 12:47)

Verse 17 is a verse that may be applied to many situations, especially to most of his letter! Ropes suggests that James is saying something along the lines of: “You have all been warned!” Burdick writes:

It is like saying, “Now that I have pointed the matter out to you, you have no excuse.” Knowing what should be done obligates a person to do it.

Verse 17 really is what Erdman calls a principle of wide scope and great importance. It is not only wrong to commit an action that we know to be contrary to the will of God, or about which we are uncertain, it is equally wrong to fail to do what we know to be God’s will.

James does not write this to make life hard for his readers or for us. Doing God’s will fills the believer with joy and satisfaction. Who else besides a Christian who is living according to the statutes of the Word may say regards of the circumstances:

“If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

(c) 2008 WitzEnd

Practically Speaking: James 8

Published November 20, 2008 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: General Epistles, James, New Testament, obey, quarrel, resist

Resisting and Fleeing, James 4:1-10

How can war be ended forever? In a world filled with anger and despair, how eagerly mankind looks for the answer to that question. We elect politicians who promise to end war and injustice. But who would have guessed that the most important and yet overlooked book ever written provided the answer 2 millennia ago. In the King James Version we read this:

From whence come wars and fightings among you? (James 4:1)

The opening of chapter 4 is in contrast to the end of chapter 3:

Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. (3:18)

Moffatt in his translation uses this striking transition:

But how speak of peace among you? (4:1)

In verses 1-10, James examines in some detail this worldly attitude that causes so much trouble. He first identifies the source of conflicts (4:1-3); then he reproves spiritual unfaithfulness (4:4-6); and lastly, he pleads for submission to God (4:7-10) (Donald Burdick).

1. The source of conflicts, verses 1-3

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

Here is a profound truth: “Wars without come from wars within.” This is the truth James wants to drive home to his readers, and to us. It seems as though James is addressing a problem that existed in the circle of believers to whom he is writing. Even though he calls them “my brothers” repeatedly throughout his letter, his readers were not living in a climate of peace necessary for the growth of righteousness (3:18). The progression of James’ argument is obvious and masterful:

If bitter envy and selfish ambition have taken root in a believer (3:14, 16);
If their world view is dominated and shaped by worldly and unspiritual wisdom (3:15);
If they have so alienated themselves from God;
Then they promote “disorder and every evil practice” (3:16).

When all that happens, fights and quarrels become the norm. The two words, “fights” and “quarrels” are from the Greek polemoi and machai, and are words usually reserved for warfare.

What a stark contrast we have in James’ letter to our perception of the early Church, which is shaped by Acts 4:32–

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.

That picture of harmony was all but gone within a decade, to be replaced by a church full of fights, quarrels, and bickering. James uses two very strong words as a figurative sense because he asks a deeply penetrating question, phrased in such a way that his readers could hardly disagree. In other words, to their shame, James’ readers knew they were in the wrong.

Their conflicts were caused by their “desires,” from the Greek hednon, from which we get “hedonism.” This gives us a glimpse into their psyche. Believers, scattered to the four corners of the earth were still concerned with their “sensual comforts.” So concerned, in fact, that his readers were stepping all over each other to get them. They were certainly not showing Christian charity!

Verse 2 is another powerful verse in which James speaks metaphorically of believers who would go so far to “kill” to get what they want. Of course, it is unlikely James has in mind his readers physically murdering each other to get what the other has. The phrase “you want something” is a weak translation of the Greek which is much more forceful. The sense is that of strong, never ending lusting or coveting, which led to hatred. In Matthew 5:21-22 and 1 John 3:15 hatred is equated to murder:

Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. (1 John 3:15)

These Christians, and remember they really are Christians, suffered inner tensions and outward conflicts (Harper) because they refused to pray. In their quest for get the things they wanted, they had wandered so far from God that they did not even take time to talk to Him. It’s no wonder that they God appeared to not answer their prayers, how could God answer when He hadn’t been asked? As Kistmaker astutely remarked:

Failure to ask God in prayer results in failure to receive.

John Wesley comments,

And no marvel; for a man full of evil desire, of envy or hatred, cannot pray.

But even when these people actually went through the pretense of prayer, James says in verse 3 it was all for nothing for they were praying with the wrong motives. Self centered prayers that ignore the will of God go unanswered. Prayers that lack faith are actually sinful, according to Romans 14:23,

But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

Hebrews 11:6 is even more pointed:

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

How can God possibly answer a prayer prayed selfishly and without faith? He cannot. God does not listen to people who are pursuing selfish pleasure. Greed is idolatry and that is an abomination in God’s sight. God does not listen to prayers that come from hearts full of selfish motives. Covetousness and selfishness are insults to God.

2. Spiritual unfaithfulness, verses 4-6

You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”

Straddling the fence can be a dangerous thing to do. Driving down the middle of the road is also dangerous, as every driver knows, for we have been taught to say on their own side of the road. A Christian was not made for straddling, either. A Christian cannot be a friend of God and a friend of the world at the same time. A Christian cannot pursue their own selfish ambitions and remain loyal to God. To look at and desire the things of this world is to one’s back on God.

How bad is it to behave like that? The NIV has inserted the pronoun “you” at the beginning of verse 4, but in the original the verse begins with one single word: Adulteresses. In the Greek it is in the feminine. The reason is not readily apparent, so a word of explanation is in order.

In the Old Testament, God’s people were considered to be His bride, Jeremiah 31:32. In the New Testament they are the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:23-32). Therefore, anytime God’s people wander away from Him, it like “spiritual unfaithfulness.” So, James used a blunt word to describe the nature of his readers: adulteresses.

The phrase “don’t you know” indicates that his readers knew very well the truth but were ignoring it. James refers to “friendship with the world.” The word “world” here (kosmos) is referring to all that humans think and do that ignores God and is contrary to His will. For James, there can be no compromise. What does it mean to be a “friend” of the world? Burdick’s comments are enlightening:

It is to adopt the world’s set of values and want what the world wants instead of choosing according to divine standards. The person who deliberately chooses to be a friend of the world by that choice becomes an enemy of God.

The apostle John sternly warned his readers:

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John 2:15)

John Knox once said, A man with God on his side is always in the majority. But the person who meets God as His enemy stands alone, for the world cannot help him.

It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:31)

Verse 5 is a curiosity and its interpretation has always been difficult due to a number of factors.

Translation. There are numerous ways to translate this verse and its meaning can actually change from translation to translation. For example, take something as simple as a punctuation mark. We take them for granted, but in the Greek manuscripts, there are none! So is James making a statement or asking a question? The other translation issue surrounds the word “spirit.” Does it refer to the spirit of man, or to the Holy Spirit?

Unknown quotation. James makes reference to a Scripture that no scholar has been able to find.

Consider how the translators of the NIV and the TNIV have wrestled with the verse:

NIV: Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?

TNIV: Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?

So the NIV connects verse 5 with the preceding discussion on selfish ambition. But the TNIV assumes that James is now finished with his reproof of his readers worldly conduct and has begun a kind of appeal for repentance. This thought is found in the footnotes of the NIV, yet it is in the main body in the TNIV. Given the context, it is likely that the TNIV is the correct way to understand what James is trying to say. By favoring the world over God, believers may backslide and lose God. But this is something that does not happen easily or quickly. God is a jealous God who will tolerate no rivals. When we became born again, we were given a new spirit and God yearns over this new life in us. He uses every effort to convict us of wrongs when we sin and grow careless in our walk.

The first sentence in verse 6 really belongs to verse 5 and further buttresses the TNIV rendering. God yearns over our often divided hearts and is hurt by our friendship with the world. He desperately longs for His Holy Spirit to be given total control over our lives, which is something only we can do. To help us to do that, God gives us special help: He gives more grace to those who would humbly receive it. In the Greek it is “a greater grace,” and Knowling comments on this:

The best meaning appears to be that the Spirit of God bestows upon those who submit to the Divine will, and surrender themselves to it entirely, richer supplies of grace to effect that complete surrender to the yearnings of the Divine love, and to count all things as loss in response to it.

But, as long as in our human pride we think we can use our own earthly wisdom, we will never be the beneficiaries of God’s “greater grace.” The words of Julia Johnston’s hymn are precious:

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,
there where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
grace, grace, God’s grace,
grace that is greater than all our sin!

3. Submission to God, verses 7-10

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

There is nothing more welcome to the traveler than helpful signs along the road that give direction. These highway signs are short, descriptive and pointed. James is about to give his readers some “signs” that will help them–and us–as we travel life’s highway to the destination appoint us.

Submission. God is eager to help us, but He will not force His help on anybody. The word is really “obey” and is the same word by Luke when he wrote about 12 year old Jesus who was “obedient to” His parents in Luke 2:51. While obedience is implied, it is not a blind-kind of obedience, but rather the willing surrender of one’s will, which in turn leads to obedience.
Resist the devil. Many Christians struggle with this. They know they should not sin so they try to resist the devil but fail and time and again fall into the devil’s traps. This happens because they fail to practice submission! You cannot fight the devil unless you are submitting to God simultaneously. And you cannot submit to God without resisting the devil. The promise is clear: if we resist the devil, he will flee.
Come near to God. Ross comments: Draw nigh unto God, as those who long to come into the closest possible relation to Him, in contrast to those who are His enemies and who keep at a distance from Him. God will then draw night unto you, to visit you with His salvation. The call to wash hands is a command to make ones conduct pure, and to purify the heart implies purity of the inner man. Hands and hearts stained by sin need cleansing; hearts tainted with love for the world need to be purified, and God has grace to do all that.
Grieve, mourn, wail. These constitute a call to repentance. The Greek for “grieve” is talaiporseate and is a strong word meaning “to be miserable.” James advises his readers to repent in misery. “Mourn” is pentheo and depicts a grief so intense it cannot be hidden or covered up. Lastly, “wail,” klausate, is similar to “mourn” in that it is an outward show of emotion, but it is in stark contrast the giddy laughter these people were looking for in their pursuit of worldly pleasures. Some Christians have taken this verse a little too literally and teach that Christians are in general supposed to be miserable, sad people. Of course this is not what James is teaching. James is advising people who have been guilty of frivolity and telling them to get serious and repent.
Humble yourselves. As if to give emphasis to what James said in verse 6, he admonishes his readers to be humble. God helps those who are so.

So often do we as believers stray from the Lord and go our own way, we can take comfort from James’ teaching. There is hope; we may sin and we may behave badly, but it we wash our hands and purify our hearts, God will take us back.

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