James 5:19-20

Click here for the James 5:19-20 PODCSAST

19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins. ~ James 5:19-20

Today, we come to the end of this book on faith, wisdom and perseverance. As James closes his letter to those first century Christians who were struggling to walk with God, he ends it with an appeal to his hearers to have a heart for those who continue to have difficulty walking with the Lord.

In Genesis 3, it is implied that the Lord God walked with Adam and Eve during the cool of the day. Suggested is the idea they didn't walk with the Lord on a continual basis. In Genesis 5:24, we are told Enoch walked with God. Noah is also described as "a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God" (Genesis 6:9). 

Micah 6:8 gives us a glimpse into God’s desire for us: "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Walking with God is not an activity reserved for a select few. God desires all believers to walk with Him.

When we walk with someone, we are in close proximity to them. We talk, laugh, listen, and share our hearts. Our attention is focused on this person to the exclusion of almost everything else. Walking with God is like that. When we enter into an intimate heart relationship with God through faith in His Son, He slowly becomes our heart’s greatest desire. Knowing Him, hearing His voice, sharing our hearts with Him, and seeking to please Him become most important to us. Meeting with Him is an everyday activity.

When the Bible speaks of "walking," it often refers to a lifestyle. We can walk in the ways of the world or we can walk in the ways of God. In the New Testament, walking with God is often called "walking in the Spirit." To walk with God means we choose to embrace and be embraced by His culture. In so doing, we seek to eliminate from our lives everything that does not enhance our walk with Him. We seek to live out the message of 1 Corinthians 10:31 which reads, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." God’s ways are reflected in our thoughts, our actions, our motivations, and our life choices because we spend so much time with Him.

In v.19 of our passage for today we read, "My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back."

James turns our attention to believers in Christ who were wandering from the truth. From the word "wander" we get our English word "planet." A planet is literally a wandering star. And, we all wander from the truth. But, for these who were "wandering", their love and commitment to God was waning. James was not saying they had lost their salvation, the Bible is quite clear that cannot happen, but believers can become cold, apathetic, and distant from God. When that happens, we are in need of someone coming along side of us and helping us along.

The word "wander" reveals a form of seduction which happens little by little over time. At one point in his life, the wanderer would have never wandered, but over time the enemy lured him away from God and got him to compromise.

When we wander from the truth in our beliefs, we start to believe things about God, the Lord Jesus, heaven, hell, ourselves and other significant truths that cannot be supported by Scripture. The wanderer wanders from sound teaching.

Wandering from the truth is also seen in how we choose to live our lives. When we start to do things that are not honoring to God, we are not living by the truth. When we wander away from Him and His teachings, we will no longer be on that path of following Him. In this case, we might know the right way to go but we have chosen to be defined by another way. This seduction away from God causes us to become hardened toward prayer, hardened toward worshipping God, hardened toward walking with God.

In v.20 of today's text we read, "...remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins."

The word "sinner" here in v.20 refers to a Christian who is sinning. This is someone who has received forgiveness from God for their sins, when they die they will go to heaven, they are a believer in Christ, they are born again, but they are not being defined by Him. This is not talking about a believer losing their salvation. The Bible is very clear, that cannot happen. Once we are born again, we cannot become unborn again. Once God adopts us into His family, we can not become un-adopted. But the believer can still sin and in some cases wander away from their walk with God.

The word "turns" in v.20 means to "turn around" or to "turn from." When we reach out to those who have wandered away from God and God uses us to bring them back to the right path we save them from a lot of pain. And, when a believer comes back to God he will apologize and confess his sin. There will not be any justification of sin by the believer who returns to his first love.

James is unlike most other New Testament epistles in that it has no formal conclusion. James ended this letter abruptly because he wanted to leave us with a sense of personal urgency as we consider the critical importance of his final exhortation. As we daily do our best to walk with the Lord Jesus, we discover He gradually gives us His heart, and His heart is for people. In giving us His heart, God gives us the ministry of reconciliation which is the desire to see people right with God. When we turn another believer from error, we play a role in them being saved from the destruction of the the sin they are caressing.

We are all prone to wander. And, no one takes giant steps away from God. No, we wander away from Him through a series of small steps. This is why the Lord has placed us in His family, among believers who love us enough to keep us grounded in our walk with the Lord. In fact, we will wander if we are not in relationship with other believers. 

James 5:16-18

Click here for the James 5:16-18 PODCAST

16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. ~ James 5:16-18

James wrote this epistle, this letter to a group of exiled and persecuted Jews who had received the Lord Jesus as their Messiah. And, due to the fact that the Gospel of the Lord Jesus was not all that popular in the world, these Jewish believers faced trials and stress and hostility and persecution. So, James wrote this letter to them to encourage them in their faith in the Lord Jesus.

In v.16 of today's passage we read, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."

The theme of prayer is a major theme in this letter. In fact, we have been instructed on its importance in James 1:5 and James 4:1–5. When life is difficult, highlighted to us is the need for meaningful relationships. 

In today's passage, James stresses the utter necessity of confessing our struggles to one another. And, when we do that, we are better positioned to pray for one another, and then, the Lord will bring about spiritual restoration for those who have been weakened in their faith during the battle. The Lord requires of us to pray so that when He answers, it will be obvious that it was He who intervened.

The word used here for "healed" in v.16 means to lift up or to make whole. The Greek word used here is written in the "subjunctive mode" and in the "passive voice" which literally means "that you all may be made whole." Interestingly, due to the way this verb is written, it is God who performs the action of making us whole after we have been weakened by the battle and we have prayed for His help.

The obvious point here is: prayer works. This is why the struggling believer goes to his brother who is walking with the Lord and seeks the prayer of that individual because, to put it simply, prayer is powerful. James reminds us of that fact, "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." 

The word translated "effective" is the word from which we get the word "energy." The Psalmist reminds us, "When we regard inequity in our heart, the Lord will not hear us." For the believer in Christ who has been born again, this does not mean God will not hear our prayers. This means we will not be given to prayer. It can also mean since we are not walking with the Lord, we will not pray according to His will. But, when we are walking with the Lord, we will pray energized, powerful, earnest prayers according to His will. The key is that we are walking with the Lord and we are closest to His heart. Interestingly, this is why we want those who are spiritually strong praying for us when we are weak in our faith.

In v.17 of today's text we read, "Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years." 

The Old Testament prophet, Elijah, is mentioned thirty times in the New Testament. He was a normal guy, he struggled with his faith just like us, and he knew hunger and pain and fear. Elijah prayed earnestly. He was honest and fervent in his prayers. By the way, we pray earnestly when we pray with great expectations. Elijah prayed that it would not rain, and, it didn’t rain for three years and six months. His prayer was powerful because He honestly prayed to the God of the Bible, and he did it according to God's will.

By the way, Jewish historians attest to a drought that lasted three and a half years at that time. Interestingly, if James were talking about healing physical diseases this would be a pretty obtuse illustration for him to use. If he wanted to illustrate how we could pray and be healed from an illnesses, James would have used a different story to illustrate the point. James chose this story because he was illustrating the power of prayer to restore the freshness of God's influence on our lives and ministries. 

We are wired to focus on the steps we should take for our prayers to be heard by God. We have this bent toward believing that every result is born from method. If something works for somebody, we want to know the particulars that were followed in the prayer, as if certain things make the prayer more effective. While this applies to certain things in life, it doesn’t apply to prayer. The main ingredient in effective prayer is emphatically not us. The focus of effective prayer is God. Prayer has less to do with the specifics of how we say what we say, and more to do with the one to whom we speak. We pray as ordinary people who have an extraordinary God. Prayer is effective, not because of great men who pray, but because of a great God, who, in Christ, graciously hears His people.

In v.18 of today's text we read, "Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops."

According to 1 Kings 18, Elijah's prayer brought rain to the parched soil. This is James' point in James 5:18. Prayer brings spiritual wholeness and productivity to the parched soul. This was the need of those to whom James wrote this letter, and this is our need, as well. Prayer or conversing with God is the lifeblood to the believer's effectiveness in this world which is adverse to the things of God. Investment in prayer is a must if we are to realize God's influence and blessing. I find it quite instructive that James began this letter focusing on the trials of His hearers. And, it is our trials that drive us to pray to God.

James 5:13-15

Click here for the James 5:13-15 PODCAST

13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. ~ James 5:13-15 

Today, our study of the book of James brings us to a passage that has been difficult to understand down through the centuries. The key to the correct interpretation of any passage is always the context. Each section of Scripture must be interpreted in the light of the whole, the whole book, the whole chapter, and in light of the whole paragraph. Context is the environment of thought in which a given passage is contained. 

One of the four half-brothers of the Lord Jesus, James, wrote this letter to a group of Jewish Christians who had been driven from their homes and were being severely persecuted for what they believed. And, through this wonderful epistle, James calls his readers to remain faithful to the Lord Jesus.

In today's text, James focuses us on prayer which is mentioned in every single verse in James 5:13-18. The endurance of the believer in Christ in the faith is dependent upon prayer. At the heart of our faithfulness to the God of the Bible is prayer. And, the primary focus of this passage is clearly the casualties of the battle: those whose faith had been seriously weakened by the trials they were experiencing. 

In v.13 of today's passage we read, "Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise."

In v.13 the word "trouble" means to suffer evil treatment. When we suffer, we must turn to God for help. When we turn to God and we talk with Him, we pray. Prayer to the Christian is like oxygen to the lungs. Corrie ten Boom likened prayer to the steering wheel on a car. 

In v.13, James addresses those who are happy and he exhorts us to sing to God songs of praise. The point is we should be living our lives out of our personal relationship with God, no matter how well or poorly life comes at us. Connection to God is the key to our faith, wisdom and ability to live the life the Lord Jesus died to give us.

In v.14 of today's text we read, "Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord."

James moves, next, to the one who has lost the ability to endure the suffering. Here, James introduces us to the fallen warrior. There are several terms, in the New Testament, that can refer to sickness or disease. The word James used in v.14 means "weak, feeble, or impotent."

In 2 Corinthians 12:10, the Apostle Paul uses this very same word. In context, Paul speaks of his thorn in the flesh which he prayed that God would take away, and He never did. God said, to Paul, according to 2 Corinthians 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for you; My power is perfected in weakness." Then in v.10, Paul wrote, "That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." The very same word James used in James 5:14 translated "sick," Paul uses in 2 Corinthians 12:10 for "weak" or "weakness."

So, the better translation of James 5:14 is: "Is anyone among you weak? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord."

This makes better sense since James has been addressing throughout this book those who are weak in faith rather than those who are sick. Then, James exhorts the weak to call for the elders of the church because they are spiritually strong. They are more likely walking with the Lord and they subsequently are aligned with His will.

The word used here in v.14 translated "anoint" means to rub with oil. This word was used of pouring oil over someone’s head and/or feet, rubbing them with oil. Oil was the base of soap, and it literally could refer to washing someone.

In Luke 10:34, the Good Samaritan put wine and oil on the beaten man. The fermented wine cleansed the man's wounds. So, to say "to anoint with oil" literally meant to pour oil on the wound of the weak believer. 

In that day, when the shepherd would bring the sheep into the fold, he would check each sheep over to see if there were any wounds. And, if a sheep had a wound, the shepherd would pour oil on it and the oil would soothe the sheep. In v.14, James uses the practice of pouring oil onto a wound to describe the ministry of prayer that the elders of a local group of Christians have over believers under their care. 

James exhorts us to pray "in the name of the Lord." That is, pray according to the will of the Lord Jesus, on the basis of His authority and power and in His merit. You see, it is only through Christ that God hears and answers our prayers according to His will.

In v.15 of today's text we read, "And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven."

The word James used here translated "sick" is never used in the scriptures to describe sickness. The word James uses here, κάμνοντα, means "to be weary." This word is only used one other time in the New Testament. It is used in Hebrews 12:3, which reads, "Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." 

Here, κάμνοντα is translated "weary." This word is used by the writer of Hebrews to describe those, who in the midst of persecution, are learning to fix their eyes not on their trouble but on their Savior. This is the importance of prayer which is designed to enable us to focus on the Sovereign of the universe.

These to whom James wrote were struggling to endure because of their trials which had caused them to lose the intense desire that is needed to persevere in the faith. James reminds us the prayers offered in faith by those who persevere in the faith will restore those who are weary and have lost heart. The word "restore" means to deliver or to rescue. When we have lost our perseverance, we will be restored to perseverance through the prayers of faith offered up by godly people on our behalf. The idea here is that we must not suffer in isolation. God has placed us into His family in order to benefit from the spiritual gifts and abilities of one another.

At the end of v.15 we read, "If they have sinned, they will be forgiven." This word translated "forgiven" literally means "to send away." This means that if sin is involved in causing the weakness, whatever it is, it has been sent away and it is gone. The sin is to be sent away, but the sinner is not to be sent away.

James 5:10-12

Click here for the James 5:10-12 PODCAST

10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we count as 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. 12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned. ~ James 5:10-12

We return to our study of James wherein we have been taught the value of our faith in the God of the Bible. In addition, we have learned the value of acquiring God's wisdom through the trials we face. And, we have learned the importance of our sanctification. 

The flesh, which is the evil desires that are yet within us, has such a way of convincing us that its way is the best for us. In fact, when we feed the flesh, we think it is an okay thing. But then comes the corruption that comes with feeding or giving into the flesh. The accompanying corruption always serves as a reminder that the flesh is not good at all. To give into the desires of the flesh is destructive and could be a sign that we have not entered into a personal relationship with the Lord. This is not to say that the believer will be perfect, but as we grow in our walk with Him and we acquire God's wisdom, we will turn away from sin.

In our last blog and podcast we learned the utter necessity of  being patient in the midst of our trials. James reminds us of the soon appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ and how knowing this will help us to be long-tempered or patient with others, even when they treat us badly. Knowing that Christ will return and take us to the place where there will be no more sorrow, trouble, death, pain, or tears helps us to endure with patience in our trials. Being defined by the One who gave His life for us, results in our ability to resist the flesh and all of its corruption and death.

In v.10-11 of today's text we read, "10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we count as 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."

We all tend to obey God a little bit easier when we have an "example" to follow. And, here, James directs our attention to the Old Testament prophets and Job who demonstrated patience in the midst of their trials. These two examples suffered greatly. And, both were patient with their circumstances and with the people who treated them badly. In the midst of it all, they spoke the truth, suffered affliction, and did it with patience.

The last sentence in v.11 of today's text reads, "The Lord is full of compassion and mercy."

According to this verse, the Lord is literally "many-boweled." The phrase "full of compassion" is a contraction of two Greek words, "many" and "bowels." This word was coined by James and it had never appeared anywhere else before this. It teaches us that God not only has compassion, but, He has multiplied compassion.

In addition, God is also "full of mercy" which means He is tender and soft-hearted. He bears our pain. He embraces our sorrows and cares. This is why we must, "Cast our cares on Him, for He cares for us." 

In v.12 of today's text we read, "Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned."

We always think of bargaining with God when life goes wrong. We have all said to Him, "God, if you will do this, I will do that." God doesn't want our relationship with Him to be a bargaining tool, it is so much more than that. It is a father son relationship where the heart must be engaged. Otherwise, it lacks authenticity, and the lack of authenticity stunts the relationship and stunts the message that God wants to speak through our lives.

True believers in the Lord Jesus are proven to be such through the words we say. The words that we say give us an indication of our spiritual maturity. When we speak the truth, we will be set apart from the world, and the world will know our integrity. And, perhaps, they might listen to our message more readily.

If our lives are consistently marked by that which is in direct opposition to God, we do well to make sure that we have believed on the Lord Jesus and we have received Him into our lives as our Savior. When the Lord Jesus Christ comes into a life, His presence should be increasingly obvious in and through that life. This does not mean we will ever be perfect this side of heaven, but He will express Himself through us. And, if He never expresses Himself through us, we should check to see if we are really saved.

When we suffer and we live in concert with our faith in the Lord Jesus, God will use that in the lives of unbelievers. The world anxiously looks to us to be the billboards of His compassion and mercy. And, when we live consistently resisting the flesh and being defined by God, well, others will see it and some will be impacted for eternity.

James 5:7-9

Click here for the James 5:7-9 PODCAST

7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! ~ James 5:7-9

Today, we return to our study of James 5 where James shows us the value of God's wisdom in our lives. We are involved in a tremendously big battle between good and evil, and it is God's wisdom that enables us to recognize the fine details involved. This wisdom is garnered by us from God as we go through our trials which are designed to show us how to be dependent upon the God of the Bible.

In v.7 of today's text we read, "Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains."

Patience in the midst of trials is of utmost importance if we are to gain a transcendent view of life from God. We only triumph as we are given the ability to evaluate time through the lens of eternity. Foolishness is the result of viewing eternity through the lens of time only.

The group to whom James wrote were Jews who converted to Christ. These believers in Christ who were scattered from their homes were facing various intense trials. They faced afflictions and persecutions which required patience. They needed to learn patience which is one of the designs of our trials. Patience is needed because the Lord's timetable is not like ours.

The word "patient" here means longsuffering with adverse people. This is yet another test of the faith that has as its object the God of the Bible. This word in the Greek, makrothumeō, means "long-tempered." It means to have a long fuse with someone or something that is trying our patience. Patience is enduring someone who is mistreating us, and not being angry with them and resisting treating them as they do us. It is being slow to anger. Just as God is long-tempered and very patient with us, so we should be with others. 

The first sentence in this verse reads, "Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming." 

It helps us to be long-tempered when we are anticipating the Lord’s coming. When we live as if today is the day of His return, we will gain His patience. And, when we are persecuted even more, we will live in the light of the Lord's coming. On the other hand, when we are comfortable and problem-free, we are less mindful of our need for His return. If we are going to endure whatever suffering comes, we must fix our eyes on the the next arrival of the Lord Jesus. Interestingly, one out of every thirteen verses in the New Testament makes a reference to the arrival of the Lord Jesus. His coming is soon.

In order to help us understand and to live accordingly, James gives us this illustration of the farmer who waits on the process of growth. The farmer waits. That’s how it is if you’re a farmer: you plant, and then you wait. And that conveys the idea of looking expectantly for something outside oneself. The harvest, frankly, depends on the providence of God. It depends on God bringing together all of the right components to make a good crop.

The farmer waits "for the land to yield its valuable crop." "Valuable" here means precious. It’s precious to him because it takes a long, long time to get the harvest. It is precious because he depends on the long-awaited harvest for his existence. He demonstrates long-tempered patience as he long awaits the crops arrival. He waits through the autumn and spring rains. The first rain softens the land and the latter rain yields the harvest. What a picture of God's work in our hearts. He has to break our hearts or to allow them to be broken, in order to heal our hearts.

Now in Israel the rains come twice a year. We plant in the fall and the rain comes in the season of planting in October and November, that’s the autumn rain. Then, the spring rain comes in March and April, right before the harvest. And so we have to wait for the process which takes time, lots of time. So, in the same way a farmer is patient until the season passes and the crop grows to maturity, so must the believer must be patient awaiting God's precious arrival.

In v.8 of today's text we read, "You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near."

To "stand firm" means for our hearts to be strengthened. This same word is used in Luke 9:51, where we learn that the Lord Jesus set His face to go to Jerusalem. The root of this word literally means "to prop yourself up." When we are about to collapse under persecution, we must prop ourselves up with the hope of the soon return of the Lord Jesus. This is a word of resoluteness, a word of firm courage. It’s an attitude of commitment, that no matter what the trial we confidently move ahead.

In v.9 of today's text we read, "Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!"

James reminds us here to resist being defined by the flesh. We must recognize that persecution is our friend. While it can create all kinds of frustration, it could be our servant, reminding us to be defined by the Lord. But, when we are not defined by the Lord, frustration gets the best of us and we allow it to usher in sin, sins like bitterness and revenge and rejection of others. This is not the Lord's desire and way.

The Greek word used here translated "grumble" is found six times in the New Testament. It means to sigh, to groan, or to murmur, and can even be used of inaudible prayer. In this case, grumbling is a mark of impatience and is an indication that faith has failed, so that what was meant for a test has become a temptation. Grumbling against others is a sin that occurs whenever we lapse into thinking that the world is not fully under God’s control. It shows a lack of self-control in the face of suffering, and it is fueled by frustration, hurt, and anger. Grumbling is an attempt to defend our interests, or to get back at those whom we perceive to have wronged us. And, the key component in resisting this temptation is patience.

The judgment here is not the judgment of hell for the believer in Christ. Remember, James wrote to Christians who knew the forgiveness of their sin. But, could there have been unbelievers in their ranks? Of course! And, for those the judgment was the judgment of hell. And, we, as believers in Christ, factor into this process. When we demonstrate God's wisdom and patience, we are used of God to provide and example to unbelievers of what it looks like to have a personal relationship with God. And, God wants to use our lives as a billboard in the lives of those who are yet to believe in Him.

James 5:4-6

Click here for the James 5:4-6 PODCAST

4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you. ~ James 5:4-6

Today, we come back to the final chapter of the epistle written by James. As we considered in our last blog and podcast, in this passage, James provides for us, yet another test which enables us to know that we have faith in the God of the Bible, and through our faith we have accessed His wisdom. And, necessary for our faith to grow, we must go through difficult times. No one would prescribe trials for ourselves, that is until we recognize the connection between our trials and our ability to access God's wisdom. This test centers around how we handle the wealth God has given us.

In v.4 of today's passage we read, "Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty."

Among the scattered and persecuted Jewish Christians to whom James wrote this letter were those who appeared to love money more than God. These, instead of being generous with the poor, they exploited them. Instead of giving to the poor, they withheld from them. Instead of giving them the small wage that they had earned, they kept it back. 

In biblical days there were people who every morning would go to the marketplace, hoping that someone would come to hire them for the day. They would work for whatever agreed upon wage they could get. And, at the end of the day, they were paid.

The phrase "The wages you failed to pay" is one word in the Greek and it means "to withhold by fraud." They weren't guilty of delaying their pay, they refused to pay. They didn’t pay them what they were due. And so, the rich then had money hoarded that they unjustly gained. And the cries of those who were treated wrongly were being heard by the Almighty God. Just as parents hear the slightest sigh of their children, God hears the cries of the hurting.

In v.5 of today's text we read, "You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter."

The phrase "You have lived on earth in luxury" literally means, "You have lived in softness." When we gather unto ourselves much money at the expense of others, making them poor, we are guilty of idolatry, and the idol is ourselves. And, a life style of indulgence follows. The downward spiral never ends, making us more and more numb to God and that which is really real.

Luxury most often leads us to the vice of comfort. We start living the soft life, and it takes us over. Once consumed with our own pleasure, we  find ourselves desiring all sorts of pleasures, and luxury turns out to be our vice. At the root of it all is covetousness which is desiring more and more of what belongs to someone else. It is at this point that we find ourselves living a life without self-control and self-restraint. A man with wealth who closes his eyes to the needs of others, closes his eyes to the work of God.

The result of it all, as indicated by the last sentence in v.5, like the fattened calf, we find ourselves prepared for the slaughter of our own flesh. Even though our sins are forgiven in Christ and we are headed to heaven, we can lessen the quality of our lives here on this earth. And, God is very clear that when we feed the flesh, it brings with it, corruption and destruction.

In v.6 of today's text we read, "You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you."

When we are defined by the things of this world we are blinded and numbed to what is substantive and worthy of our investment. But, when we are defined by God, we will have His heart for others, especially for those who are most needy. 

I close with a great quote from C.S. Lewis that sums up today's passage well. "Enemy-occupied territory---that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us to take part in a great campaign of sabotage."

James 5:1-3

Click here for the James 5:1-3 PODCAST
1 Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 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. ~ James 5:1-3

Today, we enter into the final chapter of this book which has as its main theme: the maturation of the faith of the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. In this letter, we have learned the utter importance of gaining the wisdom of God which enables us to navigate our sanctification. We have also learned that the goal of our sanctification is that others might benefit from our better quality of life which is a biproduct of having the God of the Bible define us on a daily basis.

As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are all tempted by the opulence and materialism of this world. In fact, we have all chased what is known as the American Dream which is not necessarily consistent with God's definition of the way our lives should be lived. This is, of course, the reason James highlights the various tests that God allows and causes to prove that our faith in Him is being strengthened. 

The theme of today's passage is how the believer in Christ is supposed to handle our material wealth in this world. One of the four half-brothers of the Lord Jesus, James, here is obviously speaking to people who though on the outside may have affirmed faith in Christ and love for God, obviously struggled with their love for money. And so, their spiritual state was revealed in the matter of their relationship to riches.

In Matthew 6:19-21 the Lord Jesus said, "19 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Along with the Lord Jesus, James calls us to evaluate the state of our hearts by how we handle our wealth, because our hearts will always be invested in those places that we invest our wealth. And, in today's passage, James gives the most blistering denunciation against those who trust in their wealth. We prostitute the goodness and generosity of God when we base our daily choices on the basis of our wealth rather than on the will of the One who laid down His life for us.

Wealth in itself is not sinful. It is not wrong to possess wealth, it is wrong to be possessed by wealth. And, the more wealth we have, the greater will be the potential for us to be guilty of the love of money which is the root of all evil. When our hearts are greedy for money and therefore controlled by it, all kinds of evil is possible for us. If we serve money, we have a very difficult time serving God at the same time.

In v.1 of today's text we read, "Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you."

We are rich when we have more than we need. If we have money beyond the meeting of our needs, we’re in the category of the rich. Those to whom James wrote abused their God-given resources by hoarding them. The word "weep" means "to sob out loud." This word is used in other places in the Bible to describe those who "hysterically cry for the dead." This uncontrollable response to greed is the bi-product of gaining God's wisdom. This response is uncontrollable because of the horror of realizing that we are found in the clutches of the evil one himself. And, this viewpoint leads us to the lament of repentance where God's grace is quick to comfort. 

The word "misery" is connected to our sinful wretchedness. It has to do with the overwhelming trouble that creates incredible distress in us. This misery is present in our lives because sin is out to destroy us. 

In v.2-3 in today's text we read, "2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 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."

Trusting in our riches is a damning thing. Again, money is not the issue, it is how we relate to money. Money is, in and of itself, amoral. What we do with our money is what makes it moral or immoral. And, when we hoard our wealth, we sin. From the word translated "hoarded" in v.3 we get our word "thesaurus" which means storehouse or treasury. And, when we storehouse our wealth we are not putting it to its proper use, which is to advance the kingdom of God in this world.

Obviously, God provides for us so that we might provide for our families, and, when we do not do that, God says in 1 Timothy 5, we are worse than unbelievers. We are to take care of our families, of those in the extended family, of the widowed and the orphaned among us. God gives us wealth so that we can be an extension of His grace in this sad world. We are defined by His culture when we obey His word.

All material things, not invested in the eternal, will end up useless and will decay. When we recognize that we are not investing in His culture, we should wail. We should wail because, if we have only invested our wealth in the temporal, we have nothing to show for God and others in the end. In eternity, if we have lived as if this world was all there is, we will be rather poor in comparison to those who were motivated by God's heart. In the end, our gold and silver will be useless. How foolish are we when we hoard the money of this world, because it will not follow us into eternity. 

The only acceptable way to live in the light of the soon coming of Christ is to live holding everything loosely. This includes all of the blessings that God gives us, our wealth, especially. It doesn't take us too long to discover that the tighter we grip it, the less we will have for His glory. This is one of the great litmus tests to our faith in the here and now.

James 4:13-17

Click here for the James 4:13-17 PODCAST

13 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.” 14 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. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. ~ James 4:13-17

Today, we find ourselves at the end of James 4 which deals with the will of God for our lives. In Psalm 40:8 we read, "I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart." There is nothing more characteristic of a believer in Christ than our desire to do His will. This does not mean we will always do it, but the desire is there; and when we fail to do it, there’s a sense of failure.

In v.13-14 of today's passage we read, "13 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. 14 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."' 

In these two verses, James quotes those who do not live their everyday life from the stand point of those who are gaining God's wisdom, and, as a result, they are not being defined by God. These are those who live as if this world is all there is to it. They are not cognizant of eternity, and they are not known to operate in this life out of a personal relationship with God. 

This person runs his own life foolishly ignoring God and showing utter disrespect for His sovereignty. His fatal flaw is the presumption that God's will is not paramount. When we plan as if we know everything, and we have no need for God's omniscience, omnipotents, we are more vulnerable of the enemy who wants to undermine God in our lives.

In Proverbs 27:1 we read, "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring." Life is too complicated to live it without God in the equation. When we live a day void of our awareness of God, we are in greater danger of being taken over by arrogance. When we ignore God on a given day, we not only ignore the existence of God’s will, but we also miss out on the benefit of it. 

We gain great confidence when the sovereign God who knows all things is at the helm of our lives. This is why God gave us Proverbs 3:5-6 which reads, "5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." 

In v.15 of today's passage we read, "Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.'"

Life boils down to one simple phrase: The Will of God, which is that we grow in an intimate relationship with Him, and that through our lives He expresses Himself for the benefit of others. To know Him and to make Him known is truly the crux of His will for all of us. Knowing Him and making Him know provides the ripple effect in and through our lives which results in us realizing God's best in all areas of our lives because it is from this approach to life that we gain His wisdom.

In v.16-17 of today's passage we read, "16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them."

To "boast" literally means "to arrogantly brag." This word was used of people who, in a public place, peddled their phony goods. It was used in James day of charlatans who duped people into buying their products. At the end of v.16, James wrote: "All such boasting is wicked." 

This word is also used of Satan, the original sinner who sought to replace God. It is not until we see the wickedness and utter dangerousness of ignoring God that we will repent of its complete foolishness. In fact, it is when our lives goes bad in some way that we really get serious in following God. The better part of wisdom is to follow Him as best we can at all times.

It is most alarming when we agree that God exists, and we agree that God’s will is best for our lives, but we just flatly don’t yield to the will of God. This is James' point in v.17. When we know the will of God and we do not bend our will to it, it is in opposition of God. 

The true believer lives out his life with a plan that has God at the center. The true believer is the one who seeks God. The true believer is the one who has a heart to obey God. And sure, there are times of disobedience, but down deep in our heart is that longing to do that which His will dictates. Submission to His will is basic to living the life the Lord Jesus died to give us. This is yet another test of living faith. To desire to do God's will is a good sign that we are His children.

James 4:11-12

Click here for the James 4:11-12 PODCAST

11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor? ~ James 4:11-12

We return to James 4 where the half brother of the Lord Jesus instructs us on the importance of the development of our faith in the God of Bible through our trials and temptations. The testing of our faith results in the acquisition of God's wisdom which enables us to increasingly see the diabolical nature of sin, and, it enables us to recognize the goodness of God. Essential to all of this is being led by God's indwelling Holy Spirit and learning from Him through His word. In today's text, James instructs us on the importance of extending the very same grace that God has extended to us to others.

In v.11 of today's text we read, "Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it."

When we are walking with the Lord, we will be humble because when we truly get to know God, we will see how wretched we truly are. And, when we walk with the Lord, we will treat others with the very same grace we have received from Him. The sign of authenticity of a true believer in Christ is humility and grace. 

The word "slander" in James 4:11 literally means "to speak against." It can also mean "to gossip". It describes careless babble that runs people down. It is the defaming of a person who is not in the position to defend himself. This is the word from which we get our English word "backbiting." We bite them in the back, and they can’t even see what’s going on, and they’re not even able to defend themselves. 

God, in the Old Testament, dealt with slander more than any other sin. Slander is very destructive to us because it ushers us down the road of the evil one who is out to destroy us. He tempts us most often with slander because it is easy for him to lead us away from the wisdom of God which is what we need to see the diabolical nature of wickedness.

In addition, James admonishes us to not "judge" which means to "condemn" someone. When we give safe haven to a critical attitude we reject God the most. This sin is so destructive and is so easy to do because we can always find someone to criticize, whether the criticism is true or not. James notes this is defiance against God and His Word! When we pass judgment on another believer, we are actively trying to usurp God.

It is no secret that God hates a lying tongue and He hates it when we sow discord among the brethren. Three of the seven things that God hates have to do with how we speak about other people. God hates the sins that destroy personal relationships. Throughout His word, God reminds us it is characteristic of wicked people to slander. In fact, God says slander is satanic.

In v.12 of today's text we read, "There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?"

The sin of slander reveals our opinion of not only others, but also, of God. James 4:12 reveals there can only be one person who can sit in the judgment seat. And, when we slander, we put ourselves above God's law, and, subsequently we put ourselves above God.

The word "Lawgiver" means the one who puts the law in place. This is the only place in the New Testament this word is used. The judge is the one who applies the law. Satan sought the place of God when he decided to rebel against God. He removed himself from under the authority of God, and in so doing, he brought the wickedness of sin into being. When we seek to push God off His throne, we fall into the trap of the one who opposes God. All sin asserts that the sinner is above the law, and therefore strikes a murderous blow at God Himself. All sin says, in effect, I want God dead and I want to be in charge.

When we sin, we try to rise to the point of deposing God. And that’s why sin is so hateful to Him and should be to us. Sin taunts the power of God and even despises His grace and mercy. We despise Him and His benevolence by abusing the fact that He is forgiving. This is why we must resist judging and slandering others for it abuses God and it prevents us from having His wisdom.

James 4:7-10

Click here for the James 4:7-10 PODCAST

7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. ~ James 4:7-10

In today's passage, James calls us to repent of deliberate sin. Many struggle trying to interpret this passage because they have lost sight of the fact that James wrote this book to struggling believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, they interpret this passage believing these to whom James wrote were not "born again" or had somehow lost their salvation. This is not the case. James wrote this epistle to those who had come to faith in the Lord Jesus, but were struggling seeing God in the context of their trials. Today's text is a call for the believer in Christ to feed the Spirit not the flesh, resulting in the believer being able to recognize the goodness of God despite his circumstances.

In v.7 of today's passage we read, "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

In today's passage, James gives a description of what it means to be humble. The first step toward humility is that we submit ourselves to God, which is the bi-product of a willing heart that has discovered that the ways of this world only lead to destruction. The submissive to God heart understands the words of the Apostle Paul in Galatians 6:8 which reads, "Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction."

The second step toward humility comes when we resist the devil's appeal to our flesh. Repentance is a word that we naturally do not like, yet, it is required to know the life the Lord Jesus died to give us. Repentance is absolutely necessary for transformation in the heart of the believer, but few want to hear about their sin. And, sin is that which opposes God and His nature. Once we submit ourselves to the Lord and we resist the devil, he will flee from us. And, with his departure will go the intensity of the allurement to oppose God.

In v.8 of today's text we read, "Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."

The phrase "come near" was originally used of the Old Testament priests who "came near" to God when they entered the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle and the Temple. They only had access to God's presence after they had offered an atoning sacrifice on their own behalf. Since the Lord Jesus has died on the behalf of each believer, He has made each of us a priest, and, we now have access to God, at any time. 

Now, if the believer in Christ is living in sin or walking in the flesh, he is deceived to do so. And, when this happens, the deceived believer is also deceived to believe that God has turned His back on him, since he is living in sin. This is not the case at all. Would God turn His back on the Lord Jesus? We know He wouldn't. In fact, this is why He will never turn His back on us, even though we may be living in sin. 

Once we have the DNA of God in us through the abiding Holy Spirit, we go in and out of "fellowship" with God which is different from our relationship with God. Our relationship with God was earned by the Lord Jesus when He hung on the cross. When we first believed in the Lord Jesus as our Savior and we received Him into our lives, He came in via the indwelling Holy Spirit. As a result, we can never lose our relationship with God because it was earned on our behalf by the Lord Jesus. 

But, there is a difference between our relationship with God and our fellowship with God. The believer in Christ can experience different levels in of his "fellowship" with God. It is not that we lose our right to access God's presence, but sin numbs us to the presence of God. And, when we live in willful sin, we run from God. But, when we forsake our willful sin, we are made more and more sensitive to God. It is at this point that our fellowship with God increases. Relationship is a justification word and fellowship is a sanctification word.

In v.9-10 of today's passage we read, "9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up."

Grieving and mourning over sin is the response of the broken heart, and it is sometimes necessary for us to be broken in order to learn to turn our backs on sin. After Peter fed his flesh, he denied being in relationship with the Lord Jesus. After he understood what he did and his eyes connected with the eyes of the Lord Jesus, he went out and wept bitterly. Tears are one of the outward evidences of our brokenness over our sin. Tears are a gift from God to release the pain in our hearts.

In Lamentations 5:15 we read, "Our dancing ought to be turned into mourning." Becoming disconnected from the world is sometimes a very arduous process, but the believer in Christ will be guilt-ridden until he does so. In fact, in 1 John 2:15-17 we read, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world, for if any man loves the world the love of the Father is not in him." If we are not being defined by God who loves us immeasurably, we will be defined by the world which is bent on destroying us.

To humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord means to willfully bow our wills to God. We are only humbled when we see our sin in light of Him. But, when we are being defined by sin, we can not see Him. When we are being defined by sin, we find it most difficult to see the goodness of God. In fact, when we are being defined by sin, we wrongfully think God has forsaken us. But, in that moment, we are the ones who are guilty of forsaking God. This is the mindset of the worldly Christian that we see in 1 Corinthians 3.

The perfect illustration of all of this is the prodigal son. The prodigal repented by turning his back on the pig slop and his wild living. He came home and drew near to his father. As a result, the father drew near to the prodigal. In the end, "When he came to his senses, the prodigal said, "'How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.' So he got up and went to his father."'

And, when the prodigal arrived home, the father celebrated the repentance that flowed out of the prodigal's broken life and heart. The response of his father demonstrated his grace which is what lifted the prodigal to an all new level. It is the grace of God that ravishes our once hardened hearts the most. It was the grace of God that tipped the scale in the favor of the broken, because the Lord Jesus went to the cross to purchase forgiveness and salvation for anyone who believes.

James 4:3-6

Click here for the James 4:3-6 PODCAST

3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” ~ James 4:3-6

Today, we return to James' portrait of genuine faith. Genuine faith in the God of the Bible is a necessity for us to gain the wisdom of God. In James 1-3, James has established the necessity of gaining God's wisdom for the believer in Christ. Our trials aid us in the gaining said wisdom. Having given several litmus tests which enables us to determine whether our faith is truly in the God of the Bible, in today's text, James underscores the reason we miss God in everyday life.

In v.3 of today's text we read, "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."

Our greatest enemy in life is the flesh which is the evil desires that are yet within us, even though we are "born again." And, when we are controlled by the flesh, according to 1 Peter 2:11, the war within our souls is heightened, making it difficult for us to be motivated to pray in a biblical way. This is why James identifies our motives in this verse as wrong.

In Matthew 7:9-11, we discover God knows when we ask with wrong motivations. And, when we are motivated by our flesh, our hearts are in further danger of being further infected by the flesh. And, God never gives us something that does not align with His will for our lives. We do not arrive upon a vibrant walk with the Lord when we are walking in the flesh. When we walk in the flesh, we do not pray accurately. And, when we are consumed by our worldly lusts, we do not pray biblical prayers.

In v.4-5 of today's text we read, "4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?"

Friendship with the world happens when we feed the flesh. And, the believer's battle is made more intense when we yield to the flesh in the slightest way. And, due to the ever abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we experience conflict within and, subsequently, without. And, the more we give into the flesh, the more our ability to recognize God and His goodness wanes. As a result, our conscience is weakened to the thinking God's thoughts and our walking in His ways. This is dangerous area for the believer in Christ, and so God becomes increasingly foreign to Him. This is why James warns us against becoming friends with the world.

Friendship with the world puts us in conflict with God. In fact, James uses the metaphor "adulterous people" to describe the unfaithfulness of some of his hearers toward God. The Jewish readers of this letter would have remembered the Old Testament story of Hosea whose unfaithful wife was a picture of unfaithfulness. This term is never used in the Scripture for Gentiles because, at that time, only Israel could commit adultery because only Israel had a covenant relationship to God. 

Not only does friendship with the world mean that we are in danger of becoming the personal enemy of God, it also demonstrates a disregard for the Word of God which is always used of God, in tandem with His indwelling Spirit, to lead us in His ways.

In v.6 of today's text we read, "But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble."

Here, James quotes Proverbs 3:34, twice quoted in the New Testament, here in today's text and also in 1 Peter 5. God opposes the proud, even though the proud is "born again." When we are controlled by our lusts, we will increasingly be controlled by our pride. At the root of all sin is pride. It was pride that inaugurated sin. When humility is not important to us, we are in great danger of being consumed by our pride or our lack of dependence upon God.

The word "proud" in v.6 describes someone who is exalted in his own mind. When we grow to love the world, we lose our love for God. The word "opposes" is a military word which brings the idea of God setting His troops to do battle against the proud. Of course, we never want to be at odds with the Lord. And, this is why He has given us His Word and His Spirit who are both essential at keeping us humble and dependent upon Him. Our  faith in the Lord increases as we grow in our dependence upon Him, and with the increase of our faith in Him comes His wisdom by which we are able to see His genius as He works in and through our lives. And, as a result, we are able to navigate this life for His glory because He always gives grace to those who are humble enough to admit our need for His help.

James 4:1-2

Click here for the James 4:1-2 PODCAST

1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. ~ James 4:1-2

Today, we transition into James 4 where we are introduced to another test of genuine faith in the God of the Bible. The believer in Christ has two natures as a result of believing in and receiving Christ as our Savior. So, we have a constant civil war within, and if we feed the old nature, we will not experience the life of the Lord Jesus. We will not experience the life He died to give us.

When we are motivated by the values of this world, we are motivated by the fulfillment of self. When we are being defined by the flesh or the evil desires within us, we believe we will be happy if we are self-fulfilled. The problem with this approach to life is it is predicated on a false understanding of freedom.

Most believe freedom is the ability to do what we want, when we want, wherever we want. This definition ignores the fact that we are fallen and we no longer operate according to the specifications that we were created with by God. This is why when we give an inch to the flesh, we are taking miles down a long, dark and destructive road which was not intended for us by God.

In v.1 of today's text we read, "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?"

Our external conflicts come from our internal conflict. The word translated "desires" in this verse is the word from which we get our word "hedonism" which is the theory that says pleasure is the highest good and proper aim of a human life. But, all external conflict in the world rises out of the uncontrollable desires of people that are not in tune with the God who created us. 

In Romans 8:6 we read, "The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace." 

According to Romans 5:8 and Hebrews 1:13, when we were not believers in Christ, we were the enemies of God. This was the case because we had rejected God's definitions of all things. That is to say, we had rejected the truth and we had embraced the lie.

According to physics, the second law of thermodynamics, alerts us that in an isolated system energy is lost over time, that things don't stay in their constant state, but they deteriorate, they degenerate over time. The day Mankind sinned in the Garden of Eden, the second law of thermodynamics was set into action. And, as a result, we are now subjected to death in all of its forms. This explains why the unsaved man's default mode is to obey his flesh. When we obey our flesh, we sin, we rebel against the truth.

When we were slaves of sin, we were trapped in one choice, the choice of the god of this world. Good for us that the Lord Jesus agreed to come and sign the edict of God to free anyone willing to receive redemption through Christ. The Lord Jesus signed that edict or covenant with His blood. In Romans 8 we are given the Christian's emancipation proclamation. It begins in Romans 8:1 with NO CONDEMNATION for the believer in Christ. And, it ends with NO SEPARATION from God. 

In v.2 of today's text we read, "You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God."

Even though you and I are born again believers in Christ, we can, yet, be enslaved to sin. And, at the root of all sin is covetousness, wanting what does not belong to us. Even though we have been made alive in Christ to God, we can still be slaves to our fallen, evil desires. 

The "you kill" and the "you quarrel and fight" statements in v.2 are the things that we do when our evil desires for gratification are thwarted. When the believer in Christ gives the flesh free reign, we are inviting destruction into our lives. Most often, we arrive at this place due to the fact that we have not asked God for His definitions for our lives. James has set before us a choice to submit to the will of God or to gratify our own evil desires for the pleasures of this world. He has warned us if the satisfaction of our evil pleasures is more important to us than the will of God for our lives, nothing but strife and hatred and division can possibly follow. Our souls passionately want and yet are unsatisfied, because we are not being defined by God.

Finally, it is only when believers in Christ are bound by the will of God that we experience true freedom. Of course, if we are not being defined by the God of the Bible, the previous statement makes no sense. In John 4:37 we read, "If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink." The Lord Jesus did not point us away from Himself to a body of teaching. He called us to come to Him personally and to depend upon Him to live His life in us and through us. This is how we overcome the battle that we have with the flesh on a daily basis. This is how we realize the wisdom of God on a daily basis because the Lord Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God.

James 3:17-18

Click here for the James 3:17-18 PODCAST

17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. ~ James 3:17-18

Today, we return to James 3 where the main topic is God's wisdom that yields His righteousness. Having given us a look at worldly wisdom, James, in today's passage, gives us a deeper understanding of God's multi-faceted wisdom and how it is expressed in and through our daily lives.

In v.17 of today's passage we read, "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere."

The first expression of God's wisdom in the life of the yielded believer in Christ is it is "pure." The Greek word James uses here implies sincere and authentic character which is free from bitter envy, and selfish ambition. This purity means freedom from all defilement, including jealousy, selfish ambition and immorality. This pureness comes only through the blood of Jesus Christ cleansing us from our sins. As a result, God's imparted nature and rule results in the yielded believer experiencing a life free of arrogant self-promotion. 

The person who has come into a personal relationship with God and is being defined by Him is a person who is being given the heart of God. Once the believer experiences the heart of God for himself, he will begin to be motivated by pure desires which push him along in doing God’s will. The believer who is engaged in personal relationship with God hates his sin, and has a longing for that which brings pleasure to the One who has gone through Hell to redeem him.

In addition, the wisdom of God is also "peace-loving" which causes the believer to extend God's peace to others. Since the believer in Christ has peace with God and he knows the peace of God, he wants others to know the blessing of being defined by God's peace. The believer has this posture because he has come to the place where he no longer has anything to prove to God or to others. His identity is now wrapped up in His Savior's love for him.

The Greek word James uses to describe this peace is eirēnikē which literally means peace victory. This word has as its foundation gentleness which is produced by God's peace. When we have come to Christ and we have been embraced by Him, we know we have arrived in Him. The scratching and clawing to be somebody has come to an end and we are rendered gentle and humble at heart. 

Eirēnikē causes the believer to be "considerate" of those who know not God. This consideration of those not in God's family motivates him to be submissive to the will of God for the sake of the unsaved. God's wisdom causes the believer to submit to dishonor, disgrace, mistreatment, persecution with an attitude of humility, kindness, without hatred, malice, and revenge. The yielded believer in Christ is enabled to do this because he is no longer defined by the things of this world and he has nothing to lose.

The believer who is being defined by God's wisdom will be "full of mercy" which literally means to be concerned for people who suffer. These are those who have basked in the acceptance of God's mercy for them. Have you noticed yet that this description of God's wisdom parallels the beatitudes in Matthew 5? The evidence of saving faith is the presence of God's wisdom in the life of the believer. And, that wisdom describes the process of a changed heart given in Matthew 5.

As the believer yields his life to the person of Christ, he will experience the life of the Lord Jesus for himself. This will result in the believer being full of "good fruit." This fruit is the expressions of the Lord Jesus in and through the life of the believer who is yielded to Christ. He will be yielded because he is experiencing the Lord Jesus for himself. And, once he has experienced such, he inevitably will want to pass it on to others, especially those who treat him badly because they are trapped in the web of the deceitful one.

The impact of the wisdom of God also yields impartiality and sincerity in the life of the yielded believer. The wisdom of God  is without partiality, and this is the only place in the New Testament this term is used. It means to be unwavering, undivided in its commitment. There’s no vacillating, no shifting or no turning away. It means the believer is consistently committed to the heart of the One who has intercepted him. This is the person who lets his light shine consistently before men who, in seeing his good works, can glorify the Father in heaven. 

And then finally, the last description of the person who is garnering God's wisdom is he is sincere. To be sincere is to be genuine and without hypocrisy. This is the climax of true wisdom. As Christ lives His life through the yielded life of the believer, these characteristics will come through.

In v.18 of today's passage we read, "Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness."

The acquisition of God's wisdom by the yielded believer yields the fruit of God's righteousness which is re-sown by them who have experienced God and His peace for themselves. This is the law of sowing and reaping. Where we have true wisdom, the true righteousness of God will be shown. As we sow His fruit of righteousness, it will produce more righteousness. As a result, God’s wisdom will be revealed in the way we live. And, it will be out of this intimacy with Him that we will grow to love, obey and serve Him more and more. Through this natural process He will manifest Himself through our yielded lives. And, in the end, there will be no glory but only to the One who laid down His life for His friends.