The book of James – second half
Last time, we examined the first half of the book of James (See Part One). In it, we examined the Holy Spirit – inspired message that the apostle James received about building faith, resisting temptation, adhering godly wisdom, and living by the His word.
Another way of ‘doing’ love by living by the word of God, is to use loving speech to edify others. We can’t do that if we let our flesh rule over our spirit:
Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could control ourselves in every other way. Jas. 3:2 NLT
Yes, an uncontrolled tongue can wreak a great deal of damage:
…the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. Jas. 3:5, 6. NLT
…no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely my brothers and sisters, this is not right! Jas. 3:8 – 10. NLT
Jesus had also weighed in on this in His time:
(“It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.” Mt. 15:11 NLT)
When we spew unrighteous words upon others, we are allowing our tongue to be used by the devil himself. Left to ourselves, we cannot reign in our tongue; but we can enlist the power of our Father to do so, to use as He intended. And His intentions are found in Scripture:
(I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. Ps. 34:1 NLT)
(The mouth of the righteous proclaims wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice and truth. Ps. 37:30 AMP)
(…the words of the wise bring healing. Pr. 12:18 NLT)
(Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble. Pr. 21:23NLT)
(Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. Col. 4:6 NLT)
So, we glorify God by walking in integrity, (i.e., doing what we say we will do), by practicing righteous speech, (standing for justice and declaring the word of God), speaking words that both edify God and the people around us), and by responding to others with grace (by answering in the manner that Jesus would).
Our words are powerful. With them, we can help heal a broken heart and we can use them to bring wisdom (the right application of God’s word) to any situation.
Speaking of wisdom, James tells us how a wise person shows up:
If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. Jas. 3:13 NLT
Next, the apostle contrasts the wisdom of God with that offered that by the world:
But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. Jas. 3:14 – 17. NLT
James then expounds upon that ‘peace-loving’ part:
And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. Jas. 3:18 NLT
So, when you practice ‘peacemaking,’ you are practicing the wisdom of God. War is not from God:
What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them.
Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong – you want only what will give you pleasure. You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? Jas. 4:1 – 4. NLT
Thus, chasing after never-ending desires of the flesh creates internal strife, which collectively leads to groups and nations that share a worldly mindset of lack. And they seek to fill that lack, by making war against those who possesses the object(s) of their desire.
They turn away from asking God for what they need spiritually, which would, in due course, bring additional fruit to them, in the material.
We see also that engaging in worldly ways separates us from God. However, Jehovah loves us so much, that He stands ever ready, to reconnect with us, when we turn away from our destructive distractions:
But He gives us more and more grace [through the power of the Holy Spirit to defy sin and live an obedient life that reflects both our faith and our gratitude for our salvation]. Therefore, it says, “God is opposed to the proud and the haughty, but [continually] gives [the gift of grace to the humble [who turn away from self-righteousness].” So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you. Jas. 4:6, 7. AMP
Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Jas. 4:8 NLT
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. Jas. 4:10 NLT
At this juncture of James’ epistle, he ceases developing elongated revelations, offering instead, a series of short pearls of wisdom (love doings) from Jehovah God for our consideration:
- Speak no evil because it condemns you for trying to act as if you were God:
Don’t speak evil against each other…If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law.
But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor? Jas. 4:11, 12. NLT
- Follow God’s plan – seeking His input instead of relying solely on your own:
Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there for a year. We will do business and make a profit.”
How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog – it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that. Jas. 4:13 – 15. NLT
God comes from a perspective that cradles our eternal good – far surpassing what we might think we need in a particular moment.
- You can sin by omission (not rebelling against God’s word, but by ignoring it), as well as by overt commission:
Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. Jas. 4:17 NLT
- Endure the trials of life with patience because our eternal rewards are at hand:
…be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You too must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near. Jas. 5:7, 8. NLT
…look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy. Jas. 5:10, 11. NLT
- Remember the power of prayer:
Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord.
Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Jas. 5:13 – 16. NLT
Prayer then, is effective for demonstrating your gratitude, to gain relief from suffering, and for healing (as well as many other things that we will learn in subsequent studies).
As with all prayer, we want to get our transgressions forgiven first (through confession and repentance), so that they do not hamper the influx of the Holy Spirit. We also see that confession is always between you and God; and may include any other child of God (be it clergy or laity) who can prayerfully intercede on your behalf.
- Finally, we should immediately avail ourselves to any brother or sister in Christ, who has fallen off their God-path:
…if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins. Jas. 5:19, 20. NLT
This concludes the first apostolic epistle. Isn’t it amazing, exciting, and comforting to hear Christ continue to give greater revelation of His Gospel through the Holy Spirit-driven apostles?
Goodnight and God bless.