In the Book of James, James wanted to help Christians to practice God's Word. And so, he gave us a simple test: He sent two visitors to a Church service, a rich man and a poor man; and he watched to see how they were treated. The way Christians behave toward people indicates what they really believe about God! We cannot, and dare not, separate human relationships from divine fellowship.
John said: "If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen (1 John 4:20, NKJV)?
In the first part of James 2 (James 2:1 - 13), James examines four basic Christian doctrines in the light of the way we treat other people: The Deity of Christ, the grace of God, the Word of God and the judgment of God:
The Deity of Christ (James 2:1 - 4)
James said: "My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, 'You sit here in a good place,' and say to the poor man, 'You stand there,' or 'Sit here at my footstool,' have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts" (James 2:1 - 4)?
Jewish people in that day coveted recognition and honor, and vied with one another for praise. Our Lord's parables in Luke 14:7 -14 deal with the problem, and also His denunciation of the Pharisees in Matthew 13.
We have this same problem with us today. Pyramid climbers are among us, not only in politics, industry, and society, but also in the Church. Almost every Local Church has its cliques, and often, new Christians find it difficult to get in. Some Church members use their offices to enchance their own images of importance. Many of the believers James wrote to were trying to seize spiritual offices, and James has to warn them (James 3:1).
Jesus did not respect persons. Even His enemies admitted (Matt. 22:16). He did not look at the outward appearance; He looked at the heart. He was not impressed with riches or social status. The poor widow who gave her mite was greater in His eyes than the rich Pharisee who boastfully gave his large donations. Furthermore, He saw the potential of the lives of sinners. In Simon Peter, He saw a rock. In Matthew, the publican, He saw a faithful disciple who would one day write one of the four Gospels.
We are prone to judge people by their past, not their future. When Saul of tarsus was converted, the Church in Jerusalem was afraid to receive him! It took Barnabas, who believed in Saul's conversion, to break down the walls (Acts 9:26 - 28). We are also prone to judge by outward appearance rather than by the inner attitude of the heart. We do not enjoy sitting with certain people in the Church because they "are not our kind of people." Jesus was the Friend of sinners, though He disapproved of their sins. It was not compromise, but compassion, that caused Him to welcome them, and when they trusted Him, forgive them.
When visitors come into our Churches, we tend to judge them on what we see outwardly rather than what they are inwardly. Dress, color of skin, fashion, and other superficial things carry more weight than the fruit of the Spirit that may be manifested in their lives. We cater for the rich because we hope to get something out of them, and we avoid the poor because they embarrass us. Jesus did not do this, and He certainly cannot approve it.
I believe it is not difficult to practice the deity of Chrsit in our human relationships. We need to look at everyone through the eyes of Christ. If the visitor is a Christian, we can accept him because Christ lives in him. If he is not a Christian, we can receive him because Christ died for him. It is Christ who is the link between us and others, and He is a link of love. The basis for relationship with others is the Person and the work Jesus Christ. Any other basis is not going to work.
The Grace of God (James 2:5 - 7)
James said: "Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called" (James 2: 5 - 7).
The emphasis here is on God's choosing, and this involves the grace of God. If salvation were on the basis of merit, it would not be by grace. Grace implies God's sovereign choice of those who cannot earn and do not deserve His salvation (Eph. 1:4 - 7; 2:8 - 10). God saves us completely on the basis of the work of Christ on the cross and not because of anything that we are or have.
God ignores national differences - He shows no partiality (Acts 10:34). The Jewish believers were shocked when Peter went to the Gentile houshold of Cornelius, preached to the Gentiles, and even ate with them. In the sight of God, there is no difference between Jew and Gentile when it comes to condemnation (Rom. 2:6 - 16) or salvation (Rom. 10:1 - 3).
God also ignore social differences. Masters and slaves (Eph. 6:9) and rich and poor are alike to Him. James teaches us that the grace of God makes the rich man poor, because he cannot depend on his wealth; and it makes the poor man rich, because he inherits the riches of grace in Christ (James 1:9 - 11).
Paul said: "For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; ..." (1 Cor. 1:26, 27).
The poor of this world become rich in faith; as sons of God, they inherit the wealth of the Kingdom.
In James 2:6, 7, James gave a stern rebuke. He was saying, in a way, "When you despise the poor man, you are behaving like the unsaved rich people." In that day, it was easy for rich persons to exploit the poor, influence decisions at court, and make themselves richer. Unfortunately, we have the same sins bing committed today; and these sins blaspheme the very Name of Christ. Our Lord was poor, and He too was the victim of injustice perpetrated by the wealthy leaders of His day.
The doctrine of God's grace, if we really believe it, forces us to relate to people on the basis of God's plan and not on the basis of human merit or social status. A "classy Church" is not a Church that magnifies the grace of God. When He died, Jesus broke down the wall that seperated Jews, and Gentiles (Eph. 2:11 - 22). But in His birth and life, Jesus broke down the walls between rich and poor, young and old, educated and uneducated. It is wrong for us to build those walls again. We cannot rebuild them if we believe in the grace of God.
The Word of God (James 2:8 - 11)
James said: "If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself,' you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are covicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, 'Do not commit adultery,' but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law" (James 2:8 - 11, emphasis added).
In recent years, believers have waged battles over the inspiration and authority of the Word of God. Certainly, it is a good thing to defend the truth of God's Word, but we must never forget that our lives and ministries are the best defense.
James reached back into the Old Testament for one of God's laws, "... but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: ..." (Lev. 19:18). In His parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus told us that our neighbor is anyone who need our help (Luke 10:25 - 37). It is not a matter of geography, by opportunity. The important question is not, "Who is my neighbor?" but "To whom can I be a neighbor?"
Why is "love your neighbor" called "the royal law"? For one thing, it was given by the King. God the Father gave it in the Law, and God the Son reaffirmed it to His disciples (John 13:34). God the Spirit fills our hearts with God's love and expects us to share it with others (Rom. 5:5). True believers are "taught by God to love one another" (1 Thess. 4:9).
But "love your neighbor" is the royal law for a second reason: it rules all the other laws - "Love is the fulfillment of the law" (Rom. 13:10). There would be no need for the thounsands of complex laws if each person truly loved his heighbors.
But the main reason why this is the royal law is that obeying it makes you a king. Hatred makes a person a slave, but love sets us free from selfishness and enables us to reign like kings. Love enables us to obey the Word of God and treat people as God commands us to do. We obey His Law, not out of fear, but out of love!
Showing respect of persons can lead a person into disobeying all of God's Law. Take any of the Ten Commandments and you will find ways of breaking it if you respect a person's social or financial status. Respect of persons could make you lie, for example. It could lead to idolatry (getting money out of the rich), or even mistreatment of one's parents. Once we start acting on the basis of respecting persons and rejecting God's Word, we are heading for trouble. And we need not break all of God's Law to be guilty. There is only one Lawgiver, and all of His Law are from His mind and heart. If I disobey one law, I am capable of disobeying all of them. And by rebelling, I have already done so!
Christian love does not mean that I must like a person and agree with him on everything. I may not like the way he talks, or his habits, and I may not want him for a close friend. Christian love means treating others the way God has treated me. It is an act of the will, not an emotion that I try to manufacture. The motive is to glorify God.
Also, Christian love does not leave the person where it finds him. Love should help the poor man do better; love should help the rich man make better use of his God-given resources. Love always builds up (edifies) (1 Cor. 8:1); hatred always tears down.
The Judgment of God (James 2:12, 13)
James said: "So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment" (James 2:12, 13, emphasis added).
Every orthodox statement of faith ends with a statement about the return of Jesus Christ and the final judgment. Not all Christians agree as to the details of these future events, but the certainty of them none denies. Nor would any deny the importance of a final judgment. Both Jesus (John 5:24) and Paul (Rom. 8:1) assured us that true Christians will never be judged for their sins, but will be judged in the follwing three areas:
1. Our words will be judged
What we say to people, and how we say it, will come up before God. Even our careless words will be judged (Matt. 12:36). Of course, the words we speak come from the heart; so when God judges the words, He is examining the heart (Matt. 12:34 - 37). Jesus emphasized caution when speaking in some of His warnings in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:21 - 26, 33 - 37; 7:1 - 5, 21 - 23).
2. Our deeds will be judged
It is true that God remembers our sins against us no more (Jer. 31:34; Heb. 10:17); but our sins affect our character and works. We cannot sin lightly and serve faithfully. God forgives our sins when we confess them to Him, but He cannot change their consequences.
3. Our attitudes will be judged
In James 2:13, James contrasted two attitudes: showing mercy to other, and refusing to show mercy. If we have been merciful toward others, God can be merciful toward us. However, we must not twist this truth into a lie. It does not mean that we earn mercy by showing mercy, because it is impossible to earn mercy. If it is earned, it is not mercy! Nor does it mean that we should "be soft on sin" and never judge it in the lives of others.
I once heard someone said, "I don't condemn anyone, and so God won't condemn me." How wrong he was!
Mercy and justice both come from God, so they are not competitors. Where God finds repentance and faith, He is able to show mercy; where He finds rebellion and unbelief, He must administer justice. It is the heart of the sinner that determines the treatment he gets. The Parable of the unforgiving servant (Matt. 18:21 - 35) illustrates this truth. The parable is not illustrating salvation, but forgiveness between fellow servants. If we forgive our brother, then we have the kind of heart that is open toward the forgiveness of God.
We shall be judged by "the law of liberty." Why does James call God's Law as "the law of liberty?" I believe when we obey God's Law, it frees us from sin and enables us to walk in liberty (Ps. 119:45). Also, law prepares us for liberty. A child must mature enough to handle the decisions demands of life. He is given outward discipline so that he might develop inward discipline, and one day be free of rules.
Liberty does not mean license. License (doing whatever I want to do) is the worst kind of bondage. Liberty means the freedom to be all that I can be in Jesus Christ. License is confinement; liberty is fulfillment.
Finally, the Word of God is called "the Law of liberty" because God sees our hearts and know what we would have done had we been free to do so. The Christian student who obeys only because the school has rules is not really maturing. What will he do when he leaves the school? God's can change our hearts and give us the desires to do God's will, so that we obey from inward compulsion and not outward constraint.
James' message for this section (James 2:1 - 13) is - our beliefs should cantrol our behavior. If we really believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that God is gracious, His Word is true, and one day He will judge us, then our conduct will reveal our convictions. Before we attact those who do not have orthodox doctrine, we must be sure that we practice the doctrines we defend. Jonah had wonderful theology, but he hated people and was angry with God (Jonah 4).
One of the tests of the reality of our faith is how we treat other people. Can we pass the test?
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Dangers of Self-deception
This message deals with a very important topic - Dangers of Self-deception. If a Christian sins because Satan deceives him, that is one thing. But if he deceives himself, that is a far more serious matter.
Many people are deceiving themselves into thinking they are saved when they are not.
Jesus said: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you, depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'" (Matt. 7:21 - 23, NKJV).
Then there are true believers who are fooling themselves concerning their Christian walk. They think they are spiritual when they are not. It is a mark of maturity when a person faces himself honestly, knows himself, and admits his needs. It is the immature person who pretends, "I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing" (Rev. 3:17).
Spiritual reality results from the proper relationship to God through His Word. God's Word is truth (John 17:17). And if we are rightly related to God's truth, we cannot be dishonest and hypocritical.
Our Responsibilities toward God's Word
James said that we have three responsibilities toward God's Word - Receive the Word, practice the Word and share the Word. And if we fulfill these responsibilities, we will have an honest walk with God and with men. Let us consider each of the responsibilities in some details:
Receive the Word (James 1:19 - 21)
James said: "So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls" (James 1:19 - 21, emphasis added).
James calls God's Word "the implanted word." Borrowing from our Lord's Parable of the Sower (Matt. 13:1 - 9; 18 - 23), he compares God's Word to seed and the human heart to soil. In His parable, Jesus described four kinds of hearts:
1. The hard heart, which did not understand or receive the Word and therefore bore no fruit.
2. The shallow heart, which was very emotional but had no depth, and bore no fruit.
3. The crowded heart, which lacked repentance and permitted sin to crowd out the Word.
4. The fruitful heart, which received the Word, allowed it to take root, and produced a bountiful harvest of fruit.
If the seed of the Word is to be planted in our hearts, then we must obey the instructions James give us:
Swift to hear (James 1:19)
Jesus said: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"
Paul said: "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17).
Just as the servant is quick to hear his master's voice and the mother to hear her baby's smallest cry, so the believer should be quick to hear what God has to say.
There is a beautiful illustration of this truth in the life of king David (2 Sam. 23:14 - 17). David was hiding from the Philistines who were in possession of Bethlehem. He yearned for a drink of the cool water from the well in Bethlehem, a well that he had often visited in his boyhood and youth. He did not issue an order to his men; he simply said to himself, "Oh, that someone would give me a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate" (2 Sam. 23:15)! Three of his mighty men heard their king sigh for the water, and they risked their lives to secure the water and bring to him. They were "swift to hear."
Slow to speak (James 1:19)
We have two ears and one mouth, which ought to remind us to listen more than to speak. Too many times we argue with God's Word, if not audibly, at least in our hearts and mind.
Solomon said: "... But he who restrains his lips is wise. He who has knowledge spares his words" (Pro. 10:19; 17:27).
Instead of being slow to speak, the lawyer in Luke 10:29 argued with Jesus by asking, "And who is my neighbor?"
In the early Church, the services were informal; and often the listeners would debate with the speaker. There were even fighting and wars among the brethren James were writing to (James 4:1).
Slow to wrath (James 1:19)
Do not get angry at God or His Word because it reveals our sin to us. Like the man who broke the mirror because he disliked the image in it, people rebel against God's Word because it tells the truth about them and their sinfulness.
Solomon said: "He who is slow to wrath has great understanding. But he who is impulsive exalts folly" (Pro. 14:29).
When the prophet Nathan told king David the story about "the stolen ewe lamb," the king became angry, but at the wrong person. "You are the man" said Nathan, and David then confessed, "I have sinned against the Lord" (2 Sam. 12).
In the Garden, Peter was slow to hear, swift to speak, and swift to anger - and he almost killed a man with the sword.
Many Church fights are the result of short tempers and hasty words. There is a godly anger against sin (Eph. 4:26); and if we love the Lord, we must hate sin or evil (Ps. 97:10). But man's anger does not produce God's righteousness (James 1:20). In fact, anger is just the opposite of the patience God wants to produce in our lives as we mature in Christ (James 1:3, 4).
A prepared heart (James 1:21)
James saw the human heart as a garden. If left to itself, the soil would produce only weeds. He urged us to "pull out the weeds" and prepare the soil for the "implanted Word of God." The phrase "filthiness and overflow of wickedness" gives the picture of a garden overgrown with weeds that cannot be controlled. It is foolish to try to receive God's Word into an unprepared heart.
How do we prepare the soil of our hearts for God's Word? First, by confessing our sins and asking the Father to forgive us (1 John 1:9). Then, by meditating on God's love and grace and asking Him to "plow up" any hardness in our hearts - "Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns" (Jer. 4:3). Finally, we must have an attitude of "meekness." When you receive the implanted Word with meekness, you accept it, do not argue with it, and honor it as the Word of God. You do not try to twist it to conform it to your thinking.
If we do not receive the implanted Word, then we are deceiving ourselves. Christians who like to argue various "point of view" may be only fooling themselves. They think that their "discussions" are promoting spiritual growth, when in reality they may only be cultivating the weeds.
Practice the Word (James 1:22 - 25)
James said: "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyon is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does" (James 1:22 - 25).
It is not enough to hear the word; we must do it. Many Christians have the mistaken idea that hearing a good sermon or Bible study is what makes them grow and get God's blessing. It is not the hearing but the doing that brings the blessing. Too many Christians (including Pastors) mark their Bibles, but their Bibles never mark them! If you think you are spiritual because you hear the Word, then you are only deceiving yourself.
In James 1:21, James compared the Word to seed. But in James 1:23, 24, he comared it to a mirror. There are two other references in the Bible to God's Word as a mirror (Ex. 38:8 and 2 Cor. 3:18). When you put all three together, you discover three ministries of the Word of God as a mirror:
Examination (James 1:23 - 25)
The main purpose of a mirror is to enable you to see yourself and make yourself look as clean and neat as possible. As we look into the mirror of God's Word, we see ourselves as we really are. James mentions several mistakes people make as they look into God's mirror.
1. They merely glance at themselves. They do not carefully study themselves as they read the Word. Many sincere believers read a chapter of the Bible each day, but it is only a religious exercise and they fail to profit from it personally. Their conscience would bother them if they did not have their daily reading, when actually their conscience should bother them because they read the Word carelessly. A cursory reading of the Bible will never reveal our deepest needs. It is the difference between a candid photo and an X-ray.
2. They forget what they see. If they were looking deeply enough into their hearts, what they would see would be unforgettable!
3. They fail to obey what the Word tells them to do. They think that hearing is the same as doing, and it is not. We Christians enjoy substituting reading for doing, or even talking for doing. We hold endless committee meetings and conferences about topics like evangelism and Church growth, and think we have made progress. While there is certainly nothing wrong with conferences and committee meetings, they are sinful if they are a substitute for service.
After seeing ourselves, we must remember what we are and what God says, and we must do the Word. The blessing comes in the doing, and not in the reading of the Word - "... this one will be blessed in what he does" (James 1:25).
Restoration (Exodus 38:8)
"He made the laver of bronze and its base of bronze, from the bronze mirrors of the serving women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting" (Ex. 38:8)
Moses took the metal looking glasses of the women and from them made the laver. The laver was a huge basin that stood between the brazen altar of sacrifice and the holy place (read Ex. 30:17 - 21). The basin was filled with water, and the priests washed their hands and feet at the laver before they entered the holy place to minister.
Water for washing is a picture of the Word of God in its cleansing power (John 15:3). The Church is sanctified and cleansed "with the washing of water by the word" (Eph. 5:26).
Transformation (2 Cor. 3:18)
Paul said: "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18).
After the Lord restores us, He wants to change us so that we will grow in grace and not commit that sin again. Too many Christians confess their sins, and claim forgiveness, but never grow spiritually to conquer self and sin.
2 Cor. 3 is a discussion of the contrasts between the Old Covenant ministry of Law and the New Covenant ministry of grace. The Law is external, written on tablet of stone; but salvation means that God's Word is written on the heart. The Old Covenant brings forgiveness and life. The glory of the Law gradually disappeared, but the glory of God's grace becomes brighter and brighter. The Law was temporary, but the New Covenant of grace is eternal.
Sharing the Word (James 1:26, 27)
James said: "If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this; to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world" (James 1:26, 27, emphasis added).
The word translated "religion" means "the outward practice, the service of a god." Pure religion has nothing to do with ceremonies, temples, or special days. Pure religion means practicing God's Word and sharing it with others, through speech, service, and separation from the world:
1. Through speech (James 1:26)
There are many references to speech in this Epistle, giving the impression that the tongue was a serious problem in the assembly. It is the tongue that reveals the heart (Matt. 12:34, 35). If the heart is right, the speech will be right. A controlled tongue means a controlled body (James 3:1, 2).
2. Through service (James 1:27)
After we have seen ourselves and Christ in the mirror of the Word, we must see others and their needs. Words are no substitute for deeds of love (James 2:14 - 18; 1 John 3:11 - 18). God does not want us to pay for others to minister as a substitute for our own personal service!
3. Through separation from the world (James 1:27)
"The world" means, in the context, "society without God." Satan is the prince of thei world (John 14:30), and the lost are the sons of this world (Luke 16:8). As the children of God, we are in the world physically but not of the world spirituall (John 17:11 - 16). We are sent into the world to win others to Christ (John 17:18). It is only as we maintain our separation from the world that we can serve others.
Many people are deceiving themselves into thinking they are saved when they are not.
Jesus said: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you, depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'" (Matt. 7:21 - 23, NKJV).
Then there are true believers who are fooling themselves concerning their Christian walk. They think they are spiritual when they are not. It is a mark of maturity when a person faces himself honestly, knows himself, and admits his needs. It is the immature person who pretends, "I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing" (Rev. 3:17).
Spiritual reality results from the proper relationship to God through His Word. God's Word is truth (John 17:17). And if we are rightly related to God's truth, we cannot be dishonest and hypocritical.
Our Responsibilities toward God's Word
James said that we have three responsibilities toward God's Word - Receive the Word, practice the Word and share the Word. And if we fulfill these responsibilities, we will have an honest walk with God and with men. Let us consider each of the responsibilities in some details:
Receive the Word (James 1:19 - 21)
James said: "So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls" (James 1:19 - 21, emphasis added).
James calls God's Word "the implanted word." Borrowing from our Lord's Parable of the Sower (Matt. 13:1 - 9; 18 - 23), he compares God's Word to seed and the human heart to soil. In His parable, Jesus described four kinds of hearts:
1. The hard heart, which did not understand or receive the Word and therefore bore no fruit.
2. The shallow heart, which was very emotional but had no depth, and bore no fruit.
3. The crowded heart, which lacked repentance and permitted sin to crowd out the Word.
4. The fruitful heart, which received the Word, allowed it to take root, and produced a bountiful harvest of fruit.
If the seed of the Word is to be planted in our hearts, then we must obey the instructions James give us:
Swift to hear (James 1:19)
Jesus said: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"
Paul said: "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17).
Just as the servant is quick to hear his master's voice and the mother to hear her baby's smallest cry, so the believer should be quick to hear what God has to say.
There is a beautiful illustration of this truth in the life of king David (2 Sam. 23:14 - 17). David was hiding from the Philistines who were in possession of Bethlehem. He yearned for a drink of the cool water from the well in Bethlehem, a well that he had often visited in his boyhood and youth. He did not issue an order to his men; he simply said to himself, "Oh, that someone would give me a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate" (2 Sam. 23:15)! Three of his mighty men heard their king sigh for the water, and they risked their lives to secure the water and bring to him. They were "swift to hear."
Slow to speak (James 1:19)
We have two ears and one mouth, which ought to remind us to listen more than to speak. Too many times we argue with God's Word, if not audibly, at least in our hearts and mind.
Solomon said: "... But he who restrains his lips is wise. He who has knowledge spares his words" (Pro. 10:19; 17:27).
Instead of being slow to speak, the lawyer in Luke 10:29 argued with Jesus by asking, "And who is my neighbor?"
In the early Church, the services were informal; and often the listeners would debate with the speaker. There were even fighting and wars among the brethren James were writing to (James 4:1).
Slow to wrath (James 1:19)
Do not get angry at God or His Word because it reveals our sin to us. Like the man who broke the mirror because he disliked the image in it, people rebel against God's Word because it tells the truth about them and their sinfulness.
Solomon said: "He who is slow to wrath has great understanding. But he who is impulsive exalts folly" (Pro. 14:29).
When the prophet Nathan told king David the story about "the stolen ewe lamb," the king became angry, but at the wrong person. "You are the man" said Nathan, and David then confessed, "I have sinned against the Lord" (2 Sam. 12).
In the Garden, Peter was slow to hear, swift to speak, and swift to anger - and he almost killed a man with the sword.
Many Church fights are the result of short tempers and hasty words. There is a godly anger against sin (Eph. 4:26); and if we love the Lord, we must hate sin or evil (Ps. 97:10). But man's anger does not produce God's righteousness (James 1:20). In fact, anger is just the opposite of the patience God wants to produce in our lives as we mature in Christ (James 1:3, 4).
A prepared heart (James 1:21)
James saw the human heart as a garden. If left to itself, the soil would produce only weeds. He urged us to "pull out the weeds" and prepare the soil for the "implanted Word of God." The phrase "filthiness and overflow of wickedness" gives the picture of a garden overgrown with weeds that cannot be controlled. It is foolish to try to receive God's Word into an unprepared heart.
How do we prepare the soil of our hearts for God's Word? First, by confessing our sins and asking the Father to forgive us (1 John 1:9). Then, by meditating on God's love and grace and asking Him to "plow up" any hardness in our hearts - "Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns" (Jer. 4:3). Finally, we must have an attitude of "meekness." When you receive the implanted Word with meekness, you accept it, do not argue with it, and honor it as the Word of God. You do not try to twist it to conform it to your thinking.
If we do not receive the implanted Word, then we are deceiving ourselves. Christians who like to argue various "point of view" may be only fooling themselves. They think that their "discussions" are promoting spiritual growth, when in reality they may only be cultivating the weeds.
Practice the Word (James 1:22 - 25)
James said: "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyon is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does" (James 1:22 - 25).
It is not enough to hear the word; we must do it. Many Christians have the mistaken idea that hearing a good sermon or Bible study is what makes them grow and get God's blessing. It is not the hearing but the doing that brings the blessing. Too many Christians (including Pastors) mark their Bibles, but their Bibles never mark them! If you think you are spiritual because you hear the Word, then you are only deceiving yourself.
In James 1:21, James compared the Word to seed. But in James 1:23, 24, he comared it to a mirror. There are two other references in the Bible to God's Word as a mirror (Ex. 38:8 and 2 Cor. 3:18). When you put all three together, you discover three ministries of the Word of God as a mirror:
Examination (James 1:23 - 25)
The main purpose of a mirror is to enable you to see yourself and make yourself look as clean and neat as possible. As we look into the mirror of God's Word, we see ourselves as we really are. James mentions several mistakes people make as they look into God's mirror.
1. They merely glance at themselves. They do not carefully study themselves as they read the Word. Many sincere believers read a chapter of the Bible each day, but it is only a religious exercise and they fail to profit from it personally. Their conscience would bother them if they did not have their daily reading, when actually their conscience should bother them because they read the Word carelessly. A cursory reading of the Bible will never reveal our deepest needs. It is the difference between a candid photo and an X-ray.
2. They forget what they see. If they were looking deeply enough into their hearts, what they would see would be unforgettable!
3. They fail to obey what the Word tells them to do. They think that hearing is the same as doing, and it is not. We Christians enjoy substituting reading for doing, or even talking for doing. We hold endless committee meetings and conferences about topics like evangelism and Church growth, and think we have made progress. While there is certainly nothing wrong with conferences and committee meetings, they are sinful if they are a substitute for service.
After seeing ourselves, we must remember what we are and what God says, and we must do the Word. The blessing comes in the doing, and not in the reading of the Word - "... this one will be blessed in what he does" (James 1:25).
Restoration (Exodus 38:8)
"He made the laver of bronze and its base of bronze, from the bronze mirrors of the serving women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting" (Ex. 38:8)
Moses took the metal looking glasses of the women and from them made the laver. The laver was a huge basin that stood between the brazen altar of sacrifice and the holy place (read Ex. 30:17 - 21). The basin was filled with water, and the priests washed their hands and feet at the laver before they entered the holy place to minister.
Water for washing is a picture of the Word of God in its cleansing power (John 15:3). The Church is sanctified and cleansed "with the washing of water by the word" (Eph. 5:26).
Transformation (2 Cor. 3:18)
Paul said: "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18).
After the Lord restores us, He wants to change us so that we will grow in grace and not commit that sin again. Too many Christians confess their sins, and claim forgiveness, but never grow spiritually to conquer self and sin.
2 Cor. 3 is a discussion of the contrasts between the Old Covenant ministry of Law and the New Covenant ministry of grace. The Law is external, written on tablet of stone; but salvation means that God's Word is written on the heart. The Old Covenant brings forgiveness and life. The glory of the Law gradually disappeared, but the glory of God's grace becomes brighter and brighter. The Law was temporary, but the New Covenant of grace is eternal.
Sharing the Word (James 1:26, 27)
James said: "If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this; to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world" (James 1:26, 27, emphasis added).
The word translated "religion" means "the outward practice, the service of a god." Pure religion has nothing to do with ceremonies, temples, or special days. Pure religion means practicing God's Word and sharing it with others, through speech, service, and separation from the world:
1. Through speech (James 1:26)
There are many references to speech in this Epistle, giving the impression that the tongue was a serious problem in the assembly. It is the tongue that reveals the heart (Matt. 12:34, 35). If the heart is right, the speech will be right. A controlled tongue means a controlled body (James 3:1, 2).
2. Through service (James 1:27)
After we have seen ourselves and Christ in the mirror of the Word, we must see others and their needs. Words are no substitute for deeds of love (James 2:14 - 18; 1 John 3:11 - 18). God does not want us to pay for others to minister as a substitute for our own personal service!
3. Through separation from the world (James 1:27)
"The world" means, in the context, "society without God." Satan is the prince of thei world (John 14:30), and the lost are the sons of this world (Luke 16:8). As the children of God, we are in the world physically but not of the world spirituall (John 17:11 - 16). We are sent into the world to win others to Christ (John 17:18). It is only as we maintain our separation from the world that we can serve others.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
The Second Aspect of Trials - Temptation
In my previous message, we have considered trials that are testings on the outside. Now we shall consider what James says about trials that are testings on the inside which are tempations.
The mature person is patient in trials. Sometimes the trials are testings on the outside, and sometimes they are temptations on the inside. Trials may be tests sent by God, or they may be temptations sent by Satan and encouraged by our own fallen nature. We shall now study, in some details, how James deals with temptations.
We may ask, "Why did James connect the two? What is the relationship between testings without and temptations within?" I believe, if we are not careful, the testings on the outside may become temptations on the inside. When our circumstances are difficult, we may find ourselves complaining against God, questioning His love, and resisting His will. At this point, Satan provides us with an opportunity to excape the difficulty. This opportunity is a temptation.
There are many illustrations of this truth found in the Bible. Abraham arrived in Canaan and discovered a famine there. He was able to care for his flocks and herds. This trials was an opportunity to prove God; but Abraham turned it into temptation and went down to Egypt. God had to chasten Abraham to bring him back to the place of obedience and blessing.
While Israel was wandering in the wilderness, the nation often turned testings into temptations and tempted the Lord. No sooner had they been delivered from Egypt they began to murmur and blame God when they could not find good (not bitter) water to drink. When they did find water, it was so bitter they could not drink it. They turned their testing into a temptation, and they failed.
Certainly, God does not want us to yield to temptation, yet neither can He spare us the experience of temptation. We are not God's sheltered people; we are God's scattered people. If we are to mature, we must face testings and temptations. James gives us three facts that we must consider if we are to overcome temptation. In other words, these are three barriers against yielding to temptation.
God's Judgment - Temptation leads to death
James said: "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desires has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren" (James 1:13 - 16, emphasis added).
James says we should not blame God for tempation. He is too holy to be tempted, and He is too loving to tempt others. God does test us, as He did Abraham (Gen. 22); but He does not and cannot tempt us. It is we who turn occasions of testing into temptations.
A temptation is an opportunity to accomplish a good thing in a bad way, out of the will of God. It is not wrong to pass an examination. But if you cheat to pass it, then you have sinned. The temptation to cheat is an opportunity to accomplish a good thing (Passing the examination) in a bad way. It is not wrong to eat; but if you consider stealing the food, you are tempting yourself.
The process of sin - in four stages
We think of sin as a single act, but God sees it as a process. Adam committed one act of sin, and yet that one act brought sin, death, and judgment upon the whole human race. James described this process of sin in four stages - desire, deception, disobedience and death. Let us consider each one of them:
1. Desire (James 1:14)
The word "lust" means any kind of desire, and not necessarity sexual passions. The normal desires of life were given to us by God and, of themselves, are not sinful. Without these desire, we could not function. Unless we felt hunger and thirst, we would not eat and drink, and we would die. Without fatigue, the body would never rest and would eventually wear out. Sex is a normal desire, without it the human race could not continue.
It is when we want to satisfy these desires in ways outside God's will that we get into trouble. Eating is normal; gluttony is sin. Sleep is normal; laziness is sin. As for sexual desire, the writer of Hebrews said: "Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge" (Heb. 13:4).
We need to have these desires under constant control. These desires must be our servants and not our masters; and this we can do through Jesus Christ.
2. Deception - being enticed (James 1:14, 16)
No temptation appears as temptation; it always seems more alluring than it realy is. Temptation always carries with it some bait that appeals to our natural desires. The bait not only attracts us, but it also hides the fact that yielding to the desire will eventually bring sorrow and punishment. It is the bait that is the exciting thing.
Lot would never have moved toward Sodom had he not seen the "well-watered plains of Jorden" (Gen. 13). When David looked upon his neighbor's wife, he woul never have committed adultery had he seen the tragic consequences - the death of Bathsheba's son, the murder of a brave soldier (Uriah), and the violation of a daughter (Tarmas). The bait keeps us from seeing the consequences of sin.
When Jesus ws tempted by Satan. He always dealt with the temptation on the basis of the Word of God. Three times He said, "It is written." When you know Bible, you can detect the bait and deal with it decisively. This is what it means to walk by faith and not by sight.
3. Disobedience (James 1:15)
James changed the picture from hunting and fishing (the use of bait) to the conception and birth of a baby. Desire conceives a method for taking the bait. The will approves and acts; and the result is sin. Whether we feel it or not we are hooked and trapped. The baby is born, and just waits until it matures!
Christian living is a matter of the will, not the feelings. I often hear believers say, "I don't feel like studying the Bible." Or, "I don't feel like attending prayer meeting." Children operate on the basis of feelings, but adults operate on the basis of will. They act because it is right, no matter how they feel. This explains why immature Christians easily fall into temptation - they let their feelings make the decisions.
Christians need to let God take full control of their life - in total obedient to His will.
Paul said: "... for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13).
4. Death (James 1:15)
Disobedience gives birth to death, not life. It may take years for the sin to mature, but when it does, the result will be death. If we will only believe God's Word and see this final tragedy, it will encourage us not to yield to temptation.
Whenever you are faced with temptation, get your eyes off the bait and look ahead to see the consequences of sin - the judgment of God.
Paul said: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 6:23).
God's goodness (James 1:17)
The goodness of God is a great barrier against yielding to tempatation. Since God is good, we do not need any other person (including Satan) to meet our needs. It is better to be hungry in the will of God than full outside the will of God. Once we start to doubt God's goodness, we will be attracted to Satan's offer; and the natural desires within will reach out for his bait. Moses warned Israel not to forget God's goodness when they began to enjoy the blessings of the Promised Land (Deut. 6:10 - 15). We need this warning today.
James said: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James 1:17).
James presented four facts about the goodness of God:
1. God give only good gifts
Everything good in this world comes from God. If it did not come from God, it is not good. If it come from God, it must be good, even if we do not see the goodness in it immediately. Paul's thorn in the flesh was given to him by God and it seemed to be a strange gift; yet it became a tremendous blessing to him (2 Cor. 12:1 - 10).
2. The way God gives is good
It is possible for someone to give us a gift in a manner that is less than loving. The value of a gift can be diminished by the way it is given to us. But when God gives us a blessing, He does it in a loving, gracious manner. What He gives and how He gives are both good.
3. God gives constantly
In the original language "comes down" is a present participle - "it keeps on coming down." God does not give occasionally; He gives constantly. Even when we do not see His gifts, He is sending them.
How do we know this? Because He tells us so and we believe His Word.
4. God does not change
There are no shadows with the Father of lights. It is impossible for God to change. He cannot change for the worse because He is holy; He cannot change for the better because He is already perfect. The light of the sun varies as the earth changes, but the sun itself is still shining. If shadows come between us and the Father, He did not cause them. He is the unchanging God. This means that we should never question His love or doubt His goodness when difficulties come or temptations appear.
If king David had remembered the goodness of the Lord, he would not have taken Bathsheba and committed those terrible sins. At least this is what Nathan the prophet told the king (2 Sam. 12:7, 8). God had been good to David, yet David forgot God's goodness and took the bait.
The first barrier against temptation is a negative one - the judgment of God. The second barrier is positive - the goodness of God.
It was this positive attitude that helped to keep Joseph from sinning when he was tempted by his master's wife (Gen. 39:7 - 9). Joseph knew that all these blessings had come from God. It was the goodness of God, through the hands of his emplyer that restrained him in the hour temptation.
God's gifts are always better than Satan's bargains. Satan never gives any gifts, because you end up paying for them dearly. The next time you are tempted, meditate on the goodness of God in your life. If you think you need something, wait on the Lord to provide it. Never toy with the Devil's bait. One purpose for temptation is to teach us patience. David was tempted twice to kill king Saul and hasten his own coronation, but he resisted the temptation and waited of God's time.
God's divine nature within (James 1:18)
James said: "Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of fistfruits of His creatures" (James 1:18).
In the first barrier against yielding to temptation, God says, "Look ahead and beware of judgment." In the second barrier, He says, "Look around and see how good I have been to you." But with this third barrier, God says, "Look within and realize that you have been born from above and posses the divine nature."
James used birth as a picture of desire leading to sin and death (James 1:15). He also used it to explain how we can enjoy victory over temptation and sin. The apostle John used a similar approach - "Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God" (1 John 3:9, emphasis added).
"His seed" refers to the divine life and nature within the believer. There are four characteristics of this second birth (the born-again experience):
1. It is divine
Nicodemus thought he had to reenter his mother's womb to be born again, but he was wrong. This birth is not of the flesh - it is from above (John 3:1 - 7). Just as we cannot generate our own human birth, we cannot generate our own spiritual birth. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, it was God who performed the miracle.
2. It is gracious
We did not earn it or deserve it; God gave us spiritual birth because of His own grace and will (John 1:13). The new birth is the work of God.
3. It is through God's Word
Just as human birth requires two parents, so divine birth has two Persons - the Word of God and the Spirit of God.
John said: "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6).
Peter said: "... having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever" (1 Peter 1:23).
The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to bring about the miracle of the new birth. The word of God generates life in the heart of the sinner who trust Christ; and that life is God's life.
4. It is the finest birth possible
James said: "... we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures" (James 1:18).
The Old Testament Jews brought the firstfruits to the Lord as the expression of their devotion and obedience - "Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; ..." (Proverbs 3:9).
Of all the creatures God has in the universe, Christians are the very highest and the finest! We share God's nature. For this reason, it is beneath our dignity to accept Satan's bait or to desire sinful things. A higher birth must mean a higher life.
By granting us a new birth, God declares that He cannot accept the old birth. throughout the Bible, God rejects the firstborn and accepts the secondborn. He accepted Abel, not Cain; Isaac, not Ishmael; Jacob, not Esau. He rejects your first birth, and He announces that you need a second birth.
It is the experience of the new birth that helps us overcome temptation. If we let the old nature take over, we will fail. We received our old nature (the flesh) from Adam, and was a failure. But if we yield to the new nature we will succeed; for that new nature comes from Christ, and He is the Victor!
The mature person is patient in trials. Sometimes the trials are testings on the outside, and sometimes they are temptations on the inside. Trials may be tests sent by God, or they may be temptations sent by Satan and encouraged by our own fallen nature. We shall now study, in some details, how James deals with temptations.
We may ask, "Why did James connect the two? What is the relationship between testings without and temptations within?" I believe, if we are not careful, the testings on the outside may become temptations on the inside. When our circumstances are difficult, we may find ourselves complaining against God, questioning His love, and resisting His will. At this point, Satan provides us with an opportunity to excape the difficulty. This opportunity is a temptation.
There are many illustrations of this truth found in the Bible. Abraham arrived in Canaan and discovered a famine there. He was able to care for his flocks and herds. This trials was an opportunity to prove God; but Abraham turned it into temptation and went down to Egypt. God had to chasten Abraham to bring him back to the place of obedience and blessing.
While Israel was wandering in the wilderness, the nation often turned testings into temptations and tempted the Lord. No sooner had they been delivered from Egypt they began to murmur and blame God when they could not find good (not bitter) water to drink. When they did find water, it was so bitter they could not drink it. They turned their testing into a temptation, and they failed.
Certainly, God does not want us to yield to temptation, yet neither can He spare us the experience of temptation. We are not God's sheltered people; we are God's scattered people. If we are to mature, we must face testings and temptations. James gives us three facts that we must consider if we are to overcome temptation. In other words, these are three barriers against yielding to temptation.
God's Judgment - Temptation leads to death
James said: "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desires has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren" (James 1:13 - 16, emphasis added).
James says we should not blame God for tempation. He is too holy to be tempted, and He is too loving to tempt others. God does test us, as He did Abraham (Gen. 22); but He does not and cannot tempt us. It is we who turn occasions of testing into temptations.
A temptation is an opportunity to accomplish a good thing in a bad way, out of the will of God. It is not wrong to pass an examination. But if you cheat to pass it, then you have sinned. The temptation to cheat is an opportunity to accomplish a good thing (Passing the examination) in a bad way. It is not wrong to eat; but if you consider stealing the food, you are tempting yourself.
The process of sin - in four stages
We think of sin as a single act, but God sees it as a process. Adam committed one act of sin, and yet that one act brought sin, death, and judgment upon the whole human race. James described this process of sin in four stages - desire, deception, disobedience and death. Let us consider each one of them:
1. Desire (James 1:14)
The word "lust" means any kind of desire, and not necessarity sexual passions. The normal desires of life were given to us by God and, of themselves, are not sinful. Without these desire, we could not function. Unless we felt hunger and thirst, we would not eat and drink, and we would die. Without fatigue, the body would never rest and would eventually wear out. Sex is a normal desire, without it the human race could not continue.
It is when we want to satisfy these desires in ways outside God's will that we get into trouble. Eating is normal; gluttony is sin. Sleep is normal; laziness is sin. As for sexual desire, the writer of Hebrews said: "Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge" (Heb. 13:4).
We need to have these desires under constant control. These desires must be our servants and not our masters; and this we can do through Jesus Christ.
2. Deception - being enticed (James 1:14, 16)
No temptation appears as temptation; it always seems more alluring than it realy is. Temptation always carries with it some bait that appeals to our natural desires. The bait not only attracts us, but it also hides the fact that yielding to the desire will eventually bring sorrow and punishment. It is the bait that is the exciting thing.
Lot would never have moved toward Sodom had he not seen the "well-watered plains of Jorden" (Gen. 13). When David looked upon his neighbor's wife, he woul never have committed adultery had he seen the tragic consequences - the death of Bathsheba's son, the murder of a brave soldier (Uriah), and the violation of a daughter (Tarmas). The bait keeps us from seeing the consequences of sin.
When Jesus ws tempted by Satan. He always dealt with the temptation on the basis of the Word of God. Three times He said, "It is written." When you know Bible, you can detect the bait and deal with it decisively. This is what it means to walk by faith and not by sight.
3. Disobedience (James 1:15)
James changed the picture from hunting and fishing (the use of bait) to the conception and birth of a baby. Desire conceives a method for taking the bait. The will approves and acts; and the result is sin. Whether we feel it or not we are hooked and trapped. The baby is born, and just waits until it matures!
Christian living is a matter of the will, not the feelings. I often hear believers say, "I don't feel like studying the Bible." Or, "I don't feel like attending prayer meeting." Children operate on the basis of feelings, but adults operate on the basis of will. They act because it is right, no matter how they feel. This explains why immature Christians easily fall into temptation - they let their feelings make the decisions.
Christians need to let God take full control of their life - in total obedient to His will.
Paul said: "... for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13).
4. Death (James 1:15)
Disobedience gives birth to death, not life. It may take years for the sin to mature, but when it does, the result will be death. If we will only believe God's Word and see this final tragedy, it will encourage us not to yield to temptation.
Whenever you are faced with temptation, get your eyes off the bait and look ahead to see the consequences of sin - the judgment of God.
Paul said: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 6:23).
God's goodness (James 1:17)
The goodness of God is a great barrier against yielding to tempatation. Since God is good, we do not need any other person (including Satan) to meet our needs. It is better to be hungry in the will of God than full outside the will of God. Once we start to doubt God's goodness, we will be attracted to Satan's offer; and the natural desires within will reach out for his bait. Moses warned Israel not to forget God's goodness when they began to enjoy the blessings of the Promised Land (Deut. 6:10 - 15). We need this warning today.
James said: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James 1:17).
James presented four facts about the goodness of God:
1. God give only good gifts
Everything good in this world comes from God. If it did not come from God, it is not good. If it come from God, it must be good, even if we do not see the goodness in it immediately. Paul's thorn in the flesh was given to him by God and it seemed to be a strange gift; yet it became a tremendous blessing to him (2 Cor. 12:1 - 10).
2. The way God gives is good
It is possible for someone to give us a gift in a manner that is less than loving. The value of a gift can be diminished by the way it is given to us. But when God gives us a blessing, He does it in a loving, gracious manner. What He gives and how He gives are both good.
3. God gives constantly
In the original language "comes down" is a present participle - "it keeps on coming down." God does not give occasionally; He gives constantly. Even when we do not see His gifts, He is sending them.
How do we know this? Because He tells us so and we believe His Word.
4. God does not change
There are no shadows with the Father of lights. It is impossible for God to change. He cannot change for the worse because He is holy; He cannot change for the better because He is already perfect. The light of the sun varies as the earth changes, but the sun itself is still shining. If shadows come between us and the Father, He did not cause them. He is the unchanging God. This means that we should never question His love or doubt His goodness when difficulties come or temptations appear.
If king David had remembered the goodness of the Lord, he would not have taken Bathsheba and committed those terrible sins. At least this is what Nathan the prophet told the king (2 Sam. 12:7, 8). God had been good to David, yet David forgot God's goodness and took the bait.
The first barrier against temptation is a negative one - the judgment of God. The second barrier is positive - the goodness of God.
It was this positive attitude that helped to keep Joseph from sinning when he was tempted by his master's wife (Gen. 39:7 - 9). Joseph knew that all these blessings had come from God. It was the goodness of God, through the hands of his emplyer that restrained him in the hour temptation.
God's gifts are always better than Satan's bargains. Satan never gives any gifts, because you end up paying for them dearly. The next time you are tempted, meditate on the goodness of God in your life. If you think you need something, wait on the Lord to provide it. Never toy with the Devil's bait. One purpose for temptation is to teach us patience. David was tempted twice to kill king Saul and hasten his own coronation, but he resisted the temptation and waited of God's time.
God's divine nature within (James 1:18)
James said: "Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of fistfruits of His creatures" (James 1:18).
In the first barrier against yielding to temptation, God says, "Look ahead and beware of judgment." In the second barrier, He says, "Look around and see how good I have been to you." But with this third barrier, God says, "Look within and realize that you have been born from above and posses the divine nature."
James used birth as a picture of desire leading to sin and death (James 1:15). He also used it to explain how we can enjoy victory over temptation and sin. The apostle John used a similar approach - "Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God" (1 John 3:9, emphasis added).
"His seed" refers to the divine life and nature within the believer. There are four characteristics of this second birth (the born-again experience):
1. It is divine
Nicodemus thought he had to reenter his mother's womb to be born again, but he was wrong. This birth is not of the flesh - it is from above (John 3:1 - 7). Just as we cannot generate our own human birth, we cannot generate our own spiritual birth. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, it was God who performed the miracle.
2. It is gracious
We did not earn it or deserve it; God gave us spiritual birth because of His own grace and will (John 1:13). The new birth is the work of God.
3. It is through God's Word
Just as human birth requires two parents, so divine birth has two Persons - the Word of God and the Spirit of God.
John said: "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6).
Peter said: "... having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever" (1 Peter 1:23).
The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to bring about the miracle of the new birth. The word of God generates life in the heart of the sinner who trust Christ; and that life is God's life.
4. It is the finest birth possible
James said: "... we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures" (James 1:18).
The Old Testament Jews brought the firstfruits to the Lord as the expression of their devotion and obedience - "Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; ..." (Proverbs 3:9).
Of all the creatures God has in the universe, Christians are the very highest and the finest! We share God's nature. For this reason, it is beneath our dignity to accept Satan's bait or to desire sinful things. A higher birth must mean a higher life.
By granting us a new birth, God declares that He cannot accept the old birth. throughout the Bible, God rejects the firstborn and accepts the secondborn. He accepted Abel, not Cain; Isaac, not Ishmael; Jacob, not Esau. He rejects your first birth, and He announces that you need a second birth.
It is the experience of the new birth that helps us overcome temptation. If we let the old nature take over, we will fail. We received our old nature (the flesh) from Adam, and was a failure. But if we yield to the new nature we will succeed; for that new nature comes from Christ, and He is the Victor!
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Turning Trials into Triumphs
Some of us have seen the bumper sticker that reads: "When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade!" It is easier to smile at that statement than to practice it, but the basic philosophy is sound. In fact, it is Biblical. Throughout the Bible are people who turned defeat into victory and trial into triumph. Instead of being victims, they became victors.
In the Book of James, James tells us that we can have this same experience today.
James said: "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him" James 1:1 - 12, NKJV, emphasis added).
No matter what the trials may be on the outside (James 1:1 - 12) or the temptations on the inside (read James 1:13 - 27), through faith in christ we can experience victory. The result of this victory is spiritual maturity.
Obedience to four imperatives
If we are going to turn trials into triumphs, we must obey four imperatives appear in the above verses - Count (James 1:2), know (James 1:3), let (James 1:4, 9 - 11), and ask (James 1:5, 6). Or, to put it another way, there are four essentials for victory in trials - a joyful attitude, an understanding mind, a surrendered will, and a hear that wants to believe.
Let us consider, in some details, these four essentials:
1. A joyful attitude - count (James 1:12)
Outlook determines outcome, and attitude determines action. God tells us to expect trial. It is not "if you fall into various trials," but, "when you fall into various trials."
The believer who expects his Christian life to be easy is in for a shock.
Jesus warned His disciples: "In the world you have tribulations; but of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
Paul told his converts that "we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22).
Because we are God's "scattered people" and not God's "sheltered people," we must experience trials. We cannot always expect everything to go our way. Some trials come simple because we ar human - sickness, accidents, disappointments, even seeming tragedies. Other trials came because we are Christians.
Peter emphasizes this in his first Epistle: "Beloved, do no think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; ..." (1 Peter 4:12).
Satan fights us, the world opposes us, and this makes for a life of battle. The trials of life are not all alike; they are like variegated yarn that the weaver uses to make a beautiful rug. God arranges and mixes the colors and experiences of life. The final product is a beautiful things for His glory.
The key word is "count." It is a financial term, and it means "to evaluate." Paul used it several times in Philippians 3. When Paul became a Christian, he evaluated his life and set new goals and priorities. Things that were once important to him became "rubbish" (Phil. 3:8), in the light of his experience with Christ. When we face the trials of life, we muat evaluat them in the light of what God is doing for us.
This explains why the dedicated Christian can have joy in the midst of trials - he lives for the things that matter most. Even our Lord was able to endure the Cross because of "the joy that was set before Him" (Heb. 12:2). The joy of returning to heaven and sharing His glory with His Church (the Bride of Christ).
Our values determine our evaluations. If we value comfort more than character, the trial will upset us. If we value the material and physical more than the spiritual, we will not be able to "count it all joy." If we live only for the present and forget the future, then trial will make us bitter, not better. Job had the right outlook when he said: "But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold" (Job 23:10).
So, when trials come, immediately give thanks to the Lord and adopt a joyful attitude. Look at trials through the eyes of faith. Outlook determines outcome; to end with joy, begin with joy!
2. An understanding mind - know (James 1:3)
There are three things about faith and trials (or testings) that a Christian needs to understand:
Firstly, faith is always tested. When God called Abraham to live by faith, He tested him in order to increase his faith. God always tests us to bring out the best; Satan tempts us to bring out the worst. The testing of our faith proves that we are truly born again.
Secondly, testing works for us, not against us. The word "trying" can be translated "approval." Again Peter helps us understand better: "... that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:7).
A gold prospector brings his ore sample into the assayer's office to be tested. It assures the prospector that he has a gold mine. God's approval of our faith is precious, because it assures us that our faith is genuine.
Thirdly, trials rightly used help us to mature. God wants to produce in our life - patience, endurance, and the ability to keep going when things are tough.
Paul said: "... but we also glory in tribulation, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope" (Rom. 5:3, 4).
In Scripture, perseverance (patience) is not a passive acceptance of circumstances. It is a courageous perseverance in the face of suffering and difficulty.
Immature people are always impatient; mature people are patient and persistent. Impatient and unbelief usually go togther, just as faith and patience do.
The writer of Hebrews said: "... but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise" (Heb. 6:12; 10:36, KJV).
God wants to make us patient because that is the key to every other blessing. The little child who does not learn patience will not learn much of anything else. When the believer learns to wait on the Lord, then God can do great things for him. Abraham ran ahead of the Lord, married Hagar, and brought great sorrows into his home (Gen. 16). Moses ran ahead of God, murdered a man, and had to spend 40 years with the sheep to learn patience (Acts 7:23 - 30). Peter almost killed a man in his impatience (John 18:10, 11).
The only way the Lord can develop patience and character in our lives is through trials. Endurance cannot be attained by reading a book, listening to a sermon, or even praying a prayer. We must go through the difficulties of life, trust God, and obey Him. The result will be patience and character. Knowing this, we can face trials joyfully. We know what trials will do in us and for us, and we know that the end result will bring glory to God.
3. A surrendered will - let (James 1:4)
God cannot build our character without our cooperation. If we resist Him, then He chastens us into submission. But if we submit to Him, then He can accomplish His work. He is not satisfied with a halfway job. God wants a perfect work; He wants a finished product that is mature and complete.
God's goal for our lives in maturity. It would be a tragedy if our children remained little babies. We enjoy watching them mature, even though maturity brings dangers as well as delights. Many Christians shelter themselves from the trials of life, and as a result, never grow up. God wants the "little children" to become "young men," and the "young men" He wants to become "fathers" (1 John 2:12 - 14).
A complete Christian life
Paul outlined three works that are involved in a complete Christian life: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:8 - 10, emphasis added).
1. First, there is the work God does for us, which is salvation. Jesus Christ completed this work on the Cross. If we trust Him, He will save us.
2. Second, there is the work God does in us - "For we are His workmanship." This work is known as sanctification - God builds our character and we become more like Jesus Christ - "... to be conformed to the image of His Son" (Rom. 8:29).
3. The third work is what God does through us (in Christian service) - "... created in Christ Jesus for good works."
Character before service
God builds our character before He calls us to service. He must work in us before He can work through us. God spent 25 years working in Abraham before He could give him his promised son. God worked 13 years in Joseph's life, putting him into "various testings" before He could put him on the throne of Egypt. He spent 80 years preparing Moses for 40 years of service. Our Lord took three years training His disciples, buildig their character,
But God cannot work in us without our consent. There must be a surrendered will. The mature person does not argue with God's will; instead, he accepts it willingly and obeys it joyfully.
Paul said: "... doing the will of God from the heart" (Eph. 6:6).
If we try to go through trials without surrendered wills, we will end up more like immature children than mature adults.
4. A believing heart - ask (James 1:5 - 8)
The people to whom James wrote had problem with their praying (James 4:1 - 3 and James 5:13 - 18). When we are going through difficulties, what should we pray about? James gives the answer - ask God for wisdom.
James has a great deal to say about wisdom (James 1:5; 3:13 - 18). The Jewish people were lovers of wisdom, as the Book of Proverbs gives evidence. Someone has said that knowledge is the ability to take things apart, while wisdom is the ability to put them together. Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. All of us know people who are educated fools - they have brilliant academic records, but they cannot make the simplest decisions to life.
Why do we need wisdom when we are going through trials? Why not ask for strength, or grace, or even deliverance? I believe we need wisfom so we will not waste the opportunities God is giving us to mature. Wisdom helps us understand how to use these circumstances for our good and God's glory.
Greatest enemy to answered prayer - unbelief or doubt
James compares the doubting believer to the waves of the sea, up one minute and down the next. A "double-minded man" behaves like this - Faith says, "Yes!" but unbelief says, "No!" Then doubt comes along and says, "Yes!" one minute and "No!" the next. It was doubt that made Peter sink in the waves as he was walking to Jesus (Matt. 14:22 - 33). When Peter started his walk of faith, he kept his eyes on Christ. But when he was distracted by the wind and the waves, he ceased to walk by faith; and he began to sink. He was double-minded, and almost drowned.
Many Christians live like corks on the waves - up one minute, down the next; tossed back and forth. This kind of experience is evidence of immaturity.
Paul used a similar idea in Ephesians: "... that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting" (Eph. 4:14).
If we have believing and united hearts, we can ask in faith and God will give the wisdom we need. Instability and immaturity go together.
James close this session with a beatitude - "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; ..." (James 1:12). He started "... count it all joy ..." (James 1:2) and ended with joy. Outlook determines outcome. This beatitude is a great encouragement because it promises a crown to those who patiently endure trials. Paul often used athletic illustrations in his Epistles, and James does so here. He is not saying that the sinner is saved by enduring trials. He is saying that the believer is rewarded by enduring trials.
How is he rewarded? He is rewarded by growth in Christian character. This is more important than anything else. He is rewarded also by bringing glory to God and by being granted a crown of life when Jesus Christ returns.
In James 1:12, James used a very important word, "love." - "... he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him" (Emphasis added).
Love is the spiritual force behind the imperatives James gives us. If we love God, we will have no problem counting, knowing, letting and asking!
In the Book of James, James tells us that we can have this same experience today.
James said: "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him" James 1:1 - 12, NKJV, emphasis added).
No matter what the trials may be on the outside (James 1:1 - 12) or the temptations on the inside (read James 1:13 - 27), through faith in christ we can experience victory. The result of this victory is spiritual maturity.
Obedience to four imperatives
If we are going to turn trials into triumphs, we must obey four imperatives appear in the above verses - Count (James 1:2), know (James 1:3), let (James 1:4, 9 - 11), and ask (James 1:5, 6). Or, to put it another way, there are four essentials for victory in trials - a joyful attitude, an understanding mind, a surrendered will, and a hear that wants to believe.
Let us consider, in some details, these four essentials:
1. A joyful attitude - count (James 1:12)
Outlook determines outcome, and attitude determines action. God tells us to expect trial. It is not "if you fall into various trials," but, "when you fall into various trials."
The believer who expects his Christian life to be easy is in for a shock.
Jesus warned His disciples: "In the world you have tribulations; but of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
Paul told his converts that "we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22).
Because we are God's "scattered people" and not God's "sheltered people," we must experience trials. We cannot always expect everything to go our way. Some trials come simple because we ar human - sickness, accidents, disappointments, even seeming tragedies. Other trials came because we are Christians.
Peter emphasizes this in his first Epistle: "Beloved, do no think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; ..." (1 Peter 4:12).
Satan fights us, the world opposes us, and this makes for a life of battle. The trials of life are not all alike; they are like variegated yarn that the weaver uses to make a beautiful rug. God arranges and mixes the colors and experiences of life. The final product is a beautiful things for His glory.
The key word is "count." It is a financial term, and it means "to evaluate." Paul used it several times in Philippians 3. When Paul became a Christian, he evaluated his life and set new goals and priorities. Things that were once important to him became "rubbish" (Phil. 3:8), in the light of his experience with Christ. When we face the trials of life, we muat evaluat them in the light of what God is doing for us.
This explains why the dedicated Christian can have joy in the midst of trials - he lives for the things that matter most. Even our Lord was able to endure the Cross because of "the joy that was set before Him" (Heb. 12:2). The joy of returning to heaven and sharing His glory with His Church (the Bride of Christ).
Our values determine our evaluations. If we value comfort more than character, the trial will upset us. If we value the material and physical more than the spiritual, we will not be able to "count it all joy." If we live only for the present and forget the future, then trial will make us bitter, not better. Job had the right outlook when he said: "But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold" (Job 23:10).
So, when trials come, immediately give thanks to the Lord and adopt a joyful attitude. Look at trials through the eyes of faith. Outlook determines outcome; to end with joy, begin with joy!
2. An understanding mind - know (James 1:3)
There are three things about faith and trials (or testings) that a Christian needs to understand:
Firstly, faith is always tested. When God called Abraham to live by faith, He tested him in order to increase his faith. God always tests us to bring out the best; Satan tempts us to bring out the worst. The testing of our faith proves that we are truly born again.
Secondly, testing works for us, not against us. The word "trying" can be translated "approval." Again Peter helps us understand better: "... that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:7).
A gold prospector brings his ore sample into the assayer's office to be tested. It assures the prospector that he has a gold mine. God's approval of our faith is precious, because it assures us that our faith is genuine.
Thirdly, trials rightly used help us to mature. God wants to produce in our life - patience, endurance, and the ability to keep going when things are tough.
Paul said: "... but we also glory in tribulation, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope" (Rom. 5:3, 4).
In Scripture, perseverance (patience) is not a passive acceptance of circumstances. It is a courageous perseverance in the face of suffering and difficulty.
Immature people are always impatient; mature people are patient and persistent. Impatient and unbelief usually go togther, just as faith and patience do.
The writer of Hebrews said: "... but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise" (Heb. 6:12; 10:36, KJV).
God wants to make us patient because that is the key to every other blessing. The little child who does not learn patience will not learn much of anything else. When the believer learns to wait on the Lord, then God can do great things for him. Abraham ran ahead of the Lord, married Hagar, and brought great sorrows into his home (Gen. 16). Moses ran ahead of God, murdered a man, and had to spend 40 years with the sheep to learn patience (Acts 7:23 - 30). Peter almost killed a man in his impatience (John 18:10, 11).
The only way the Lord can develop patience and character in our lives is through trials. Endurance cannot be attained by reading a book, listening to a sermon, or even praying a prayer. We must go through the difficulties of life, trust God, and obey Him. The result will be patience and character. Knowing this, we can face trials joyfully. We know what trials will do in us and for us, and we know that the end result will bring glory to God.
3. A surrendered will - let (James 1:4)
God cannot build our character without our cooperation. If we resist Him, then He chastens us into submission. But if we submit to Him, then He can accomplish His work. He is not satisfied with a halfway job. God wants a perfect work; He wants a finished product that is mature and complete.
God's goal for our lives in maturity. It would be a tragedy if our children remained little babies. We enjoy watching them mature, even though maturity brings dangers as well as delights. Many Christians shelter themselves from the trials of life, and as a result, never grow up. God wants the "little children" to become "young men," and the "young men" He wants to become "fathers" (1 John 2:12 - 14).
A complete Christian life
Paul outlined three works that are involved in a complete Christian life: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:8 - 10, emphasis added).
1. First, there is the work God does for us, which is salvation. Jesus Christ completed this work on the Cross. If we trust Him, He will save us.
2. Second, there is the work God does in us - "For we are His workmanship." This work is known as sanctification - God builds our character and we become more like Jesus Christ - "... to be conformed to the image of His Son" (Rom. 8:29).
3. The third work is what God does through us (in Christian service) - "... created in Christ Jesus for good works."
Character before service
God builds our character before He calls us to service. He must work in us before He can work through us. God spent 25 years working in Abraham before He could give him his promised son. God worked 13 years in Joseph's life, putting him into "various testings" before He could put him on the throne of Egypt. He spent 80 years preparing Moses for 40 years of service. Our Lord took three years training His disciples, buildig their character,
But God cannot work in us without our consent. There must be a surrendered will. The mature person does not argue with God's will; instead, he accepts it willingly and obeys it joyfully.
Paul said: "... doing the will of God from the heart" (Eph. 6:6).
If we try to go through trials without surrendered wills, we will end up more like immature children than mature adults.
4. A believing heart - ask (James 1:5 - 8)
The people to whom James wrote had problem with their praying (James 4:1 - 3 and James 5:13 - 18). When we are going through difficulties, what should we pray about? James gives the answer - ask God for wisdom.
James has a great deal to say about wisdom (James 1:5; 3:13 - 18). The Jewish people were lovers of wisdom, as the Book of Proverbs gives evidence. Someone has said that knowledge is the ability to take things apart, while wisdom is the ability to put them together. Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. All of us know people who are educated fools - they have brilliant academic records, but they cannot make the simplest decisions to life.
Why do we need wisdom when we are going through trials? Why not ask for strength, or grace, or even deliverance? I believe we need wisfom so we will not waste the opportunities God is giving us to mature. Wisdom helps us understand how to use these circumstances for our good and God's glory.
Greatest enemy to answered prayer - unbelief or doubt
James compares the doubting believer to the waves of the sea, up one minute and down the next. A "double-minded man" behaves like this - Faith says, "Yes!" but unbelief says, "No!" Then doubt comes along and says, "Yes!" one minute and "No!" the next. It was doubt that made Peter sink in the waves as he was walking to Jesus (Matt. 14:22 - 33). When Peter started his walk of faith, he kept his eyes on Christ. But when he was distracted by the wind and the waves, he ceased to walk by faith; and he began to sink. He was double-minded, and almost drowned.
Many Christians live like corks on the waves - up one minute, down the next; tossed back and forth. This kind of experience is evidence of immaturity.
Paul used a similar idea in Ephesians: "... that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting" (Eph. 4:14).
If we have believing and united hearts, we can ask in faith and God will give the wisdom we need. Instability and immaturity go together.
James close this session with a beatitude - "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; ..." (James 1:12). He started "... count it all joy ..." (James 1:2) and ended with joy. Outlook determines outcome. This beatitude is a great encouragement because it promises a crown to those who patiently endure trials. Paul often used athletic illustrations in his Epistles, and James does so here. He is not saying that the sinner is saved by enduring trials. He is saying that the believer is rewarded by enduring trials.
How is he rewarded? He is rewarded by growth in Christian character. This is more important than anything else. He is rewarded also by bringing glory to God and by being granted a crown of life when Jesus Christ returns.
In James 1:12, James used a very important word, "love." - "... he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him" (Emphasis added).
Love is the spiritual force behind the imperatives James gives us. If we love God, we will have no problem counting, knowing, letting and asking!
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