THE BIBLE SPEAKS
by
A MILD
CASE
Background Scripture:
James 1
Devotional
Psalms 92:1-8.
Commenting
on the Letter of James, Dwight E. Stevenson writes: “Someone has recently
suggested that some of us have been inoculated with a mild form of Christianity
which makes us immune to a severe dose.” James does seek to rid us of our
complacency with that “mild form” of the gospel.” It is not that this kind of
person “possesses no Christian convictions; it is rather that his Christian
convictions do not completely possess him.” James challenges us to give
evidence of our convictions, not with words alone, but also deeds.
That is why James reads more like a
sermon than a letter. In fact, there are at least fourteen similarities between
James and the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5,6 and 7. Of the l08 verses of
James, there are around 60 mandates intended to help the reader to understand
how we should live. If we follow these imperatives, we will demonstrate that
our faith is more than empty beliefs, more than a mild and ineffectual case of
Christianity.
GOSPEL WISDOM
There is also an affinity between James and
the Bible’s wisdom writings, particularly the Book of Proverbs. James abounds
in short, pithy, proverbial statements. For example:
--“Count it all joy,
my brethren, when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing of
your faith produces steadfastness” (1:2);
--“If any of you lacks
wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without
reproaching, and it will be given him” (1:5).
--“Let the lowly
brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like
the flower of the grass he will pass away” (1:9);
--“Let every man be
quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not work
the righteousness of God” (1:19,20).
Another
of James’ wisdom mandates is one of the best known and is the major theme, not
only of chapter one, but also of the whole letter: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (1:22).
The word of God that we hear in Sunday worship is of little consequence if we
do not incorporate that word into our lives and make it the ground of our
living. Those who only hear, but do not do the faith are cursed with a mild
form of Christianity, deceiving both themselves and others that they are
followers of Jesus.
WONDERFUL WORDS
I have been reading,
United Methodism At Forty, a
kaleidoscopic report on what has taken place in the
denomination, the
The churches are gifted with wonderful words,
but these can also be a curse when they become substitutes for deeds. While to
outsiders it may seem that the essence of being Christian is to argue to get
the words “right,” in reality we are called to witness, not wrangle.
Having
cautioned Christians to “be doers of
the word, and not hearers only,” James follows with one of the many
applications of that teaching: misusing the tongue in a manner destructive to
the gospel. The faith that is all talk and nothing else is a religion in vain.
But, “Religion that is pure and
undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in
their afflicting, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (1:26,
27). To do it, not just talk about it, requires a serious case of Christian
discipleship.
THE BIBLE SPEAKS
by
WALKING
THE WALK
Background Scripture:
James 2
Devotional
Matthew 25:31-46.
Because
he perceived that the Letter of James undermined his doctrine of “salvation by
grace and faith alone,” Martin Luther branded this New Testament book as “a
right strawy epistle.” Many generations of Christians have thus assumed that
Paul and Luther are in serious conflict with James over the subject of faith
and works: that Paul teaches salvation by faith, while James espouses salvation
by works.
This,
however, is a false dichotomy, for Paul and James are basically on the same
side of this question, although they use the terms “faith” and “works”
differently. For Paul, “faith” is a trust in God alone that governs our lives.
But when James speaks of “faith,” he is referring to beliefs that we hold in
our minds, even though they do not basically govern the way that we live. The
“works” of which James writes do not save us. But they are evidence that our
faith goes beyond mere ideas and beliefs.
In other words, talking the talk is not
enough; we must also walk the walk. But many Christians never get around to
walking the walk. We may memorize the teachings of Jesus, but if we do not live
those teachings we neither help ourselves or others.
NO
PARTIALITY
The writer of James gives us a specific
example that is just as applicable today as it was when he wrote his epistle: “My
brethren, show no partiality as you hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Lord of glory. For if a man with gold rings and in fine clothing comes into
your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and you pay
attention to the one who wears the fine clothing, and say ‘Have a seat here,
please,’ while you say to the poor man, ‘Stand there,’ or ‘Sit at my feet,’ have
you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil
thoughts?’” (2:1-5).
At one time,
William Barclay reminds us that Jesus himself
was known as one who showed “no partiality” (Lk. 21). During his vision of the
great sheet of clean and unclean animals, Peter learned that with God there is
no partiality (Acts 10:34). In his epistle to the Romans, Paul wrote that “God
shows no partiality” (2:11), and he expands upon this in Ephesians 6:9 and
Colossians
3:25. So why did Christianity lose
DESPITE
THE TALK
James’ example in 2:1-5 is appropriate. Why?
Not because the teaching is unknown, but because it is so often not practiced.
How about your church? If a well-dressed financially and socially successful
person comes into your church, is he or she treated differently than someone
who comes in clothing tattered and torn? Would your ushers seat a poor woman in
the same pew with a woman in stylish and expensive attire? I hope that your
church could pass that test, but I have been in churches where the deference to
the rich and powerful was all too evident.
When the World Council of Churches held its
assembly in Evanston IL, the local Chamber of Commerce insisted that citizens,
and especially those who were hosting delegates, should “forget their
prejudices” for the seventeen days. But Lawrence Fisher commented that
seventeen days are not enough for the Christian, who “must forget his
prejudices forever.”
THE BIBLE SPEAKS
by
YOUR
UNINTENDED
LIBRARY
Background Scripture:
James 3
Devotional
Proverbs 15:1-4;
16:21-24.
I rather imagine that James 3:1 is not
much quoted from either our pulpits or in parish newsletters: “Let not many of you become teachers, my
brethren, for you know that we who teach shall be judged with greater
strictness.” It is hard enough finding and enlisting teachers for our
Sunday schools without frightening them off with those words of warning.
Yet, I don’t think the writer of James
penned these words to scare off potential teachers, but to alert them to the
seriousness of such a calling. James is warning his readers not to lightly or
unthinkingly take up the ministry of teaching, just as Jesus warns us as his
disciples.
The Danish theologian, Soren Kierkegaard writes: “Would-be theologians…must be on their guard lest by beginning too soon
to preach they rather chatter themselves into Christianity than live themselves
into it and find themselves at home there.”
Preachers and teachers mat get by with merely chattering, telling things
they do not know and advocating lives they do not live. They are not so much
teachers of the gospel as they are spiritual entertainers. I have observed that
often adult Sunday school classes are involved primarily in spiritual
entertainment.
POPULAR TEACHERS
I have also found that, as many
prospective teachers are daunted by the responsibility of their teaching, there
are also many who become overconfident, even arrogant in their role as
teachers. Popularity is not the sole measure of a good teacher. In fact there
have been many times after I’ve taught a class that I have been uneasy because
everyone seemed so agreeable. I wonder: did they not hear what I said? John Ruskin
believed that “a popular preacher is admired by the majority of his
congregation for the worst parts of his sermon”! So may teachers.
In cataloguing the qualities of a good
Christian teacher I would place humility before either eloquence or intellect.
James says, “For we all make many
mistakes, and if anyone makes no mistake in what he says he is a perfect man”
(1:2). Despite what we may assume, there was only one person, Jesus Christ,
whom a Christian may call “perfect.”
Despite the sobering first verse, and
its warning to Christian teachers, James 3 is actually focused on the power for
good and evil of human speech. I have observed that some people seem to be
Christian in almost everything, except in their use of the gift of speech.
STICKS, STONES &
WORDS
Perhaps we do not fully realize how important it is to be Christian in
what we say or do not say, but James demonstrates the power of the human tongue
with three analogies. Like horses, the tongue must be bridled so that it does
not run wild. Or the tongue may be
compared
to the tiny rudder
that determines the direction of a great ship. A few spoken words may have
great consequences for evil or good. As James puts it, “How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire” (1:5b). Children may chant, “Sticks and
stones may break my bones, but words will never touch me,” but words can hurt
and break us every bit as much as sticks and stones.
In our pre-marital “Fit-To-Be-Tied” workshops, Valere and I caution
prospective couples against using words to hurt the other person: “Unless you
intend to inflict emotional wounds, do not use words as a weapon.” This doesn’t
mean clam up and say nothing, but choosing words carefully, not to condemn the
other person, but to explain how we feel.
It is also wise to choose our words, not just with spouses, but children,
neighbors, friends, associates and even perceived enemies. James says we can
test our words by their fruits (1:16-18).
It is estimated that in a day’s time an articulate person will utter some
30,000 words. Put into print these words would amount to a fair-sized book
every day of our lives. In a lifetime, these volumes could fill a college
library. Would it not be poetic justice if, appearing before our Maker, we
first had to read all the words we’ve spoken in life!
THE BIBLE SPEAKS
by
WHO’S WAITING
ON WHOM?
Background Scripture:
James 4
Devotional
Proverbs 3:13-18.
The other day someone said his favorite
Bible verse during the current political campaign is Psalms 12:2, “How long, O Lord?”
It does seem unending, doesn’t it? How
long will the politicians continue their mealy-mouthed deceptions? How long
with the newspapers and television commentators glory in issues that are really
not issues? How long will we be alienated from our family members, friends and
neighbors by political ideology? How long will the fabric of American society
be torn asunder between Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives?
The Letter of James tells us that the
fracture in our society is the result of a great civil war that is fought
within each of us. The divisions within us produce the divisions without. Each
of us is a kind of walking civil war. “What
causes wars, and what causes fightings among you? Is it not your passions that
are at war in your members? You desire and do not have; so you kill. And you
covet and cannot obtain; so you fight and wage war” (4:1, 2). The war
within is a struggle between godliness and worldliness, between the pleasures
of this world and the pleasure of serving God
ENMITY WITH GOD
Because I love this world that God has made, I am always a little unnerved
when James says, “Do you not know that
friendship with the world is enmity with God?” (4:4). But then I
realize that the “world” of which he is speaking is our society, what human
beings make of God’s world. Seeking worldly pleasures engenders conflict,
strife and division. The “Pleasure Principle” seduces us from the love and
compassion to which God calls us. It is not that we must choose between
pleasure and God, but that we are called to find our greatest and most ultimate
pleasure in putting God first. To put worldly pleasure first is to put God
second, and to put God second is to banish him from our lives.
I don’t think I’m unduly pessimistic when I observe that in my lifetime I
have seen an explosion of materialism in our society that is comparable to the
destructive power of a nuclear weapon. Yes, I use a computer to write “The
Bible Speaks,” and I have television with satellite reception. I cool our house
with air conditioning and communicate with a brace of wireless telephones. But
for all these labor-saving devices and 21st Century technology, are
we a happier, more joyful, more gracious people? Is the murder rate going down
and are fewer people starving in our midst? Are we any further from mutual
nuclear annihilation and are we any closer to making good the perennial promise
that we make after each war: “Never again!”?
GRACE TO THE HUMBLE
James reminds us: “’God opposes
the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (4:6). As Christians, are we
any more humble before God? Humility leads us to recognize our dependence
upon God even, or
especially in the midst of tribulation and seeming defeat. So, if we are “wretched, mourn and weep” and our
laughter is “turned to mourning”
and our “joy to dejection,” we
can still experience the grace of God. “Humble
yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you” (4:10).
To recognize our dependence upon God is not weakness, but strength. “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow
we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and get
grain’; whereas you do not know about tomorrow…Instead you ought to say. ‘If
the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that’” (4:13,15).
We ask, “How long, O Lord, how long?”
And God replies, “How long, my
child, how long?”
THE BIBLE SPEAKS
by
A SERIOUS CASE OF DISCIPLESHIP
Background Scripture:
James 5.
Devotional
1 Thessalonians
5:16-22.
Perhaps in the last four weeks you may
have wondered just who was this “James” whose name graces the New Testament
book. Maybe you have also noticed that the writer of James mentions Jesus
Christ only twice in the five chapters, 1:1 and 2:1. You may even have wondered
whether or not this “James” is James, the brother of Jesus, and the leader of
the early Christian community in
Although there has been a tradition that
the author is the brother of Jesus, it is highly unlikely because of content,
style and historical evidence that space doesn’t permit me to present.
Actually, we do not know and probably will never discover the identity of the
author.
It is believed by a
good number of scholars that most of the content of this book was originally by
a Jewish writer and that a Christian writer or editor transformed it for use
among the followers of Jesus.
But none of the above really matters, does it, because it is the content
of his message, his
witness to Christ that makes the Letter of
James an appropriate book of the New Testament. After all, Jesus was a devout
Jew and his ministry was initially directed to fellow Jews. The early Church
was primarily composed of Jewish followers of Jesus and a little more than
two-thirds of our Bible is composed of the Jewish scriptures, which we call the
Old Testament. Furthermore, the majority of the teachings of Jesus can be found
in some form in the Old Testament. (See The Cross
In The Old Testament by Christian theologian and biblical scholar H.
Wheeler Robinson, Westminster Press, 1955.)
CHRISTIAN
LIVING
I have noted all of the above because
there may be Christians who would join Martin Luther is declaring The Letter of
James as “An epistle of straw” (a document of no more authoritative weight than
slivers of straw). Try living this book if you think it is light-weight!
James, as we’ve already noted, is quite
similar to the wisdom literature and proverbs of the Old Testament. Rather than
dealing with doctrines, the purpose of this book is to teach the Christian how
to live his or her daily life, presenting us with guidelines that can keep our
witness from becoming “a mild form of the gospel” in which words of faith leave
little room for acts of faith.
As I have already written, the general
theme of James is found in 1:22: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers
only, deceiving yourselves,” and that theme underlies the imperatives
of the fifth and final chapter. James begins with what appears to be a warning
to
the rich, but it is actually a warning to Christians
about the dangers of wealth. Accumulating riches is folly, because wealth is
fleeting and transitory; besides, accumulating material riches, he says,
usually involves cheating and stealing from others (5:1-6).
DOING ‘PATIENCE’
Secondly,
James counsels us to be patient in our faith. The analogy of the farmer waiting
patiently for his crops is still effective, even though few of us today have
any background in agriculture. Waiting patiently is not the same as doing
nothing. In practical terms, true faith involves steadfastness and that is
being “doers of the word.” (5:7-11).
Finally, James
delivers five imperatives that may seem unrelated: “Is any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him
sing praise. Is any among you sick? Let him call fore the elders of the church,
and let them pray over him…Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray
for one another... if any one among you wanders from the truth and someone
brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error
of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” (5:13-20).
Actually, all of
these are about being “doers” and not just “hearers” of the Gospel and making sure
our level of Christian discipleship is the “serious case” it is supposed to be!