Studying the book of James recently
has confirmed in me a growing conviction that what God is offering us in Christ
surpasses exceedingly the generic blend of Christianity on the shelves of most
Christian storefronts. There is a rich vein of infinite value waiting to be
mined by anyone willing to forsake all sources of security and venture forward
into a life of transforming faith.
In verse 5 of the first chapter
James informs those believers spread throughout the provinces of the Roman
Empire, who undoubtedly faced a plethora of real problems; problems related to
their spiritual lives, their political lives and certainly to their family
lives, to simply ask God for the wisdom needed to live as He expected them to
live within the context of their unique surroundings. What James unpacks in the
following chapters is that many of the recipients of his letter were mixing the
wisdom of the world with their perceptions of the Christian faith and finding
it impossible to properly reflect the kind of lives indicative of the ONE who
saved them. For example, consider this passage in James 3:13–17 (NIV84),
13
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by
deeds done in the humility that comes
from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish
ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come
down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16
For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every
evil practice. 17 But the
wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving,
considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
James points out that the “wisdom”
that is the default wisdom for all of us born in sin is demonic at its source
and therefore fully motivated by selfishness. One can only possess the wisdom
that comes from God, when God is asked and asked with the right intentions. (ch.4:3)
Those intentions must desire the fruit of that wisdom, which is righteousness,
love, mercy etc., (ch.3:17-18), to the fullest degree.
In other words, James points out
that the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is much more devastating to our
fallen nature than might be originally understood. God, in Christ, has not
simply sent his Son to die so that we might experience a few special religious
moments in this life and then go on to heaven. Nor did Jesus die for us to
essentially live a pretty good life, try and keep our noses clean, treat others we agree with as best we can and hope it’s good enough to get us to the pearly gates. No, Jesus death is the death of me, the death of
you, the death of all who desire to find their “new” life in Him. The death of
my old nature fights vehemently against such a thing, but God will accept
nothing less than the death of my old man.
He desires righteousness in me, and
not merely surface righteousness that is practiced among the good religious
folks, but internal righteousness that is the outcome of a transformed heart.
This is the righteousness that bears heavenly fruit, the kind of fruit that ministers to the orphan, cares for the widow; it is the fruit of a transformed character willing to forsake all to follow Jesus; the fruit that is ready and willing to pray for and even minister to our enemy. It appears to me that James is seeking to reorient his readers to the true nature of our calling in Christ, namely, Transformation!
We have a few more studies in the
book of James. I hope that you are finding the most resent messages as
challenging and edifying as I have and that you are looking forward to what God
will teach us as we conclude our study through this amazing book in the Bible.
May all we do bring glory and honor to our LORD.
Seeking the Wisdom from Above, Pastor David Gibbs
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