James 2

Introduction

James chapter 2 speaks about the undesirable practice of partiality and discrimination, in this case against the poor and needy. Both the act of discrimination against the unfortunate, as well the failure in doing good deeds to help them are equally condemned by this church leader. The main theme is that faith without works is dead.

James 2:1-7

Scripture: James 2:1-4:​ "My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?"

Observation: James continued with a practical application of how believers should be impartial to the needy and the poor among them. The body of Christ is designed and intended to support and care for each member so that the love of shod is evident in each one. Pre-believers will know our faith is true by our unbiased love for one another.

Application: from proverbs we are asked to do the following :

Proverbs 14:31 Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.

Proverbs 17:5 Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker; he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 19:17 Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.


James 2:8-13

Scripture: James 2:10 "For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgement." 

Observation: James continued to teach against partiality in the church. On a broader sense, its about Christians judging one another. Perhaps it's about financial status, or race , or denomination, or worship style, or even personality. We must remember God deliberately create differences in people so that they can complement each other. Differences ought to be celebrated, not condemned.

Application: we should stop judging other believers because we are not perfect ourselves. James said if we break one law, then we have broken all laws, just like anyone else. Thus rather than judging, we should be more inclined to showing mercy.


James 2:14-19

Scripture: James 2:17 "So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead."
Observation: In Ephesians 2:8-9, Paul clearly taught “by grace you have been saved through faith . . . not a result of works”. Did James contradict Paul here by saying works count for salvation top? No, I believe James would agree that the basis of salvation is grace alone through faith, but the necessary result of true faith and conviction of the Holy Spirit residing in the believer will produce actions consistent with Christ teachings. Many people did not read one verse further in Ephesians 2:10: "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. "
Application: it is not easy to follow the impulse of the Spirit, for our natural self have opposite instinct to protect our self and our own interest." Christians' who consistently resist good works (and good attitude and behavior) risk having their conscience seared (burnt to become numb) and have their salvation doubted.


James 2:20-26
Scripture: James 2:24 "You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith."

Observation: Some people think that Christianity is a crutch for people who wants to avoid good works by relying on faith only to get into heaven. Every sin is forgiven by faith, a very good excuse for escaping responsibility, wouldn't you say? But that is not true. The Bible teaches us that while faith saves us from eternal death, deeds saves us from judgement. 2 Corinthians 5:10: "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil."

Application: Jesus reminded the people to count the cost of following him. Christianity is not a free ticket into heaven but a life of sacrifice, very often making decisions and doing things that you don't want or hate to do (like Abraham willing to sacrifice Isaac) , in obedience to our Master Jesus Christ.

Prayers for James 2

Father, help me to rid of any sinful discrimination against anyone because of their status, race, or abilities, but to develop Christ 's love to the poor and needy especially in the body of Christ.  Help me to be quicker to show acceptance, forgiveness and mercy, rather than criticism, judgment and partiality, just as the Lord Jesus has shown me the same.  

Lord,  show me the actions, behavior and attitudes you want me to change and give me the grace to change them through the renewal of my mind (my point of view and perspectives) so that I can "prove" the salvation given to me.

Lastly, help me to put your desires ahead of my own, and give me Grace to do the things I don't want to do in order to do the things you want me to do and to love the things that you love. 

Amen.

James 1

Word SOAP refers to short studies of passages in the Bible using a simple SOAP framework - Scripture reference, Observation, Application, and Prayer. In this series we embark of the epistle of James. Each blog is one chapter of James. For ease of reading, we shall move the Prayer to the end of each chapter, rather than each passage. 

The epistle of James is believed to be written by Jesus' half-brother, James. He became a prominent leader of the church in Jerusalem, whom Paul met in Galatians 1:19. The letter was written around 49AD to the Jewish Christians who were scattered in the Mediterranean due to persecution. The purpose of the letter was to encourage them in their trials, and also to ensure that these new, distant Christians continue to be genuine in their faith and deeds. 

The letter can be divided into three major sections: 

Genuine Religion (1:1-27)

Genuine Faith (2:1 - 3:12)

Genuine Wisdom (3:13 - 5:20)

James is relevant to many Christians today who treat Christianity as a Sunday social activity, professing to be Christians but living a worldly lives, concerned only about self. James' teaching is to awaken us from dead faith into a dynamic, practical faith.

James chapter 1 asks Christians to stand firm in their trials, and at the same time avoid falling into temptations. This balance requires wisdom, which we should constantly ask from God, and we should never doubt that whatever God put in front of us is for our own good. James reminds us to be doers of the Word, not hearers only, and not to obey partially - only things that are convenient to us. And finally, to give consideration to one another, practicing Genuine religion that comes from serving the needs of others.

James 1:1

Scripture: Jesus, though God, did not equal himself to God but took a humble position of a slave and born as a human being. (Phil 2:6-7)

Christ loves the church and gives himself up for her, and to wash her clean with his word (Ephesians 5:25-27)

Observation: James, the brother of Jesus and leader of the early church likewise did not use his relationship with Jesus and his rights to overrule the church but served as a servant of God. The church can be messy and relating to Christians can sometimes be uncomfortable or inconvenient. But if we love Christ, then we ought to love those he loves and died for,  no matter from which church. This is the same in our family who are all Christians. We must stick together no matter what circumstances.

Application: May we yield our "rights" and pride to God and not make ourselves more important than others. Learn to relate to one another, serve each other, accept the differences and forgive offenses. If everyone does this then the world will see the difference in Christianity.

James 1:2-4

Scripture: Trials are special occasions for rejoicing because suffering produces character and character produces hope. (Rom 5:3-4)

Observation: Conversely,  wrong response or reaction to trials produces anxiety, anger, despair,  bitterness,  etc, which produce negative view of life (non-hope).

Application: True joy in trials reflect our view of Christ sufficiency in our lives and that God only gives us good things, even if we can't see it now.  Joy is the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

James 1:5-8

Scripture: if anyone lacks wisdom...  Let him ask in faith... For the one who doubts...is double minded, unstable in all his ways (James 1:5-8)

Observation: we must not practice "selective" hearing and obedience to the word of God.  That is, hearing only the parts that is convenient to us and ignoring the parts  we don't want to do. God's wisdom is only effective in our lives if the bible is the total and only authority in our lives.

Application: do we come across verses or preaching that we don't want to hear or do? All the more, pay attention to these and ask God to help us renew our minds in these very areas.

James 1:9-11

Scripture: let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation,  and the rich in his humiliation. (James 1:9-10)

Observation: when you start working, you realise that people are treated differently depending on wealth and ranks in the office. Not so in God's eyes. Everyone is equal in the church of God.

Application: may we also not exalt ourselves or see ourselves better than others who are less fortunate in riches or in physical abilities, or even those who are caught in sin. We could have been worse if not for the grace of God.

James 1:12-15

Scripture: blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial,  for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life.... But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when conceived gives birth to sin, and... Brings forth death. (James 1:12-15)

Observation: there are two types of sufferings. A suffering caused by trials from God, and suffering caused by temptation caused by our own desires. On the former, we are asked to persevere and rejoice for it brings godliness and life.  But the latter brings sin and death. Sometimes trials can turn into temptation when we take things into our own hands or misapply the scripture,  just as Eve did when she disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden. 

Application: Never try to get out of trials suffering (which is beneficial) by going against scriptural teachings as it leads to more suffering with sorrow. That's why James ask us to pray for wisdom to know how to respond to trials appropriately, or you can seek parents or mature Christians  for advise when unsure.

James 1:16-18

Scripture: every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, from the Father of lights with whom there is no shadow due to change. (James 1:17)

Observation: notice that there is a good gift and a perfect gift. In the original Greek manuscript, those two "gift" words are different. One is the initial act of giving and the second is when a gift is perfected. Sometimes we receive something from God - say, a new friend, or being grouped with some strangers, or a work assignment, or a room mate, or a temporary job,  etc which we didn't think too highly about or even dislike. But God has a plan for us,  that when we faithfully live out Christ likeness in each situation, we realise that over time, the gift was actually perfect.  God knows what we need more than we know ourselves.

Application:  do not despise what God has given you now. It may seem nothing or even undesirable, but trust God's wisdom and work along with Him so that the gift will be perfect in hind sight.

James 1:19-20

Scripture: Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;  for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.  (James 1:19-20)

Observation: quick to hear,  slow to speak -  we must first try to understand what the other person is saying, before trying to be understood. One good method is to ask questions to confirm your understanding, before jumping to conclusion and reply quickly which leads to misunderstanding and quarrels. 

Slow to anger -  here the word anger refers also to indignation, vengeance and wrath. There is no place for these in a Christian. Ephesians 4:31-32 says: "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." 

Proverbs 14:29 also says: "Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly."

Application: check yourself the next time you get into a discussion with someone. Do you get "agitated" quickly or do you stay calm with the objective of reaching an amicable (agreeable) compromise? Memorise this passage in James.

James 1:22-25

Scripture: James 1:22 "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing "

Observation: a missionary once reported that many churches that had a revival only last about one generation before they decline and become insignificant. And he concludes that it's because the Bible has lost its authority in the church. To many Christians, the bible is like a suggestion book. You can read it, but it's not mandatory that you must obey everything. You choose which part you want to obey and which part to ignore.

Application: ignoring what we don't like to see in the bible is self deceiving and is a sin. Doing so is like "subtracting"  the Word to something less, and Revelation says anyone doing so will be cursed (opposite of blessed promised in James).

James 1:26-27

Scripture: James 1:26 "If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."

Observation: James gives four characteristics of one who “does” the word.

(1) He controls his tongue (from cursing/insulting/complaining/gossiping /etc. )

(2) He is not self-deceived (wrong doctrine/ partial obedience/ unconvicted of sin). Grounded in the word and the word is his authority.

(3) He shows mercy and love to those in need of help. Orphans and widows used to be examples of the helpless, but today there are others we can help.

(4) He remains unstained from the world.  Not that anyone can be sinless but the person is convicted, confess and repents.

Action: to remember the 4 and seek to practice it.

Prayer for James Chapter 1

Father, firstly we lift up our church leaders, as they do the work of teaching, pastoring and serving the flock,  just as James did. Grant them wisdom and perseverance as they face the pressure of time and stress in their responsibilities.

Help us to truly love our brothers and sisters and our family members, though we may be different and sometimes offend one another due to our selfish ways. Help us to forgive one another to preserve the unity of our fellowship in you. 

Lord, in our trials, give us patience and wisdom to obey and have God's perspective in all things, so that out of trials we don't become despair but rather more equipped to serve others who are suffering.

Like looking into the mirror, brings to our minds daily areas we ought to change as we faithfully read your word, and that our hearts are recipient to the change. Help me to obey every part of your counsel, and be a doer of your Word, not a hearer only.

Humble me and help me to love the less fortunate, to count my blessings, and to be contented with what God has given me while being a good steward of His provisions and to be generous in sharing with all who has needs. 

Give me wisdom to know the right thing to do when under trials or when tempted, and the grace to obey his word  even if it causes me to bear the suffering that leads to Christ-likeness. 

Help me to accept the circumstances and people that You have placed around me, for all good things come from you though I may not be able to see the silver lining now but will continue to trust in you that you can turn even ashes into something beautiful in my life.

Help me to be an active instrument of peace, and to control my frustration and anger when I'm offended or when things do not go my way. Rather, help me put on the meekness of Christ and answer everyone with Grace, so that they can see you and your love for them.

Amen.