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James 2:14-17 Commentary

¹⁴What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? ¹⁵If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, ¹⁶and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? ¹⁷So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Discerning Real Faith

How do you know if your faith is alive? In other words, what tells you that your faith is real? If someone stopped you on the street tomorrow and asked, “How can you tell if a person has true faith,” would you be able to give that person an answer? Questions like these are invariably raised when studying this portion of James letter. Verses 14-26 are, without doubt, the most controversial words in the entire letter of James. They seem to fly in the face of teachings such as those found in the letters of Paul. We will address that soon enough. However, I want to focus this commentary only on what James presents. So before we discuss any external controversy and potentially move away from the larger point James is presenting in these verses, let’s first deal with the material at hand. James doesn’t ask questions like those that I asked at the beginning of this section so let’s first put what James asks us under the microscope.

“What good is it my brothers if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?” Reflexively answer these questions without reading anything else. What did you come up with? Here was my gut response: It is faith, not works, that saves us. If works could save us it would make the necessity of Christ non-essential. It would mean that there is something that we can do on our own to provide saving grace to ourselves. So “can that faith save him”? Yes. Of course it can. Yet James is going to take us down an unanticipated avenue.

“If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?” Reflexively answer that question while factoring in your response to James previous questions. To be honest, if I only consider what has been asked thus far I could see how you might find yourself thinking, “What exactly does all this have to do with one another?” But answer this third question anyway. My gut response is this: Obviously it’s no good to wish someone in need good tidings only to turn your back on them and not help them at all. You could help them but what you’re essentially saying is, “We hope everything works out for you and we hope that somebody lends you a hand but we’re not going to do it.” So what good is that? Obviously, it’s no good at all.  Where is James going with this elementary string of comparisons? He ties it all together with verse 17.

“So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” The comparison made in verses 15 through 16 makes much better sense when you consider the statement put forward in verse 17. I’m not going to step around what James is saying with a bunch of jargon so I’m going to put this as plain as I know how: James is saying that faith and works cannot be separated. If either of the two are removed from the equation the whole thing comes tumbling to the ground. Works without faith is dead. Faith without works is dead. The statements are interchangeable because one doesn’t work without the other.

It is in this way that we discern real faith. If someone has genuine faith you will be able to see it by their works. Now this is where a tremendous amount of confusion begins to creep into the picture. I think this is how the confusion begins: People forget that James tells us that you cannot separate faith from works or works from faith. Yet still people ask questions like, “So does that mean we are justified by works and not by faith?” Remember, you cannot separate the two things. YOU CANNOT TALK ABOUT FAITH WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT WORKS! YOU CANNOT TALK ABOUT WORKS WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT FAITH! James couldn’t possibly make this any clearer. This is one of those times where being very literal will help keep you grounded in what the text is trying to tell you. Now that I feel incredibly redundant let’s move forward.

Reconsidering the Questions of James

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?” In light of what we learned by reading the entirety of James 2:14-17 the answer would have to be yes and no. Can faith save us? Absolutely. Faith is powerful. (see Matthew 9:2,22,29; 15:28; 21:21,22….we could keep going right up through the gospels but I think you’re starting to get the point). Perhaps the bigger question is, “Can faith justify us in order to give us saving grace?” Yes it can but only if that faith is placed in Jesus. It is only the name of Jesus that saves. It is only faith in Jesus that brings saving grace to the believer. The question often asked is, “How can you tell someone who believes from someone who really doesn’t?” In other words, how do we sort out those who lie with their hearts but convince us with their tongues? This is the problem that James is confronting head on. He is not arguing that we can receive justification without Jesus. How does James say our souls can be saved? Notice he never argues that our works will save our souls. Isn’t that odd. Not once through his entire letter does he argue this. Why? Because he knows that it would be a false teaching and James is very careful to not be false to the truth. He has great reverence for God’s truth. That’s why he wrote, “Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your souls.” (James 1:21) James understands quite well that it is only through receiving Jesus that we could ever hope to save our souls. So let me amend my answer once more to the first two questions presented in James 2:14. Faith can save a person but only if that faith is alive. The way to know if that faith is alive is the ability to show, in the meekness of wisdom, that faith by your works. It is a simple test. In other words, do you have evidence that you are doing what the word of God says? Are you doers of the word or hearers only deceiving yourselves? If you do not know then that is most likely not a good sign. James has officially given us our litmus test. We now have in our hands the “Are You A Christian” test without the five easy installments of $29.99 a month. These opening questions as well as what supports them are suddenly under a harsh new light that should make us all squirm a little bit. These questions are those classic “re-examine yourself” questions that truly do separate those who are genuine from those simply looking for a social community to participate in. Yet these questions are absolutely essential and every Christian everywhere should be hitting themselves in the chest with such questions. What purpose does this serve? It helps us realize and do what it is that God demands of us. It should never leave our minds that we exist to execute God’s purpose in the world not our own private agendas.

Faith By Itself Is Dead

Dead is pretty final wouldn’t you say? We read verses in the scriptures like “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead,” and reflexively say to ourselves, “but they don’t mean like dead…dead…do they?” In the case of James 2:17 and 2:26 (which is what I quoted at the outset of this section), James used the Greek word “nekros”. Literal definitions of this word translate as lifeless, deceased, destitute of life, and inanimate, just to name a few. So James wasn’t saying that faith without works is “hemithanes” (which is the Greek word meaning half-dead…found in Luke 10:30). James was boldly pronouncing, without any intent to be misunderstood, that faith by itself is a dead, inanimate, destitute of life, thing. So I guess the line in that song “Have a little faith in me” is actually a falsehood…(I’ll admit that I did love that movie Scrooged…which just so happened to have that song as its end credits theme)………….umm………back to the commentary….. Apparently, you can’t have a little faith. You either have it or it’s dead. James doesn’t make any concessions for middle ground here. If you’ve ever heard someone say, “My faith really isn’t what it should be,” then perhaps what they’re actually saying is that their faith is dead. Or perhaps I’m being a bit brazen. I do believe that there are varying maturities of faith. You can find support for this in verses like 1 Corinthians 3:2 and Hebrews 5:12,14. In fact, let’s take a moment to consider Hebrews 5:14 for a moment. This verse says, “But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” I believe this verse is evidence of a person who has been sharpened by the testing of their faith. You see that their “powers of discernment” have been trained by “constant practice”. Constant practice in what? Being a doer of the word. For example, you can read all the books about playing basketball that you want but it will never do you any good until you get out there, play in a lot of games, and sharpen your skills through practical experience. This, although I admit it is kind of a goofy example, would be an illustration of taking what you learned by reading, then applying it by doing it, and through constant practice you became better at doing what the book told you to do. Granted, almost no one I know learns how to play basketball by first reading a book about it but hopefully the principle is well enough demonstrated.

So what is it that energizes faith with life? James says that it is works. In an illustration James will give us later he makes the point that faith is active along with works and faith is completed by works. This makes perfect sense when you take a moment to think about it. Here again we’re back to the notion that faith and works are absolutely essential to one another. The simple fact of the matter is that if you have truly alive faith, then works will naturally pour out of it. Your faith, if it is alive, will be a wellspring from which “doing the word of God” naturally flows out. However, if you’re the passive kind of person (like I sadly find myself sometimes being) who doesn’t really engage in doing the word God then your faith may very well be destitute of life.

Perhaps now I’ve made us all a little paranoid. Now you might be thinking to yourself, “O my goodness, I failed to do the word of God today…does that mean that my faith is dead…have I been false to God…have I ever been authentic with him…I’ve been doing good at doing the word all week but I failed today…my faith must be dead…” Listen, we all will fail at one point or another. This does not mean that our faith is dead. It means that we sinned and we need to confess then ask for forgiveness. After that we need to reconvict our hearts to delve deeply and meaningfully into the word of God so that we would know how to honor God as the sovereign creator that he is. We must praise God with every facility in our lives. I know that has become a recurrent statement with me in this commentary but I don’t believe it becomes any less true with repetition. Let us simply heed the advice of James to close this section, “Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your souls.” 

James 2:8-13 Commentary

James 2:8-13

“⁸If you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well. ⁹But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. ¹⁰For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. ¹¹For he who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. ¹²So speak and act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. ¹³For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

Introduction

In verses 8 through 13 James sharply focuses his dissecting lens with some very practical advice. As you read through these verses a good question to hold firmly in your mind is, “Do the choices of my life and my daily conduct convict me as a transgressor against God’s law of truth?” James opens by giving us an assurance. Verse 8 says, “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well.” In other words James is saying that if you uphold the standard which God expects, not requests, from you, then you are doing well. This takes us back to the lessons of James 1:22, “But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” Though we have chiseled through many verses since 1:22 we have never really left the point of “doing the word.” In verse 8 of chapter 2 James gives us an example of someone who is doing the word. So the practical example in verse 8 is that if you love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing the word. But James immediately contrasts this in verse 9, “But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” Verse 9 stands out as an example of someone who would be guilty of failing to uphold the word of God. Yet there is even more to be found in verse 9. I want you to hold the phrase “convicted by the law” and the word “transgressors” in your mind.

Convicted By The Law

To what law is James referring in verse 9? Since this law convicts us as transgressors in our sinful state we ought to have some idea of what the law is. James introduced this law back in chapter 1 verse 25, “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.” So we know the law that James is referring to is perfect. This perfect law is called the law of liberty. Now we must begin tying a few strings together in order for this make sense. Liberty is freedom. Freedom is salvation. How do we, as sinful humans trapped in a state of depravity, receive freedom? There is but one way that the Bible teaches. Remember the words of James 1:21, “Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” In order to receive the imputed righteousness of Jesus we have to bring ourselves to a state of humility and receive with meekness the name that can save our souls. That name is Jesus. So the law of liberty is represented by Jesus. This law of liberty is described as perfect so it is easy to derive that God must create this law. Why can we say that? Because God is the only perfect being in the entirety of creation so He is the only being capable of creating perfection. But what does all this mean for the one who, as James says, looks into the perfect law and perseveres?

Jesus taught many things while he was fully human. These teachings were more than just insightful lessons on living. They were commands. A command is not like a request. A request is something that is asked as a favor or a courtesy. A command is a direction with specific authority. The fact of the matter is that if we look into the law of liberty represented in Jesus and consider the scope of God’s word as a request we will always have a flimsy theology regarding perseverance and steadfastness in God’s expectations of those who would love him. However, if we look into the law of liberty and “persevere being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts” James teaches that we will be blessed in our doing. This requires effort. What does that mean exactly? It should be pretty obvious. James has been driving home the concept of “doing the word” so ask yourself what the word says. If you see what the word says and find yourself doing very little, if any, of it then the law convicts you as transgressors. There is no “but…but…wait…doesn’t that mean….but….um….” No. Excuses have no place here. Neither James nor any other author in the Bible ever give credence to the idea that we can barter with God in order to do things any other way than God has specifically directed. So I believe that James is saying, “Don’t look at the word and then try to make it mean what you desire. The word of God says what God desires and that’s the end of the story!”

I think that too often we are lulled into this sense that the New Testament doesn’t ask that much of us. I think I was once lulled into this nonsense. James is great at reminding us that God expects much from us and that the cost is great for those that fail. The word of God should motivate us. It should spurn us into action. If it does not then we are guilty. Guilty of what and judged by whom? If we fail to do the word then we have become transgressors of God’s law and will be judged by God himself. James points out in the fourth chapter of his letter that, “There is only one lawgiver and one judge, he who is able to save and to destroy.” (James 4:12) James is obviously speaking of God.

Transgressors

Most likely the word “transgressor” is not a part of your everyday language. So perhaps it doesn’t mean much to you when someone calls you a transgressor. Simply put, a transgressor is one who violates laws or commands. For example, every time you break the speed limit law you become a transgressor of the law. In other words, if you are called a transgressor it means that you are being accused of being a lawbreaker. If you’re not feeling the full weight of being a transgressor just yet I’m hoping that the following scripture will help weigh you down a little bit. James 4:4 says, “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” This verse is an illustration of what a transgressor is choosing if not God. If you knowingly and unrepentantly choose to ignore what you know is right, then for you it is sin. (see James 4:17) You choose to be a transgressor. The same would be true in the case of James 4:4. If you desire to follow the ways of the world then there is no in between. You cannot divide your loyalties between the world and God. If you choose to follow and be faithful to anything besides God then you knowingly choose to be an enemy of God. You say with all your heart that you have the audacity to stand opposed to the creator of the cosmos. You defy he who is able to save and to destroy. If that doesn’t really bother you, if it doesn’t quake you down to your very foundation then you have no concept of humility or submission. You are a whore. That’s what James is saying. You might think, “Uh, Chad….aren’t you being a bit harsh.” I don’t think that I am. James calls his audience “adulterous people” in 4:4. What could he mean by that? He means that though people may claim to be faithful to God they offer up their lives to many other things beside God. This is what makes them whores. This is what makes them adulterous people. So by saying that someone is a transgressor the law we are also saying that they choose to make themselves an enemy God. They choose to run around on God. They choose to be adulterous, unfaithful people. Don’t think for a moment that none of us “good Christians” could ever be incapable of doing this. I know that for a long time I was adulterous towards God. I chose so many things over him. I worshipped the things of the world but I did not have any genuine passion for him. I did not live for him. And in doing all these things I showed contempt for all his ways. I failed in the worst way and I did it knowingly. I knew what was right and constantly failed to do it. I was okay with my sin for so long believing that it wasn’t really that big a deal. Hear me, anyone who is reading this. I plead with you like a desperate man. Don’t do these things. Seek the perfect law, the law of liberty. Receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your souls. Humble yourself before the Lord. Draw near to him. Resist the devil. Cleanse your hands and purify you hearts. The other way is not worth it. It is all dust. Seek to be a steadfast servant. Be one who perseveres in doing the word. Do not be a hearer who forgets. Bury the transgressor in you every single day of your lives. Never let that side of you breathe. Choke the life out of it with the word of God. Smother it with the wonderful grace that God gives. This is real life. This is freedom. This is true liberty because it helps us not fail in worshipping God, in glorifying God, and honoring him with all that we are and all that he has given us.

The Hard Road of Accountability

Now that we have torn hard into the first two verses of our study here I would like to conclude with a few thoughts about verses 10 through 13. If you re-examine verses 10 and 11 you will see something that may deeply trouble you. Verse 10 says, “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.” Then James gives a practical illustration of this point with verse 11, “For he who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.” So what we’re seeing here is a theology that greatly challenges our conceptions combating sin. I hear Christian evangelists say all the time, “We are sinful, we always have been sinful, and we always will be sinful in the flesh.” While I would agree with that I also feel that there is an important lesson always omitted from this teaching. Just because we have a sin nature does not mean that we cannot learn to combat this nature. I believe that James is calling us to learn how to stand against our sinful nature and attempt to conquer it (as much as we are able) through the grace given by God. We know that we can never totally eradicate sin from our lives because if we could then that would mean that we could provide a righteousness all our own that would meet the righteousness requirement of the law of God. This goes against what scripture teaches. Jesus was the only one who could meet the righteous requirement of God that could bring salvation to the sinner. However, knowing that this is true often makes people slothful regarding their own battle with sin. God provides us with so much “ammunition” to fight our own sin that it is ridiculous to say that we could never discipline our lives. We can and we should. James is getting ready to take us down a very important avenue in his argument. He is going to examine faith. He is going to tell us how to know if it is alive or dead. He does this for a very practical reason that is born out of his argument of “doing the word”. I think part of what James is saying with verse 10 and 11 is this: Don’t settle for sin. Realize that whenever you sin it is an absolutely terrible thing. As I’ve said before, our sin should deeply trouble us. It should trouble us to the point where one of our great passions should become never doing that same sin again.

It is helpful to have someone who can help hold you accountable in this world. Someone you trust. Someone with whom you can confess your sins. This is part of what it means to be accountable. Accountability requires honesty and humility. As easy as that might be to say it is often much more difficult to actually do. The reason is quite obvious. No human being relishes in the act of admitting their own inadequacies. We may know people who seem this way but the truth is that the things that are most deep seeded and sting the most are the things you’ll find very few people ready to admit about themselves. So accountability from human to human is a good thing but it is not the only kind of accountability to realize.

Romans 9:1 says, “I am speaking the truth in Christ – I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit…” I know this verse goes on to describe something, namely the unceasing anguish in Paul’s heart for his kinsmen, but this very first bit struck me the first time I read it. The phrase “my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit” caught my attention because it seemed very personal. What I mean by this is that it seemed like what Paul was saying was that his conscience would not let him defile the name of Christ. It seemed like there was something inside Paul, a sense of accountability to God, that superceded all forms of accountability to other humans. A quick flash through the entirety of scripture helps drive this very point home in my mind. We should not want to not do certain things just because we think others may not approve. We should want to, as James says, keep ourselves unstained from the world so that we could serve the purpose of God without self-centered hindrances. If the word of God means anything to us then our conscience will bear us witness in the form of the Holy Spirit so that we would constantly be reminded of God’s sovereignty. God is the greatest accountability partner that we could ever have. Let that thought sink into your mind. Let your conscience tug at you when you are lured and enticed by your own desires to do something that runs counter to the will of God. Wear the word of God on your heart so that sin would not overcome you. Know what God demands of you then do it. James tells us in 4:7 how to do this very thing, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

Before I move on to my next point I want to take a moment to say that the point of all this is not merely one of guilt. If you’re at home, or at the office, or wherever and you’re reading this thinking to yourself, “I just feel depressed now,” I would respond to you by saying this: Do not let the words of James stunt your spiritual growth. Instead let it be like rain on the seed of your passion for God’s supremacy in all things. The purpose of challenging scriptures is not to defeat you but rather to lift you up. So let these exhortations from James do that very thing.

Speaking and Acting Defined

Verse 12 is a simple exhortation. “So speak and act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty.” Perhaps the simplest way to say this is to say that if you call yourself a Christian then you must speak and act like one. Christians really should not speak and act like the rest of the world. A Christian should be identifiable. Many different church cultures have tried to make this identification process happen in a number of shameful and graceful ways. The Bible gives us a perfect example of someone who was in a foreign culture, was tempted by all things of that culture, and yet had tremendous discipline in his life and a passion for God that all, including the Pharaoh of Egypt, saw and acknowledged. This man was Joseph. In Genesis 41:38 the Pharaoh says to his servants of Joseph, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?” This was what people connected with Joseph: That the Spirit of God was in him. Joseph lived his whole life in a pagan country yet never once compromised what he believed. He was a steadfast servant and a wonderful example for each of us. What do people most connect with you? I ask myself this same question and my answers kind of sadden me. Many people would know me as the hard-nosed band director. Yet this is not who I am at my core. Or is it? If it is what many people connect with me then I fear that perhaps I may be doing something wrong. I want to be more like Joseph. Every day I must realize that though I live under grace it does not exempt me from adhering myself to a standard of teaching from God’s word. I must remember that I too will one day be judged. I am under the law of liberty. I do not want to speak evil against that law. I want to be a doer of the word not a judge of the law. To do that I must know what the word says. I must know what the law of liberty commands of me. To this end I must resolutely hold words like that found in James 2:13 in my head. Verse 13 says, “For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

Not only is verse thirteen good common sense advice, it is also a word of caution for those who think they are more than they really are. Verse 13 helps us understand why we should not seek to become judges of the law but rather doers of the word. If we are doers of the word then we will have no real difficulty understanding that mercy is greater than judgment and if we fail to exercise mercy towards others in our own lives then we should expect no mercy when we are judged by he who is able to save and to destroy. To read the scriptures being referred to here please check out James 4:11-12. The entire chapter of James 4 is incredibly hard hitting. It is the crescendo of James letter. We will deal fully with it in the months to come but for right now I encourage you to go over to chapter 4 and read its contents to get a fuller understanding regarding what I’m talking about here.

From here James will move into one of the most critical segments of his mounting argument. James 2:14-26 is a tour de force of reality check. Difficult questions will be posed with equally difficult answers. As James proceeds I would certainly advise those faint of heart and mind to tread with great humility. If you comb the following scriptures with anything besides the great meekness that is found in true wisdom, you will find yourself lost in a mire of uncertainty and doubt. My advice to you would be this….submit and humble yourself before the Lord.

Theology of Christmas Music, Part 2

The song that prompted me to make this post a couple of weeks ago was "O Little Town of Bethlehem." I was driving to Parkersburg to pick up some gifts and had some Christmas music on the iPod to set the mood. When this song came on I listened to the lyrics, perhaps more intently than I ever have before. They struck me. So I did some background study on the song. (Again I must credit LeaderU.com.)

"O Little Town of Bethlehem" was written in 1867 by Phillips Brooks, an Episcopal pastor from Philadelphia. He had been in Israel two years earlier and had celebrated Christmas in Bethlehem. This song describes the city not so much as it was when Brooks observed it, but as he thought it might have appeared on the night of Jesus' birth.

Most people recognize the first verse well:

O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light;
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.

The streets of our own cities are quiet on Christmas day; stores are closed and most people are at home. It is possible that Bethlehem was quiet on the night that Jesus was born, but we know that the place was full of people from out-of-town, and chances are that there were even more people on the streets than usual. But this song does not say as much about the level of activity in Bethlehem as it does about the fact that very few people even noticed the Baby who was born. One line from the second verse reads, "While mortals sleep, the angels keep their watch of wondering love"-- a situation that is true even today. The world goes on about its business, working, eating, sleeping, and playing, utterly oblivious to the spiritual realities around it. As Brooks wrote in the third verse of the song:

How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in.

When Christ came into this world, He came quietly. The angelic announcement to the shepherds was the only publicity that accompanied Him. He was born in a stable and laid in a feeding trough; He did not arrive with the pomp that one would expect of a King. For the most part, He still does not. When people today place their faith in Jesus Christ, the Bible tells us that He comes to live inside them through the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 14:16-23; Rom. 8:9-11). There is not a lot of flash associated with an entrance like that, and some of your friends might not even notice the difference at first, but when you trust in Jesus Christ an incredibly significant event takes place. Your sins are forgiven and you are made a new person (John 5:24; 2 Cor. 5:17).

I love the lines, "God imparts to human hearts," and "no ear may hear his coming." How true this was then and how true it remains today. The human heart is deaf to Christ and will never turn to Him. It is God who imparts His will to save and extends the gift of grace. When we see and hear, it is evidence of this impartation of His gift of grace to us.

Jesus' coming means that Christmas does not have to be the lonely time that it is for so many people. We can experience His salvation and enjoy His presence as individuals, even though the world around us does not understand what is really going on. As the last verse of the song reads:

O holy Child of Bethlehem! Descend to us we pray,
Cast out our sin, and enter in; be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us, Our Lord Emmanuel.

How Hard a Hit Can You Take?

Rocky Balboa certainly didn't disappoint, at least not for an old Rocky fan like me. I give it a thumbs up. In this movie the character Rocky is more likable than ever. My favorite line in the movie:

Life will bring you to your knees and keep you there. Permanently, if you let it. It's not about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit, and still keep moving forward. Keep moving forward. If you know what you're worth, go out and get it. But you have to be willing to take the hit.

I'm sure there's a sermon or an article hidden somewhere in that quote.

Oasis 101 Session Four Now Online

Just wanted to let you know that you can now download the audio and the notes for Session Four: "Creation & Sin" of The Gospel & Oasis 101 class on the Oasis Media Page. The session was recorded this evening (Wednesday, December 20) at Jim & Julie Durst's house.

The last three sessions at Jim and Julie's will also be recorded and offered online. Please contact me (Chris) if you have been going through the material online and would like to covenant with Oasis once all the sessions have been completed.

Rocky for a New Generation

Brock and I have been counting down the days. Both of us can't wait to go see the new Rocky movie, Rocky Balboa, scheduled to be in theaters this Wednesday, December 20. I know some people are having fun at Stallone's expense with the release of the 60-year old Rocky Balboa who dares to step into the boxing ring for a sixth time. But I am glad he did it.

Watch this trailer and then tell me you don't get just a little bit pumped.

I remember the first time I ever saw Rocky and Rocky II. I was in elementary school, and after we bought our first VCR those movies became staples in my house. I had the soundtracks to all of the Rockys. Before every football, basketball, or baseball game I would watch Rocky III, and I would have the great comeback and music playing in my mind throughout the entire game. Then Rocky IV helped motivate me during the sporting years of high school and college. I love films that motivate and encourage. That's what the Rockys have done (well, perhaps not Rocky V, but even Stallone would like to forget that one; I even heard him admit in an interview with Dan Patrick this week that he made this final movie for the true fans of Rocky and Rocky II, because he felt he let them down with Rocky V). In a day when "reality" movies rule and it seems to be hip to have you leave the theater feeling confused or disoriented, we could use some fantasy entertainment that lifts the heart and motivates.

Yep, I've always been a Rocky fan. I thought the generations of Rocky had passed. But now it gets to live on. Now my eight-year old son is also a Rocky fan. Last week he watched the first three consecutively. I've been hearing the Eye of the Tiger and Gonna Fly High Now in my ears all week. I can't wait.

Yo!

Remembering God's Name

Last night at Jim & Julie’s house I led the 3rd session of The Gospel & Oasis 101, which is centered on a discussion of God. We talked about His existence, His nature, His characteristics, His names, etc. One thing that has struck me as I have prepared this material is how reverent and hallowed the name of God is in Scripture. It is something that has certainly been lost in our day. We often toss God’s name around too casually, and sometimes even use it to express frustration, surprise, discouragement, or anger. How often we hear words like, “Oh my God!” and the speaker is not crying out in prayer. This is a blatant sin against one of the first commandments the Lord gave to Moses, “Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.” What is He saying? He is saying be VERY careful with my name. Do not throw it around casually. Respect the name of God as higher than any name that is uttered from your lips. To use God’s name to express anything besides His glory is to use His name in vain.

So, the bottom line is, like the authors of the Scripture, we should remember God’s name. One of the best ways to do this is through prayer. Through constant, consistent prayer and reading of Scripture we see how important the name of God is. The psalmist tells us that he remembers God’s name at night. Set, consistent times of prayer, is a common idea in the Bible.

• Psalm 55:18 — in the evening, in the morning, and at noonday, I will complain and lament.
• Psalm 119:164 — seven times a day.
• Acts 3:1

Prayer in the world of ancient Israel involved setting set times for set prayers—that’s why we have the Psalms. They would say their prayers, and then let whatever kind of prayer they were praying structure their day. In Psalm 119:55, the psalmist announces that in his night prayers he remembers the name of God.

Remembering God’s name—as God remembers his promise (119:49)—involves calling upon the God who reveals his name (YHWH), who promises to be for them all that Israel needs (Ex. 3:14), and who has entered into covenant relationship with Israel (Gen 12; 15; Exodus 19-24; 2 Sam 7).

For the psalmist to “remember God’s name” is to be constantly reminded of God’s covenant to deliver them (save them) and to glorify His name through salvation.

You see, God’s name has a purpose. It is a glorifying purpose. The book of Acts, quoting from the prophet Joel, says that “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” The name of the Lord is directly linked to salvation. It is His name, and His name alone that can save. Therefore it makes perfect sense why He would not want us to use His name in vain. To use His name for any other reason besides how the Bible uses His name is to use His name in vain.

Today, remember the name of the Lord. Create a personal habit, a habit of remembering God’s name and holding it in the highest place of honor and glory in your life.

Reforming Christmas

The other night during our Sunday, pre-bedtime, family devotions we were talking about Christmas, and I shared that I would like to pray that everyone in our church and in our own family would be able to see the only true meaning of Christmas this year, and that it would outweigh everything else we do, see, or even participate in.

I know, I know. Every year we say the same thing. But this year I can see a particular interest in my children to discuss this true meaning. So I described to them how Santa Claus, Rudolph, decorations, giving and receiving presents, etc. are all things that have nothing to do with the actual Christian holiday of Christmas. They are all things that have been added to the holiday—many of which as a means to celebrate the joy and anticipation that the holiday symbolizes, but the negative effect they have had on the holiday is that they have almost completely overshadowed the entire purpose for why we celebrate Christmas in the first place.

So I proposed a question to them. I asked, “What if we could have a do-over?” What if we could flip the switch on Christmas as we know it, and introduce a different, and better way to celebrate—one that is full of true joy and gladness, not the silly frivolity and careless gaiety most people settle for. To most people, Christmas is only a “season” of joy, which proves that it is not real joy at all. What do I mean by this? I mean that the supposed “joy” we experience at Christmas comes from things such as: warm memories, tradition, giving and receiving gifts, parties, cookies, decorating homes and trees, singing carols, etc. But what happens to many people when the “season” is over? It is well known that many people experience a depression of sorts after the holidays. In fact, some British scientists even did studies on depression and suicide, and discovered that January may in fact be “the most depressing month of the year.”

Does this happen to you? Is your joy “seasonal”? Is your joy contingent upon external circumstances or events, such as the events surrounding the Christmas holiday? If so, it’s time to look at reforming Christmas.

In John MacArthur’s book The Miracle of Christmas he tells a story of when he was in high school. He and a friend had been invited to a party. When they arrived, it was very dark and slow music was playing. Some couples were dancing, and some were in the corners doing other things, but everyone seemed to be locked in embraces. It wasn’t difficult to see what direction the party was headed. Neither of them really wanted to stay, but they suddenly had a better idea. They didn’t know if it would work, but it was worth a try. His friend looked at him and said, “Let’s change the complexion of this party.”

Next they went to the fuse box and flipped the switch that controlled the stereo. Everyone immediately got upset, but they didn’t exactly know what had happened. Then MacArthur and his friend appeared with an armload of games and led everyone into the living room. Some were so upset that they left, but most stayed. For the rest of the evening all those at the party had a great time playing games, and it turned out to be a great party.

What if we could do the same thing to Christmas? What if we could pull the plug on the world’s party, and introduce an even better way to celebrate? What if we could reform Christmas?

It would have to begin, of course, with realizing the true significance of Jesus’ birth. We would even have to reform all of the man-made, man-centered elements surrounding the nativity story, and ask ourselves, why was he born? If we all could see what Christmas really means, our immediate response would be worship.

Worship is probably the greatest missing element in the monstrosity that Christmas has become. I am not suggesting that there is anything inherently wrong with putting up decorations, giving gifts, spending extra time with our families, having parties and getting together with friends, or many of the other things we do to celebrate the holiday. Those things add to the joy of the season. But they must not—they cannot—provide the joy of the season. Here is where so many fall short. Apart from worship, these things are inadequate responses to the ultimate reality of the Savior’s birth. The first priority in all of our celebrating should be worship, and everything else we do should flow from our hearts of worship.

When this happens, the joy of the Christmas season is everlasting. It does not fade in January. True joy is not seasonal. Happiness, fun, and gaiety are seasonal, temporary emotions. But we are never commanded to seek those. We are commanded, however, to seek JOY in worshiping Jesus Christ as God.

If reforming Christmas means starting all over, then the obvious place to start is worship. But in saying that Christmas should be a time of worship, I am not suggesting that we eliminate everything except worship gatherings from our Christmas traditions and celebrations. I am just saying, let’s start over. And let’s let our worship dominate how we celebrate this holiday.

Let’s worship like the shepherds did in the nativity story. They dropped everything they were doing to attend His birth. There is a sense of urgency and determination in the way they came to Him. Furthermore, they shared the news with everyone around.

We can also worship like the wise men from the east did. They fell down and worshiped Him; and brought gifts and treasures to Him. We sort of do this. We give gifts to others at Christmas. Have you ever thought of giving Christ a gift at Christmas? How might this be done?

Another character in the nativity story, Mary, worshiped with quiet reflection. In the busyness and chaos of the holiday season, do you take time to meditate on Christ? Do you spend a few extra moments with your Bible open, allowing the power of the Holy Spirit to pour into your mind and heart as you soak in His Word?

The bottom line is that Christmas, like no other season in the calendar year, ought to overwhelm our hearts with gratitude and adoration. If that is not happening, then you are missing the whole point of Christmas. And truth be told, you should stop celebrating it altogether, flip the switch. Do something different, something that would bring out the worshiper in you; because that is exactly why you were created—to worship. And that is why Jesus came to earth and was born as a human baby boy—to reconcile us to God as the kind of worshipers He created us to be.

Without Jesus, we are worshiping something else. That is why Christmas has the potential to be nothing but massive idol-worship. Because if Jesus Christ—his birth, his life, his death, his resurrection, and his great commission for all to believe, be baptized, and taught to obey him—is not the central focus of everything that involves Christmas, then what are we worshiping? What are we celebrating? The definition of idol worship is anything in our lives that takes the place of the glory of God. The essence of evil and sin is to not attribute the worth, honor, and glory that God deserves to Him—essentially, robbing Him of His rightful glory. So we must ask ourselves of our Christmas celebrations, is there anything that takes the place of the glory of God? Do we bring Him gifts? Or do we rob Him?

This is a gut-check for all of us. Myself included. In our home we are praying about and discussing ways we can change the complexion of this holiday for our family. Why don’t we use the comment section to brainstorm ways we can all do this. What is your family doing?

Behold The Lamb of God Concert

Tuesday night at the Westerville Christian Church in Columbus, for $10 a person you can enjoy a Christmas concert by some of the best (IMO) Christian artists: Andrew Peterson and Derek Webb. Also performing will be Sandra McCracken, Jill Phillips, Andy Gullahorn.

There is still time to decide to go. Come on! Be spontaneous! Let's meet up and sit together. The tickets are all General Admission seating.

You can listen to the tracks from the Behold the Lamb of God CD here.

James 2:1-7 Commentary

James 2:1-7

“¹My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. ²For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, ³and 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,” ⁴have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts. ⁵Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? ⁶But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? ⁷Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?”

Verse 1 - 4: Partiality and The Lord of Glory

The latter half of chapter 1 has left us with much to think about. James has introduced his argument and began to unravel it. It may look like he is branching off into varying tangents all throughout the course of his letter but this is not true at all. Chapter 2 is merely a seamless continuation of the material that he has already laid on our minds. So if you are unfamiliar with chapter 1 then I highly encourage you to stop reading this, get your Bible, study chapter 1 again, do some critical thinking about what you’ve read, and then begin to consider the content of chapter 2. I also encourage you to do this because I will make several references back to chapter 1.

Verse 1 of chapter 2 contains some of my favorite language in the letter of James. He calls Jesus the Lord of glory. That was striking to me because I had heard people refer to Jesus as glorious but I had never heard anyone call him the “Lord of glory” until I studied James’ letter. There is, however, more to this little phrase than just a good use of words. By calling Jesus the Lord of glory James illustrates that Jesus is not just glorious but rather that he is Lord over all that is glorious. This means that all glory derives from him. Does he have control over all things glorious because he himself is glorious? No. You might be saying, “Whoa….back this train up…did you just say that Jesus isn’t glorious?” No. I didn’t say that at all. He is glorious. But the critical thing to understand is that he is glorious because He is Lord. I believe that this is one of the most critical points to understand from the entire five chapters of James. If we don’t understand God’s supremacy in all things, if we can’t keep that point first in our minds all throughout our study of this letter, then none of the points James makes will have their full effect on us. Something will be lost because we are not focused on the fact the God is the Lord of glory. This means that he is greater than all our concerns, all our plans, all our accomplishments, all our intelligence, and all our wisdom. This is one enormous way that we keep our hearts centralized on God’s passion for his own supremacy in all things. So that is why James punctuates verse 1 in chapter 2 with the proclamation that Jesus is the Lord of glory. He is reminding us what reigns over us and that all instruction that comes down from God is to be both honored and obeyed. This is what Jesus demands from us.

What is partiality at its root? Partiality is no more than distinction. When it comes to dealing with our judgment of human character based on visual, cultural, or other bias, distinction reveals the prejudices of the heart. This is a great weakness in many people. Visual bias is perhaps the most common form of this kind of prejudice. When you’re out in public, say Wal-Mart for example, and you see a guy in very dirty clothes, with dirty hands, and a dirty face, what is your first thought? Some people would say, “How could someone come out in public like that?” Others might say, “That’s disgusting. Dirty people have no shame do they.” Still some might say, “Look at that welfare trash.” Some people would no doubt be so disgusted by the appearance of such a person that they might even avoid going down the same aisle as that guy just so they wouldn’t have to run the risk of accidentally bumping into that person. But how many people would be shocked to realize that this guy lives in a nice home, drives a nice vehicle, and is a great family man. It just so happens that this guy was working on a buddy’s car all day and on his way home his wife called him at the last minute and asked him to pick up something she needed for dinner. So even though he was filthy he did what his wife needed in that moment. Would anyone really fault the guy for doing that? I highly doubt it. Assumption is a vile creature and this is one example of that. This is also the kind of example that makes us breathe a sigh of relief because things were not as they seemed. But what if we turned the tables?

What about the person who really is poor, has no good sense of personal hygiene, never learned to read, or lives on welfare. What edict of life dictates that this person should have no place of equality with others? There is no such creed to be found anywhere. There is a reason that James is urging us to show no partiality in our relationships with people of wealth or poverty. Some might think that this reason is steeped in keeping yourself free from prejudice however there is a deeper issue that James is tapping. Partiality not only reveals the ugly face of prejudice, it also causes us to fail in our worship and service to God. Anything that causes us to fail in that way does more detriment to our lives than anything else. James is persistent at reminding us that honoring God as God is far above every other thing in life that we could ever imagine. Examine these first four verses carefully and ask yourself, "Do I fail in honoring God by not honoring all those who are made in his likeness?"

Heirs of the Kingdom: Those Who Love Him

In verse 5 we see that God exercises his sovereign authority over his creation to show the riches of his grace through those who are poor in the world. Certainly this is not the only way that God exercises his sovereignty. James is merely citing an example so that the point would be seen with clarity. The riches of the world are not glorious. The riches of faith, however, are glorious because Jesus is the Lord of glory. Those who put their faith and love in Jesus will see the reward of God's work accomplished. That is an illustration of true riches. When God is most glorified, we are most satisfied (at least that's how it should be). This phrase is yet another famous phrase from John Piper and it merely enforces the truths that James is bringing to bear throughout his letter. We should not seek things to spend on our own passions because that means that we delight in the enjoyment of ourselves. This is not how James, nor the whole of the Bible, describes the nature of true joy. True joy, defined through the perspective of the Bible, comes from seeing the passions of God realized in the world. So embrace God and the accomplishment of His will as the source from where your true fulfillments are derived. Doing that will help you do what the letter of James has been saying to us.

Now let's deal with some potentially troubling language in verse 5. This is what verse 5 says, "Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?" If you are wealthy in the world, i.e. monetarily well off, does this mean that you have not been chosen by God to be an heir of His kingdom even if you think you love Him? The answer to that question is simple. No! You merely have to ask yourself the question, “What is of central value in my life?” Whether you are rich or poor is irrelevant. In both cases if you cannot say that God is the core value upon which your life is built then chances are that you will not receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him (James 1:12). The fact of the matter is that every facility that is available to you is to be used to glorify of God. If you have lots of money, use it to glorify God. The ways this can be done are too numerous to list here. If you have a tremendous wealth of patience, use it to the glory of God. If you have an abundance of talent in any field, use it to the glory of God. Do you see what James is driving at here? He is saying that you must cast off any attachment you have to self glorification so that you can humble yourself before the living God. You must love God and honor him as God but you will have a total inability to do this if you cannot celebrate God’s governance in all areas of all lives everywhere. This is where James is taking us and the road will strike us hard in our sensibilities. Verses 6 and 7 illustrate this point rather starkly.

“⁶But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? ⁷Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?” Now you see, many people would read these two verses and breathe another great sigh of relief because this verse addresses the sins of the “rich”. While James is describing the crimes of the rich, could he not also be speaking to a middle class American citizen who makes a typical living in the capitalist U.S.? Do not lull yourself into thinking that such a statement could never be made to someone bringing home $35,000.00 a year, after taxes. As we continue to pour over the lessons presented in this letter we begin to see that many challenges are being laid on our hearts. These challenges force us into questioning what is right versus what is easy. Do we oppress in our own way? Do we bring people to court in our hearts and in the company of others? If we do then we, us Christians, are committing a terrible sin against God and it must not go unchecked!! God’s name is honorable. There is nothing to be found in God that is not honorable, right, and true. Guard your hearts carefully. The greatest tricks of the devil are not the things you see in the movies. The greatest power of sin is that it casually blinds us and in doing so it has the ability to nonchalantly turn our hearts away from honoring God as God. In doing this we blaspheme the honorable name of God. I feel like James is saying to us, “Feel the full weight of sin.” I believe he is saying this to us because of something powerful he says later in chapter 4. James 4:8-10 says, “⁸Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” Listen to his language. It is aromatic with God-centeredness. It’s like he is exhorting us to WAKE UP! I don’t think James effort in chapter 4 is to make us flagellate ourselves with misery so that we would become insufferable people to take company with. If we were like that how would the gospel message ever spread. No one wants to be around someone who is doom and gloom all the time. However the message is clear that we should keep a careful watch and an assiduous effort of discipline over our sinful nature.

With these thoughts I leave you. In our next installment we will look at verses 8-13 of chapter 2. This excavation of the scriptures will be a conclusion of sorts to what we’ve addressed in this section. We will be looking at the true nature of mercy and judgment. Begin asking yourself some simple questions like, “What is mercy?” Can you define mercy as scripture defines mercy? What can we say about the nature of judgment based on what we’ve studied thus far? We will confront these questions soon. Until then….