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God is our shield. When we sin, who do we sin against? God. Who forgives? God. Who pays? God! Jesus paid it all. How does He do that? Simple. More than 2000 years ago, on a hill outside the city of Jerusalem, He bore our sins in His body and died on a cross (1 Pet. 2:24). He took our punishment: "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5 (NIV) God is just. God is merciful. God is gracious. In the justice of God, He took our place. In the mercy of God, we do not get punished. In the grace of God, He gives us eternal life. Even though we are unworthy of salvation, even though we are unworthy of God's love, even though we are unworthy of mercy, even though we are worthy of wrath, God saved us. He did so not because of who we are, but because of who He is, not because of what we do, but because of what He did. God is love (1 John 4:16). God is holy (1 Peter 1:16). God is good (Psalm 34:8). We could never fathom the depths of His purity and kindness (Rom. 11:33). We could never, through our own efforts, grasp Him. There is only one thing left for us. We must worship Him, fear Him, love Him, and serve Him (Deuteronomy 10:12). We must have faith in Him. He alone is worthy. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

The Scriptures' first use of the verb "command" (Genesis 2) reveals just how connected obedience is to life, and disobedience to death. Obedience is a state of complying, or simply obeying God. We as Christians are commanded to obey God, Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!” Acts 5:29 (NIV) Ephesians 4:32 gives this command, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Forgiveness is an act of obedience. Unfortunately, some link Christianity to only forgiveness of sins, without obedience, to be accepted into heaven. A person will ask for forgiveness, claiming Jesus as their savior but does not love him enough to give up their earthly pleasures. God commands, “Obey the Lord by doing what I tell you. Then it will go well with you, and your life will be spared.” Jeremiah 38:20 (NIV) Expecting forgiveness from God is the same thing as wanting to manipulate Him and is itself a sin. God is not stupid, he knows who wants fire insurance between those who have true faith. God does not want a faith that is empty and hypocritical, He is looking for true faith that results from true works. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith” Ephesians 2:8 (NIV) “The Law cannot save us because we are incapable of keeping it;” Matthew 19:16-17 (NIV) therefore, salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ

While we traditionally think of a Christian as people in these locations, for example, church, revivals, baptisms, and so on; the word Christian can really refer to any group or person sharing something in common, God. Their self-image, attitudes, and their aspirations are often reflected in the places where they choose to live, work, gather, and play. Thus, Peter warns us not to adapt to this world and for that we must keep our thoughts on heavenly things. “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, ****, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.” – Col. 3:5-11(NIV) Yes, many times my anger and then my language becomes a part of my new self, from the old self that is very hard to let go. We must seek to limit earthly activities and live in the light of eternity. We should put Christ first, exalt God above all others, seek first the kingdom of God, and strive for love and all other spiritual fruit then our lives will give straightforward evidence that our perspective on life is radically different from those around us. By doing such we will walk in Christ-likeness and order our life according to God’s Word.

According to James, "As the body without the spirit (Greek pneuma, "breath") is dead, so faith without deeds is dead" (2:26). Finding souls, and leading them to or back to Christ is an action done with faith that proves righteousness.

I believe the role of the oil in the healing prayer is a representation of the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not have to use oil, since He is the Spirit. The oil represents the Holy Spirit coming upon you, the empowering of the Holy Spirit. The prayer of faith has the role of saving or making the sick person well. For this to happen, faith must be found in the prayer to be effective. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective" (5:16). Confessing our sins to other Christians is making yourselves accountable to your sin. James says, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

The elders’ role is being a mature leader, one whose faith is true and bold. A man whose prayer is effective and powerful. Someone who is open, bold, honest and relational.

The elders of the Church should be asked to pray for healing when you are sick. This is important because this type of praying is a focus on God and the fellowship of the family of God. The sick person requests to be exposed to healing, but the main hope for faith is upon the One or ones doing the praying.

Grumbling and complaining says we are stiff necked and immature. It reveals what is in our hearts. Our faith can be hidden behind our grumbling and complaining. Without being submissive to God, we can easily give into the cravings of the flesh. A spiritually mature, patient man rarely grumbles, exhibits faith and is submissive to God.

Our Lord warned his followers to be on the lookout for the "signs of the times;” however, many believers wonder whether Jesus will ever return. Let us make no mistake about it: Jesus Christ is coming again in great power and glory! How, then, should Christians live until the return of Jesus? As Peter reminds us in (II Peter 3), don't become impatient, God is in charge. Christians should be persistent, spotless and blameless; we should regard the Lord's patience as salvation, be on your guard, and grow in our Lord Jesus Christ so as not to fall from your own steadfastness. Patience is vital, here are Peter’s wise words to us in our generation, on this topic: Let us align our thinking with the word of truth about Jesus as we find it in his Scripture. Let us work diligently to be found in peace. Let us be above reproach and blameless in this corrupt society. Let us realize that the Lord's patience with mankind is so that others may enter a relationship with him. Let us be on guard against false teachers and mockers who distort the truth, to their own destruction. Finally, let us grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

James warns the prosperous, in chapter hoarding wealth and not sharing it, withholding fair compensation from one's employees, living in luxury and self-indulgence, and condemning and killing the innocent. Causing others to suffer for doing something right is not doing God’s will, but your own. We all have the gift of conscience or guilt given to us from God, but being patient in your guilt leads to conviction. A good or clear conscious is obtained by repentance and maintained by patience. 5 verses 1-6, that one day their wealth will rot, moths will eat your clothes, and their gold and silver will corrode. Although being wealthy is not a sin, it can produce sinful behavior such as

James counsels in 4:14-15, “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." We are all held accountable to God and our lives are brief. God wants to guide each of our lives, I Chronicles 15:13(b) says, “We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way,” and we must discern His will for our lives to do things His way and not our own. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

Matthew 7:3 teaches us this kind of self-righteous judgment, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? is hypocrisy. The slanderer takes on the part of God, deciding which laws to apply to the neighbor. Since God’s word is the ultimate law, it is His decision of what is right and wrong because only He knows the truth about all of us. We judge another because we believe we know the truth about another but it is not the truth. We are called to do a godly judgment about others to save the purity of their souls that leads to repentance. I Cor. 5:12-13 says, “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”

7Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.10 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.9 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.8 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. These verses give us instructions in repentance: Submit yourselves to God Resist the devil Come near to God Wash your hands Purify your hearts Grieve Mourn Wail Change your joy to gloom Humble yourselves We need to realize our sin. Not until we can view our sins, can we humble ourselves. Humbling or denying ourselves leads to repentance. Submit to God and become obedient, the conflict ends and you are at peace. Resist the devil and his temptations to be able to continue in your walk to be near God. It is our nature to be selfish but if we humble ourselves, grace, love, peace, etc. will be ours. I find it most difficult to resist the devil.

Once we give our life to God, we are recognized as being part of Christ’s church (His bride). This theme can be traced all the way from the Old Testament where God's people were thought of as God's wife, to the New Testament where the Church is considered "the bride of Christ". The adultery happens when we forsake Christ for earthly pleasures. As Paul makes clear in 2 Corinthians 11:2 (NIV), “I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him,” Jesus Christ is our aggrieved husband because, "Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." James 4:4 (NIV) A friendship with the world reveals that our relationship with God is not what it should be and we are committing spiritual adultery against Christ until we get this relationship right.

In chapter 4, I believe as James nears his closing, he is giving his previous words from chapter 1, a distinct perspective and explaining further the consequences of his warnings. “They should not then expect anything from God for they who ask are double-minded and unstable.” (James 1:5) Then, in verse 14 he warns, “but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.” The reason we do not receive what we ask from God is we do not ask for a good purpose, but for an evil one. One of selfishness and not giving God glory. God is not against pleasure, He is against the type of bad pleasure we ask for. If we do not compromise God’s glory or forget who blessed us with what we do have, I do not believe seeking pleasure is wrong. For the Israelites sought a land flowing of milk and honey.

I believe the tool of the peacemakers is the Word of God. It works within you and me to produce fruit, that is faith. The Word of God cuts to the heart making believers righteous. Changing their hearts to attain the love that tames our tongues.

Envy and selfish ambition leads to ****, pride, greed, and deceit. Humility leads to serving, honesty, and forgiveness. Earthly resources like: position, knowledge, and experience tend to manipulate people and situations for its own selfish ends, ultimately it is this kind of attitude which keeps people out of God’s kingdom. Also, boasting in this way causes non-practicing Christians to see Christians setting ungodly examples of God’s kingdom. James assures us that such “wisdom” does not come from heaven but its origin is earthly, unspiritual, and of the devil. Heavenly wisdom shows itself in deeds done in humility. When we understand the gospel, that God gave Himself for us to redeem us from our sins, we are motivated by the love of Christ to serve God and to serve others in a way that brings glory to God. Jesus lived on earth as a man walking in perfect heavenly wisdom, yet it gained him neither riches nor earthly comforts. He had no earthly wealth, no earthly title, what fame he gained through His good works soon turned to infamy as He was rejected, betrayed, deserted, tortured and killed. While heavenly wisdom does not always give the immediate gratification that earthly “wisdom” offers, it does give a reward that far outlasts anything this world could offer.

You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. Matthew 12:34 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. Matthew 15:18 No matter how much religious practicing we do, our tongues are untamable. We can tame even the largest of animals, but we cannot tame what comes out of a person’s mouth because it “come from the heart, and these defile them.” Matthew 12:34 (NIV) However, we have the hope of taming the tongue through divine intervention and discipline. It is our personal responsibility to humble ourselves and get the help we need from God. The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” Jeremiah 17:9-10 (NIV) In the verses of James we read, “out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.” James 3:10-12 (NIV) These verses give us the hope of being able to tame our tongues. Purification of the heart and exercising self-control are factors in taming the tongue, but until God’s love changes the selfishness in our hearts we will still have an untamable tongue.

James warns Christians not to aspire to be a teacher, because they increase their liability for judgment. This is not meant to discourage teachers, but draw attention to prospective teachers the seriousness of the teaching ministry. They have a tremendous influence over the people they teach, and they must give very careful consideration to not only what they say, but how they say it. The teaching ministry is one of great responsibility, and must therefore be entered with extreme caution. Since the pastor’s errors work more mischief in society than those of an ordinary member of the Church, punishment is promised to preachers of the gospel. We are all called to be apostles so I say no, higher standards should not be set for just pastors.

James is referring to the acts of love and help towards others which are essential for salvation. That is, the things that you don't do and should do if you had true love for others which are a result of that love and faith in Christ. James shows that faith that does not produce mercy and compassion and objects of favors are dead and in vain. The type of works Paul is referring to is trying to earn your salvation by keeping the law perfectly, which we cannot do, and why it is faith in Christ’s redeeming sacrifice.

The difference between the belief of demons and that of those practicing Christianity are demons believe and are fearful of God, however they show only the character of a Christian life. They can deceive and know their time on earth is short. Practicing Christians live out their faith by replacing their old life with a new life in Christ that shows the heart change of true Christian belief. The non-practicing Christian openly declares God but, their lives do not show a God-centered perspective. They believe their works alone can save them from an eternity without God.

In the Old Testament God provided not only for the immediate Israelite families but also those in the surrounding areas. I believe we are to provide not only the church community but the community at large. The Greek word for “care for” means to inspect, to visit, to give, or to select. Being compassionate, caring, encouraging or supportive to the communities inside or outside the church reflects the heart of God and Christianity.

what sense might (if that were possible) it be alive? So far, James has given us encouragement in sufferings and no compromising our faith. Here, James is dealing with the counterfeit Christianity scattered throughout the Mesopotamia area. He tells his readers that faith apart from works is dead or useless; also, Christians who proclaim to believe in God but show no byproduct of genuine belief cannot be truly saved. Faith is dead without God. He gives faith sustenance and energy. God is a working God who gives us mercy, love, grace, assurance, freedom, confidence, making us alive without doubt or cease. God gave us His son to bear our sin so we would not have to fear His judgment. If we are true Christians, our actions would speak on our behalf to reflect the heart of God.

Our sins—the dark lusts, destructive tongues, murderous hatred, corrupting greed, treachery—stand exposed before God as clearly as our shameful guilt is obvious, our condemnation is justified. From the Son of God came these stunning words: “Neither do I condemn you.” Why? Because he has been condemned in our place! By continuing to sin (partiality to the rich), we deny the mercifulness of our God. For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. (Hosea 6:6) Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. (Matthew 5:7) But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’[a]For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:13) Mercy triumphs over judgment. He (Jesus) was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:5-6) We, in Christ, are free from judgment and this freedom will show our true faith in God.