RodR

They all require self examination, humility, and repentance which are difficult for us because they go against our natural pride. All are difficult at times. I’m thankful that God gives me grace so that I don’t wallow in guilt over the past but can always strive toward being more Christlike as I submit to His Spirit and He gives me strength. I am particularly thankful that the commands come with promises. (vss 7,8,10)

The church is the bride of Christ. When Christ’s bride “flirts” with and befriends the world she denies His ability to meet her needs. Anything that takes Christ’s place in our lives is adultery and is “hatred” toward God. If we are not wholly for Him we are against Him.

God designed us to seek happiness and He rejoices in our joy. However, living ONLY to increase my own pleasure is selfishness. Taken to the extreme, it leads me to neglect others needs and God’s will. If I put myself first, I will always be in conflict with others and unwilling to fully surrender to God.

The law was never intended to justify a person. By codifying what was expected of God’s people, it both restrained and exposed sin. It was intended to make them and us conscience of sin and led us to depend on God to deliver us from sin.

The law was given as guidelines for righteousness. The curse of the law was that it was impossible to keep. Jesus redeemed us from the curse when He died in our place to fulfill the law. The law did not save anyone. All of us, Jews and Gentiles alike receive the promise of the Spirit by faith in Jesus Christ.

God told Abraham that he would be the father of many nations and that all nations would be blessed through him. (Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18) Paul says that those who believe are children of Abraham. We are made right with God on the basis of our faith in Christ's death for our sins, not on the basis of fulfilling the law, or establishing our own righteousness (Philippians 3:9)

Paul reminds the Galatians (Gentiles) that their salvation experience began when they received the Spirit (Acts 10:44, Acts 11:17) and not because of their adherence to the law. The Galatians must have acknowledged the Holy Spirit’s working in the spiritual environment of their church. As Christians, we have the indwelling Spirit (Acts 2:38) He was given as a seal of God’s ownership and a guarantee of what is to come (2 Cor 1:22) He is active in our lives as well but we don’t often give Him credit for what He does. We need to acknowledge and celebrate His work when He leads, guides, protects, teaches, and motivates us to become more like Christ.

Peacemakers sow peace with their words and their actions. If the seed they sow falls on receptive ground, it ripens and grows in their followers. It also grows in those who sow because conditions for growth are there for both. The teacher learns from the learner.

Real wisdom is demonstrated by faith humbly lived out in actions. When we harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition, we cannot act humbly. Our actions are motivated by our own selfish desires and are denying the truth. Boasting in ourselves makes us believe there is no need for healing and therefore prevents its possibility.

The tongue is untamable because it speaks the language of the heart. The only way to tame the tongue is to change the heart and only Jesus can change the heart.

I’m not sure James is trying to discourage as much as he is trying to convince us of the responsibilities of teaching/leading others. If we presume to teach, we must believe we have something to teach and James would say that we must practice what we preach/teach. We are all held accountable to live up to what we know. The more we know, the more we are responsible for. We hold our spiritual leaders to a higher standard because they are in positions of authority and responsibility. When they fall, their fall usually affects many others. However, the standard for all is the same. That standard is Christ. We need to imitate (become more like) Christ and not compare ourselves to our earthly leaders.

Christ died in our place. When we identify with him in faith, we die to self and live for Him. We become increasingly motivated by the indwelling Holy Spirit and determine to become more and more Christ-like in our thoughts and actions. We are changed from the inside out and become a new creation. Christ’s love for me is demonstrated by His willingness to sacrifice His life in my place. He died so that I might live… Praise God!

In Romans 2:25, Paul says that “circumcision has value if you observe the law.” Christ’s death met the requirement of a law that could not be kept. Requiring circumcision denies the necessity and value of Christ’s death. Paul and the reformers were showing that both Jews and Gentiles were made righteous by faith and not by following a set of rules. Christ’s sacrificial death paid the penalty for sin and all are saved by trusting in Him. Christ still saves today and legalism still gives a false sense of security.

It is hard to separate cultural bias from our presentation of the gospel because so much of our experience with Christianity is wrapped in traditions that are culturally biased. In the early days of missions, American churches were guilty of “westernizing” converts. The danger is in adding our own personal preferences to the simple gospel message and requiring something more than God intended. One way we avoid such cultural faux pas is by studying the culture and making an effort to preserve it while offering true freedom in Christ.

I’d like to think that Paul followed Jesus’ advice from Matthew 18:15-17 and went to Peter privately when he says he “opposed him to his face.” Whether he did or not, confronting him publicly caused Peter to deal with the issue out in the open and benefitted both Jewish and Gentile Christians by open discussion instead of back room politics. The resolution of conflict is less likely to be misinterpreted when all parties are present.

James is talking about good works that naturally flow out of Faith and are an evidence of that faith. Paul is talking about works of the law that will not lead to a saving faith. Both would agree that Salvation is God’s work, not man’s and that true Salvation bears fruit in the life of the one who is saved.

There is a belief that does not incorporate faith. The belief of a demon is a belief that knows the existence of God but does not place his trust in God. The belief of a practicing Christian knows who God is and has submitted to His authority. According to James, the belief of a non-practicing Christian is unproductive and ineffective. It looks good and sounds good but is dead. A profession of faith which bears no fruit is an empty profession.

Pure religion (James 1:27) is to care for orphans and widows in their distress. As the body of Christ, we have a responsibility to reach those in need with the love of Jesus. We are to be His hands and feet to meet the needs of the poor in the church first, out of the church next, and in the community as well. To some extent, the church has increasingly abandoned this responsibility to government welfare programs. I don’t believe this is what Jesus had in mind when He encouraged us to “give to the poor.”

Faith that is kept to oneself is unproductive or dead in that it accomplishes nothing for God’s glory. Faith that is alive is accomplishing good for the Kingdom. Faith is not earned by faithful actions but faithful actions are produced by and are an evidence of one’s faith.

I’m in a small group Bible study on James and we recently discussed James 2:1-13 regarding favoritism. This text is a good example of what James was warning us about. Peter embraced the Gentile believers until “those who belonged to the circumcision group” came. The text says Peter was afraid of them… perhaps he was afraid they would look down on him or smear his reputation among other Jews. Either way, he was being hypocritical and Paul confronts him because he was judging the Gentile Christians by his discrimination and leading others to do so as well. James later seems to apologize for the confusion caused. (Acts 15:24) Peer pressure is a powerful force for good as well as evil. When confronted with hypocrisy, I want to be the one who will admit it and do whatever necessary to undo the damage I have done.

Pre-judging by favoritism is denying access to God’s mercy. It causes us to accept or reject others based on our prejudice rather than on their need for God. It puts us in God’s place. Mercy triumphs over or rejoices against judgment because God’s mercy trumps whatever judgment I make on others. In the end, it is God who will judge, not me. And James makes it clear that God’s judgment towards me is affected by my judgment on others.

James refers to the Great Commandment as the Royal Law because it comes from Christ the King. The Royal Law summarizes the Mosaic Law and the prophets. If you keep the Royal Law, you will not break Mosaic Law. You cannot “love your neighbor as yourself” and show favoritism toward a rich person or a poor person. Loving your neighbor means reaching out to him for the cause of Christ regardless of his status. Favoritism pre-judges and shows hatred not love.

I really like your practical example of favoritism. Thanks for expressing it so clearly.

Favoritism makes us a judge because our discrimination causes us to choose who hears and who does not hear the healing message of the Gospel. Our prejudices create feelings and judgments against others based on stereotypes rather than God’s mercy and grace. We forget who we were before we came to a saving relationship with Christ.

The scripture text refers to favoritism based on the outward appearance of one coming into your assembly. We all have a tendency to prefer those who are most like us and avoid those who are most different. This kind of discrimination stifles evangelism and discipleship even before it starts. This question, however, refers to a kind of sinner that we tend to discriminate against. Since I’ve served in a home for at-risk, abused, and neglected children for over 40 years, I’d have to say I am most offended by those who take advantage of and sin against children. I am learning that sin is sin and we all fall short of what God desires. In the last 20 years or so we have been actively building relationships with parents and relatives of our placed children in order to create what one dad called a “heart level change in him.” Sinners will only turn to the Savior when drawn by the Father (John 6:44) and they can’t be drawn by the Father if we avoid and/or reject them.