James addressed a congregation whose members had made a dichotomy between faith and practice – as long as a person believed right, behaving right didn’t matter. In terms that are clear, James presented his audience with this biblical truth: We are held accountable by God for what we know.
We sometimes think that we are invincible, that we are without vulnerability, that we are beyond the reaches of disaster and calamity. Then along comes an unexpected, colossal reminder that, indeed, we are exposed and unprotected, that we are susceptible, that we are without defense. Then what?
Going beyond the first step of faith, i.e., being saved, to living by faith in the realm of the impossible is an essential element to following Christ. Further, believing God for the present and future is more important than believing Him for the past. The life of the believer is to be centered in what God is doing through our lives now, not what He did through our lives in the distant past. Just shut-up and drive!
James characterized his congregation with such terms as conflicts, quarrels, fights, anger, cursing, bitter jealousy, selfish ambition, disorder, and every evil thing. The admonition we might expect to require the least emphasis in the church is the shocking reprimand that arose as a primary theme of James’ preaching. Surely, today’s church is different. No way do we need such tough confrontation in century 21, or do we?
The question is not: Do we need forgiveness? The answer to that question is obvious to any objective person. We have all sinned. The question that pricks our hearts is: Will God forgive us? This question is pondered by believers as well as non-believers. Here’s the good news. Everyone can be forgiven – everyone.
The Israelis recognized that the intervention of God had taken place on their behalf on numerous occasions but only after the intervention, not before. They never learned to trust God in the present moment. Their testimony of God’s power is best described as a hind-sight testimony, never an up-to-the moment testimony. Thus, they endured 40 years of suffering in the wilderness. The same thing can happen today to nations, churches, and individuals. Make sure you’re not among them.
Guilt is the biggest problem for many believers. In reality, all of us suffer or have suffered in the midst of a great company of people who share our secret, but painful dilemmas. The issue is that of overcoming the miserable grind produced by a formidable sense of guilt. Yet, how does that happen? Relief is only a few minutes away!
Our culture violently wrestles to free itself from every vestige of guilt, not by means of forgiveness but by means of escape. Believe it or not, James had to address this very issue as do we. Perhaps, they and we had/have become like those described by psychiatrist M. Scott Peck as people of the lie
The writer penned this letter to a first century church comprised of Jews who had surrendered their lives to Christ but did not expect that following Him would result in persecution as well as the loss of property, and perhaps, the loss of life in the near future. Consequently, they stood on the precipice of exiting Christianity. How can such believers be encouraged to stay the course in spite of the hardship? The answer just might encourage you in the midst of your greatest adversity.
The rifle-shot of 1 Samuel 8 is found in God’s instruction to Samuel in verse 9: Warn them strongly and tell them of the practice of the king who will reign over them. God wanted to place in full view the tendencies of human government. What are those tendencies? To Take and to Dominate. Get ready to be astounded!