The Book of JAMES......A Protest Against HYPOCRISY

[WISDOM]

Many Christians cannot read the Book of James, because they come away from it with a whole lot of egg on their face! That is....they do IF they line their own lives up HONESTLY with what it says. You see, his book/letter/epistle, whatever you want to call it is a PROTEST against HYPROCRISY. His whole point is that salvation by faith results in holy living and that a faith that does not produce works will not save. In other words, you don't work to be saved. No, no, no, no......we are NOT saved by our own works, BUT we ARE saved to work!

For the young in CHRIST on this Board it is important for you to understand that in the New Testament there are three prominent men called JAMES. The Apostle James was the son of Zebedee and the brother of the Apostle John. There was also the Apostle James who was the son of Alphaeus. The James who wrote this book was the half-brother of JESUS CHRIST, and one of Joseph & Mary's children. He is mentioned twice in the Gospels (Matthew 13:55....Mark 6:3). In both references he is listed as one of the brothers of our LORD/SAVIOUR. He did not, however, become a follower of JESUS until AFTER the resurrection (Mark 3:21....John 7:1-10).

James was given a special visit from our LORD after the resurrection, which probably resulted in his salvation (1 Corinthians 15:7). Then, we find him in the Upper Room with other Believers (Acts 1:14). When the Apostle Peter left Jerusalem (Acts 12:17), James became the leader of the church there. It was also he who moderated the first church council (Acts 15). I know this is George's favorite book, so I wanted to make sure I laid down most of the general facts BEFORE I wrote any further!! *smile*

I enjoy reading this book. It encourages you to reflect pure Christian conduct and to perform your Christian duties. It also gives you strong warnings against various sins. What he writes in it is just as pertinent for us today as it was then. A very good point he makes is that you and I are allowed to have problems because they help develop our patience and maturity. Problems accelerate our spiritual growth. It may sound crazy, but it's true! We can ask our FATHER for heavenly WISDOM to deal with the problems (thus my alias, I do it everyday), and IF (notice the emphasis) WE BELIEVE, HE will answer; HE will give WISDOM!

James deal with TEMPTATION, and makes it clear to us it is our own lust that is enticed. GOD will NEVER TEMPT us! However, HE will TEST us. Testings of our character come from HIM. Temptations to do evil NEVER come from HIM. Instead, the HOLY SPIRIT through James teaches us that Satan is the one who TEMPTS our OLD NATURE.

There are many of us in Christiandom that LOVE to hear a good sermon. We leave the church with a "feel good" aura all about us, until in some cases we reach our car/truck in the parking lot! James warns us that it is not enough to just hear the Word; we MUST obey it. Too many people have the mistaken idea that hearing a good sermon or Bible study is what makes them grow and receive GOD's blessing. Well YOO-HOO.....it is NOT the HEARING, but the DOING that brings the blessing. Too many CHRISTIANS mark their Bibles, but their Bibles do not mark them. I'm here to tell you that if you think you are spiritual because you simply listen to the Word of GOD, you are kidding yourself!! The challenge is to have a heart for GOD that puts HIS Word into everyday, every moment practical use. Don't be wrapped up in YOUR repetitious spiritual routine....giving money, reading books, going to church, WITHOUT really allowing your FATHER to actually work in your life.

We have a tendency to "play up" to people who are above us on the social scale and look down upon those who are below us. Hey, don't look shocked that I wrote this.....YOU have done it before! I don't "sanitize" the TRUTH of our FATHER's Word. Neither does James. He makes it clear that Christians are encouraged NOT to make these distinctions. Why? Because it is very easy for all of us to be SNOBS. OUCH WIS, you're stepping on my toes! No! The HOLY SPIRIT is the ONE WHO is "stepping on YOUR toes here"!! As Christians, we are to treat EVERYONE with the same respect, regardless of social status, academic ability/achievement, race, or the pigmentation of one's skin. Failure on YOUR part to do so is to break the Second Greatest Commandment of all, to love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31).

One of the most prevalent sins in many of the American local churches today is in this area of prejudice. The leaders of the church stand in their services and make emotional appeals, even crying tears, for foreign mission money, but then refuse to let people of a different color of skin worship in their own church. I am thankful that our FATHER sees all in all.

One of the first times I read James in the past I remember being slapped in the face by what he said about the human tongue. He pointed out the awful characteristics of an UNCONTROLLED TONGUE. Being retired U. S. Navy I could easily understand the illustration he gave in comparing it to a ship's rudder, which although relatively small in size, controls the direction of the entire ship ( James 3:4). Then, he compares the tongue to a small spark or flame, which can create a great fire (James 3:5). The 1871 Chicago fire, which burned about one-third of that city, was allegedly ignited by a cow kicking over a LANTERN. More than 17,000 buildings were destroyed, 250 people were killed, and thousands were left homeless.

Like a little fire, ONE SMALL Word or Sentence can do TREMENDOUS damage!!!

James says that the tongue is "full of deadly poison". My, my, my......how cautious we ought to be with a container of poison! Unbridled speech poisons the speaker as well as the one spoken to. Our tongues are either a poison that kills or a medicine that heals. They are either a source of joy and blessing or of sorrow and trouble. Which is YOUR tongue? It's definitely something YOU cannot be hypocritical about, because people hear you in action with it everyday (in one way or another).

James warns us against WORLDLINESS and PRIDE. Like the rich farmer in our LORD's parable (Luke 12:16-21), YOU and I must realize that one day we will die, leaving ALL our worldly goods behind. So we should lay up treasure in Heaven. We cannot take it with us, but we sure as heck can send it ahead by how we live!.

There is nothing wrong with having riches, but James warns the affluent about the dangers involving them. They can put one into a cocoon of false security. Their lifestyle is so pleasant and insulated that they lose sight of eternity. Not only did the wealthy people James was addressing have a problem with false security, but they had gained their riches through dishonesty and fraud and were persecuting the poor in the process (James 5:4). Please let me make clear a very important point....James IS NOT saying it is a sin to be rich. ABRAHAM, JOB, DAVID and SOLOMON were all rich, BUT they were all greatly used by our FATHER. James was concerned with the rich who were apparently Christians, yet were CHEATING people to make money.

James describes GOD's method of healing in a miraculous way in verse 5:14-16. In this passage we see that the illness must be serious enough to require the Elders (Pastor or Church leaders) to come to the patient. The sick person must have been too sick to go to church, and not just suffering some minor complaint, such as a cold or headache. Now there are those who will probably disagree with me, however, I'm just telling you what the Word says. In addition, according to this passage the setting was to be a private affair, which would rule out publicly advertised healing campaigns.

Also, there is to be application of OIL. We Christians are divided on the meaning and purpose of the oil. Some believe the oil is only a sacred symbol of the HOLY SPIRIT. Others believe the oil to be medicine. There are two words for "anoint" in the Greek New Testament.......CHRIO (cry-oh) from which we get our English words "CHRIST" and "Anointed", and which means "To Anoint Sacredly". And ALEIPHO (uh-lee-foe) which means "To Oil", such as applying or rubbing oil on the body for stimulation, as the ancient athletes did before games.

The Greek word James used in 5:14 is ALEIPHO, not CHIRO. James, therefore, refers to the use of oil for MEDICINAL PURPOSES, not spiritual purposes. Jews carried oil everywhere as a natural means of restoring health (Luke 10:34). Wine was used as a disinfectant and oil for its soothing and medicinal effect, like petroleum jelly is today. Therefore, the Bible teaches that Christians should combine pills and prayer in times of illness.

The final verses in James deal with our ministry to a brother/sister who strays from the truth and falls into sin. We're NOT suppose to take the Bible and beat them over the head with it! This is a very serious matter, because he/she may be disciplined by the LORD (Hebrews 12:5-11) or he/she may be in danger of committing the "sin unto death" (1 John 5:16-17....James 5:20....1 Corinthians 11:30).

My point is that we ARE NOT to criticize OR gossip about a wandering brother/sister, BUT RATHER.... to seek to restore him/her in love.

[cymba22]

That was a brilliant read...and a good reminder..thank you

[WISDOM]

No, thank you Cymba for hearing the silent beckonings of the HOLY SPIRIT to your heart and mind. We Christians all too often like the "cushy-cushy" side of our faith. But when confronted with the reality of how many of us ACTUALLY are in everyday life, we kind of like to "avoid" the issues!

What many of us don't stop and realize is that our FATHER is there through the GOOD and BAD of everyday life we endeavor. We are to be real/our true self in everything we do. HE hates hyprocrisy. My wife, sons, and I learned this a long time ago. I believe the Apostle James (JESUS half-brother) wrote from out of conviction under the guidance of the HOLY SPIRIT. I, for one, am VERY thankful that he did! His writing puts the truths of the Word of GOD right smack in the middle of your face! Then, you either ask our FATHER to help you with whatever your shortcoming is (like the tongue for example)...or, you keep living a lie hiding behind YOUR "mask".