The book of James, for me, is practical Christianity. This is what it looks like in action.
Chapter 1 is full of encouragement and admonition. God’s not going to blast us if we ask for His wisdom (spelled out at the end of chapter 3), but we must ask for it with faith that we will receive it. If you look at this in the context of Proverbs, God’s wisdom is calling for us. Are we the fools who turn away or are we the wise who answer? Good self-examination point, because I know sometimes I am the foolish and sometimes I am the wise.
Anger, unchecked, doesn’t produce God’s righteousness. We live in a world full of wrath and rage. It’s not hard to see the unrighteousness that abounds. Self-control, the lynchpin of God’s spirit, comes into play here. Do we let anger foment in us until we are raging or do we see the danger and, with God’s help, quell it?
Do we live by God’s word or do we just give lip service to it? Do we just dress up in Christianity on the Sabbath and then live however we want the rest of the week? Is the word implanted so that when daily situations come up, scripture comes to mind that helps us deal with them? Another good self-examination point.
James 3 is an admonition about the power of our words, but James addresses it right in chapter one in terms of what we claim to be (Christian). If we do not rule over our words, we are not following Jesus Christ (Who addresses this time and again in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).
James then spells out what true Christianity looks like. Another self-examination point: am I unspotted from the world? The real question for me personally is am I a citizen of and invested in the Kingdom, and striving to become a model citizen, or am I a citizen of whatever place I was born and invested in that?
The reality is we can’t be both. We have to be one or the other. I think of Hebrews 11 in this context.
Great thoughts. James really is a sort of mini New Testament Proverbs—so much practical advice. It’s also amazing to see how clearly James’s points map directly onto something Jesus said. I think about the journey James must have had internally—to go from thinking his half-brother was insane to preaching Him as Lord. What must that have looked like?
Inverse 13, it says no one is tempted by God, but we are only tempted by our own lusts.
I think this means not to blame God for our lack of discipline, which includes blaming others for our lack of self-control.
For example, “ you make me mad!”
Do they really?
That’s a great connection to make! I also love the distinction in the words “tempt”/”test.” Especially in the original Greek, tempt involves a desire for something to fail the test. Test usually implies the hope that the thing will pass the test.
Thank you Stephanie & Robert for your insight into the Book of James. This book is definitely a pre-Passover self-examination help. Lately I have been focusing on and praying for wisdom and strength to not join in on conversations that include negativity and gossip. To let go and let God. That He is the Fixer not me. Jeremy, thank you for selecting the Book of James for us to read and discuss.
Every time I read verse 27, I’m struck by how straightforward it is. Pure and undefiled religion isn’t some great big showy display or a superhuman feat. It’s taking care of those who can’t take care of themselves and keeping ourselves separated from the ways of the world. It’s inspiring and intimidating all at once—how well do I do either of those things on a regular basis?
On a literary note, I love the way James writes. He ends a sentence with one thought and chains it to the beginning of the next. It gives the book such a rhythmic flow:
-Count it all joy when you face a trial
-Trials produce patience
-Patience produces perfection and lacking nothing
-If you DO lack wisdom, ask God
-But ask in faith
The book of James, for me, is practical Christianity. This is what it looks like in action.
Chapter 1 is full of encouragement and admonition. God’s not going to blast us if we ask for His wisdom (spelled out at the end of chapter 3), but we must ask for it with faith that we will receive it. If you look at this in the context of Proverbs, God’s wisdom is calling for us. Are we the fools who turn away or are we the wise who answer? Good self-examination point, because I know sometimes I am the foolish and sometimes I am the wise.
Anger, unchecked, doesn’t produce God’s righteousness. We live in a world full of wrath and rage. It’s not hard to see the unrighteousness that abounds. Self-control, the lynchpin of God’s spirit, comes into play here. Do we let anger foment in us until we are raging or do we see the danger and, with God’s help, quell it?
Do we live by God’s word or do we just give lip service to it? Do we just dress up in Christianity on the Sabbath and then live however we want the rest of the week? Is the word implanted so that when daily situations come up, scripture comes to mind that helps us deal with them? Another good self-examination point.
James 3 is an admonition about the power of our words, but James addresses it right in chapter one in terms of what we claim to be (Christian). If we do not rule over our words, we are not following Jesus Christ (Who addresses this time and again in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).
James then spells out what true Christianity looks like. Another self-examination point: am I unspotted from the world? The real question for me personally is am I a citizen of and invested in the Kingdom, and striving to become a model citizen, or am I a citizen of whatever place I was born and invested in that?
The reality is we can’t be both. We have to be one or the other. I think of Hebrews 11 in this context.
Thank you for doing these series, Jeremy.
Great thoughts. James really is a sort of mini New Testament Proverbs—so much practical advice. It’s also amazing to see how clearly James’s points map directly onto something Jesus said. I think about the journey James must have had internally—to go from thinking his half-brother was insane to preaching Him as Lord. What must that have looked like?
Inverse 13, it says no one is tempted by God, but we are only tempted by our own lusts.
I think this means not to blame God for our lack of discipline, which includes blaming others for our lack of self-control.
For example, “ you make me mad!”
Do they really?
That’s a great connection to make! I also love the distinction in the words “tempt”/”test.” Especially in the original Greek, tempt involves a desire for something to fail the test. Test usually implies the hope that the thing will pass the test.
God TESTS; He never TEMPTS.
Thank you Stephanie & Robert for your insight into the Book of James. This book is definitely a pre-Passover self-examination help. Lately I have been focusing on and praying for wisdom and strength to not join in on conversations that include negativity and gossip. To let go and let God. That He is the Fixer not me. Jeremy, thank you for selecting the Book of James for us to read and discuss.
You’re welcome! Thank you for all your participation. I’m loving the comments on these posts.
This is for sure a good pre-Passover book!
Every time I read verse 27, I’m struck by how straightforward it is. Pure and undefiled religion isn’t some great big showy display or a superhuman feat. It’s taking care of those who can’t take care of themselves and keeping ourselves separated from the ways of the world. It’s inspiring and intimidating all at once—how well do I do either of those things on a regular basis?
On a literary note, I love the way James writes. He ends a sentence with one thought and chains it to the beginning of the next. It gives the book such a rhythmic flow:
-Count it all joy when you face a trial
-Trials produce patience
-Patience produces perfection and lacking nothing
-If you DO lack wisdom, ask God
-But ask in faith
Etc., etc.