For the next few weeks, I would like for us to look at the Epistle of James.
What’s interesting about the person who wrote this epistle is that, contrary to what our Catholic brothers and sisters believe, that Mary remained a virgin throughout her life…the Bible disputes that…James is the half-brother of Jesus.
46 While Jesus was still talking to the crowd…47 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside wanting to speak to you.” [Matt. 12:46-47]
Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? [Matt. 13:55]
And if you’re familiar with Bible history then you know that Jesus’ other half-brother Judas wrote the epistle of Jude…I guess not wanting to be prideful neither James not Jude in their writing claimed a family relationship with Jesus.
A lesson to be learned here…both James and Jude lived in the same household with Jesus growing up…in addition…John the Baptist was their cousin…don’t think there were some deep theological discussions between those two.
But despite that…neither James nor Jude believed in Jesus as the divine Son of God during Jesus’ time on earth [John 7:2-5].
Just speculating but wonder how many times Mary must have told them… ‘Why can’t you boys be more like your brother Jesus’…maybe why they were so calloused against Jesus…Smothers Brothers complex.
It was only after Jesus’ death and resurrection that they made the decision to believe in Him as their Savior.
I just want to do a side bar on that thought real quick…this is clearly an indication that just because a child is raised in a Christian home doesn’t mean they will grow up believing in Jesus as their Savior.
Both James and Jude grew up alongside God Himself but had no desire to believe in His divinity.
This goes along with the same idea about raising your children in a Christian home and then having them depart from the faith when they get older…I’m sure we all know of children raised in a Christian home who later in life departed from the faith.
BUT…no shortage of people who will tell you that you’re wrong because the Bible says just the opposite.
Train up a child in the way he should go; Even when he is old he will not depart from it [Prov. 22:6].
How many have heard or used that verse?…There are a number of Bible verses that are misquoted and misrepresented…Romans 8:28 / Jer. 20:11…are two of my favorite misquotes…this is just one more.
There have been far too many parents who have beat themselves up because their child has strayed from the faith believing they have somehow failed them.
I’m sure at some time Mary must have thought…how can these two boys be so obstinate about who Jesus is?
At first glance this Proverb sounds like a wonderful promise…people often use this verse as a guarantee that if you raise your child… ‘in the discipline and instruction of the Lord’ [Eph. 6:4] as the Bible says…they will always stay on the right path.
Proverbs 22:6 is NOT a guarantee that that will happen…but can mean a couple things:
FIRST…to ‘train up’ implies the way which a child is to spend their life…the occupation they are to follow…it is necessary to prepare a child for entrance into adulthood…that is achieved in their early years because those traits will influence their conduct in adulthood.
SECONDLY…every person is given the freedom to choose when they will submit to God’s way of life or to go a different direction…that decision is not the result of a parent’s upbringing but the individual choosing of the child to recognize the prodding and conviction of the Holy Spirit in their life.
If the promise of God was a guarantee that children reared rightly by godly parents would result in their child becoming a Christian, this would strip those children of their freedom to choose…free will is given by God to everyone.
THIRDLY…the book of Proverbs is NOT a book of promises…a proverb is a literary device whereby a general truth is brought to light on a specific situation. Proverbs are not absolute promises or guarantees.
In addition, the word ‘should’ does not appear in the original Hebrew…causing some of the misunderstanding regarding this proverb…therefore…it’s more of a warning about allowing your child to go their own way…so the literal reading of Proverbs 22:6 reads:
Initiate a child on his path; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.
The importance of that is because the Bible says ‘There is a way which seems right to a man’ ]Prov. 14:12] …that way is usually a foolish way…if I allow my child to follow the ‘way that seems right’ to them…to have their own way…I may have a hard time getting them off that path when they are older.
Therefore…Provers 22:6 is not a promise that raising your child in a Christian home will guarantee they will remain in the faith…rather…this proverb can be seen more as an encouragement or warning to parents.
Back to James…this book has been compared with the wisdom literature of the Old Testament, particularly the book of Proverbs because it’s essentially a five-chapter statement on daily Christian living.
James’s purpose throughout this epistle is for professed Christians to test their faith to find out whether it is genuine or false.
Many scholars believe that James was influenced by the Sermon on the Mount because the language and themes sound similar…as a result…some have viewed James’s epistle as a practical commentary on that sermon.
Because James’s emphasis is on those who are already in God’s family both the Sermon on the Mount and James’s writing do not present the way of salvation but are more focused on righteous living for those who are in God’s family… condemning the hypocritical believer who says one thing but lives another.
This book is encouraging God’s people to act like God’s people…Christians evidence their faith by how they conduct themselves…if those who call themselves God’s people truly belong to Jesus their lives will produce the results of a life lived like a Christian.
James identifies himself as merely a servant of God and of the Lord…
VERSE 1 – “a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Greek word for servant means someone who belongs to another but not in the sense of a slave as we think of one…a slave here was someone who willingly lives under Christ’s authority.
Paul opens almost all of his letters with encouraging words calling the readers… ‘beloved of God’ … ‘saints’ …or asking God to grant grace and peace to them… BUT…in James’s letter he gets right to the heart of our everyday problems… trials…troubles…testing…or tribulations.
He draws attention to the power that suffering has to afflict the mind and soul …and the blessing that accompanies them when viewed in the proper perspective.
2 Consider it all joy, my brothers when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,
VERSE 2 – 3. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
FIRST – “Consider it joy”. –WHY? …What is even remotely joyful about trails…troubles…testing…or tribulations…isn’t joy something we experience as the result of good things…not when bad things happen in our lives?
James is saying that joy should be paired with the good times and the bad…as Christians we can rejoice when things are less than joyful and when things are progressing smoothly…why…2 reasons:
FIRST…Because Jesus established the pattern for us to live by…for the joy set before Him endured the cross [Heb. 12:2].
SECONDLY…because we can trust that God will use them to accomplish His purpose…it will turn out for His good.
Not as the Living Bible translates Romans 8:28. “And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good” …another mistranslated verse.
Romans 8:28 means that all things are working together just as God planned them…and that His plans will not be thwarted…He knows the future…His desires will be accomplished even when things seem chaotic and out of control…He is still in charge.
The promise is that even during less than joyful times when you encounter various trials we can trust that God will use those trials to accomplish His purpose.
That is the reason this epistle is valuable for both unbelievers as well as believers—especially for unbelievers who consider themselves to be Christians.
Faith that is reliable only when things are going well is not faith and it’s worth nothing.
That type of faith will fail when needed the most…but worse…it will lead people to think they are Christians headed for heaven when, in reality, they are headed for hell…trials…and tribulations come from a number of reasons:
1) Chastisement…2) Character development…3) Suffer for Christ…4) Common to man…5) Natural disasters…6) Thoughtless behavior.
As Christians, at times we create our own problems…something unbelievers don’t have to worry about…because for us…problems arise in our life when we cease to obey God.
1) God’s chastisement or correction comes when we try to usurp the authority of the Holy Spirit for our own purpose…you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies [1 Cor. 6:20]…you no longer own your destiny. You may out of disobedience control it…but you are owned by God.
When we are acting on our own impulse or out of a sense of heroic to be seen by others…problems will come between God and us and as a result of disobedience God will step in…For whom the Lord loves He corrects [Proverbs 3:12].
2) Character development…when you receive Christ as your Savior, God begins to work in you…it’s called character development…God has to build your Christian character.
Here’s how this works…God begins to work in your heart and in your life until He burns all the chaff out of our lives…all the worldly things that keep us separated from Him…the Biblical term is sanctification…God guiding us to maturity.
When faced with troubles often times God uses those difficulties to produce growth in us…because He wants to see His character reflected in us rather than the world.
Far too often when faced with troubles our response is…bewilderment…asking ‘God what’s wrong’ …instead of asking ‘God what are you trying to tell me to teach me…want me to confess’.
3) Suffering for Christ…Troubles that Christians suffer (and there will be many) come in two ways:
FIRST…as a result of being obedient to God: “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” [2 Tim:12].
That should actually increase my joy because I know that God is aware of them…joy comes when we watch and anticipate how God will work though that difficulty.
Trouble comes as the result of chastisement OR as the result of being obedient. The trouble that comes from being obedient brings joy knowing that God is using that for our character development.
SECONDLY…One of the less attractive promises that Scripture gives believers is that those who are faithful can be certain of being under pressure from Satan… and the present world system that is controlled by Satan.
Again our joy comes from knowing that persecution brings God’s blessings [Matt 5:10 – 12] …Christians have no reason to despair in this life…no matter how great their suffering or how hopeless the situation…WHY? [Rom. 8:18]
For I consider that the suffering of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us”
4) There are those troubles [tribulations] that are common to all mankind. James is not revealing anything new that people in general don’t already know.
In life we can expect…delayed promises…impossible problems…unanswered prayers, doubts…fears…senseless tragedies…criticism… disappointments … emotional pain…troubles in our job…at school…with family and even in our church….did I miss anything?
It’s the common pain, hardship, diseases, and conflicts that are inflicted upon all of mankind because of sin’s corruption of the world.
If you haven’t experienced any of these emotions yet—it’s because you haven’t lived long enough.
5) Then there are the troubles that are a result of natural disasters…not acts of God as some insurance companies would suggest…but are the result of living in a sinful world that has been cursed because of the sin of Adam.
Everyone who lives in this world endures some measure of trouble—that is the consequence of the fall…we live in a world and a society corrupted by sin… and just like with creation will continue to suffer waiting to be set free from sin’s bondage.
And all these trials…troubles…tribulations…and suffering is for a reason.
Knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. (1:2-3)
Challenging times reveal our character…God uses those challenging times to test our faith and develop spiritual maturity…in addition to proving our faith and obedience.
As we go through times of trials and testing, we develop patient endurance…this Scripture encourages us to shift our focus from our discomfort and suffering to the benefits of perseverance.
Paul reaffirms that…we glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance [Rom. 5:3].
Peter also concurs…In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials [1 Peter 1:6].
Even Luke chimes in…It is necessary to pass through many troubles on our way into the kingdom of God [Acts 14:22].
Isn’t it amazing how all the writers of the New Testament all agree with each other?
No matter what the status of a believer is, it is imperative that we are rooted and grounded in Christ and not be reliant on our own bank-balance…influence… education…or position.
The difficulties we face in life can trip us up and tempt us into doubt and despair that it is God that has given us everything we need for life and godliness and that IN Christ we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing.