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“Introducing the Book of James� BibleClass.com.au Teaching Series Series: Faith that Works: Studies in the Book of James Part: #1 Main Scripture: Selected Scriptures Teacher: Dr Paul Iles Date: 03.02.2013
Inline, direct scripture quotes are italicised. Block quotes are indented. The New King James Version is used unless otherwise stated. This transcript has undergone minor editing to ensure readability.
The MP3 audio of the study upon which this transcript is based and a learning guide are available from http://bibleclass.com.au/
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Invasive Faith This year we are going to undertake a study of the epistle by James. Recently, we looked at the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. You will find that James’ letter is a natural followon, almost a commentary of the truths laid down by the Lord Jesus in that Sermon. I hope that, in our study of the Sermon on the Mount, we started to realise that the Lord definitely laid down teachings concerning the kingdom of God in a structured and thematic way. When we come to the apostles, they built on Jesus’ foundation, often expounding and explaining what the Lord had already taught in seed form. That is where we are going in James’ letter. He will apply that teaching, making us see how real it is and making it practical. James will primarily show us how that Christianity is a faith that invades every corner of our lives. Real Christianity; real faith is lived and worked out in the real world, every day. That is very important: True faith shows itself in an individual in every circumstance of their life. It is absolutely wrong to think that Christian faith is just a matter of agreeing with everything the Bible teaches. It is more than a mental agreement. It is also wrong to think that Christianity is a matter for Sunday or some other part of your life. It is for the whole of your life. Faith invades you and changes you. This letter looks at all of the various life situations that we face and shows us how that we will react, behave and think if we have got a true faith. Note the two aspects: behaviour and thoughts. James pushes this teaching a long way. He ultimately says that, if you do not fundamentally behave and think with respect to the issues that arise in your life, in the way outlined, or you do not want to do it that way or if you’re hostile to the idea of doing it that way, then you probably do not have a real faith at all. This is exactly what the Lord did. He taught the Sermon on the Mount, telling us the kind of people that we should be: meek, pure in heart, hungry and thirsty for righteousness and so forth. All of those things are the sort of behaviour that we should demonstrate and the kind of people that we should be. But at the end of the Sermon, He then said that we must be sure that we have got real faith, otherwise the practice of it will not work. James picks up on this and says, “Well, this is how it will work. This is what the results will look like in your life.” And he is blunt, down to earth and confronting.
Faith is a new nature Fundamentally, the reason why Christian behaviour, response and thought should be different is because we have a new nature within us. These things are not part of a studied effort that you have to constantly put on at certain times. This behaviour should become instinctive, and the instinct will grow more powerful within you. A dog manifests dog-like behaviour because it’s a dog. A bird manifests bird-like behaviour because it is a bird. If I want to behave like a dog, I have to study dog behaviour and remind myself that I’m behaving like a dog today, because I won’t do it automatically. The dog is the
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creature that has those dog-like instincts, not me. Why does a Christian behave like a Christian? Because there is something in their nature that was not there before, but it is there now. Therefore they automatically either do it or want to do it and are eager to learn how to do it. It is not normal for a Christian to not be interested in how to live for God. If that is the case then there is something missing in their instincts or their nature. This is a desire that is implanted within the Christian by God whereby we hunger for something for which we were never hungry before. We thirst for what we were never thirsty before. This is what James is saying: faith is not just agreeing or consenting to beliefs, nor is it just taking on a code of moral behaviour. A true faith is proven when an individual has something within them that was not there before. He or she is now a Christian from the inside - no pretending, no forcing, but a complete and genuine change by the hand of God. The result is that there is a radical change in the person’s life. Natural fruit is produced, just as instinctive behaviour is manifested in the way in which we live. Fundamentally, therefore, if you are a true Christian, then you cannot help behaving like a Christian. This does not mean that you will never stumble or fall, but that you are so sorry when you do, and you are never wanting to and you are always desiring the Lord’s help. If you do not know what I am talking about, then you probably have not got a true faith at all. If a person professes to be a Christian, but it is not demonstrated by their life and you cannot see it before they tell you, then James says that their faith is, “In vain.” In other words, it goes nowhere. It’s pointless. It’s worthless.
Some Examples of Faith in Practice Faith looks to His will, not mine When it comes to the business of decision making and planning your life, the Christian must therefore have a very different approach to the matter. The non-Christian looks ahead and plans his or her path in life very definitely. They know what they want to do, how much money they’ll have by a certain date and all sorts. But the Christian has an overriding consideration: they say, “If it’s the Lord’s will.” The Christian doesn’t put a set of blinkers on, stare at that goal and charge mercilessly to get there whatever the cost. The Christian prays about it every day. The Christian reads the Bible and seeks God’s instruction. The Christian tells the Lord that it is His will that they want. James will also talk about this. Different thinking with respect to plans and goal-setting.
Faith out of the mouth The way you treat others must also be different. What is the worldly approach to a person you do not like? You run them down. You set your tongue up and you destroy them. Surely everyone knows what I am talking about now. It happens from time to time that you meet someone who, for some reason, takes a dislike to you. The way they deal with that is to cut you down with their
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tongue, whether it be to your face or behind your back. James comes along and says, in effect, “Excuse me Mr and Mrs Christian. You say that you have a true faith? Well, would you mind putting your tongue out? I would like to examine it.” The Christian has a tongue that is controlled, whether it be at work, at home or at church. Are you the troublemaker? Are you a bad gossip in the church? Are you the loudest tradeunionist in the town? Well, see what James says: James 3 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
If you are in the business of causing trouble, then you are not behaving like a Christian. If you are going to persist in being like that, then show me your faith! I doubt it’s there.
Faith in the heart When that demand is made, “Show me your faith” there are some people that would make a list. Perhaps you could write down all of the things you believe and say, “See, here is my faith!” That is not your faith. That is a piece of paper. James doesn’t want a piece of paper to prove your faith, he wants us to show it by our behaviour. Suddenly there is no need for a trite list, because we can see that it’s all true by your behaviour, from the day that you trusted Christ as your Saviour. So, where is your faith written down? The Bible says that it is written on the fleshy table of your heart. No, we don’t need to do cardiac surgery to find it, but rather we’ll know by the manifestation of your nature in your behaviour. Maybe you wouldn’t write me a list, but rather you would say, “Come and spend a day with me and I will show you that God has written His law on my heart.” That is what it means to have a true faith. The finger of God has written it on the heart.
Faith that lasts God’s work is always permanent. If He has written on your heart, then it won’t be rubbed out. Christianity is not something that you can take up for a few years, then move on and put it down to an experience in life. That is not true faith at all. Someone who is able to walk away from their “faith” like that is someone who may have memorised a great deal of scripture, may have practiced a great deal of Christian behaviour, may have done all sorts of things, but one thing is certain: it never got to their heart. The truth is that I or anyone else often can’t tell the difference at first, but time always tells the true story. A person who is truly saved - who has this new nature, who has a true faith and in whose heart God has written His law - that person will always last. That is so important. It is very easy to show the symptoms of a true faith amongst other Christians. Church days are great. You can be a great Christian on church days. But what about when you’re all on your own, in your small corner? What counts is whether you are shining the light even then. If God’s work is real within you, then the light will shine in every circumstance. If God’s work is real within you, then if I meet you in 10, 20 or 30 years’ time and you’re a lot older, uglier and
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sicker, you will still be shining all the same. You will be living like you were, with no regression into sin or the world and between us there will still be a bond as brothers or brother and sister in Christ.
Face yourself Face your falseness If these requirements of a real faith are not true of you, then James addresses your solution quite clearly: James 4 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
James is pointing at fake Christians. He is pointing at church goers, who turn up on Sunday but have no reality within. He is pointing at the pretenders. He is pointing to you if you haven’t really got it, whether or not you know it. The solution? Draw near to God, because you have never been to Him. Cleanse your hands because you’re a sinner. Stop being double-minded with your mixture of Christian behaviour and a false heart. Face the gloom of your sin and mourn because of your unchanged nature. Feel your guilt before God. Stop laughing; stop pretending everything is alright. Mourn! And humble yourself before God: go and tell Him what you really are, not what you’re pretending to be. Own up to your sin, own up to your uncleanness, own up to your double allegiance to the world. Do that and He shall lift you up. That is a really important verse in James. If you are confronted with the fact that you do not really know what a real faith of this character is all about, even if you may have professed to be a Christian before and even if you thought you were a Christian, then do not be afraid to go back to the beginning and to go to God in this way! Test your reality James will show us how real and powerful genuine faith is.
We do not have a faith which we need to be ashamed of and hide in a little bucket, not letting people know that we have got it. I don’t mean that you go around shouting that you’re a Christian, but you go around and you live like one. And every word you speak, every thought you have, every reaction you show, every standard that’s yours, every goal, every ambition, the way you make decisions... All of it! Onlookers will say, “This person is different! They have got something that I haven’t got!” And yes you have! You have got Christ as your Saviour, the Holy Spirit within you, a new nature through true, saving faith from God that transforms a person’s life. In fact, everything that you do will become conformed the standard of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is amazing.
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1 Corinthians 2 16 ...But we have the mind of Christ.
That is a staggering statement. The Christian must think quite differently, and face issues quite differently. That is why a Christian ends up doing things in life quite differently. James is going to tell us that the Christian lives by wisdom that comes from above.
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List of Themes in James Now to the layout of topics in James’ letter. James is going to examine various issues that are realistic and pertinent to life, and the way in which true faith responds to them.
1. When things go wrong This is where James begins. When things go wrong in your life, and your world falls apart. How do you react? There is not one of us who hasn’t gotten into such a situation and cried over it. Not one who hasn’t questioned the injustice of a situation. Not one who hasn’t cried out, “Why me!?” The world is full of people who are crying out, “It’s not fair!” Did you know that the Christian ought never to do that? The first thing James says in response to this is, “Count it all joy.” The faith of a person is shown when they say, “I am glad that this bad situation has come to me.” Have you ever done that? The key is not to react with your old nature. Stop and get a grip of yourself, and if necessary, go and read James. So he starts with a common situation, but a very trying and testing one. James 1 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
2. When temptation knocks
What about your reaction to temptation? Temptation happens when you are tempted to sin. When you yield to temptation, and certainly none of us can say we don’t, who or what do you blame? “He made me do it.” Is that your response? The person with a true faith sits down and takes responsibility for it. You did it. It came from inside you. Face it. It will end up making you realise how sinful you are and how good the Lord was to have ever saved you. James 1 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
3. You and the Bible
Thirdly, what really is your attitude to the Bible? This is a big issue. The Bible is your guidebook and your compass. The Bible is the love of the Christian’s life. To know the Bible is the passion of the Christian’s heart. The knowledge of Jesus Christ in this book is the consuming passion of the soul that has been saved by God.
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Do you want to know the God who wrote on your heart? Do you want to know the God who was good to you and saved you? Then read His book! The Bible is not a book to be carried into church on Sunday. It is a book that we must live by. Matthew 4 4 ...‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’
More than that, when you find out what it says you automatically go and do it. You never argue about it. Imagine arguing with God! How could we dare? Or perhaps we just ignore a part that doesn’t suit us. We must never do such a thing. In fact, if you can do that with your Bible - just using it to learn bits out of it or read it sometimes - then you have got something seriously wrong. James 1 22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
4. You and others
Your attitude to other people comes next. How do you treat people? Especially people who you think - no, change that - people who literally are below you in social standing. James will ask us, what about the person who wears the dirty clothes? The person who has no money? You may claim that you never look down on such a person, but the standard is higher: do you prefer the person who is more closely aligned with your standard? Maybe they have your social status, your level of intellect or your academic attainment. James is going to absolutely hit this and hit it hard! In no church gathering should there be a marginalisation of people who are unspokenly seen as less. That is so wrong! That is not how faith behaves. James 2 5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; 9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 8
5. Prove it!
By chapter 2:14, James is simply saying, “I just want to see your faith, please.” Not the piece of paper we mentioned earlier. Not talk either. Proof in action is what he means. The question is whether you can prove that you are saved without telling him and without writing it down. Because if you can’t do it that way, then your faith isn’t worth a pinch of salt. James says it’s in vain. It doesn’t work, it’s a waste of time, it goes nowhere and it’s not real.
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James 2 18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
6. Proof on the tongue
Then James plays the medical man and says, “Put your tongue out please, because I’d like to take a look at it.” Because what your tongue is doing is a very clear indication of what is going on inside you. James 3 4 Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. 5 So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things.
See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.
7. You and the world
What about your attitude to the world? Should you approach it and think about it differently? You should. In fact you should think about it very differently. James 4 4 ...Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?
8. You and your life
Again, the attitude of true faith to life and its plans is totally different. I flagged this earlier: your plans and your ambitions are tempered by the ultimate consideration of the Lord’s will for you. In life, you always depend on God. James 4 13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”
9. Prayer
James 5 16 ...The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
Conclusion
So it is clear that there are definite hallmarks that exist within a person who has a true faith. Such
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a person is a work of God, with a new nature. They do not just make claims and talk big for a little while, but then stop. They don’t just modify their behaviour for a little while, then give up. No real Christian ultimately gives up and goes back to their old life permanently. They will always pick themselves up and go forward. True faith endures, works and is seen.
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