Archive for April, 2009

Someone once said that faith is like calories: you can’t see them, but you can always see their results! That is certainly a major theme throughout James’ letter - results. Faith produces works.

There are some that view an apparent contradiction between James [2:24 "a man is justified by works and not by faith alone"] and Paul [Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 3-5 'a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law].

It is important to examine the emphasis of Paul’s and James’s writings are different. Paul stresses the root of salvation [which is faith in Christ - plus nothing else]. James calls attention fruit after salvation.

A further contrast between James and Paul is perspective. Paul views life from God’s perspective, while James looks at life from a human perspective.
Another contrast is the use of the term justified. James is using the word justified in a different sense from the way Paul uses it. The word a range of meanings - one significant sense was to ‘declare to be righteous,’ but we should also notice that the same Greek word can also mean ‘demonstrate or show to be righteous.’

James is simply saying that ‘faith’ that has no results is not real faith. He is not denying Paul’s emphasis that justification [declaring right standing before God] is by faith alone apart from works. A paraphrase of James might be: a person is ‘shown to be righteous by his works, and not by his faith alone.’

We are not saved by deeds; we are saved for deeds.

Stay faithful and finish strong,
dale

An attribute of God that is not thought or spoken of very often is His impartiality. God is absolutely impartial in His dealings with people. He is unlike us. Human beings [even Christians] are not inclined to be impartial. We tend to place folks in predetermined categories [ranked by looks, clothes, race or ethnicity, social status, personality, wealth, intelligence, power, cars, houses, neighborhoods, etc. Proverbs 24:23 tells us that: "to show partiality in judgement is not good" and Proverbs 28:21 continues: "yet a man will do wrong for a piece of bread."

It's impossible to judge another person simply on the basis of outward appearance or any other external factor. If you have a moment, please check out a YouTube posting: 'Sarah Boyle - 2009 Britain's Got Talent.'

We should note that James is not condemning the kind of discernment that comes from a thorough understanding of one's character. What he is dealing with here is our tendency to be prejudiced toward others and discriminate [showing partiality because of superficial judgements based on outward appearances.

In our passage - the usher 'made distinctions.' He discriminated based on appearances, exalting one fellow and mistreating another. We are also told of why it was done - evil motives . . . catering to the rich with the hope of selfish gain [a 'remember me' attitude], maintaining class distinctions, or simply out of pride and contempt.

Our impartiality is also expressed in the way we give help to others [especially fellow believers]. 1 John 3:16-19 offers a prescription for our problem  - “. . . let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.”

James challenges us to examine the motives behind many of our distinctions. Let’s pray that we may become more ‘other-focused.’

Stay faithful and finish strong,
dale

James starts verse 19 [of Chapter 1] like a coach – he blows his whistle, and shouts: “Listen up!” [the players know that the instructions which follow are important]. The ‘coach’ discusses possible distractions and off-balance maneuvers that should be eliminated to enhance performance. There is a need to stay focused, no matter what is happening around you.

No matter what was going on in Jesus’ life, He kept His focus. It never wavered. Whether people were praising Him with palm fronds or whipping Him with cords, His focus remained the same. He came to do the will of His Father, no matter what. Whether He was at a party or a funeral, a meeting or a prayer breakfast, He always stayed true to what He came here to do.

Jesus constantly rebuked the Pharisees with this stinging question: “Have you not heard?” The problem wasn’t that they were hard of hearing, it’s that they were actually ‘hard of listening’. The Pharisees were meticulous in studying and knowing the Law, but they didn’t really listen to what they heard. They didn’t allow God’s truth to speak to them personally, individually.

Many confuse agreeing with the Scriptures with obeying it. James, however, urges us to go beyond preparing and receiving; we are called to act on what we’ve heard. A ‘hearer’ is like an individual that audits a class [they listen, take notes, but have no responsibilities, no assignments, no tests - - they merely ‘take in information’. There is a need to prove our authenticity.

Dear Lord,
You always kept Your focus, no matter what. Please help me keep my eye on You at all times, for You are my life and my purpose. Amen.

Stay faithful and finish strong,
dale

The dictionary defines ‘tempt’ this way: “to entice to do wrong by promise of pleasure or gain.” There is the idea of seduction, or alluring into evil - - a persuasion. James presents us with four facts that we must understand in dealing with the problem.

Temptation is always present in life. The moment we entered this world, we were thrust into a lifelong battle with temptation. Being tempted is not a sin – giving into temptation is. We are held accountable for our actions and reactions to temptation.

Temptation is NEVER prompted by God. Our natural reaction is to shift the blame from self to someone or something else - - even to God. James notes that God is not even indirectly involved in tempting us to sin.

Temptation follows a consistent process. Once the bait is dropped – our inner desires are attracted to it. Deitrich Bonhoeffer once mentioned regarding temptation that - “Satan does not fill us with hatred of God, but ‘forgetfulness’ of God.” Sin occurs when we yield to temptation. Even though sin sometimes brings a temporary period of pleasure, it always leads to death [spiritual].

Temptation flourishes on inconsistent thinking. There is a warning - “Don’t allow lust to blur your thinking so that you forsake the truth to follow a lie.” The idea that giving in to temptation will lead to contentment is completely false.

May we pray for each other – asking God to provide strength and determination to resist temptation.

I love you!

Stay faithful and finish strong,
dale

As a believer goes through periods of personal testing, they discover the kind of faith they really possess. Testing not only reveals our faith, but it also develops our character. Life’s trials don’t squash faith, they cause real faith to emerge.

To test the genuineness of a diamond, jewelers often place it in clear water [which causes the diamond to sparkle with a special brilliance]. An imitation stone, on the other hand, will have almost no sparkle at all. When placed side by side, even an untrained eye can easily tell the difference.
In a similar way, even the world can often notice the marked difference between ‘genuine’ Christians and those who merely profess faith in Christ. Many folks have great confidence in their faith until it is severely tested by hardships and disappointments.

As God’s own children we are not exempt from trouble, there will be testing related even to the best things that He gives us. In marriage and in family life [the best gift He has given for earthly happiness], trouble is inevitable. Jesus assured His teammates that ‘in the world you will have trouble.’ [John 16:33]

Our testing leads to earnest wrestling with God in prayer; and the experience of the sustaining grace obtained strengthens and energizes hope. [2nd Timothy 2:3] Just as a marathon teaches runners to endure and handle special diets, monotonous training runs, pain, distance, pace, time, and the temptation to stop and rest - - testing is essential in our development.

I love you!

Stay faithful and finish strong,
dale

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Currently, we’re studying the book of James.  Each week, we’ll post a Weekly Note of Encouragement.  If you’d like more information about The Arena Men’s Ministry, please contact The Chapel offices at 330.376.6400.