We often think of the early
church as an ideal state. In fact, it had the same problems we have today -
and the same desire to correct them. James begins this section by talking
about a problem which is still with us: anger.
Anger
(James 1:19-21 NIV) My dear brothers, take note of this:
Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,
{20} for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
{21} Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent
and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
Sinful Anger
It must be noted that anger is
not always sinful; there is such a thing as righteous anger. The anger that
James is talking about is much more common, and it deserves our closest
attention.
·
Such anger is positively addictive. We love to think about how
we are going to get even with someone; we drive like anyone else who crosses
our lane is going to be sorry for it. The point is not just that we "get
mad" - we enjoy it, and each time we do it we like it more.
·
Such anger need not be expressed or acted on. Sometimes
vicarious anger is all we need. Country/Western music is full of songs
expressing our anger at someone in authority ("Take this job and shove
it.") Movies portray the hero blazing away at his enemies, screaming
furiously. Anger can be vicarious. Sometimes, such anger can be directed at
people who are no longer around. Even years later, memory is enough to provoke
anger. Do you remember your school class bully?
·
But we do sometimes get to express it at a person. Here we can
define the sinful side. We must hate the sin but love the sinner. Sounds
hard? Indeed. But consider that you've been doing that for one sinner all
your life: yourself. God ("Love thy neighbor as thyself") simply
asks that you do likewise for everyone else.
Society's Attitude
Regrettably, our society has
changed greatly in the last three generations. Anger used to be a sign of
being out of control; now it is a sign of masculinity. You think not?
Consider two images of masculinity:
·
Gary Cooper in High Noon, probably the greatest Western
ever made. He is afraid, angry at the lack of support he gets - but always in
control of his anger.
·
Sylvester Stallone in Rambo (any version) - anger is good,
let's go shoot someone.
There is a reason that Indiana
Jones lives in the 30's.
Satan's Weapon
James makes a key point here:
anger is the weapon of Satan; the Christian must therefore refuse to use it.
Did you ever read J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings? You will recall
that the One Ring was greatly powerful, but ultimately corrupting - so much so
that the wise refused to use it; the powerful were greatly corrupted by it, and
only the humble could safely transport it. Anger is like that.
The Command
What, then, is the Christian to
do? James gives a two-edged command, as is common in Scripture. You must get
rid of one thing (the word literally means "scrape off") and take up
another.
·
Scrape off filth and evil (the words in the Greek are generic),
which is so prevalent. "Prevalent" actually is a translation of
"superabundant" - which shows James lived in a time like ours.
·
Replace it with humble acceptance of the Word.
The Wishful Christian
James now introduces us to one of
the sad sights in our church: the Wishful Christian:
(James 1:22-25 NIV) Do not merely listen to the word, and
so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. {23} Anyone who listens to the word but
does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror {24}
and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks
like. {25} But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives
freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing
it--he will be blessed in what he does.
What would you do if you received
a great inheritance? Suppose your long lost uncle in Australia dies and leaves
you a fortune. Do you see yourself as the beneficent Christian, handing out
money to good causes? Of course, you may say, "That would be great, but
for right now money's a little tight…" If you do, you are a dream giver -
and probably a dream Christian, a Wishful Christian.
Many of us are at our best in our
dreams. If we only had money, we'd be so generous. If our acquaintances were
just better people, we'd be so kind. If my wife was a trophy wife, I'd be so
loving. The truth is that many of us get our MDR (minimum daily requirement)
of adventure at the movies - and our MDR of holiness by going to church every
now and then. If you're a Christian only in your dreams that's exactly where
God will bless you.
Hope
But there is hope! James tells
us what to do. We must get out of our dreams and into our lives, being those
who do what we are called to do.
·
We have the "perfect law." Any system of rules and
regulations will ultimately fall into paradox and conflict, for we are but
human. But the Christian is led by the Spirit. Sometimes this can confuse
people, for it seems that we are not consistent to whatever set of rules they
imagine we must follow. We must be consistent - consistently led by the
Spirit, consistently following our Lord Jesus Christ. In all else, we must be
as inconsistent as he demands.
·
This law gives freedom. This is a freedom from sin and its
ultimate (though not immediate) consequences. To understand this clearly, we
must know what freedom truly is. Suppose you capture an eagle. You bind it,
take it with you into a submarine, and at six thousand feet below the waves you
shoot it out of a torpedo tube. The eagle is now "free." Is it
really? It no longer is bound by the ropes you used to restrain it, but it is
not capable of being an eagle. Freedom means "able to be what God
designed you to be." God designed you to be in fellowship with him. That
is the freedom this law gives.
·
To live in this perfect law of freedom we must "look
intently" at what God gives us. The phrase in the Greek originally meant
the action of a man who looked deeply into a well, peering over the edge,
shading the surface so he could see all the way to the bottom. In other words,
it's hard work. But is not this true of all forms of freedom?
If you do this, you will be
blessed by God. In short, stop dreaming and start doing - get to work.
The Practical Tests
James now gives us three
practical tests of the validity of our Christianity:
(James 1:26-27 NIV) If anyone considers himself religious
and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his
religion is worthless. {27} Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and
faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to
keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Side Note
Have you noticed the pronouns in
these passages? "He" must do this, by "himself." They are
personal pronouns, referring to an individual person. There is such a thing as
corporate charity, but James is talking about actions which we take as
individuals. Does your church feed the poor? Good; do you? This is the test
of your faith: do you do these things personally?
First test: your mouth
(Mat 15:18 NIV) But the things that come out of the mouth
come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.'
Think about the things your mouth
lets out. Not just anger, but gossip and slander - all the malice the heart
can devise. It is the thermometer of your heart. Most of us are not so
careful of our tongues that we can effectively disguise ourselves to others -
and certainly not to God. It is not just your words; it is the heart they
reveal that counts.
Second test: the unfortunate
Job, in conducting his defense of
his conduct before his friends, gives us a superb example of doing it right:
(Job 31:16-23 NIV) "If I have denied the desires of
the poor or let the eyes of the widow grow weary, {17} if I have kept my bread
to myself, not sharing it with the fatherless-- {18} but from my youth I reared
him as would a father, and from my birth I guided the widow-- {19} if I have
seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing, or a needy man without a garment,
{20} and his heart did not bless me for warming him with the fleece from my
sheep, {21} if I have raised my hand against the fatherless, knowing that I had
influence in court, {22} then let my arm fall from the shoulder, let it be
broken off at the joint. {23} For I dreaded destruction from God, and for fear
of his splendor I could not do such things.
Do you see the point? It is not
"natural kindness" that caused Job to bless the poor with his
material belongings; it is the fear of the Lord. Today we have around us the
"invisible society." They live in parks and in public places; they
are politely ignored by polite society - but God knows them by name, they are
his children as well as we are. Do we feed and clothe them?
"Isn't that the government's
job?" Think about it; should it be? Are they well suited to such a
task?
"Isn't that the church's
job?" And just who is the church? We are the church.
Not someday; not someone else.
Now, by me. For who knows? Christ may come at any moment, and with him the
judgment. Are you with the sheep or the goats? You already know how he will
divide them up.
Keep from being polluted.
The word "polluted" has
an air about it of environmental activists running about spewing out slogans -
but the word is a negative one for a good reason. To pollute something is to
take what is good and mix it with what is not. Paul enjoins us this way:
(Rom 12:2 NIV) Do not conform any longer to the pattern of
this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be
able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect
will.
Transform your mind - but don't
leave it blank:
(Col 3:1-2 NIV) Since, then, you have been raised with
Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right
hand of God. {2} Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Drive out the evil in your heart
with the righteousness that comes from God. Show that righteousness by what
you say - and what you do.