Today's passage has created a lot of question and controversy in the Church. The question: "How do faith and works connect" (2:14-26)? It is a great question until it overshadows the book as a whole. If we were to look at the teaching of the book of James and followed them, the Faith/Works issue would be settled in our hearts because we would be exercising both.
As an example, James 1:2-21 is a powerful way to understand life. The exhortation to, "consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds" is rooted in what we know. James explains we can have joy because we know God is using the difficult time or experience to mature our faith and to produce perseverance in us. This is a call to grow up and allow God to develop maturity in our lives as we stay in the struggle rather that bailing out for an easier way.
James than moves to temptations as not having there source in God, but our own evil desires that respond to the enticement of an alternative to trusting God. Let's get this right, trials from without promote temptations with.
In order for our faith to be developed, we need to avoid the temptation of following another path, avoiding the obstacles to our goals and renouncing the temptation to indict God as not being anything but "good" and the supplier of every good thing in our lives. We also, must remember that the anger of man does not accomplish the righteous life that God requires, so we should be quick to listen and slow to speak and become angry.
So, if we follow James' teaching we will not only demonstrate faith in the God who is doing this, but works as we willingly stay under the weight of the temptation long enough for God to mature our faith.
The same would be true of the section on being a hearer AND a doer of the word (1:22-27). To hear without doing makes the experience without profit. But when our works which generate from our faith are present, God through the Word accomplishes the change He desires.
The clarity to this discussion is an understanding that obedience has its source in Faith. Romans 1:5 teaches us that obedience comes from faith. So any form of obedience which is not generated from faith in the Lord Jesus is not real obedience that pleases God.
Ponder the Following Questions...
1. Think about times when you have not benefited from the trial you were under. Why? Think about the kinds of enticement which lured you away from an obedient response. How was it appealing? How did it remove you from the stress and strain of the difficulty?
2. Now do the same for the role of the Word of God. Are there times you have listened to the Scriptures, been convicted about your sin, but did not repent? What would have been different if in faith you obeyed its teaching and the call of God for you to change?
3. What would have been different if you had acted differently? What would have to change for that to happen?
Pray...
Lord, today we praise you for being the all-wise God. We say, we love you and see you to be a God who provides everything good in our lives. We thank you for your love exhibited in our experiences which at times are difficult, but will be for our good if we will trust you and obey you though it. Amen.
The Bux-Mont & Telford Campuses of the Penn Valley Church Multi-site Network are participating in the e100 Challenge, a 100-day Bible reading program. True revival comes from prayer and knowing the Word of God. We can only live the life God intended if we know what He says about it. Join us as we read through this plan and grow deeper in our knowledge of God's Word.
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