James 1 - When You Sin, You Can't Say "The Devil Made Me Do It!"

Click Here to Read or Listen to James 1

Today we start the letter to James. This is probably the earliest book in the New Testament written 10-15 years after Jesus' death and resurrection. Martin Luther did not like this book due to its focus on works, but he was fighting a different battle at that time. Today, I think this book is a good word for us in the church today to be careful to remember that faith ALWAYS leads to good work for Jesus. Faith without any evidence of works is "dead". Where there is no fruit, there is no connection to Jesus, the True Vine. See John 15. 

Here is a brief introduction to the book of James. (From ESV.org)

Author, Date, and Recipients

This letter was written by James, the brother of Jesus (Matt. 13:55) and leader of the Jerusalem church (Acts 15). It was probably written about A.D. 40–45 to Jewish Christians living outside Palestine.

Theme

Christians must live out their faith. They should be doers, not just hearers, of God’s Word.

Purpose

James’s readers were suffering persecution and living in poverty. They were in social and spiritual conflict. Many believers were living in a worldly manner. James corrects them and challenges them to seek God’s wisdom to work out these problems.

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations.

We see the audience right away, which was the Jewish Christians, who were scattered throughout the known world at the time. This is due to the exile they had experienced several centuries before Jesus came (8th and 6th century B.C.)  Remember people from all different nations were there at Pentecost where they received the Holy Spirit and then went back to where the lived. 

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 

This is a great verse to memorize and also points to the fact that these Jewish Christians were experiencing persecution. The main point is when we go through suffering it actually makes us more mature in our faith, as we consider it pure joy. This sounds like an "oxymoron" to have joy in the midst of trials. But remember, "The joy of the Lord is my strength". Nehemiah 8:10  It is the Lord's joy we rely on during trials, and joy is also a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:22

"Consider it" shows it is a mindset or a choice we make to see trials in this light. If we rely on feelings trials can overwhelm us. This is why being in God's Word on a daily basis is so important. See Philippians 4:8 as well. 

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. 1:12

Here is the other purpose of trials. As we persevere through trials, we will be rewarded a crown, which we will receive in heaven. Although this is hard to focus on in the present it does help us to realize that our suffering will be rewarded one day. 

13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. 13-15

These are great verses for when we rationalize our sin by saying it is someone else's fault. Or, worse yet it is God's fault. When we sin, we walk right into and make a decision to sin. Often this decision starts with walking into a situation where we walk right into temptation realizing this situation could very well cause us to fall. When we stoke our sinful nature falling into sin is right around the corner. We can't blame the devil either, because the devil can't "make us" do anything. We have free will and unless we are possessed by the devil, we can't blame him. 

Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 19

This verse is another verse to memorize and meditate on. I know I am often quick to speak and slow to listen. When we are speaking all the time and not considering another's point of view, it can often lead to being angry and getting into arguments. In a full blown argument neither person is listening, they just get angrier and angrier. We see this in politics too and exactly what is happening in the war in the Middle East right now. 

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 someone who looks at his face in a mirror 22-23

This gets at one of the main issues, which was happening with the Jewish believers. They weren't following God's word. They were hearing it but not living according to it. This is like when we hear a good sermon and say, "Wow I needed to hear that" and then go back to living without any change of life

A good question to ask yourself is, "I am only reading and/or listening to God's Word but not putting into practice?"