Letter of James: Humbly Accept a Word of Correction - Leading to Righteousness - Instead of Getting Angry

 

The message of the Letter of James is hemmed in between two bookends:

 

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. James 1:19-22

 

My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. James 5:19-20

 

James says: Be quick to humbly listen – even to correction; don’t be angry when corrected; then get to work as a doer of the divine instruction, and not merely a hearer. Jesus also spoke of this. Matthew 7:21-29; Luke 6:46

 

James then gives five major areas of faith that needed some correcting:

1.    Love all brethren, and not just your favourites.

2.    Show your faith by your deeds.

3.    Be careful how you use your tongue.

4.    Don’t be friends of the world.

5.    Be patient during trials and thus reap the rewards.

 

This reminds us of Paul’s next-to-last words to Timothy:

 

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:14-17

 

Biblical correction is part of our “training in righteousness.” The Book of Proverbs abounds in this:

 

For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light;

and reproofs of instruction are the way of life. Proverbs 6:23

 

He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonour for himself,

And he who reproves a wicked man gets insults for himself.

Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you,

Reprove a wise man and he will love you.

Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser,

Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning. Proverbs 9:7-9

 

He is on the path of life who heeds instruction,

But he who ignores reproof goes astray. Proverbs 10:17

 

To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction. Proverbs 12:1

 

The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,

    but he loves him who pursues righteousness.

There is severe discipline for him who forsakes the way;

    whoever hates reproof will die. Proverbs 15:9-10

 

Better is open rebuke than love that is concealed. Proverbs 27:5

 

An apostolic example:

 

But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?” Galatians 2:11-14

 

James interest is the wisdom of keeping God’s people on the path of righteousness by correcting our seriously unrighteous practices. Pure, gentle, peaceable, reasonable, merciful, loving correction. Are we wise and humble enough to accept it? Are we open to reason?

 

Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom … the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. James 3:13,17-18

 

David Hunter

 

Brief sermon outlines -

www.abiblecommentary.com/briefsemonoutlines.pdf

 

The politician who gets elected

2Pe 1:10  Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall. 

The politician who gets elected but does nothing after that will be voted out of office in the next election. He has not done enough to make his election sure. 

The word “sure,” means firm, steadfast, secure. Likewise, Peter exhorts Christians, the elect of God, to make their calling and election sure and steadfast. It implies that Christians can lose their salvation if they are not careful with it: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). 

Peter's second epistle makes a strong warning to believers. He informs us that everything we would ever need, that pertains to life and godliness, has been supplied to us by our Saviour (2 Peter 1:3). And not only that, he also informs us that “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4). 

2 Peter 1:4 is the key point of Peter’s message:

1. We are given exceeding great and precious promises.

2. We are partakers of the divine nature.

3. We have escaped the corruption of the world. 

But the fact is that when we began this walk the devil will try to lure us back into his fold. Peter therefore writes that we must add to our faith the following items to prevent a failure to our faith: “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity” (2 Peter 1:5-7). 

The Christian man or woman who has the qualities mentioned, and who has them in increasing measure, will be a fruitful person (2 Peter 1:8). He has made his election sure and steadfast. But the Christian man or woman who lacked these graces is “is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins” (2 Peter 1:9). 

1. He is blind to the blessings of God. He only professes to know God in words, while in works he denies Him. He is ignorant (blind) of the requirements of him to live as a child of God. 

2. He is short-sighted; he can only see what is near. He can see only the things of this world and not the things that are of God. For this reason, he is worldly and cares only for the things of this world and miss out on eternal life: “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).                                                                

3. He is also forgetful. Peter said that we have escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But the Christian who has not added the Christian graces to his life is living a life of sin. He has forgotten he has been cleansed from his old sins. He has forgotten he has been made holy by the blood of the Lamb and has taken on the divine nature: “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). 

We have all things that pertain towards life and godliness. And we have escaped from the pollutions that are in the world. But there is a danger of forgetting this truth. It is sad when Christians become spiritually blind to the knowledge of God, only seeing the things near him and missing out on the things above, and return to the world. It’s the reason Peter exhorts us to give diligence to make our calling and election sure: for if we do these things, we shall never fall (2 Peter 1:10). 

Is your election sure and steadfast?

Jimmy Lau

Psa 119:97  Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.

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Peter’s purpose in writing the two epistles

2Pe 3:1  This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance. 

Peter’s purpose in writing the two epistles  Peter’s purpose in writing the two epistles was to stir up the readers’ minds by reminding them the important truths which they had before heard, but which they were in danger of forgetting. In both letters his aim was to exhort them to holy lives and to beware of false doctrines. Their minds, he says, were pure, that is, free from the corruptions of this world and free from the corruption of false doctrines. Therefore, he did not want them to become corrupted by the evil influences around them. 

The word "stir" means literally to "arouse" or "awake". It carries the idea of one who is sleeping and is not aware of his surroundings or one who is ignorant of a certain danger coming towards him. In this case, the Christians were made aware of the evil influence and corruptions of this world, and the false doctrines that were attacking the church. Peter had to remind them by putting them in remembrance the things that were taught to them before. 

We are apt to forget the things that we have heard and learned. Who can remember the sermon that was preached last Sunday? Therefore, elders and preachers have to constantly remind us, either by of preaching or by writing. We all need to be aroused from time to time. 

As we go about in our 24-hour day after day, we are often so caught up with the business and pleasures of this life that we lose sight of the things more important to us – our heavenly goal (Hebrews 12:2). There is the danger of becoming lukewarm, and even fall away from the faith. Hence we need the daily exhortations and the constant reminders from the pulpit (Hebrews 3;13).

The church at Ephesus had left her first love (Revelations 2:4). Their love for Christ had become cold. They were not as enthusiastic as when they first started. They did not retain that strong and ardent affection for God. Christ had to stir them up in remembrance. 

The church at Laodicea had grown lukewarm (Revelations 3:16). The church at Laodicea thought they were in right relationship with God because of their blessings. They boasted they were rich, self-sufficient, and were in need of nothing. Well, according to this world, that’s a sign of God’s blessings on them and so they must be doing the right things. But Christ said they were wretched, poor, blind and naked. 

Lukewarm Christians see themselves as “rich” and self-sufficient, but the Lord sees them as “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked” (Revelations 3:17). Their lukewarm faith was hypocritical; it was a show of faith but without the substance. Being lukewarm is saying that you are in a right relationship with God but living like you aren’t (Titus 1:16). Christ had to stir them up to repentance. 

Do you need stirring up? A self-sufficient attitude will result in a lukewarm faith. This happens when Christians live lives of ease and prosperity. They may go to church and practice a form of religion, but their inner state is one of self-righteous complacency. In other words, their faith doesn’t mean very much to them. They aren’t particularly enthusiastic about it, nor are they hostile toward it. They are simply seat warmers. They need stirring up! 

We need to be constantly stirred up because we are ever so forgetful of the things that are taught to us. It’s the reason we need to assemble each Sunday: “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works” (Hebrews 10:24). The word “provoke” means to stir up. 

Are you growing cold in your faith? Are you living a holy life? If you aren’t, I hope this message will stir you up.

Jimmy Lau

Psa 119:97  Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.

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This email was sent to Brad@abiblecommentary.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Lim Ah Pin Church of Christ · 20 Lim Ah Pin Road · Singapore 547839 · Singapore