Lessons

From James: Part 1

Valley Center Seventh-day Adventist Church

Written By: Pastor John T. Anderson

Delivered On March 1, 2014
This Sermon is available in audio format for listening or downloading on our Audio Sermons web page.

Today were going to read from the book of James. Actually well take two studies to go through
all of its five chapters. I thought originally that we could cover the book in one session, but thats
not possible. Its just too rich. Did you know, for example, that in the book of James there are
some 30 references, allusions or direct quotations from the Sermon on the Mount? Between the
sermon this Sabbath and the next time were together, well have read the entire book. Along the
way, well make a few comments as we go. Much of the book needs no explanation. Are you
ready? The book of James is found toward the end of the New Testament, just after the book of
Hebrews.
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered
abroad, Greetings. Who was James who wrote this book? (By the way, James is the New
Testament equivalent of the Old Testament name Jacob.) There are several who bore this name
mentioned in the Bible. There was James the son of Zebedee and brother of John, but it is highly
unlikely that he wrote it, since he was martyred very early, recorded in Acts 12. Theres been a lot
of research and discussion whether he is James the Less, James the son of Alphaeus or James
the Lords brother, mentioned in Matthew and Galatians 1:19. Without going into a lengthy
discussion, well just say that theres no biblical proof to pinpoint any of these as being the author,
but Ive always favored the thought that it was James the (step-)brother of our Lord.
This epistle is sometimes called catholic, meaning universal, since was it not addressed to any
particular church or person, but to the twelve tribes, speaking no doubt of Jewish Christians. Its
possible that hes addressing spiritual Israel, but it seems more likely that hes talking to Jews
who had become Christians. By that time they had been scattered because of persecution which
was so prevalent during the infancy of the church, which is the point that he addresses next in his
letter, which in my Bible has the caption Profiting from Trials.
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your
faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and
complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally
and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he

who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose
that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man unstable in all his ways.
James presents Christianity as providing a different perspective on life, different than the way the
world looks at things. Its almost backwards, or upside down. He says, Be joyful when you
have trials, and in the next section, exult in your poverty. Thats not the way the world looks at
things!
Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of
the field he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the
grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in
his pursuits. Put not your trust in earthly treasure, for as Proverbs tells us, riches certainly make
themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle toward heaven. Proverbs 23:5.
Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been proved, he will receive the
crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. The crown that James talks
about is the stephanos, the victors crown. Unlike the perishable chaplet of apple leaves awarded
to the Olympic winners of his day, the crown God will place on the Christians brow will never
fade.
Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God; for God cannot be tempted by evil,
nor does He Himself tempt anyone. If its impossible for God to be tempted, then how was it that
Jesus, Who is God, came to this earth, lived like us and was tempted in all points as we are?
Hebrews 4:15. Its because through a miracle He came here as the God-Man. He still had a divine
nature (which cannot be tempted), for a divine sacrifice was required in that a divine law was
broken. This divine nature was hidden during His earthly life. But He also had a human nature,
which could indeed be tempted. Jesus life here was not a sham. It wasnt make-believe. It was
real. He (and Gods throne) was made vulnerable and could have sinned. Yet He resisted evil by
the Spirits power and won the victory!
He now is going to use a natural experience, that of child-birth, in two ways. One is an illustration
of how sin comes about and the other a figure of how God is saving us through the Gospel. But
each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then when desire
has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death. James uses
an analogy from the natural world to teach a spiritual truth. The bringing together of external
temptation and internal attraction to evil in the context of an evil deceiver who encourages
disobedience results in the birth of sin. And sin ends in death. Through the Gospel and the mighty
power of the Spirit this chain reaction can be halted, and the unwanted offspring of sin can be
aborted.

James analogy actually presents a wonderful promise, if you see it this way. He says that sin
happens when the desires of sinful flesh are unified with a physical inducement. But, thank God,
we can be overcomers now through His grace even when were still in sinful flesh, and more than
that, when Jesus comes well be forever free of the sinful nature that leans toward evil, and there
will be no external temptations or tempter to harass. For that reason, we can be confident that
the Scripture will be fulfilled that affliction will not rise the second time. Nahum 1:9. All internal
pull toward iniquity will vanish; all external inducements will be removed, and there will no longer
be an evil schemer to prod and encourage us to disobey our loving Lord. Praise God for that!
Notice now how James turns the figure of birth in a second way, not as an example of evil, but as
an illustration of how God is saving us. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift
and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there
is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that
we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. This birth, the new birth, is what God is trying to
accomplish in our lives. We can be firstfruits, or examples of His grace. Jesus is the Firstfruits,
but we can be a kind of firstfruits, reflecting His character.
Therefore, my beloved, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the
wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. As we read the book of James, count
the number of times he addresses the way we speak; the power of the tongue. This is the first of
many; let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak. As someone noted, God gave us two ears
and one mouth for a reason.
He continues. Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of 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. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like
a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately
forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in
it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
Here he compares Gods moral Law, the Ten Commandments, to a mirror. It shows us our
character defects. It cant cleanse us, but has an important role in showing us our needs. He calls
it the perfect law of liberty because true freedom is found in obedience, not lawlessness. Satan
has said that freedom comes without law. He is an anarchist, who began his attempts to
overthrow Gods perfect law of love while still in heaven. God says that freedom comes within
compliance to His perfect law, which for us can happen only through His grace. Which is it?
Government by law or without law? Upon this issue the Great Controversy is waged.

Notice now the second time he touches on the importance of the things that we say. If anyone
among you thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this
ones religion is useless. You might have heard the saying, Sticks and stones will break my
bones, but words will never hurt me. Not true! Words are daggers, arrows that penetrate deeply.
Its important to guard our words and have the law of kindness on our tongue. Proverbs 31:26.
Heres what practical Christianity looks like, according to James: Pure and undefiled religion
before God and the Father is this; to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep
oneself unspotted from the world. Following God makes one helpful, kind, attentive and
generous.
He goes on to give a warning against personal favoritism in the next section. My brethren, do not
hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come
into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor
man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him,
You sit here in a good place, and say to the poor man, You stand there, or, Sit here at my
footstool, have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil
thoughts?
Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and
heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the
poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme that
noble name by which you are called? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture,
You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin,
and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet
stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do
not murder. Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a
transgressor of the law.
His main point is that to show partiality, to make judgments as to the value of a person based on
outward appearances is sin, and we should by no means neglect to recognize the truth of that
principle. At the same time there are other rich treasures in words that he shares. Notice that he
equates the principle of love your neighbor (in chapter 2:8) with the Ten Commandments
(which are referred to just three verses later, in chapter 2:11). Love your neighbor is the
summary of the last of the six Commandments. Some people may say that the Ten
Commandments were done away with at the cross and were only obliged to follow the law of
love, but James doesnt support that concept. Love is just the summary of the law; it doesnt
do away with it! A summary doesnt do away with the specific, its just another way of
expressing it.

Another important point he makes is that the violation of one of the Commandments makes one a
transgressor of the whole. Oh, the devil would like to deceive people into thinking that obeying 9
of the 10 Commandments is good enough and by doing so we can please God, but that is a fatal
deception! The Bible cannot say it more emphatically. If we stumble in one point we are guilty
of all. Now, Seventh-day Adventists are fond of quoting this passage to uphold the Sabbath
Commandment, and rightly so. But do not overlook the fact that the specific context of this
statement is not about the Sabbath, but about showing partiality based on outward tokens of
value.
A third most important point follows. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law
of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs
over judgment. Gods moral law, the Ten Commandments, will be the standard in the final
judgment. No, it wasnt nailed to the cross; it wasnt discarded when Jesus died. It remains the
faithful representation of Gods character and the Statute against which all lives will be compared
on that Day. It is the law of liberty which defines what true freedom is.
One of the main themes that James presents is the importance of merciful treatment of the less
fortunate. Youll see that that idea comes up often in this short book. Do you wish to be treated
mercifully in the great judgment? You would do well to show mercy now to those who have less
of this worlds goods.
Now James gets into a discussion of the relationship between faith and works. Some have
read his book and comparing it with what Paul wrote, mistakenly thought that the two were in
conflict one with another. Some believe that Paul teaches salvation by grace but that James
teaches salvation by works. Not true! Oh, I suppose that if you read only a few texts from both
authors and pitted one against the other you might come to that conclusion. But a careful reading
of both presents a perfectly balanced view of salvation. Paul and James, as well as all Bible
authors (because all Scripture is really authored by One, the Holy Spirit) reveal that were saved
by grace through faith which works by love. That phrase is actually a combination two Bible texts;
Ephesians 2:8 and Galatians 5:6, both written by Paul. But that formula, applied to the book of
James, is just as accurate.
If you have your eyes open to it, youll find that theres a great deal of emphasis on works as the
fruit of faith in the writings of Paul. And, if you read it fairly, youll see that theres grace in the
book of James. Well come upon the verses that bring that concept to the forefront a little later in
our study. We must read it with the entirety of the context in our minds, and not pick and choose
just one phrase here or there and try to build our theology on a few statements. That strategy will
lead to disastrous results. No, theres perfect balance if we read the Scriptures correctly. James
and Paul are not at war with each other. Keep in mind as we read the next section that works

are the fruit of genuine faith. They demonstrate that our faith is genuine, and in that sense and
that sense only are we justified by them.
When he speaks about not being saved by faith alone, hes talking about someone who says he
has faith, but its not genuine saving faith, for it is devoid of the fruitage of the Spirit that would
be there if it was the true product. Back in their day it was observed that a certain tree looked like
a fig tree. But upon closer examination, it was determined that it didnt bear real figs; figs that you
could eat and enjoy. Now, the word for fig in their language is seke (seekee). But this other
tree looked like a fig and had fruit that might fool the undiscerning eye. So it was called a fools
fig, a sekemore (with more meaning fool, as in sophomore a wise fool or the word
moron). A fools fig, or sekemore; or as wed say sycamore. A true Christian will always bear
the fruits of his or her faith.
On this point Paul and the Apostle of love, John, also agree. What did John say? Now by this we
know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, I know Him, and does not
keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly
the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. Notice the repetition of
the phrase by this in that passage. It is through the evidence of godly works that genuine faith is
demonstrated.
What did our Lord say? Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, (in other words, not everyone
who says they are a Christian; not everyone who says they have faith) shall enter the kingdom
of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day,
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many
wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you
who practice lawlessness! Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them (didnt
we just read in James a statement similar to this?), I will liken him to a wise man who built his
house on the rock. Matthew 7:21-24. James perfectly reflected the teachings of Jesus when he
wrote about the importance of not merely saying, but also doing.
Genuine faith, the real thing, will always be accompanied by works of righteousness. It cannot be
otherwise. Even the thief on the cross, who found Jesus hours before his death, revealed his faith
by works of righteousness. Were not saved by our works, but our works testify that God is indeed
working in us. Paul said, Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my
presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Philippians
2:12, 13.

What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can
faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to
them, Depart in peace, be warmed and filled, but you do not give them the things which are
needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is
dead. But someone will say, You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith without your
works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well.
Even the demons believeand tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith
without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his
son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith
was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, Abraham believed God, and it was
accounted to him for righteousness. And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a
man is justified by works, and not by faith only. Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified
by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body
without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead.
May it be that the Spirit will write in our hearts the principles of His Law, the royal law, the law
that gives liberty, so that our lives will reflect the character of the Savior, that our works will give
testimony that His power is at work in our lives. Well continue our study of the wonderful book of
James next time.