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Wisdom from Above V

Joe Harby on February 17, 2013

Introduction

The fact that this prophetic warning is located just on the threshold of God’s judgment of Israel in 70 A.D. does not prevent it from providing us with a number of useful warnings. They were told to look back at similar times of affliction in the Old Testament, and so we have two sets of such historical warnings. Locating this in the first century, therefore, does not make this irrelevant to us, but rather doubly relevant.

The Text

“Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten . . .” (Jas. 5:1-20).

Summary of the Text

The rich are instructed to weep for the coming miseries (v. 1). The wealth they have, and the luxuries they possess, are all coming apart (v. 2). Their gold and silver is corroded, and will both testify against them and devour them (v. 3). They have made piles of treasure for the last days (v. 3). The next judgment tells us what kind of rich men we are talking about (v. 4). They can hire roomfuls of lawyers to keep the working man in bondage to the fine print. They are sensualists, fattening themselves for God’s charnel house (v. 5). They are rich men who kill just men (v. 6).

So the brothers ought to be patient in waiting for the coming of the Lord, just like a farmer waits (v. 7). They should strengthen their hearts as the coming of the Lord approaches (v. 8). Don’t break out into squabbles . . . the judge is at the door (v. 9). Christians in the first century should take a page from the Old Testament prophets (v. 10). We consider men happy who endure misery through to the end (v. 11). Count Job a happy man therefore.

Whatever you do, don’t swear by created things. Let your yes be yes (v. 12). The afflicted should pray (v. 13). The merry should sing psalms (v. 13). The sick should ask for the elders to come (v. 14). The prayer of faith will raise up the sick, and sickness is more closely related to sin issues than we might want to think (v. 15). Confess your faults and failings to one another, so that you might be healed (v. 16). In this humbled, honest context, fervent prayer avails much. Elijah was a man with problems like we have, and look how God answered his prayers (vv. 17- 18). Go after those who wander off (v. 19). Let the one you are chasing know that he is being pulled back from death, and that a multitude of sins is being covered (v. 20) . . . which is the task of love.

Injustice on the Threshold of Judgment

The Bible describes the run-up to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. in terms that should make us think of the denouement of The Odyssey. We see rich and insolent suitors devouring what is not theirs, while justice is right at the door. This chapter describes this kind of scene for us well.

The rich here are the same ones in chapter two, those who mistreat the saints (Jas. 2:6). Their wealth is not like that of Abraham or Solomon, but rather was wickedly obtained (v. 3). They rob their laborers of wages that were promised to them, keeping the wages back by fraud (v. 4). They live in wanton luxury (v. 5). They use their wealth to murder just people (v. 6). Foolish saints are tempted to flatter such men, but what is required is for us to stand against them with a prophetic courage.

For all their wisdom (the kind of wisdom that is from below), these rich people do not know they are on the precipice of disaster. They have heaped up piles of loot for the last days (v. 3). A mound of gold at your feet in Hell will just melt and run away. Those afflicted by these people are told to be patient to the coming of the Lord (v. 7). The coming of the Lord is drawing near (v. 8). The judge is standing right at the door (v. 9). From these descriptions, this had to have happened in the first century. But this does not make such warnings irrelevant to us —all of us will meet God within one lifetime . . . our own.

Sickness and Sin

We know from the teaching of Scripture that sin and suffering are not automatically connected. James mentions Job here as a patient and happy man (v. 11), and not the sinner that his three counselors thought he was. And of course, Jesus effectively countered His disciples who thought a man was born blind because of his or his parents’ sin (John 9:3).

But the fact that there is not an automatic connection does not mean there is no connection. When the elders pray, it says, healing and forgiveness are closely connected (v. 15). This is why we should be honest with each other (v. 16). Being honest means that we will not treat the whole thing as a cosmic karma machine, but neither will we shuffle off all responsibility as though there could not be a connection.

Merriment and the Psalms

The psalms are like the blues. One of the striking things about the blues is that singing them makes you feel better. Even though the subject of many blues songs is pretty grim (“nobody loves me but my mother, and she could be jiving too”), the overall effect of the blues is pretty upbeat.

The same thing is true of the psalms. Notice that James says that if someone is merry, he should “sing psalms.” He does not say that the merry one should sing Psalms 148, 149, and 150. The book of psalms is full of affliction, and yet God tells us that it provides us with our vocabulary of joy and godly mirth. Psalms of distress, psalms of war, psalms of fear, psalms of imprecation, psalms of penitence . . . into the hopper.

Confession and Accusation

Remember that the world runs on envy and accusation. Remember that God gives more grace. But what sense does it make to confess my faults to others when anything I say can and will be used against me? We are not to confess anything in an attempt manipulate God, or as we try to get Him to do our bidding. We are to confess our sins in Christ, and we are to be lifted up in Christ. Confession must not be a “work.” It must be all of grace.

Wisdom from Above IV

Joe Harby on February 10, 2013

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Introduction

The devil is a moralist. The devil is self-righteous. The devil is an angel of light. The name Lucifer means light- bearer. Who could be against that? The devil is censorious. The devil disapproves of us, and likes it when we disapprove of one another. The devil is a Pharisee. The devil is the accuser of the brethren, accusing them day and night before the throne. And this means we should be more far more concerned than we usually are about the danger of becoming like the devil.

The Text

“From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not . . .” (Jas. 4:1-17).

Summary of the Text

Where do our fights come from (v. 1)? They come, not from outside us, but from inside us. You want something, but don’t get it (v. 2). You kill but don’t get it. You fight and go to war, but you won’t humble yourself and ask for it (v. 2). You want it by conquest, not as a gift of grace. And, when you do ask, your motives for asking are all messed up (v. 3). Friendship with the world and friendship with God cannot coexist together (v. 4). The spirit in us veers toward envy (v. 5). But God gives more grace. He resists the proud and gives grace to the humble (v. 6). Submit, resist, and watch the devil flee (v. 7). Approach God and He will approach you (v. 8). To approach God, you must purify yourself. You must afflict your soul (v. 9), and not on the surface of it either. Humble yourself so that God might lift you up (v. 10).

Don’t speak evil of one another. To judge your brother is tantamount to judging the law (v. 11), which is bad. There is one lawgiver, and it isn’t you (v. 12). Come now, ye big movers and shakers (v. 13)—you don’t know that your entire life is a little wisp of fog at 7 am that will be gone in 45 minutes (v. 14), as soon as the sun gets over the trees. Your plans for the future therefore ought to take the Lord’s will into account (v. 15). If you don’t, you are boasting, which is an evil self-sufficiency (v. 16). So if you know what is right, you had better do it (v. 17).

We might not really want to, but let’s unpack this further.

What Desire Does

The first and most obvious thing is that desire collides with other desires. Two men want the same job, the same honor, the same girl, the same reputation, the same birthright. Where does conflict come from? James answers the question bluntly—from the desires of your members. Instead of praying to God for the desire of your heart (Ps. 37:4), you pray with the desire of your heart, and so you are turned down flat. This blind desire (which amounts to the desire to be friends with the world) is a desire that is enmity toward God (v. 4). Our front end needs to be aligned—left to ourselves we always veer toward the envy ditch. This is because we desire things in a world where others are usually there first. In fact, given your luck, they are always there first.

How Desire Awakens

Desire awakens because of the presence of the other. This is why desire (and the desire of others) leads to conflict, war, grabbing, accusations, and judging. Using the law that way makes you exegete Scripture like the devil. The name Satan means accuser; the word devil refers to slanderous accusation. But who wants to be like that? Well, more people want to be like that than know they want to be like that. When you boast about what you will do tomorrow, such boasting has others in the rear view mirror (vv. 11, 16). Watch my dust, chump. So remember what we learned in the previous chapter about the wisdom from above and the wisdom from below.

And He Will Flee . . .

Now consider the wonderful promise of v. 7. Submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. But if we have superficial views of the nature of our relationships, and the nature of our conflicts, and the nature of our desires, then we can apply this verse until we turn blue, and the devil will not flee at all. He will just sit there, leering at you. And he will make comments from time to time, because he likes to watch you twitch.

If you view the “world of desire” as simple, then it will not be surprising that you are easily confounded. God says not to take that chocolate chip cookie, and so all you have to do is submit to God on the point of law, recognize that the cookie belongs to another, and poof! the devil vanishes. So if it is so simple, why doesn’t he vanish?

Submit to God means to submit to His entire evaluation, as described in this extended passage, of the tangled web of conflicting desires that makes up your world, and it means to break off your adulterous friendship with the world entirely. To resist the devil means to resist the spirit of accusation that whispers to you every day about how right you are. Who is that who tells you every morning that you are “quite right”? Do you really need to ask? If you want the devil to flee and your right to accuse others to stay, then you are a double-minded man, not knowing what on earth you are asking for.

Gracious Vindication

When we are delivered from envy (and from the envious), we are delivered by grace. God gives more grace (v. 6). He gives grace to the humble (v. 6). He will lift up the one who has humbled himself (v. 10), not the one who has vaunted himself. God draws near to such a person (v. 8). If the Lord blesses, we will do what we do—otherwise not (v. 15). Please note that there is such a thing as vindication. There is a rear view mirror, but you had better not be looking in it the wrong way. Remember the contextual flow. The one who is boasting in his great business plans is someone who clearly has an eye on the competition.

One Last Thing

Is James an accuser? Look again at verse 4, and ask if James is a devil. Is any minister who preaches these words a pulpit devil? Well, it has been done before, but there is a key distinction. The cross comes down to one point, and one point only. The cross judges the judgmental.

Wisdom From Above III

Joe Harby on February 3, 2013

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Introduction

This passage contains the phrase that gives the title to this entire series of messages, the phrase “the wisdom from above.” But this wisdom from above is not an abstract set of rules. Never forget that our wisdom from above has a name, and His name is Jesus. He is the wisdom from above.

The Text

“My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole
body . . .” (Jas. 3:1-18).

Summary of the Text

James tells us here that not many should want to be teachers (v. 1) because teachers come under a stricter judgment. We all stumble in many ways, including in our words, and teachers do it up in front of everybody (v. 2). If a man controls his tongue, then that means he is able to control himself entirely (v. 2). A bit is a horse’s mouth is small, but can direct the whole animal (v. 3). A ship of great size, and in a great storm, is still directed by a small helm (v. 4). The tongue is small but influential in the same way (v. 5). The tongue is a fire, a cosmos of iniquity, which is set on fire by Hell, defiles the whole body, and sets the entire wheel of life on fire (v. 6). Every kind of beast has been tamed by man (v. 7), but the tongue not so much (v. 8). The tongue is schizophrenic, blessing God and cursing the image of God (v. 9). Blessing and cursing gush out of the same mouth (v. 10), which is not fitting. Does a fountain do that (v 11)? Does a fig tree bear contrary to its nature? Does a vine (v. 12)? Neither does a fountain.

The tongue is a helm. Who is the helmsman? If we want to know who the wise man is, we look for a good way of life and meekness of wisdom (v. 13). But if envy and strife is residing in your heart, then stop vaunting in your glory, and stop lying against the truth (v. 14). This wisdom (for some call it “wisdom”) does not come down from above, but is earthly, sensual, and devilish (v. 15). Where this heart is, then confusion, disorder, and every vile practice follow (v. 16). The wisdom that does come from above, and which Jesus is the perfect embodiment of, is pure, peaceable, easily entreated, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and honest (v. 17). Those who make peace are sowing peace, and the harvest is righteousness (v. 18).

Where We Actually Are

Whenever a minister announces that he is going to preach on “tongue,” the response is this: And all God’s people said uh oh. But we often hide our real problems under a veil of hyper-sensitivity to the wrong things. This passage is not at all describing a couple of church ladies chatting about who might get engaged next. Why do we always assume this is about gossip? Gossip isn’t even mentioned here. This is all about ambition, power struggles, envy, strife, in-fighting, cursing, throwing elbows, and so on. And before we say something like, “Oh, that’s a relief then,” we need to do a little spiritual inventory. James seems to think this problem is far more common than we tend to think.

Not Many Teachers

Teachers operate in a stand of trees; their calling puts them in a forest. And on top of that, teachers labor with their tongues, with words. This means that if the “unregulated fire” of their words gets loose, the result is a forest fire.

Claimants to Wisdom

James is not just comparing two kinds of people. He is comparing two kinds of people, each kind claiming to be the rightful possessor of something called “wisdom.”The question is “who is the wise man?”Who has true knowledge? The answer is that real wisdom is meek (v. 13). There is a kind of wisdom that isn’t, that wants to glory in its envy and strife, wants to lie against the truth, and still call it wisdom (v. 15). James calls it wisdom too, after a fashion, but he says that it is earthly, sensual and devilish. And like a squid spraying ink, it frequently gets away with this response because when everything gets disordered and confused enough, nobody can tell who did or said what.

Real wisdom, the kind that comes from above, is peace-seeking, gentle, full of mercy and sweet reasonableness. It is marked, not by claims to impartiality, but by impartiality. It is marked, not by claims that it is easily entreated, but by being easily entreated. Real wisdom does not conjugate the verb this way—I am firm, you are stubborn, he is pig-headed. In the final analysis, if you want to know what was planted, look at the harvest.

Wisdom from Above

Remember the perfections of Jesus, and marvel at this crowning perfection—the fact that He was not totally exasperated all the time, in every conversation He ever had. But look at how He lived. He emptied Himself, took the form of a servant, and was obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Not only did He spend His time with us, He spent His life for us.

Envy and strife do not set their face to go to Jerusalem to be crucified by the chief priests and scribes. They don’t see any future for self in that. Self-centered glory does not set a child in the midst of disciples jockeying for position and tell them that they must be like that. Self-centered glory rather tries to keep the children away. Devilish ambition does not teach us to take the lowest seat so that God may be the one who promotes us. Devilish ambition cannot help itself, and must seek its own glory.

Jesus is the wisdom of God, and lest you assume that this meekness means becoming a doormat in the face of evil, remember that this meekness from God cleansed the Temple with a whip, rebuked the Pharisees with high satire, and was enough of a firebrand that the authorities had Him crucified as a public menace.

Wisdom from Above II

Joe Harby on January 27, 2013

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Introduction

The central issue for evangelical faith is always the presence or absence of life. Recall that in the previous chapter, God Himself is the one who brought us to life of His own will (1:18), and He is the one who sustains and nurtures us in that life. The issue is not rule-keeping, but life. It is not moralism, but life. It is not doing good works while earning your salvation, it is doing good works while alive.

The Text

“My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? . . .” (Jas. 2:1- 26).

Summary of the Text

James tells us that we must not be class snobs in our faith (v. 1). Suppose a rich man comes swanking in, and a poor man also does (v. 2). Suppose further you give the prospective big tither a seat of honor and put the poor guy in the corner on the floor (v. 3). Isn’t this partiality (v. 4)? Hasn’t God shown more honor to the poor than that (v. 5)? But the Christians James is addressing have despised the poor (v. 6), even though it is the rich who tend to hassle believers. Rich folks are the ones who blaspheme the name by which we are called, right (v. 7)? The rule we should follow is the royal law of Scripture—love your neighbor as yourself (v. 8), which is to do well. But if you play favorites, you are committing sin, and are convicted as transgressors (v. 9).

The law of God is a plate glass window, and it doesn’t much matter where you put the hole (v. 10). All the different commandments come from the same God, and so to break His Word is to break His Word (v. 11). So speak and act as those who will be judged by the law of liberty (v. 12). If you don’t show mercy, you will have judgment and no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment (v. 13).

Where is the profit if a man says that he has faith, but he has no works? Can a naked profession of faith save him (v. 14)? Suppose someone is lacking clothes or food (v. 15). Suppose someone else pats him on the head patronizingly, and says that he should go off and get a job (v. 16). What good is it? A faith that does not move around (as is seen in works) is solitary, stationary, and therefore dead (v. 17). A man may reasonably say to the professor of naked faith that he cannot see that invisible faith which is apart from works, and that whenever he sees genuine works, he sees the faith behind it (v. 18). You believe there is one God in the sky? Good for you and the devil both (v. 19). Does the vain man really need to have it explained to him that faith without works is dead (v. 20)? Wasn’t Abraham justified at the altar of Isaac (v. 21)? His faith took him there (v. 22). That was the point where Scripture was fulfilled (v. 23). A man is justified by works over against naked faith, dead faith (v. 24). We can say the same thing about Rahab the harlot (v. 25). As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also (v. 26).

Royal Liberty

James is speaking throughout of a response to the Word. We are to receive the engrafted Word with meekness, that Word being what can save our souls (1:21). We are to be doers of this Word, not hearers only (1:22-23). He then uses, as a synonym with the Word, the phrase “the perfect law of liberty” (1:25). This continues in chapter 2—when he refers to the royal law of Scripture (2:8) and again to the “law of liberty” (2:12). Rightly understood, since he is talking about the engendering of life, we are talking about the gospel.

Rahab

God loves to mess up our pious hair-dos for us. Not only was Rahab justified by works, but it appears to us that she was justified by the work of telling some people a lie (v. 25). She was justified by works when she sent the messengers out by another way than she said she did. Whatever shall we do with that? Well, we should start by remembering that Scripture is the mirror we should use to examine ourselves, and it should be a mirror that is not covered over with the post-it notes of our pious traditions. We should know more about the Hebrew midwives and Gideon in the wine-vat than we do.

The Friend of God

Abraham is called the friend of God by Jehoshaphat (2 Chron. 20:7), and by Isaiah (Is. 41:8). Scripture tells us in Gen. 15:6 that Abraham believed God and it was imputed to him as righteousness, and James quotes this verse. The incident that James references in v. 21, the sacrifice of Isaac, occurred 15-20 years later. Abraham was living by faith that entire intervening time, but the reality of his faith was fulfilled in a climatic way at the sacrifice of Isaac. Fulfilled means many things, but it does not mean “come into existence.” And notice how faith is growing up, taking shape, becoming mature, being made perfect (v. 22).

Living Faith

As classical Protestants, we exult in the doctrine of sola fide, justification through faith alone. So what do we do with the fact that the only place in the Bible where the phrase “faith alone” occurs is in order to condemn it (2:24)? Well, fortunately, we also believe in sola Scriptura, which means we are allowed to read the verses before and after this. James is condemning dead faith. Dead faith is not alone—being dead, it isn’t at all.

Remember the gospel brings life. The gospel quickens. The gospel is received by the instrumentality of faith alone, and because faith alone (in the Protestant sense) is the gift of God, we must recall that there is only one kind of faith that God gives—living faith. Living faith grows up into living, breathing works, and all of glorifies the exhaustive grace of God.

Wisdom from Above I

Joe Harby on January 20, 2013

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Introduction

James, the Lord’s brother, wrote this remarkable letter. Some Christians have found it a little deficient in “gospel,” but this is largely the result of a deficient view of Scripture, coupled with a deficient view of the nature of the gospel. God’s gospel kindness to us is woven throughout the epistle.

The Text

“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience . . .” (Jas. 1:1-27).

Summary of the Text

The letter from James is a general one, written to the “twelve tribes” out there (v. 1). When various trials arise, reckon it to be your joy (v. 2). The reason for this is that the trials are not senseless (v. 3). There is a point to them, which is our maturity (v. 4). If any of us lack wisdom (about what is going on in this process), we should ask God, and He will provide it for us (v. 5). In such requests, we must not waver (v. 6). Wobbly prayers in this regard don’t go far (v. 7). This is because a double-minded man is unstable in all things (v. 8), and not just in his prayer life. A low position is actually an exalted one (v. 9). This world’s riches are the inverse of that (v. 10). The rich man browns up nicely, just like the flowers in a high meadow in August (v. 11). But the man who endures trial receives the crown of life when all is said and done (v. 12).

But temptation does not come from God (v. 13). Temptation arises from within (v. 14). This process leads steadily downward to death (v. 15). Don’t make a mistake about what comes from where (v. 16). Good gifts come down from the immutable God of Heaven (v. 17). And it was His will to bring regeneration about in us (v. 18).

So then, be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger (v. 19). Man’s anger is not doing God’s work (v. 20). So set aside the attitudinal junk (v. 21), and quit saying you can’t. James just told you to. Do the Word, and don’t just listen to it (v. 22). Hearers only are absent-minded mirror-gazers (vv. 23-24). But look into the text, the perfect law of liberty, and you will truly see yourself there (v. 25). Vain religion is the religion of the unbridled tongue (v. 26). True religion rescues others from their troubles, and stands pure and apart from the world (v. 27).

Asking for Joy

Now it is the easiest thing in the world to lift v. 5 out of context, and say that if you lack wisdom about any decision whatever, all you have to do is ask, and God will supply the answer. This job or that one? This major or that one? This car or that one? But the context here is plainly saying that if anyone lacks wisdom about how to receive trials with joy, learning patience to the point where we lack nothing, then that person should ask God to supply the requisite wisdom. Don’t be dishonest or double-minded in it, and God promises to give this sort of wisdom liberally, abundantly. The crown of life awaits us on the other side of an endured trial—provided we love the Lord (v. 12).

This doesn’t mean that you cannot pray for wisdom about other decisions (of course not), but it does mean you can’t do that if you are not praying for wisdom to rejoice in your troubles. If you do that, you are inverting the promise, not expanding it. You are trying to treat God as a giant convenience store in the sky.

Trials and Temptations

In Greek, the word for trial and the word for temptation are the same word, with our distinction for them certainly present, but contextually determined. James tells us here that we are to consider trials a joy (v. 2), but also says that temptations do not come from God (v. 13). Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Matt. 4:1). A few chapters later, He teaches us to pray in the Lord’s Prayer with a request that our Father lead us not into temptation (Matt. 6:13). Who is doing what? The same situation is a trial or a temptation based on the perspective of the one testing or luring. Given the Lord’s time in the wilderness, what did the devil want and what did the Spirit want?

The Transience of Wealth

A man with the right sort of troubles is a man who is matriculating in God’s character course. Rejoice that you have been accepted into the program, and rejoice in the challenging work that comes with it. The rich man is deceived—if he accepts the present moment as a permanent moment, which is what the temptation usually is. A rich man should rejoice in the transience of his wealth, so that he might have true wealth. The poor man rejoices in the true wealth that is ahead of him, and he knows what God’s intention for him is.

The Genesis of Sin

Sin is not dropped on us from Heaven. Let no one say when he is tempted that God is seeking to lure him into sin. Where does sin come from then? Each man’s lust (desire) leads to sin, and sin leads to death.

True Religion

True religion begins with regeneration (v. 13). Of His own will, He begets us. God works mysteriously, inexorably, and we cannot fully understand it. From our perspective, what are we to do? We recognize the problem with our rashness and anger (vv. 19-20). We are called to “lay aside” our sinfulness, and we are told to “receive with meekness” the engrafted word—which then does the work of saving our souls.

When this happens, a man starts to do what he reads. He stops looking in the mirror of forgetfulness. This man does what he reads because he sees himself in the mirror—he doesn’t hold up the mirror to look around the rest of the congregation. He therefore guards his tongue. He therefore is kind to the widow. He therefore keeps himself aloof from worldliness. This is the regenerate man.