Faithful Living - Studies from the Book of James
No 9. Consistency for Credibility Ch. 1:21,22.
Introduction. In this letter, James is writing to a specially
favoured people to whom the Lord has chosen to give birth through the word of
truth, who are a kind of firstfruits of all God has
created (v.18).
He is writing about the family of God,
whom James refers to as "My beloved brethren" (vv. 16 & 19). He
has been considering their many trials, and has been giving them exemplary
advice.
These Christians are being reminded of
God's purpose for their future, which is to live the righteous life. Nothing
else matters or is more important.
God, who gave us our first and second
births, wants our lives to be like His, holy, loving, just, and full of honesty,
because this is what righteous means.
To achieve this, there must be Consistency
in living if the Christian is to have credibility.
Practical faith in the word of God should
naturally grow into practical obedience to the word. The same word of truth
that produces life is able to nourish life where it finds obedience to the
truth.
Where there is not total obedience to His
revealed word, it is impossible to live a life that is pleasing to God,
Illustration--
The saddest life is the one that
lacks any purpose. Most of us have some aims besides that of mere survival.
Everyone who knew the story of Justin Fashenu was
distressed by how it ended.
He was
Yet, in May 1998, his body was found in a
lock-up garage in
It is absolutely crucial to have the right
goals. Instead of asking what sort of life do I want, we should ask, what sort
of life does God desire for me? How does our Creator
and Redeemer expect us to live?
James tells us that God desires a
righteous life for us (v.20). To achieve this, there must be Consistency in our
life and testimony for Jesus Christ. Transgression
The God, who brought us forth from death
unto life by His Word, teaches us from His word, how we are to live the new
life.
1: 19 wherefore, my beloved
brethren, let every man be swift to hear,
The Righteous person will be swift,
(prompt and ready) to listen to God.
James 1:21 wherefore lay
apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness
the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. (KJV)
1:22 but be
ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Having cautioned us about our speech and
our anger, James now urges that we be "Consistent in our Walk" and
highlights three important factors, which we must put into practice, if we are
to have creditability as the sons and daughters of God.
Transgression
to Remove.
Truth to Receive
Teaching
to Remember.
Transgression to Remove.
Wherefore lay apart all
filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, James 1:21 Therefore lay aside all
filthiness and overflow of wickedness, (NKJ)
Get rid of all moral filth and the
evilness that is so prevalent, and accept the word of God, which has been
planted in you.
The Greek word, ( apotithemi ) that translates, "lay apart,
lay aside, get rid of, to put of, to strip away. The word can be used for
someone taking off a coat.
Thus, it is the responsibility of the
believer to strip off all moral filth. Although God has chosen us and called
us, there is something for us to do.
We must take off our old coats of sin,
(not in order to be saved, since it is only the blood of Jesus that can take
away our sin,) but that we might be consistent in our walk, displaying
holiness.
James saw the human heart as a garden,
which if left to itself, it would produce only the weeds of sin.
"For the heart is deceitful an d
above all things desperately wicked"
The Lord said," out of the heart proceed evil
thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, theft false witness, and
blasphemies These are the things which defile a man:
These things, which are common in the
unregenerate man, cannot be reconciled with the Holy Spirit and the Grace of
God in the life of the believer. James was a man, who was very sensitive to sin
and he reminds us of three facts concerning sin
1. The
Defilement of Sin. All filthiness
To the unconverted man sin is but a
Trifle, to the carnal Christian sin is often Trouble, but to the sensitive
Christian, sin is always a Tragedy.
Charles
Wesley- was one who recognized the
Defilement of Sin and penned these words.
Purge
me from every blot
My
Idols all be cast aside
Cleanse
me from every sinful thought
From all the filth of self and pride.
These are telling words. When we think of
Moral filth, we are apt to think of adultery, rape, homosexuality and all other
kinds of degrading practices.
But James is saying, wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of
naughtiness.
2. The
Depth of Sin. Superfluity of naughtiness.
This means superabundance of depravity, of
wickedness and that, which will injure. This includes,
every form of uncleanness. Whether it is thoughts, words, or deeds, they must
be rooted out of the life. For sin is sin, and it is an
abomination unto the Lord.
In chapter 3 of the Old Testament book of
Zechariah, the High Priest discovers himself to be covered in dirty clothes,
and Satan is accusing him. Then an angel speaks; "Take off his filthy
clothes and I will clothe him with a change of raiment".
If all your clothes are filthy, you can't
be selective and take off some of them, and put on fresh clean clothes. They
all need to be removed. How fresh would a new suit smell, if the undergarments
had not been removed for months?
Lay aside all moral filth and evil. This
is the theme of all Scripture.
2 Corinthians 7:1 dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the
flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Friends, no Christian can battle against
sin, until they recognize the depravity of the flesh and the depth of sin in
their own heart.
Henry Twells--- got it write when he
wrote
And
none, O Lord, have perfect rest.
For
none are wholly free from sin
And
they who vain would serve you best
Are
conscious most of wrong within.
Sin has a tremendous depth
and it will seek to plunge us into terrible depths!
3. The
Damage of Sin.
The whole point that James is making is,
unless we get rid of sin in whatever form it takes, it will damage us, for sin
wrecks everything it touches.
The Greek word, (rhuparia),
which is translated filthiness or moral filth, is a compound word from which we
get the words "ear wax"
James uses this word to drive home the
truth, that filth in the life of the Christian will keep him from hearing the
word of God.
We need to be aware of those things in our
lives, which can cause wax in our spiritual ears and hinder us from hearing the
word of God. Wax needs to be removed, if we are to hear, and sin needs to be removed if we are to be holy.
Col 3:8 But
now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy
communication out of your mouth.
Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we
also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside
every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run
with patience the race that is set before us.
Friends, even those sins, which we might
consider to be small are deep rooted and damaging. We
need to get rid of them with a ruthless determination.
Beloved our daily Prayer should be.
Refining
fire go through the heart
Illuminate
my soul
Scatter
Thy life through every part
And
Sanctify the whole.
Transgression to Remove.
Lay apart all filthiness
and superfluity of naughtiness,
Truth to Receive.
"And receive with
meekness the engrafted word"
Note. What
we are to Receive
"The engrafted
Word". This is how
God’s standard is attained. James places great emphasis on the word of God.
A. The Word of Truth V.18.
God’s verbal communication has been given
to men; a full revelation of which is now contained in the inspired cannon of
scripture.
B. The Perfect law of
But whoso looketh
into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth
therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man
shall be blessed in his deed.
Law—this means that the "Word of God" is to be
our rulebook for living. It contains commandments that are always for our good.
The words of the Psalm 119:
Thy word is a lamp
unto my feet, and a light unto my path. The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth
understanding unto the simple.
Wherewithal shall a young man
cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to
thy word.
Thou hast dealt well with thy
servant, O LORD, according unto thy word.
Order my steps in thy word:
and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.
C. The Engrafted Word V. 22
This statement suggests the process of
propagation. God engrafts His word into our natural bodies. It is only as the
word is implanted, it becomes united with the heart.
Unless the word becomes rooted in us by faith,
the fruit of righteousness cannot be brought forth. As the word of God roots
itself more deeply in us, the new life develops and the old life dies. How can
we grow in knowledge of our Lord and Saviour? How can we be consistent in our
talk and in our walk? By receiving the "Engrafted Word"
God engrafts His word into our hearts so
that we might display something of the sweetness of His divine nature, and that we might be conformed to the image of His dear Son.
How much of our reading consists of the
word of God? We read daily newspapers, weekly magazines, Christian journals,
and Bible commentaries, but we can
make the fatal mistake of reading more of what others have to say about the
word of God, than of reading of what God has to say in His word. Christians
should seek to apply themselves to the earnest study of the word of God.
As Oscar Feucht has
said, "Bible reading is not the exceptional thing for the literate Christian, it is part of his response to God".
A
glory gilds the sacred page,
Majestic
like the sun;
It
gives a light to every age,
It
gives, but borrows none.
A bit of
the Book in the morning, to order my onward way.
A bit of
the Book in the evening, to hallow the end of the day.
A. What we are to Receive
B. How we are to |Receive
"Receive
with meekness the engrafted word"
We need to learn how to read the Bible,
and how to listen as others explain its truth.
For sometimes we can have the wrong
attitude toward the word as well as towards those, who teach the Word. James is
saying that we are to receive the word in a submissive and open-minded way. We
should be eager to learn more, and willing to apply what we learn to every area
of our lives.
Psalm 25 The
Psalmist says to God.
4 Show me thy ways, O LORD;
teach me thy paths.
Lead me in thy truth, and
teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all
the day. Is this our attitude
when we come to the word?
There are believers, who instead of
receiving the Word meekly, resist it proudly. There is an unwillingness to
submit to God’s Word, and to surrender certain sins and certain desires.
If they do not like what they hear, they
conclude that the preacher is an extremist and they are his targets. Then there
are others who come to the word wearing blinkers, and earmuffs. They only see
and hear what they want to hear.
Is there not the danger that we can read
into the Bible instead of reading from the Bible? Is there not the danger of
switching of and hearing only what we want to hear?
I am reminded
of A. W. Tozers words—
"We must never edit
God"
James is teaching, that we must receive
the word in its totality and we must receive it humbly, opening the inner self
to its powerful influence. The word of God, which is received in meekness, will
find good ground to be fruitful
Mark 4:20 And
these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive
it, and bring forth fruit, some thirty fold, some sixty, and some an
hundred.
We are to receive the word humbly; it’s
the Greek word "Praotes"
which was used to describe an animal that had been domesticated –for example, a
wild stallion that has been broken, and is now under the control of its master.
The horse’s will
has been broken; he is still powerful but he is also now obedient. We are to
come under the control of the word and accept it with humility and meekness.
We are to bend before the Lordship of
Christ, as He bowed to the will of His Father, saying
J. Robert
Ashcroft (1878-1958) "Not
My will but Thine be done" All heaven is waiting
to help those who will discover the will of God and do it.
Charles
Wesley All my requests are lost
in one, "Father, thy will be done!"
A. What we are to Receive
B. How we are to |Receive
C. Why we are to Receive.
Receive with meekness the
engrafted word, which is able to save your souls
We know that the word is able to save
souls through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is a strange expression in the
light that James is speaking to Christians, who are already saved. Is he saying
that the saved need to be saved? Yes.
This becomes clear, when we realize that
the Bible speaks of Salvation in three different senses and tenses. It speaks
of Salvation in three different ways.
The Possession of Salvation.
The once and for all, the unrepeatable,
the unalterable experience of the New Birth which Paul speaks of in
Eph 2:8-9 For
by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift
of God:
Not of works, lest any man
should boast.
The
Progress of Salvation
This is the gradual process of
Sanctification in the Christian’s experience, and spiritual development. Paul
refers to this in
1 Cor
1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that
perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. (KJV)
For the message of the cross
is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is
the power of God. (NKJ)
The Power of God is available to save His
people from unclean practices and from every defiling sin. The word of God is
not only able to save the soul from eternal damnation; it can save us from the
daily damage, from sin.
Regeneration assures the Christian of
deliverance from the penalty of sin, but it also assures him of a powerful
deliverance from sin’s power in this present life.
The Prospect of Salvation.
This is that great and wonderful day, when
we shall be delivered from the very presence of sin.
Rom 5: 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, being now
justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
This will be the experience of every
believer beyond the grave—Saved from the Penalty, the Power, and from the
Presence of sin.
James is saying in v21 that we are to
receive the engrafted word because it is able to save us from the daily
pollution of sin. The power of the word overcomes the power of sin.
Yet, multitudes of Christians fall short
of maturity, and the blessing that ought to be theirs, all because the word of
God is not taking root in their hearts.
The word of God is able to nourish, to
strengthen, and to make one spiritually healthy.
Many are spiritual weaklings because they
fail to receive the engrafted word into their hearts, and submit to its living
power.
A. W. Tozer-- A new world will arise out of the religious mists, when we
approach our Bible with the idea that it is . . . a book, which is now
speaking.
Joseph
Cook-- Do you know a book that you
are willing to put under your head for a pillow when you are dying? Very well;
that is the book you want to study when you are living. There is only one such
book in the world.
1.
Transgression to Remove.
lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of
naughtiness,
2. Truth
to Receive.
"And receive with
meekness the engrafted word"
3.
Teaching to Remember.
1:22 But
be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
It is not enough to hear the word of God
we must be doers. It is in the doing of the word that brings the blessing. Too
many Christians mark their Bibles, but their bibles never mark them or their witness.
If we don’t put the word of God into
practice, the only ones that we are deceiving are ourselves. Self-deception and
delusion is common among the Lord’s people.
Jesus says, "The wise man is one
who hears His sayings and does them. The Foolish man hears them and does them
not".
James exhorts us to receive the word, to
welcome it, to bury it deep in our hearts and minds, and to live by its
almighty power.
Isaac
Watts-- writes the response that
every believer should make.
Thy
Noblest Wonders here we view
In
souls renewed and sins forgiven
Lord,
cleanse my sins, my soul renew
And make Thy word my guide to Heaven