James 1:1-3- Dealing with Trials
As I begin a series of posts through the book of James, I believe it is beneficial to first provide a little background on the book.
James is considered to be the Proverbs of the New Testament due to the obvious practicality of the book. The author of the book is James, the half-brother of Jesus. It is interesting that James was not a believer in Christ during the Lord’s earthly ministry. It is only after he saw the resurrected Christ that he believed. James was writing to Jews who had been scattered through the Roman Empire because of persecution. Within the 108 verses of this book there are 54 commands. This adds to the practicality of the book and shows us that James is not afraid to tell us what we should and should not be doing. He is a very ‘in your face’ kind of an author who deals very bluntly and directly with the things that believers encounter in everyday life. But we must keep in mind that James’ goal is not to beat up his readers, but to help them live the Christian life in an authentic way.
Verse 1 serves as the introduction of the book and also lets us know to whom James is writing. As mentioned earlier he is writing to the twelve tribes that have been scattered due to persecution (the technical term is Jewish Diaspora). The very first topic that James deals with is something that we all must deal with in life. It is the topic of trials. The term trials refer to anything that breaks that patter of peace, comfort, joy, and happiness in someone’s life. It literally means to put through a test. Let me point out the instruction from these first three verses:
1. Consider it joy when you face various trials- vs. 2
2. Know that the test of your faith produces endurance- vs. 3
When you read these few verses for the first time it may seem as though the instructions given are really not all that realistic. But upon closer examination, James’ true desires for the believer become more apparent. Notice that trials are a given. It is not if we face trials, but when we face trials we are to respond with joy. This is in no way saying that trials produces happiness or that we are to laugh our way through the difficulties of life. However it is saying that when our focus is on Christ we know that He will work it all for good in our lives….for His ultimate glory.
There is a difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is dependent upon circumstances while joy is independent of our circumstances. True Christian joy is based in the person of Christ who never changes. We can have joy in the middle of trials and when life is changing all around us because it is rooted in the person of Christ who is not affected by circumstances.
The way that we are able to look at trials and difficulties with joy is because we understand that there is a purpose. Verse 3 shows us that the purpose is endurance. As we will see next time, this endurance that is mentioned is not going to happen on accident it requires a choice.
Tempting Temptation
Someone once said, “I wouldn’t be tempted if temptation wasn’t so tempting.” Someone else said, “Lead us not into temptation. Just tell us where it is; we’ll find it.” Another person said, “The devil made me do it the first time, but ever since then I’ve been doing it on my own.” Someone else said, “I can resist anything but temptation.” So why do we struggle so much with temptation? Why is it such a battle? We often throw out the common responses such as our sin nature and our flesh as ways to explain our struggles. And as fundamentally correct as those answers may be, perhaps there is an additional perspective that we should consider.
John Piper suggests that sin [and temptation] “gets its power by persuading me to believe that I will be more happy if I follow it. The power of all temptation is the prospect that it will make me happier.” As I read this quote I began to understand that giving in to temptation is really a result of us believing lies. It is a result of us focusing on the lies that the temptation is telling us instead of the truth of Scripture.
Here are a few of the lies that we tell ourselves in those times leading up to temptation, when we are in the process of giving in to temptation, and after we have finished with the act of sin that tempted us.
1- I would never do that
2- No one has ever faced this
3- God doesn’t care
4- I don’t have a choice
5- It’s not my responsibility
6- It was too much to bear
I encourage you to read I Corinthians 10:12-13 and notice how these verses combat each of the lies mentioned above.
A False Commitment To Evangelism
I have been thinking about the realities of evangelism over the past couple of weeks and have realized several problems inside the church on this issue. These issues show very clearly that what is seen on the surface as a committment to evangelism really isn’t. What is viewed as a concern for souls is nothing more than a concern to appear concerned for souls. Here are the concerns I have.
1- I am concerned that people inside churches are more committed to a method of evangelism rather than to evangelism itself.
The method that a particular church ascribes to is really of no importance, but I will use as an example the method of which most people are probably familiar. For years door-to-door visitation was a staple in almost every church. This was the method of evangelism that was promoted because, in the 70′s and 80′s, it was very effective. However, as times have changed this ‘method’ of evangelism has become ineffective. Unfortunately, for many churches, their sole method of evangelism is still door-to-door visitation. Again, there is nothing at all wrong with this method, but there are problems with the line of thinking that is espoused by many.
Anytime loyalty is to a method of evangelism there is no real focus on the message of evangelism. Whenever there is a loyalty to a method of evangelism that over time becomes ineffective true evangelism becomes non-existent. Let me encourage you to not confuse methods of evangelism with evangelism itself.
2- I am concerned that people are outsourcing evangelism and thinking doing so alleviates their responsibility.
I have talked with a lot of people who think that because they give money to the missions program of their church they are fulfilling their evangelistic responsibilities. While I am all for giving to missions, evangelism is not something that we can outsource or pay someone else to do. It is a personal responsibility in which each believer in Christ must be commited. The cause for this way of thinking may be found in the next concern.
3- I am concerned that people think that as long as they are involved in corporate evangelism there is no need for involvement in personal evangelism.
I am afraid that people don’t understand that there are really two types of evangelism. There is both corporate evangelism and personal evangelism. Corporate evangelism is what the church does as a whole. Special services, evangelistic meetings, ministries, programs would all fall under this category. Personal evangelism is each individual intentionally being a witness to those they come in contact with on a daily basis such as co-workers, family, friends, and neighbors for the purpose of evangelism.
What we must understand is that involvement in a ministry of the church that can be considered as evangelistic does not make someone evangelistically minded. Helping out in corporate evangelism is needed, but does not negate our responsibility to be involved in personal evangelism.
What our churches need is a proper view of evangelism that keeps as its focus the Gospel message.
Misused And Abused Bible Verses- Matthew 28:19-20
Although I have included this passage on the page with misused and abused Bible verses, these verses would be better classified as misused and partially ignored. Matthew 28:19-20 is one of the most familiar passages of Scripture. These verses say:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” (NKJV)
There are many people and many churches who think they are being obedient to this passage, but really are not. There are many people who assume that the are fulfilling the great commission, but are not. There are pastors who think that seeing people saved on this mission field makes them obedient to this passage, but it might not. Let me explain!
Undoubtedly you have heard that these verses are commanding us to “GO” and win other people to Christ. While I would readily agree that this is the duty of every Christian, I do not think this is the command that these verses are teaching. As I have studied these verses in great detail over the past couple of weeks there are several things that I learned that led me to, what I believe to be, the proper application of this passage.
“Go” is not the command in this verse. The ‘going’ is assumed. We are not being commanded to “go” to a lost world, it is assumed that we are going to ’go’…that it is natural to ‘go’. It would be better to translate the first part of Matthew 28:19 as “While you are going…” or as Young’s Literal Translation says, “Having gone…” Once you understand this fact the real command in this passage becomes crystal clear. Let me offer an outline of sorts that will help visualize what I am talking about.
While you are going…
…Make disciples or disciple all nations…
…by baptizing them…
(…in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit…)
…And by teaching them…
(…to observe all things that I have commanded you…)
…I will be with you always…
(…even to the end of the age, Amen.)
The command in this verse is to make disciples or to disciple all nations. We accomplish that by (1) baptizing them and (2) teaching them. Let me offer an explanation about the instruction to baptize. Baptisim is in no way necessary for or a pre-requisite to salvation. However, in Scripture baptism is assumed for the believer. As a result, baptism is many times connected to salvation as a direct and immediate result of that salvation. Baptism was the sign of their conversion. So when this passage instructs us to make disciples by the sign of baptizing them, we can understand that to mean that we are to make disciples (1) by seeing them converted to Christ and (2) by teaching them.
So how are these verses misused and partially ignored?
It is primarily misused by asserting that the command is to “GO”. While we are to “go” that is not the primary command in these verses. The command is to disciple all nations. This passage is partially ignored by churches failing to make disciples. So many church are so focused on making converts that the fail to make disciples. The going is assumed…we are to go, we are to disciple all nations by converting people to Christ and by teaching them.
Any time we only focus on converting people to Christ and yet fail to teach/disciple them we are not fulfilling the great commission. The only way to be obedient to this passage is to disciple all the nations (starting in your own church) by BOTH presenting Christ to the lost and then after they are converted to Christ, teaching them. If either portion is neglected the disciple-making process is brought to an abrupt stop.
Read Explinations Of Other Misused And Abused Bible Verses here.
A Christian Perspective On Cremation
Cremation is a topic that you don’t typically hear a lot about in Christian circles, but one the should be given a great deal of thought. As I have read about this topic over the past several days I have become even more convinced that cremation is an issue that demands a Christian perspective and response. I have read many articles and listened to many teachings on this issue. The most notable and helpful was a sermon by Alistair Begg entitled Death and Dying. Much of the information that you will read below is from Begg’s sermon on this issue as well as other articles.
I want to first offer what I believe to be the philosophy that should guide us as we think about this topic. How the Christian deals with the death, dying, and the body after death says a lot about our belief in the sanctity of life. Here are some thoughts that flow from this philosophy.
The manner of the disposal of a body is in and of itself of no real significance. Whether a body was lost at sea, burned in a house fire, or cremated, God will restore that body. Cremation does not alter God’s ability to restore and prefect the human body. The question that we have to answer is, should we put God in a position to have to do so? Is it in agreement with Scripture?
There are two main passages in the Bible that are used to attempt to show that cremation was used in the Bible and thus is acceptable today. The first deals with the death of Achan in Joshua 7:24-26. The second deals with the death of Saul in I Samuel 31. However, if you examine the passages you will see that there was nothing reverent or desirable or honorable about what was taking place. In Joshua the burning of the body was punishment. It spoke of judgement and was not attempting to show an alternate way of disposing of a dead body.
Historically, cremation was unknown in early America. The practice came primarily from people who wanted to shake their fist in the face of the biblical doctrine of the bodily resurrection of saints. It was an expression of their philosophical view of death and dying. To the left is a picture of a public Hindu cremation. According to the Cremation Association of North America, “Devout Hindus regard cremation as an essential rite that frees the soul from the body, enabling its journey to the next level.” Their view of death and how to dispose of a dead body flows from their philosophy of life and religious beliefs.
The question that we must answer is centered on God. Begg suggests that we ask: “How can we bring everything that we know about the doctrine of man in creation and preservation and the details of God’s creative order in line with this issue?” Begg suggests that burial fits the biblical picture that Jesus uses of sleep, it shows respect for the physical frame, and is in agreement with the Old Testament examples. Abraham wanted a suitable place to bury Sarah, Rebekah was buried in Bethlehem, Joseph was concerned with how his body would be handled after death. They each showed care for how the body was disposed of after death.
Another point that must be made is that Christianity believes that body is redeemed as well as the soul. We are instructed in the Bible to honor God with our body. This instruction should apply to the body in life and in death. Even after death, the body is still God’s creation and God’s handiwork. It still should be honored. In addition, in Scripture fire is a type or a symbol of destruction or of judgement. Over and over you see fire directly connected to judgement.
In one of the articles I read a picture was painted of the cremation process at one crematory. The author described standing at the pulpit in front of the family as he read the final committal. On the side of the pulpit was a little red button that he was to push a few seconds before finishing his reading. As soon as he pushed this button the coffin moved to his left through a velvet curtain. He went on to say that if he didn’t finish fast enough and the organ begin playing that everyone in the room could hear that furnace kick in. Every time that happened it was uncomfortable. The author also described the need to not let that family look back upon leaving the crematory. If they did they would see the smoke that was the result of their loved ones body burning in a 1700 degree furnace.
To sum everything up, how we deal with the body after death is a direct result of our philosophy of life. As Begg put it “Cremation is at best sub-Christian, not necessary unchristian.” But when all the views are examined we can conclude that burial is the more fitting end to the Christian life.
The Origin Of Xmas
Have you ever been told that those who say or write Xmas are attempting to take Christ out of Christmas? I know I have. However, contrary to popular belief, [historically] saying Xmas instead of Christmas is NOT an attempt to remove Christ from Christmas nor minimize its religious meaning.
This practice can be traced back to the early 16th century. The Greek letter “chi” is the first letter of the word Christos (Christ), and is transliterated as X. “In the early days of printing when typesetting was done by hand and was very tedious and expensive, abbreviations were common. The church began to use the abbreviation “X” for the word “Christ” in religious publications. From there, the abbreviation moved into general use in newspapers and other publications, and “Xmas” became an accepted way of printing “Christmas.” (The Christmas Season, by Dennis Bratcher)
Although many businesses may think that they are removing Christ from Christmas, they are in reality doing the exact opposite. X stands for Christ, and Xmas and Christmas are the same word.
Misused And Abused Verse- Part 11
Another common Misused and Abused Bible verses is John 14:2. In the KJV it says “In my Father’s house are many mansions…I go to prepare a place for you”. There are a couple of problems with how this verse is commonly interpreted. One problem is found in the word “mansion” and the other is in what is meant by “I go to prepare a place.” However, I believe that the second misuse is a result of the first abuse.
The first problem in this verse is a result of its unfortunate translation in the KJV. The problem is that the word that is translated as “mansions” does not mean mansions in the way that we commonly think. The word really means rooms or dwelling places. In the culture in which this was written it was normal for a man to marry a woman and then go live in his father’s house. They would just add another room or dwelling place so that the entire family could fit. Jesus was saying that he was going to take believers back to His Father’s house. They were not to worry because there would be plenty of dwelling places…rooms. This can even be seen in the English definition of the word. I encourage you to look up the word ‘mansion’ in a Webster dictionary (you can do it online here). You will see that one definition says “a separate apartment or lodging in a large structure.”
How did this happen? The Greek word monai was rendered in the [Latin] Vulgate as mansiones, it then came down through the Tyndale version to the KJV as “mansions.1 It doesn’t matter how many songs talk about ‘mansions over the hilltop’, it is still incorrect. There are some other negative by-products of this misuse such as portraying Jesus as leading us to economic prosperity, but I will save that for another day. In my opinion the NASB has the best translation by saying “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places…”
The second problem is a result of the first. Because most people in our culture think of a mansion differently than this verse intended, they twist the phrase “I go to prepare a place for you” to fit. This is not saying that Jesus was going to go to Heaven and put on His royal tool belt and build us each a heavenly version of the Biltmore (bowling lanes included). His “going to prepare a place” was in reference to the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension into Heaven. That was the preparation that was needed in order for us to be taken to Heaven. One commentary said that Jesus was not in the business of construction, he was in the business of leading people to God. And in order for people to be led to God a sacrifice was required.
Let me say in closing that I am in no way saying that Heaven is not going to be nice. There are plenty of passages that refer to the splendor and majesty of Heaven, this is just not one of them. Heaven will be greater than anything we could ever imagine, but it will be so first and foremost because we will be in the presence of Jesus Christ.
1 KJV The King James Version Gerald L. Borchert, vol. 25B, John 12-21, The new American commentary, New International Version (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2002), 103.
Christianity In The Bible-Belt
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the state of Christianity in America, specifically in the Southeast. Chattanooga, where I live, is commonly refered to as the Bible-Belt and there are many places, like Chattanooga, that are infiltrated with numerous churches. This may not appear to be a problem, but there ends up being a culture of Christianity that is promoted that is not necessarily consistent with true Christianity.
Over the past several months I have written a couple of posts that are each related to this specific topic. One was on the difference between morality and godliness and the other post was entitled Christless Christianity. Both of these posts touched on some of the problems that are created in this kind of culture. There is such a familiarity with Christian terminology that it is conducive to just go through the motions. I would even suggest that based on how Christianity and church is conducted in these kind of areas that this type of hypocrisy is passively encouraged. Let me offer an example.
I hear stories from new churches in areas like Miami and San Fransisco where new believers come up to mature believers and openly talk about their struggles with lust, pornography, and pride. In these areas where Christianity is not as openly practiced, it is much more real. There is honesty and openness…there is a sense of community and true discipleship that is not present in areas like Chattanooga. In fact that kind of openness is frowned upon in the Bible-Belt. We would rather hide our struggles and pretend that we are doing okay spiritually than have an open and honest relationship with a fellow believer.
Christians in the Bible-belt do not see the need for discipleship or accountability. There is such a focus on the external that the internal is ignored. This is often seen by an over-emphasizing of external holiness instead of inward. The focus is on outward conformity instead of inward reality. But this is also seen by a resistance, hesitance, and even a refusal to be open about the reality of struggles in the Christian life.
True discipleship will never happen with out real openness and honesty. True community will never happen without open and loving accountability. True Christianity will not be lived until we focus first and foremost on practicing biblical Christianity instead of regional Christianity.
Staying True To The Bible In Ministry
I am all for breaking away from the some of the traditional components of church that are so prevalent in America and committing more to the biblical model. For example, I believe that door-to-door visitation is a weak substitute for true evangelism. In my opinion, it is good to try new and different methods. I think Sunday School is usually ineffective and a waste of time…let’s mix it up and try something different. I believe that not being able to explain why you believe something is really no different than not having a belief to begin with. Let’s focus on learning how to defend our faith in a more logical manner. I am all for trying new methodology and new formats and different programs and styles. I believe that doing so is both necessary and healthy as long as the Bible is still the focus.
The problem is that so many that are breaking outside of the box in terms of ministry are also failing to take a firm stand on Scripture. As a result all who are non-traditional in church format are often labeled as unbiblical. We need to realize that many of the churches that are non-traditional are not unbiblical…just different. However, there are many who do fail to take a strong stand on issues that our society deems controversial. Here are a few.
Homosexuality- Many in the non-traditional emerging church movement fail to take a stance on this issue. While I admire and respect their effort to reach out and minister to this often avoided and even hated group of people, the Bible is clear that homosexuality is sin. There must be a balance between taking a biblical stand on this issue (which the emergent church does not do) and reaching out and intentionally ministering to those who practice homosexuality (which those in traditional churches do not do).
Holiness/Morality- Many in non-traditional churches focus so much on God’s love and forgiveness that the reality of his perfect holiness is ignored. I am all for telling people about God’s love and forgiveness…it is who God is. But at the same time God is holy, and a holy God demands holy followers. There must be a balance between focusing on God’s love and on His holiness. A neglect of either has a significant impact on the lives that believers live.
The Reality of Hell- This is another issue that is often avoided in the emerging church movement. There is such a focus on discovering God in this journey that we call life that the destination is ignored. I firmly believe that we should desire to know God more and grow spiritually and be all that we can be in Christ. But there is a reason that Jesus talked about Hell more than any other person in Scripture. He did so because it is a reality. There is a coming judgment, and it should not be ignored.
Again, I am all for breaking out of the box of traditional ministry and trying new methods and new approaches. But doing so to the neglect of taking a strong stand on biblical issues is foolish and ultimately undermines the cause of Christ. We must remain true to the Bible in the midst of traditional as well as non-traditional ministry.
James 1:4-8- Dealing With Trials- Part 2
The reason why I say that trials can produce endurance is found in verse 4. To correctly respond to trials one must be submissive to God. It is only through a submissive attitude that trials will produce endurance. It is only through a submissive attitude that endurance can do a work in your life. That is why verse 4 instructs us to let endurance have its perfect work in our lives. It is a choice that we have to make. We can either choose to become bitter because of the trial, or we can choose to become stronger.
Verses 5-8 of James 1 give us the next requirement. In order to respond correctly to trials we need godly wisdom. Many times these verses are lifted out of the context of the passage, but they clearly should be viewed as part of James’ teaching on trials. According to verse 5 if anyone lacks wisdom, he is to ask God for it. Why? Because God will give it. If you lack wisdom in dealing with trials, the correct response is to ask God for that wisdom and understanding. God does not want you to hesitate to come to him with your concerns.
As great as asking for wisdom sounds, there is a requirement as to how we are to ask for that wisdom. We are to ask in faith, without doubt, nothing wavering. We are to have confidence in God. This confidence in God can only come from a knowledge of the character of God. We are to trust in God; not in ourselves or our own abilities, and not in the world. A person who attempts to turn to God and yet rely on their own abilities is unstable and vulnerable to falling. That is what James means by saying the person who asks without faith is like a wave of the sea that is tossed.
What does all this mean? It simply means that when trials come we are to have a complete focus on Christ. We are to realize that the only way to benefit from the difficulties is with a trust in God. We are to keep our eyes focused on Him because we trust His character. Once again we see that who God is has a direct results on our daily lives.