Cast Off Wickedness (James 1:21)

 

Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. [James 1:21, ESV]

As Christians, we are called to serve the Lord, to turn from our sinful ways, and to pursue God’s righteousness. In James 1, James tells us about many things, such as how we should rejoice when our faith is tested, how we should seek wisdom from God, how we must have faith when we seek God’s wisdom, how we should rejoice in the knowledge that we are citizens of Heaven, how we must endure temptation, how our temptation comes from our desires, and how all that is good comes from God. In the previous two verses, James addresses the way we must be “quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” [James 1:19, ESV], “for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” [James 1:20, ESV].

James ends this thought by giving us a challenge, which is what we read in verse 21.

Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness…

The word “therefore” tells us that verse 21 is based on what James has written in verses 19 and 20. James tells us that we must be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, and that anger does not produce the righteousness of God, and it is for those reasons that we must “put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness”.

When James tells us to “put away” all filthiness and rampant wickedness, he uses the word “apothemenoi” (ἀποθέμενοι), meaning, to lay off, to renounce, to separate from ourselves. For the reasons described in verses 19 and 20, we must separate ourselves from all filthiness and rampant wickedness.

The words that James uses form filthiness and wickedness are “rhuparia” (ῥυπαρία), and “kakia” (κακία), respectively. The word “rhuparia” is the word for filth, as in something being literally dirty. The word also has a metaphorical usage, where it is used to describe the filthiness of sin, which is what James is using in verse 21. “Kakia” means evil, malice, and ill intent. Therefore, James is telling us to separate ourselves from all the filth of sin, and from all evil desires and intentions.

…and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

The word “meekness” does not mean what it often means in modern English. James is not telling us that we must be weak, he is telling us to receive the implanted word with a spirit that is humble, gracious, and selfless.

The “implanted word” in question is a reference to the Word, as in, Jesus Christ. We are to, with a humble spirit, accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, Who is able to save our souls. We cannot live a life of sin and serve Christ at the same time. In order to receive Jesus Christ, we must turn away from our sinful nature, and obey the Lord.

In conclusion, James gives us a very important task. We have been told how our sinful desires are from within, how our anger does not produce the righteousness of God, and how we must be gracious toward others. James does not just leave us with some general advice, James tells us that our sinful nature extends far beyond what he has described thus far, and that we must turn away from our sin and accept Jesus Christ, so that our souls may be saved. James has been incredibly kind, incredibly gentle, and incredibly encouraging in his writing, but James understands the seriousness of us receiving salvation, and he tells us exactly what we must do. James is not angry with us, he is not speaking through hate or disdain for us, he is speaking to us as “beloved brothers”. James exhorts us because he cares about us, he cares about our souls, and he cares about our salvation. Not only does James tell us how we must turn from our sin, he shows us how we must correct others in love, in grace, and in wisdom.

Turn From Anger (James 1:19-20)

 

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. [James 1:19-20, ESV]

Anybody who knows me will know that one of the biggest issues that I have worked on throughout my life is my temper. While I am human, and I will always fall short of the glory of God, I will always seek to better myself, so that I can obey the Lord. I have seen a dramatic change in the way I react to things, and said change has happened within a few years, as a result of the Holy Spirit’s work in me. Galatians 5 tells us that our desires are opposed to the desires of God, and that we can only resist our sinful desires when we walk in the Spirit. It is only through the power of God that we are able to overcome our sinful ways.

Since I have fully surrendered myself to Christ, I have seen my heart and mind change in ways that never cease to amaze me. I went from being angry, depressed, and feeling like nothing mattered, to being joyful, peaceful, and incredibly grateful for every day that God allows me to be alive. The person I am today is not the person that I was before, and God is the One who took the old me and turned him into the man I am today.

I explained all of that because I can confirm that anger does not produce the righteousness of God. My realization that anger had been preventing me from truly knowing God and His righteousness is the reason why James 1:20 has been one of my favorite verses for a long time now. The book of Proverbs tells us, over and over again, that we should overlook offenses, that we should restrain ourselves from saying too much, that hatred and anger stir up strife, and that love covers all offenses. As we learned when we went over James 1:16-17, all good things come from God. There is a major difference between the idea that all that comes from God is good, and all that is good being from God. The former (while true) means that God only creates good things, while the latter means that all that is good comes from God. The latter is what James asserts in verses 16 and 17, which makes the former correct as well.

Considering that all good comes from God, that anger is bad, that the fruit of the Spirit is shown in us as we walk in the Spirit, and that our desires are opposed to the desires of God, we can conclude that what James says in verse 20 is true. If we want to see the righteousness of God being demonstrated in us, we must seek Him and keep His commandments. If we hold onto anger (or any sinful desire), we cannot expect to see God’s righteousness being shown in and through us.

Verse 19 gives us a great description of the way Christians are supposed to behave, and I believe that the pair of verses that we will examine in this essay are incredibly helpful in understanding what God expects of us.

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear,...

As he did in verses 2 and 16, James addresses the people to whom he is writing as his brothers. By referring to his audience as his brothers, James is showing that he loves the people that he is writing to, and that is seeking to correct and educate them in love.

The meaning of “quick to”, in this context, is that we should listen before we speak. We should “be quick to hear”, in that we should seek to hear others speak before we speak. Our first response to hearing others speak should be to listen to what they are saying. By allowing others to speak, we give ourselves the opportunity to show grace, the opportunity to show that we care, and the opportunity to respond to others in a way that adheres to the teachings of Jesus Christ.

…slow to speak,

Continuing from the previous portion of verse 19, James tells us to refrain from speaking immediately. Regardless of the situation, regardless of the parties to whom we are speaking, we can always benefit from restraining ourselves from speaking too quickly. It is wise to control our emotions, our desire to be the first to speak, and the tone that we use to convey our thoughts. Take a moment, then speak.

…slow to anger;

Finishing off verse 19, James tells us to be slow to anger. As opposed to what James says about how we should be quick to hear, we are told to be slow to anger. Hearing should be what we do before anything else, while anger should be the last thing that we do. James tells us to be slow to speak before he tells us to be slow to anger, and I believe that the order in which he speaks is incredibly important to the purpose of what he is saying. By telling us to be slow to speak before he tells us to be slow to anger, we know that our speech should come before our anger. While we must be slow to speak, we must be even slower to anger.

…for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

As for why we must be slow to anger, James explains that the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. In the introduction for this essay, I explained how we cannot expect to see the fruit of the Spirit when we entertain the desires of the flesh, and Paul mentions “fits of anger” [Galatians 5:20, ESV] as being one of the works of the flesh. The works of the flesh come from the desires of the flesh, and the fruit of the Spirit comes from the desires of the Spirit. The desires of the flesh are opposed to the desires of the Spirit, so in order to see the fruit of the Spirit, we must seek the desires of the Spirit. When we resist our anger and we seek God, we will see the fruit of the Spirit, which includes “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, [and] self-control” [Galatians 5:22-23, ESV]. God is righteous, therefore the fruit of the Holy Spirit is righteous, and in order to see the fruit of the Spirit, we must seek the desires of the Spirit. Anger will prevent us from seeing God work in us in the way He otherwise would.

In conclusion, James 1:19-20 tells us about how our anger will prevent us from seeing the righteousness of God, and that we must seek to hear first, refrain from speaking immediately, and resist anger. If we obey God’s Word, we will be blessed, and we will see God work in us like never before. By resisting our sinful emotions, we will see God bless us and show us His righteousness.

Of His Own Will (James 1:18)

 

Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. [James 1:18, ESV]

Normally, I begin essays like this with some kind of example of how the passage has impacted me, how the meaning of the passage has become clearer as I studied it, or how the passage helps us to understand something about life that we would otherwise fail to take notice of. I do not know of a situation where James 1:18 has directly impacted my life, but I can say how encouraging and helpful it is to have another reminder of how much God loves us. There are many writers who have tried to explain the meaning of the verse in question, but many writers do not spend much time on this verse. I am just a person, but I want to do my part in examining the Bible, explaining it, and helping other Christians understand how to apply God’s Word to their lives. I believe that this verse can be interpreted in several different ways, but this essay will describe the way I interpret this verse.

Of his own will he brought us forth…

In other words, God created us intentionally. As James explains in verses 16 and 17, God is good, God does good, all God does is good, and all good is from God. It was by the same will that God brought us forth into creation, and it was by God’s will that we have been given the gift of eternal life through Christ Jesus. One can interpret this part of the verse to be a reference to creation, or of the salvation that we have received as part of God’s will. Regardless of how one interprets this part of the verse, both interpretations are based in Scripture.

…by the word of truth,...

This is the part of the verse where the interpretations begin to go in different directions. If one holds to the interpretation that preceding part of the verse is referring to creation, then this part of the verse could be about the way God spoke the world into existence (literally), and how, given that everything that God says is true, God brought us into existence by way of speaking the word of truth.

If one leans more toward the other interpretation of the previous portion of this verse, then this part would be referring to Jesus Christ. It was through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that He brought us forth, into eternal life. One could also interpret that “word of truth” is a reference to the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart of a person, but the most common understanding of this verse (among those who believe that James 1:18 is about our salvation) is that the “word of truth” in question is a reference to Jesus.

…that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

The end of verse 18 tells us about where we stand among God’s creation. The meaning of this verse is not tied to one’s interpretation of the previous parts of verse 18, as the word “creatures” tells us that our position among God’s creations is the subject of this part.

The meaning of “firstfruits” is incredibly important. In the Old Testament, the firstfruits are what God called the Israelites to give to Him. The firstfruits were the first part of the harvest, and were traditionally viewed as being of the highest quality. Just as a Christian tithes from the first ten percent of their income, the Israelite would give the first part of his harvest. This offering was made to God in order to give thanks for His blessings, and to show God reverence, and the Levites would receive the offerings made by the other tribes of Israel, as their inheritance from the Lord [Numbers 18:24].

My understanding of this part of the passage is that we are the “firstfruits” of God’s creation, we are set aside for the purposes of God, brought into existence by His good will, and we are loved by God in a way that surpasses His love for His other creations. Humans were the only thing that God created in His Image, and we have been placed above all else the God created.

In conclusion, I believe that James 1:18 is, in part, a reference to James’ description of God’s goodness, as well as a reminder that we are loved by God in a way that is unlike the way He loves any of His other creations. It was by God’s good will that we were brought into existence, it was by God’s good will that we have been given the gift of eternal life, He accomplished this by speaking and by Jesus Christ, respectively, and we stand above all else that God created. God loves us, He has always loved us, we were brought into existence because of His love for us, and we have received the gift of eternal life because of His love for us.

All Good Comes From God (James 1:16-17)

 

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. [James 1:16-17, ESV]

    One of the most fascinating things that I have read in my most recent study of the Bible is what it says about the origin of sin, of temptation, of suffering, and of all else that is bad. In the previous part of this series, we went over James 1:13-15, and we examined how our temptation to sin comes from our sinful desires, and how sin leads to death. James 1:16-17 was eye-opening for me when I was first trying to understand God’s Character. It is no secret that God is good, but I had never realized that all that is good comes from God. This passage has encouraged me for such a long time, and it is one that I have kept in the back of my mind as I go through each day, serving God in everything that I do. In this essay, we will examine what James says about all that is good, where it comes from, and how it reflects God’s Character.

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.

    This verse is shorter than many of the verses that we have covered thus far into our study of the book of James, yet it says so much. When James tells the recipients of his epistle that they should not be deceived, we can reasonably infer that they had been (at least, in part) deceived by the type of thinking that James will go on to correct. During the days of the early Church, there were many issues that arose among the various churches that had been recently created. James is trying to correct the incorrect beliefs that have found their way into the Church, so that the people to whom he writes can become more effective Christians. By telling his “beloved brothers” not to be deceived, James is being direct, but he is doing so in love. James does not refer to them as “you all”, “you people”, or anything like that. Instead, James addresses them as people that he truly cares about. Not only does James call them brothers, he refers to them as being his beloved brothers, so that the people reading James’ letter know that James is correcting in love, not attacking in anger. Furthermore, by telling them not to be deceived, James avoids blaming anybody for the type of thinking that James is going to address. If somebody has been deceived, they have been tricked into believing something. James begins this part of his letter by addressing the recipients as his beloved brothers, so that they understand that he is not attacking them, blaming them, or talking down to them. James shows that he has an incredible amount of wisdom when it comes to showing love to all, even in difficult situations.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,...

    The first part of James 1:17 tells us that all that is good comes from above. James uses the word “above” to refer to Heaven. As for why Heaven is where all good and perfect gifts come from, James will now explain.

…coming down from the Father of lights,...

    I had to do some research into this part of verse 17 in order to fully comprehend its meaning. When I read how James referred to the “Father of lights”, I knew that he was referring to God, and I knew that James was describing God’s goodness, but I was not sure what James meant, exactly.

    When I looked at other translations, I found that the meaning of James referring to God as the “Father of lights” made a lot more sense. God is the Father of lights, as He created all the lights in Heaven, which the previous part of verse 17 mentions when James tells us how all good things come from above.

    I also want to mention how, as I read James 1:17, I am reminded of how Jesus tells us that He is the “light of the world”, and that whoever follows Christ will not walk in darkness, but have the “light of life” [John 8:12]. Light is often used to symbolize things that are of God, or (as previously mentioned) God, Himself.

    My understanding of why the Bible associates God with light is because God is perfect, He knows all, sees all, and loves us all. Furthermore, the opposite of light is darkness, which is the opposite of God. God created all the “heavenly lights”, which ties into the first part of verse 17.

…with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

    Not only is God the Father of lights, not only is God the source of all that is good, not only do all good things come from above, God is the same today as He has always been, and He will be the same forever. God is unchanging.

    As for the meaning of James saying that with God there is no “shadow due to change”, I had to refer to another translation or two to fully understand. The meaning of this phrase is that God does not create “shifting shadows” (in the words of the NLT), which is another way that James describes the unchanging Character of God.

    In conclusion, James 1:16-17 is incredibly important to understanding Who God is, what God does, and where good comes from. As I pondered the meaning of this passage, I became increasingly curious as to how I managed to overlook such an important fact about God’s Character, especially considering that James has been my favorite book of the Bible for a while now. God is good, God does good, and all that is good comes from God. After all, where else could good come from? Could good come from mankind? Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that the heart of man is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (who can know it?), and the Mosaic Law proved to us that, without the grace of God, no matter how hard we try, we will always fall short of His glory, we will always sin, we will always act in sinful and evil ways, and we cannot save ourselves from being punished. If mankind could produce good on its own, if mankind was good, Jesus’ sacrifice would have been unnecessary. Jesus Christ died for our sins because we are all sinful, we are all born into sin, and unless we accept Him as Lord and Savior, we shall die in our sin as well.

    Where else could good come from? Could good come from the deceiver? Surely not! The devil is everything that God is not, and the devil only brings suffering, sin, and eternal death.

    Good must come from God because good cannot come from anywhere else.

 

The Source Of Our Temptation (James 1:13-15)

 

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. [James 1:13-15, ESV]

It is no secret that we are fallen beings, incapable of saving ourselves from the punishment for our sins. It is because of our fallen state that Jesus Christ died for our sins, so that we may be justified by His sacrifice. If one man was all it took to bring sin into the world (Adam), and it took one Man to pay for the sins of the world, why did Jesus have to come to earth at all? If man could pay for the sins of man, why did Jesus die for our sins?

Those questions are completely understandable, and they can be answered very easily. The reason why Jesus died for our sins, rather than another fallen man, is because Jesus was perfect. When God told the Israelites how they needed to pay for their sins, He specifically mentioned that the animal to be sacrificed was to be an animal “without blemish”. Leviticus is the book of the Bible where most of the Mosaic Law is explained, and there are many passages that describe the kind of animal that should be sacrificed in order to pay for sins.

“...If anyone sins unintentionally in any of the LORD’s commandments about things not to be done, and does any one of them, if it is the anointed priest who sins, thus bringing guilt on the people, then he shall for the sin that he has committed a bull from the herd without blemish to the LORD for a sin offering…” [Leviticus 4:2-3, ESV]

“When a leader sins, doing unintentionally any one of the things that by the commandments of the LORD his God ought not to be done, and realizes his guilt, or the sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring as his offering a goat, a male without blemish…” [Leviticus 4:22-23, ESV]

“If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally in doing any one of the things that by the LORD’s commandments ought not to be done, and realizes his guilt, or the sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without blemish…” [Leviticus 4:27-28, ESV]

In Leviticus 4, there are four instances where God calls for the sacrifice of an animal that is “without blemish”, and there is a reason for this. If a person sins, what good would it do for the person to sacrifice another sinful creature, or a creature with blemishes? In order to fully atone for sin, there must be a sacrifice of an animal without blemish.

As humans, we are born into sin, and unless we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we shall die in our sin. The reason why Jesus died for our sins, rather than an average person, is because unlike every other human, Jesus is God, and God is entirely separate from sin. Jesus died for our sins, just as the Jewish people would sacrifice animals that were without blemishes. Jesus did no wrong, yet He died for us because He loves us.

The reason for me explaining the difference between man’s sinfulness and God’s sinlessness is that it is incredibly important to understand the difference between man and God, especially in the context of James 1:13-15. Let us examine the passage, understand its meaning, and understand how we can apply it to our lives.

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.

The first of the three verses within this passage is designed to address the deception that had become increasingly prevalent among the recipients of James’ epistle. In order for one to explain why he sinned against God, he may have claimed that he had been tempted by the Lord. Such a claim, James explains, cannot be true. As for why man cannot be tempted by God, James explains how God is unable to be tempted by evil, and therefore He cannot tempt people.

It is a very easy excuse to say, when one is tempted, that he has been tempted by God. However, such an excuse is theologically incorrect, and the person who blames his sin on “temptation from God” is a liar.

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.

In Galatians 5:17, Paul tells us how the desires of the flesh (our sinful desires) are against the desires of the Spirit. God is perfect, God is entirely separate from sin, and God is not tempted by evil. Therefore, if we are tempted, it must come from within.

Yes, the devil tempts people, but he tempts people to do things that they would like to do, but should not do. The devil deceives people, manipulates thoughts and situations, stirs up anger and hatred among brothers and sisters, and tempts people to sin against God, against themselves, and against others. The devil will use whatever he is given the authority to use, whether by God, or by us. If we are complacent with sin, we give the devil the opportunity to work into our lives, with sin being the way for the devil to get his foot in the door of our hearts and minds.

Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

James 1:15 is incredibly straightforward, logical, and helpful for understanding how sin and temptation work in our lives. James 1:14 tells us that a person is lured and enticed by his own desire, and James 1:15 builds upon that point, adding that the desire in question, when it has “conceived”,  gives birth to sin. Temptation comes from desire, and desire gives birth to sin. Sin, when it has fully grown, will bring forth death. Temptation comes from desire, desire leads to sin, sin leads to death.

The progression of desire to death is supported by Romans 6:23, where Paul says,

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 6:23, ESV]

The “wage” is what is given as recompense for something, which, in the case of sin, is death. That sin, born of our sinful desires, leads to death. On the other hand, the “wage” of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.

In conclusion, James 1:13-15 tells us that our temptation does not, and cannot, come from God. Our temptation comes from our sinful desires, and those desires will lead us to sin, and that sin will lead us to death.

When dealing with sin, I will pray for God to forgive me, and to help me obey His Word. If I struggle with a sin that comes up frequently, I will ask God to help me resist sin, and I will ask that God give me a new heart, so that I can do what He has called me to do as a Christian. I know that my temptation comes from my sinful desires, so I ask that God work in my heart so that I do not have the desires that are leading to my temptation. I would encourage others to ask God for the strength to serve Him, resist temptation, and to share His desires. As previously mentioned, the desires of the flesh are opposed to the desires of the Spirit, so the only way that we can have the desires that God has is if God gives those desires to us. God can give us desires, and I have been given desires by God, but those desires are always going up against the sinful desires of my flesh, so I must continue to ask God for the strength I need to do what He has called me to do.

…For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. [Matthew 12:34, ESV]