Sermon on James 1:19-27
Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
The apostle James was a very practical man. You can tell that easily from his letter. Each and every writer of a book in the Bible, be it a letter, or one of the gospels, a historical account or prophetic book from the Old Testament - each writer has their own style or emphasis. The Holy Spirit engaged the writers of the Bible with their own background, their education, their character. That is why none of the Bible books are exactly the same. Each Bible book reflects the writers’ person and circumstance. That’s what makes the Bible such a very colourful book, if I may say so, and very complete, as every book and each writer complements the others.
Now - back to James - James’ letter has a very practical overtone. It has many admonitions and encouragements for proper Christian conduct in church and world. In fact, the letter is so practical, that Martin Luther thought it should not be in the Bible at all! Luther felt that the letter of James so practical that it promoted salvation through works, especially the second chapter which says that faith cannot do without works, otherwise it is dead faith.
In today’s text we find ample evidence of the practical Christianity that James emphasises and advocates. Through his particular focus the Holy Spirit of God is instructing Christians of all times and places, that the Christian faith is not just a faith that resides in heart and mind, but that it needs to be translated into actions. The Christian faith needs to be applied for it to be true Christian faith.
That is why we find what looks like a small collection of admonitions in our text: be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, put away filthiness, receive the word of God with meekness, be a doer of the word, visit orphans and widows, keep away from the sins of the world. When you hear this short list of practical admonitions you ask yourself what connects them. Why are they put together in this short paragraph? Well, first of all, in the whole first chapter of his letter, James prepares the readers for what follows in the rest of the letter. Most of the points of this paragraph will be discussed at more length and in more detail in following chapters.
Secondly, James makes the point we mentioned: true faith is a working faith. Apparently that was not that obvious or clear to the first readers of James’ letter. The focus of our paragraph is really vs 22: Be doers of the word, not just hearers. If you are only a hearer, then you are deceiving yourself. Just before this paragraph, in vs 18, James mentions the ‘word of truth’, and in vs 21 he writes that the word of the God is able to save our souls. And in this paragraph James is saying, that this can only be the case if your faith in God’s Word also produces fruit, the fruit of good works.
So that is the connection and that is the context of James’ writing about practical Christianity. You will agree that this word of James is just as applicable and urgent for us as it was for the first readers of the letter in James’ time. We too must not only listen to God’s Word, not just read our Bibles, not just talk about the teaching of the church - no, we must put our faith into practise. Just like the Lord Jesus practised what he preached, we must live out our faith. Just like our Father in heaven extends his love to us in actions, not just in words, we too must look for opportunities to put our faith to work. These then are theme and points for the sermon:
How to be a practical Christian
- Receive the Word of God
- Apply it your daily life
- Care for your neighbour
1. Receive the Word of God
For us to be able to live a Christian life, we must first listen to God telling us what such a life should look like. That is the point made by James in vss 19-21. He begins with a proverb, probably well known to his readers: “Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.” This is one of many admonitions in the Bible telling God’s children to be careful with what they say and how they say it. In the book of Proverbs it says (17:28): “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.”, and also (10:19): “When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.”
However, James quotes this particular saying not to refer to speaking or keeping silent in general. Vs 18 mentions the ‘word of truth’, vs 21 mentions the ‘implanted word that saves your souls’ and vs 22 is about being ‘doers of the word’. This leads us to believe that James has in view a particular word, namely the Word of God. And the speaking of this Word of God must refer to the proclamation and preaching of the Word of God.
So what James is saying here to his readers in the Dispersion is that they need to listen carefully to the preaching of the Word of God to be able to know and to learn what the Lord demands of his children concerning the leading of a Christian life. We know from experience that that is not always an easy thing to do. The Word of God cuts deep into our hearts and into our flesh. God’s Word exposes our deepest desires and wrongdoings. We read in Hb. 4:12: “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” When we listen carefully to the Word of God, we find that we can have no secrets for him. God created us, he knows exactly what makes us tick. And also, our Lord Jesus Christ was (and still is) man, he knows about our trials and temptations.
So when we listen to God’s Word and our sinful nature is brought to light once again - what do we do? James says, with the proverb, that we must be slow to speak and slow to anger. Indeed, even before God has finished addressing us, we have our excuses ready. We are not really slow to speak. We are really quick to interrupt God and say: “Yes, but…”. And if we find that we have no excuse for the way we act, for the things that we say, for our stubborn character, for the things that we do, then we get angry. We are not slow to anger, we are actually quite easily offended. If we can’t win the argument with God, we get all upset and try to disqualify God’s command like that. But James warns his readers and us, that anger does not bring the righteousness that God demands. Keep your emotions under control. Being angry with God, saying that God is unreasonable to ask this or that of you, will not bring you closer to him or to a life that is pleasing in his eyes. It will only create a distance that will make it ever harder to listen to him.
Then what should we do? How can we listen to God properly and take his Word to heart? James says that we must clean out the house of our heart. Do not question your God, but examine yourself. Do not blame others for your sins, or circumstances, but take responsibility for your wrong desires. Identify the sin in your life, and throw it out. Ask for forgiveness and so make room for another guest in your heart: the Spirit of God who works through the Word of God.
Furthermore, receive the Word of God with meekness, says James. Now meekness is basically another word for humbleness and gentleness. I think of what young and timid Samuel said when God called him (1 Sam. 3:10): “Speak, for your servant hears.” In 2 Cor. 10:1 the apostle Paul appeals to the Corinthians ‘by the meekness and gentleness of Christ’. In Mt. 5:5 meekness is one of the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” And gentleness is listed in Gal. 5:23 as one of the fruits of the Spirit. Being meek is therefore not being ‘soft’ and gullible. Meek rhymes with weak, but it is not the same. Being meek means to have a humble attitude, being ready to hear with an open mind and heart.
So instead of arguing with God, closing your heart for him, making excuses for your sins, we must open our hearts and bow down for our God and listen to him. When you listen to the preaching of God’s Word on Sundays you must not listen in order to dissect the words of the minister - you should not listen to criticise, but you must humbly submit yourself to the Word of God. Of course, like the Christians in Berea of Acts 17:11, we must all examine the Scriptures and see if the words of the proclamation are true to God’s Word. But the basic attitude of someone listening to God is first and foremost one of humbleness and submission. God calls us to examine ourselves and to turn away from our sins. Then the Word of God that is implanted in our heart, says James, will be able to take root. The Word of God will sink its roots in our hearts and it will cause faith to grow and so it will be able to save your souls. And then it will also bring forth the fruits of the Spirit. That brings us to our second point.
2. Apply it to your daily life
James says that those who are hearers of the Word of God only, and not doers, are deceiving themselves. Deceiving himself with regards to what? What exactly is the deception? Well, vs 26 says: you may think that you are religious, but you are not really. In other words, you may think that you are a true Christian, but if you do not bring the Word of God into practise, you are not really a Christian.
You will agree that James is not one to mince words. Mind you, though, that it is not the aim of James to scare his readers. The point of the admonition is not that all of us all of a sudden are made to doubt our salvation. For we know that there is still so much lacking in our lives. We know very well that we are sinful. And we also know that we let many opportunities to do good pass by. The point of James is, rather, to encourage the readers of his letter to live a Christian life. He is saying that if you want to be a true child of God, then you should not only just listen to the proclamation of God’s Word, you should also do what the Lord requires of you.
To make this point, James uses the illustration of a person who looks in the mirror, sees his face, notices something that is not right, but does absolutely nothing about it. It is a very good illustration because looking in a mirror and doing nothing about your appearance defeats the whole purpose of a mirror! If you are not going to do anything with the information that the mirror provides, then why look in the mirror to begin with?!
This James applies to the listening to God’s Word in vs 25. He speaks about the perfect law, the law of liberty. This does not only mean the Ten Commandments. Whenever the law is mentioned in the Bible, this usually also includes the whole of the OT. James is not only talking about the commandments of God. But they are definitely included. It reminds us of LD 2 of the HC. It says there: from where do you know your sin and misery? And the answer is: from the law of God. Indeed, whenever we listen to the reading of God’s law in church, we are looking in a mirror. We see ourselves, we see our sins and shortcomings, our lack of love, we see our selfishness. Then what do we do about it? If you walk away without allowing God’s Word to change your life, then there is no point in listening at all. Then you are deceiving yourself.
Indeed, brs and srs, going through the motions of the Free Reformed Church does not save any man. We have to respond to God’s command. If you only go to church because that’s what you’re supposed to be doing, and listen and sing but really ignore the words, like water running of a duck’s back, then you are deceiving yourself. Can you hear a sermon about speaking the truth and promoting your neighbour’s reputation, and then merrily go about gossiping about your brs and srs in the car park afterwards? Can you listen to God’s Word on Sunday about not stealing and on the Monday talk your customers or clients out of their money, or treat your workers badly? James warns us, brs and srs, to practise what you preach, to act out your faith.
But James does not leave it at that. He does not only warn us about disobedience, but he also tells us about the blessings for those who obey God’s Word. Those who persevere in the law of God, those who act and not only hear, they will be blessed in all their doings. This does not mean that everything they will do will succeed. It does not mean that you will be rich. It does not necessarily mean that your good acts towards your neighbour will always receive a positive response. But it does mean that God is with you. It means that God takes pleasure in the way you lead your life. It means that you will have peace in your heart.
At this point we note, that it is remarkable that James in vs 25 calls the law of God ‘the perfect law’ and ‘the law of liberty’. Why would he do that? It can have two meanings. First of all the law of God is the law of liberty because it keeps you close to God. Like I said, those who obey God enjoy the peace with God. Those who live their lives within the safe confines of God’s commands, live in true freedom, for they are close to the Lord. God’s blessing is to live in a close relationship with him. This relationship is maintained by obeying the will of the Lord. So the law of God is the law of liberty in that it keeps you close to God to enjoy his presence and the freedom of his love.
Secondly ‘the law of liberty’ can also apply to the whole of God’s Word, like we said before, to the gospel of Jesus Christ. God set us free from slavery to sin and Satan by the blood of Jesus Christ. Through Jesus Christ there is forgiveness of sins. Through Jesus Christ there is the gift of the Holy Spirit who dwells in the heart of every believer. Not only are our sins forgiven, but the Spirit of God also enables us to fight against sin and to overcome it. Jesus Christ sets us in the liberty which is maintained by obedience to God’s commands.
With that, James makes clear that obedience to God is necessary, but that it has to come from the heart. Doing God’s will must come from love for God. Obeying God’s will for the sake of obeying, is legalism and moralism. That is not what James is telling us to do. We live in the freedom of Christ, and we live in the power of the Holy Spirit. Our obedience comes from love and thankfulness for the love of God and our salvation in Jesus Christ. If you look into the mirror of the gospel of Jesus Christ and see his love and compassion, you cannot but respond with your love and thankfulness. Not only the law exposes our sins, but God’s love also encourages us to extend love to our neighbours. That brings us to our third point.
3. Care for your neighbour
Being a child of God, a doer and not just a hearer, does not mean that you are not allowed to do many things. God’s law and God’s gospel are not all about rules and regulations about what you cannot do and what is forbidden in this life. No, God’s will is about love, it is about extending the love of God to others. We do good to remember that, brs and srs, for if we forget the love of God in his will and command, we may very well turn legalistic and moralistic. Remember what Paul says in Rom. 13:8-10: “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”
In vss 26-27 James makes this point very clear as well. First he mentions that a child of God should bridle his tongue. This does not refer back to vs 19 about being slow to speak. Here it is more general about speaking to your brs and srs. As such it prepares the topic of chapter 3. We will say more about that in a later sermon. Point is here that being careful in your speaking relates to your relationship to your neighbour. And so does vs 27: a child of God will care for orphans and widows. Being a practical Christian, says James, has great consequences for your attitude towards your neighbour.
We must realise that James mentions orphans and widows as an example. They were the kind of people who in his society were basically unprotected. A widow did not have a husband anymore to take care of her and to provide for her. Orphans did not have parents to protect them, and when extended family members did not take care of them, they were sometimes sold as slaves. These people, of all people, should be taken care for by Christians.
We find an echo of this in our form for the ordination of office bearers, where it explains the work of the deacons. On page 631 in your BoP you may read this: “The Lord Jesus Christ, who has shown us the Father, came into the world to serve. In his mercy he fed the hungry, healed the sick, and showed compassion to the afflicted. Thus he gave an example that his church should do likewise. The ministry of mercy, as assigned to the deacons, proceeds, therefore, from this love of our Saviour.” Those are beautiful words. Showing compassion on your neighbour is doing what Jesus did. And this does not only apply to the office bearers of course, it applies to all of us.
This means that we care for each other in church and world. As Paul says in Gal. 6:10 we must do good to all and definitely not forget our brs and srs. We help each other in church, in practical ways and spiritual ways, and we should extend the same love to those outside the church. To those far away, victims of earthquakes and floods, and to those close by, the poor and the needy in our own society. There, where church and society meet, is where we are able to show to the world the love of God the Father and the self denial of Jesus Christ our Lord.
But we must also be careful that we are not influenced by the sins of the world. Perhaps that is why James at this point also says that children of God must keep themselves unstained from the world. James does not say that brs and srs should isolate from the world, but that as they reach out to the world in the love of Christ, they should be careful that the sins of the world do not affect them. In fact, the words ‘pure and undefiled’ and ‘unstained’ have a sacrificial overtone. Our lives are thanksgiving offerings. But just like the offerings in the OT had to be pure and clean, so our lives should be kept pure and clean and unstained as well. The sins of the world can be a corrupting agent. They must be kept out of the church. But this warning should not make the church withdraw from the world. Otherwise it is impossible to extend God’s love to the poor and needy in this world.
Conclusion
And so James has made clear what practical Christianity is. It means that we must listen carefully to the Word of God. We must not resist is or reject it. We must listen and break with our sin so that the Holy Spirit may work in our heart. And then we have to take God’s Word and work with it. We must put it to use in our own lives and in the lives of our neighbour.
This instruction of James is meant to encourage us, brs and srs. We find forgiveness in Jesus Christ for our lack of love and the sins that we do. That is a wonderful comfort. But at the same time we must take God’s Word seriously. You cannot live thinking: it doesn’t matter what I do or don’t do, for God will forgive me anyway. No, if you want to be a true child of God, then do not just listen, or go through the motions, but live your faith from a believing heart. Those who live because of Christ, should live like Christ. Those who feel the love of the Father in their hearts, should extend that love to others as well. If you do, then you will be a truly practising Christian and you will live a life pleasing in the eyes of the Lord, and you will have peace with him. Amen.