The Book of James - 2
The Christian's Preparations - Chapter 1, Verses 19 - 27
Christianity is not merely believing about the Lord Jesus Christ, but it is a continual putting into practice all that God requires of us. True Christianity is a life; a living out of what Christ has made possible in the life of every believer. It is an ongoing experience, and require careful preparation for the days ahead.
A true Christian longs to grow more like the Lord Jesus Christ day by day. He endeavours to conquer his own selfish desires and habits so that he will never bring shame upon the precious and worthy name of his Saviour. Consequently he needs to be prepared to meet all kinds of experiences and conditions in his life, otherwise he may suddenly be caught out and fail in his purpose.
We read in James chapter 5 verses 19 to 21:
"My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you."
Here self-control is clearly outlined. We must be ready to listen rather than to speak unadvisedly. Wrong words can often produce resentment in others and consequently conflict. Such conflict breeds anger, and instead of love between one another, it produces antagonism. Such a state of affairs is not of God, and can only dishonour His Name. So pray that you will be prepared to put into practice a humble, listening attitude towards others. Be gracious and gentle in your response to all.
James now deals with a tremendously important matter. Look at verses 22 to 25 of James chapter 1:
"Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it - he will be blessed in what he does."
It is so very easy to read the Scriptures, to agree with what is written, but to fail to put it into practice in one's own life. It is for this reason that so many people present a poor witness and testimony. It is sadly possible to be doctrinally correct but to be ineffective in practical Christianity. We must be well prepared as Christians by listening to God's Word and then DOING what it teaches.
The more we search the Scriptures the more clearly we shall see the kind of person we are, and the kind of person we should be. Failure to DO what we learn from God's Word will mean that we will not make progress. Reading the Scriptures and failing to act on what they teach us is as silly as looking in a mirror and then promptly forgetting what we look like, says James in these verses. The promise to those who read and put into practise what they read is that they will be blessed in all that they do in obedience to God's Word.
And now we look at verses 26 and 27:
"If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
The way in which a person speaks may reveal the kind of person they really are. But words alone are not enough. The life a person lives, the way in which they behave, is always a testimony to their true nature. This is especially true of the Christian man or woman. It is possible to talk in a Christian way, and to imagine that we are effective as Christians, and yet be far away from what we ought to be according to God's Word. If this is the case, as our verse says, we deceive ourselves and our religion is worthless.
It follows that the Christian's preparation for life and witness includes many practical matters. In these verses we have discovered three such practical things:
1. Control of the tongue in speaking,
2. Loving care for those in special need,
3. Keeping clear of the evil influences that are in the world around us.
It is essential that, as Christians, we ask the Lord to control us in our speaking throughout each day. Each morning the tongue should be committed to the Lord so that only what pleases Him passes our lips. In this way those around us will soon become conscious of the high quality of the Christian life, and may well be drawn to the Saviour themselves.
In a similar way, a love for others which is aware of physical needs and does something to supply those needs, is evidence of a real and very practical Christianity.
Finally, every Christian must be wary of Satan's devices aimed at spoiling and damaging their profession as Christians. Satan can be very subtle, and the Lord's servant must be ever watchful against all his attacks. No believer should ever meddle with sinful things. To ask "What's the harm?" is a sure sign that there is doubt about the thing concerned, and it should be avoided. A much more useful question would be, "Does it glorify God, and what will it do to honour His Name?
A well prepared Christian will only want to do God's will.