The Book of James - 2
Christian Unity
We continue to listen to the good advice James, the Lord Jesus' brother, gives in his letter in the New Testament. James is concerned that Christians should live in harmony with one another because we all have one Father who brought us into the truth of the gospel, so we are brothers and sisters. James points out some of the things that hinder Christian unity.
Quarrels and fighting often come from wanting our own way. James writes: "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want". (Chapter 4 verses 1 and 2)
The list of the Ten Commandments given to Israel and to us in the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy says we must not covet, that is, to want for ourselves something another person has. Coveting is divisive, it makes us unhappy with what other people have. Let us develop a spirit of thankfulness that other people have things we don't have, let us learn to be happy without them for ourselves.
But suppose it isn't things or possessions other people have that we want for ourselves, but some honour or respect or praise that a fellow Christian is receiving instead of us. Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel. Cain became jealous of Abel because it seemed God was honouring him and not Cain himself. In the end he killed his brother. The apostle Paul puts it like this: "Honour one another above yourselves", Romans chapter 12 verse 10; if we do this then we won't covet what others have.
It is not wrong to ask God for his blessings on us, but be careful how you ask for them. It's our motives that matter: "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures". (Chapter 4 verse 3) If we ask God for things and really all we are concerned about is our own needs, then that is bound to cause disunity with our fellow Christians.
Note how James assumes that Christians live a corporate life, that is, their Christian faith is always related to other people. In his short letter, he uses brothers or my brothers or my dear brothers fifteen times because he is so conscious of belonging to a body of people who love and follow Christ.
James also says we should watch out how we speak of others: "Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. There is only one lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you, who are you to judge your neighbour?". (Chapter 4 verses 11 and 12)
When we criticise our fellow Christians and judge their actions, we are setting ourselves up as though we were in God's place, when our duty is not to condemn others but make sure we ourselves are following God's commandments, his way of doing things. We must remember all of us are judged by God's law, so we must respond mercifully to our fellow believers who, we feel, have broken the law. As we ourselves need mercy from God for our bad behaviour, so we must be quick to show mercy to others; James writes: "Speak and act: as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgement without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgement". (Chapter 2 verses 12 and 13) Note the phrase "the law that gives freedom" which James uses here. God's law is not repressive, keeping it does not make us miserable, but just the opposite, it gives us freedom to be the men and women God wants us to be.
James also says that if we see a fellow believer who is "wandering from the truth" (Chapter 5 verse 19) then we must try to help them to get back on the right way in their belief or behaviour, but we can do this mercifully-"mercy triumphs over judgement".
Eastern Orthodox Christians have a prayer, the “Jesus prayer”, which is useful for us all to say quite often: "Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me".
Christian unity depends on looking after each other, even to caring enough to correct our brothers and sisters and being humble enough to ourselves stand being corrected by them. Not long after the Evangelical Revival began in England in the 1730’s Christians formed themselves into little groups called classes and they practised the confessing of their faults to each other. Of course it takes courage and grace to do this, but it is just what James tells us to do in this letter:
"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." (Chapter 5 verse 16)
Another cause of disunity among Christians is when we grumble against each other. (Chapter 5 verse 9): ''Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door." James says when you are about to grumble against your brother or sister, just imagine that Jesus is at the door of your house or church. Would you want him to come in while you were grumbling?
Why do we grumble? It's because we lack patience with one another. Three times before James says "don't grumble" he has said "be patient". (Chapter 5 verse 8) We grumble because we think only we know how things should be. Patience would help us to see that God's will isn't always done just the way we think it should be done; others may have more wisdom than we have
So, in summary, here are three things to remember from James' letter about Christians living in unity:
- Don't judge one another
- Don't grumble
- Be patient.