THE EPISTLE OF JAMES:
by Bryan Gibson
The entire Epistle of James can be gathered around one key passage: James 2:14-26. The argument is made in this passage that faith without works is dead. It has no profit at all. The kind of faith that will please God and save our souls is a living, active faith. But exactly how is faith supposed to behave? The rest of the Epistle of James helps to answer that question. We are taken through a lot of different problems and situations, and shown how in each case faith is supposed to act. So let’s take a look at how faith is supposed to behave, according to the Epistle of James.
· FAITH endures trials, by helping us recognize the value of trials (1:2-4), and by keeping our eyes fixed on the reward (1:12; 5:7-11).
· FAITH overcomes temptations, first by recognizing the true source of temptations (1:13-18), and then by being doers of the word and not hearers only (1:19-25).
· FAITH works by love, expressing itself in such works as “visiting the orphans and widows in their affliction” (1:27) and restoring erring brethren (5:19-20). FAITH working by love will never be guilty of partiality (2:1-13); or of speaking evil of a brother (4:11-12); or of hoarding up riches for ourselves and ignoring the needs of others (5:1-6).
· FAITH controls the tongue, making sure that blessing and cursing do not come from the same mouth (3:1-12).
· FAITH chooses the wisdom of God over the wisdom of the world, understanding the difference in the fruit yielded by each one (3:13-18).
·
FAITH turns away from worldly
lusts and pleasures and draws near to God
(4:1-10).
· FAITH does not count on tomorrow, but instead says, “if the Lord wills” (4:13-18).
· FAITH prays fervently and confidently to God (1:5-8; 5:13-18).