The Firewall

James 5

James 5:1-20

Once again, we have a chapter full of great wisdom.  If we could all learn to live by v 12 we'd all get along with each other better!  The next paragraph (vv 13-16) is a perfect example of how the church should operate: people coming together to encourage and be encouraged, to pray for and to be prayed for, to share each other's highs and lows.  However, the translation in vv 14-15 is a little awkward; the word "sick" in v 14 comes from a Greek word that primarily means to be physically sick, while "sick" in v 15 comes from a Greek word that translates literally as "to be weary in soul".  I'm not so sure that these two verses aren't talking about different situations; that v 15 is not necessarily the result of v 14.  Translation is a difficult endeavor!

We've come to the end of another book!  There is so much wisdom in this book, that we could have gone paragraph by paragraph instead of chapter by chapter.  Alas, we must move on.  Tomorrow we'll move on to the next book in the Bible, 1 Peter.  Thanks for reading today!

God Bless,
Jason Chaillou
thefirewall@comcast.net

James 4

James 4:1-17

The keys to putting this chapter into action can be found in vv 7-8: submit to God, resist the devil, and draw close to God.  If we submit ourselves to God and make getting close to Him a priority, then He will in turn draw close to us.  During this process of drawing close to God, our hearts, minds, and souls are molded into His image; His thoughts, ideas, and reactions become ours.  A heart molded into God's image finds it difficult to slander a fellow believer, or boast in its own abilities.  It is also important to remember that if we actively resist the devil, he will run!

This chapter is an important reminder about the condition of our hearts.  James (and God for that matter) is not as concerned with the actions mentioned here as with the heart and attitude behind them.  Taking care of our hearts and attitudes should be a priority for each of us.  Thanks for reading today!

God Bless,
Jason Chaillou
thefirewall@comcast.net

James 3

James 3:1-18

This chapter can be divided into two halves: vv 1-12 and vv 13-18.  The first half deals with one of the most vexing problems in my life, my tongue.  I've often wondered how I can speak about God in such loving and (hopefully) encouraging ways, and then turn around and say some of the horrible things that I say.  This is what James is talking about in v 12; obviously a fresh water spring cannot produce salt water, meaning that the spring must actually be a salt water spring.  James also knows what he's talking about when he says that "no man can tame the tongue."  My desire is to be a fresh water spring, but the reality is that I'm a salt water spring (in talking about language, it's appropriate to be talking about "salt", as that would accurately describe some of my language).  Since I can't tame my own tongue, it must be the Holy Spirit in me that allows me to speak the good things that I do say.  This is the only way that fresh water can come out of this salt water spring; namely, a miracle!

The other half of this chapter is an excellent tool for discerning whether or not an idea or someone's advice is Godly.  Godly advice can be fairly easy to spot when you know what to look for!  Thanks for reading today!

God Bless,
Jason Chaillou
thefirewall@comcast.net

 

 

James 2

James 2:1-26

Upon first glance, it may appear that James is contradicting Paul in Ephesians 2:8-9: " 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--  9 not by works, so that no one can boast."  Paul is saying that our works (or our deeds) are not part of our salvation, while James is saying that they are.  Now, Paul's point is that the works themselves do not contribute to our salvation.  This heads off the idea that if you do enough good things in your life, then you'll be saved.  Paul addresses this most notably in Romans 3:23 and actually, James also tackles this in v 10 of this chapter.  The point of what James is saying in this chapter is that if you have faith, you will do good things.  If you are not doing good works, then you must not truly have faith.  Jesus talks about this in Matthew 12:33.  When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, a change happens; a change that alters the way we think, act, and live.  If we're not changed, then we have to ask whether or not we've truly accepted Him.

This is great stuff!  While I'm willing to bet that entire books have been written on what we've discussed today, this brief discussion will have to do for us, for now.  Thanks for reading today!

God Bless,
Jason Chaillou
thefirewall@comcast.net

James 1

James 1:1-27

I had forgotten how much wisdom can be packed into these New Testament letters!  Every paragraph here has something worth noting.  Vv 5-8 have rung particularly true in my life; I have found that the request for wisdom and knowledge of God is one request He won't turn down (at least if you "believe and not doubt", according to James).  When I accepted my first job as a worship leader, I realized that I knew a lot about music, but very little about the spiritual aspects of leading worship.  That day I prayed to God, asking Him to allow me to use the musical knowledge that I already had, and for Him to fill me with the knowledge of the spiritual side of worship.  He has not stopped filling me with knowledge!  So much so, that I find myself in seminary!  Ask, and you will receive.

In vv 22-25, James starts to delve into the faith/works issue that he will more fully address in the next chapter.  This is an interesting topic, which we'll discuss tomorrow.  Thanks for reading today!

God Bless,
Jason Chaillou
thefirewall@comcast.net

An Introduction to the Book of James

An Introduction to the Book of James

Like much of the New Testament, the book of James was originally a letter; unlike most of these letters, this one is not addressed to a specific church or group of people.  The greeting: "To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations" was most likely meant to encompass all Jewish Christians.  Many scholars consider this to be one of the first books written in the New Testament, possibly have been written around or before 50 AD.  The author of this book, James, was one of several men named "James" in the New Testament, but is generally believed to be the older brother of Jesus.

One of the key ideas in this letter is that of our good works being the proof of our faith in God.  James is not contradicting Paul by saying that we are saved by our works, only that if we truly have faith, then works will be the proof.

Since this is a letter, we'll be back to paragraph form.  As with all of the books we've read so far, try and read it as it was intended, paying minimal attention to the chapter and verse numbers.

God Bless,
Jason Chaillou
thefirewall@comcast.net