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Words for The Wise, Wisdom, James 1

James 1

English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

Greeting

1 James, a servant[a] of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:

Greetings.

Testing of Your Faith

2 Count it all joy, my brothers,[b] when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass[c] he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”, for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.[d] 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Hearing and Doing the Word

19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

The Bible Panorama

James 1

V 1: TWELVE TRIBES James, Jesus’ half-brother, writes to the dispersed twelve tribes of Israel.

 V 2–8: TESTING TRIALS In dealing with trials, our attitude should be one of joyfulness, knowing that God is at work in us through them. Our faith and patience from God is fed by wisdom which He gives to all who ask Him. Single-mindedness, in applying that wisdom and in exercising that faith, is the answer, by God’s grace, to our trials.

 V 9–11: TEMPORARY TREASURE A materially poor Christian should rejoice in his exaltation in Christ. The rich man should rejoice in the fact that his wealth is nothing, and that only what he is in Christ lasts. His treasured wealth is temporary, like a fading flower.

 V 12–15: TEMPTATION TRUTH Blessing comes to those who endure temptation. God does not tempt anyone. Our evil desires cause us to be tempted and give birth to sin. Sin produces death.

V 16–18: TOTALLY TRUSTWORTHY God is referred to as the ‘Father of lights’. He is totally trustworthy. He will neither change direction, nor cast a shadow over the truth He has already given. It is by that truth that we come into blessing. He is a God who gives good and perfect gifts from above.

V 19–25: TOTAL TRANSPARENCY Because God is the God of light, we are to behave in a transparent way. This affects our attitudes and our words. We should be good hearers as well as careful speakers. Filth must be left on one side and we should look at ourselves in the Word of God as in a mirror, and deal with what we see there with God’s help.

V 26–27: TAMED TONGUE Only someone walking with God can have his tongue tamed. That person will also practise concern for orphans and widows and be careful not to be soiled by worldliness.

NIV Application Commentary

God gives wisdom. At this point James moves from moral integrity to wisdom (sophia), whose only source is God. While human beings are, at least in part, responsible for their moral development, wisdom comes only from God. In the New Testament generally, wisdom is allied to understanding God’s purposes and plan and indicates a determination to live accordingly. We need wisdom to know how to cope with trials, for wisdom provides a clear view of our situation from God’s perspective. With wisdom we perceive that what the world calls misfortune, whatever its source, is an opportunity for God to bring about his purpose. Wisdom as the gift of God logically leads to our asking for it. Here again we see verbal links to Jesus: “Ask and it will be given to you” (Matt. 7:7; Luke 11:9); “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father” (John 14:13).

Some commentators point out that in Luke 11:11–13 Jesus promises to give the Spirit, while in James the gift that comes from God is wisdom. There is no essential conflict here, for Judaism had developed a rich theology of wisdom, often seeing it as personified: Lady Wisdom, who seeks to reveal herself to humanity (e.g., Prov. 1:20–21). The granting of wisdom from God, who alone is truly wise, is a complicated notion. The Jews understood wisdom not only as the mind and purposes of God, but also as the content of revealed truth. In John the Holy Spirit performs both functions. Jesus promised his disciples that the Holy Spirit would come, saying, “[He] will be in you” (John 14:17) and “will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (14:26). For this reason it is better to speak of James’s “wisdom pneumatology” rather than his “wisdom Christology.”

James goes on to say that God gives generously without hesitation (v. 5). He contrasts God’s single-hearted devotion and purpose to the varied and complex nature of the fraudulent schemes created by the evil one. God also gives “without finding fault” (me oneidizontos). The root word means “to utter insult” and carries an active tone. As in Jewish literature, one who gives without reproach knows that kindness and generosity are to be granted to the poor (see Sir. 18:15–18). Taken altogether, James conveys the notion that God’s spontaneous generosity is unwavering, regardless of our previous record (see Luke 6:35).

From NIVAC: James by David Nystrom. Published by Zondervan Academic.

The IVP New Testament Commentary Series

The First Example: Lacking Wisdom (1:5-8)

James then leads his readers into God's grace by calling attention to four facets. As they come in the Greek word order, first God is one who "is giving." The word is didontos, a present active participle; it is God's constant nature to be gracious and giving. Second, God gives to all (pasin). The call to live by faith is extended to everyone, and no one is left without an invitation to trust in God. Third, God gives generously (haplos), emphasizing that God gives freely and without reserve. Fourth, God gives without finding fault, or without reproaching.

You may ask God for the wisdom you need without fear, for God gives without holding your failures or lack of wisdom against you. This is the assurance with which the Christian approaches God, that God is not a harsh Father who responds to our needs by reminding us of our faults. Christ has made atonement for our sin; we receive justification by responding with faith, not by trying with good deeds to become righteous enough to deserve God's favor. This salvation by grace, the very heart of the gospel of Christ, will certainly not be contradicted by God when we come to him for wisdom. God responds to his own people with grace—his undivided, unwavering intent always to give good gifts.

Yours by His Grace

Blair Humphreys

Southport, Merseyside

Legal challenge against 'named person' plans dismissed, BBC Scotland.

A judge has dismissed a legal challenge against Scottish government proposals to appoint a "named person" for every child under 18.

It was brought by a coalition of charities and individuals who argued it breached human rights.

In a judgement issued at the Court of Session, Lord Pentland said the case "fails on all points".

The Scottish government says the proposals would help vulnerable children and families in need.

They are contained in the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, and are due to come into force in 2016.

Read more here:

Further Reading

Named Person legal challenge dismissed – appeal considered, The Christian Institute

Mercy there was great, and grace was free; Oh, the grace that brought it down to man! 1 Timothy 1:15-16 Nasb

15 It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. 16 Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those [a]who would believe in Him for eternal life.

The Justification and Sanctification of believers through the finished work of Christ, in my previous post we briefly examined the important doctrine of Justification, which in many ways is part of the bigger picture of Salvation and the Christian life and walk, today we will examine briefly the important doctrine of Sanctification which follows on from Justification.

1)   Now let us look at the differences between Justification and Sanctification

Justification	Sanctification
Legal Standing	Internal Condition
Once for all time	Continuous throughout life
Entirely God’s work	We co-operate with God
Perfect in this life	Not perfect in this life
The same in all Christians	Greater in some than in others

Sanctification differs from justification in several ways. Justification is a one-time work of God, resulting in a declaration of “not guilty” before Him because of the work of Christ on the cross. Sanctification is a process, beginning with justification and continuing throughout life. Justification is the starting point of the line that represents one’s Christian life; sanctification is the line itself

2)   Sanctification is a progressive work of God and man that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in our actual lives

 Sanctification is the process of renewal and consecration by which believers are made holy through the work of the Holy Spirit. Sanctification is the consequence of justification and is dependent upon a person being in a right relationship with God.

Sanctification is applied justification. By its very nature justification does not have a progressive character. It is God's declaration of righteousness. The focus of justification is the removal of the guilt of sin. The focus of sanctification is the healing of the dysfunctionality of sin. Since all spiritual blessings, justification and sanctification included, are the Christian's the moment he or she is "in Christ" sanctification is total and final in one sense Yet, unlike justification, sanctification also continues until it will be consummated when Jesus Christ returns. For then we will be like him, perfect and complete. Sanctification, therefore, has an initial, progressive, and final phase. A believer's present preoccupation is with progressive sanctification, by which the child of God lives out the implications of initial sanctification with an eye to the goal of final sanctification. The sanctified life is victorious, though it is lived out in the context of temptation and suffering. God promises the "overcomers" in Revelation 2 and 3 to restore all that was lost in the fall, in sanctification; the believer is simply applying the implications of his or her justification.

3)   A believer grows in sanctification by living according to his or her new identity

 Sanctification, defined broadly as the work of God’s grace in man’s perfection in righteousness, begins when he becomes a believer and hence is “in Christ.” It continues progressively until death brings him into Christ’s presence unless he “does despite to the Spirit of grace.” It is only as one by dedication and faith realizes in actuality what is provided in the atonement that this grace is experienced; it does not follow as a matter of course, as the exhortations in the NT imply. Parallel to the work of sanctification is the infilling of the Holy Spirit in the believer, perfection in love, having the “mind of Christ,” and “walking as he walked.”

There are many things that I can say about Sanctification but more importantly that I what I can stay about Sanctification is what the Bible says about Sanctification.  

Now let us look at some scriptures in regards to Sanctification

1)   Romans 6:15-19 15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! 16 Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin [j]resulting in death, or of obedience [k]resulting in righteousness? 17 But thanks are to God that [l]though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, [m]resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, [n]resulting in sanctification.

2)   1 Corinthians 1:30 30 But [u]by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, [v]and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption.

3)   I Thessalonians 5:23-24 23 now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.

4)   I Thessalonians 4:1-8 4 finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to [a]walk and please God (just as you actually do [b]walk), that you excel still more. 2 For you know what commandments we gave you [c]by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from [d]sexual immorality; 4 that each of you know how to [e]possess his own [f]vessel in sanctification and honour, 5 not in [g]lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but [h]in sanctification. 8 So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you

5)   2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you [o]from the beginning for salvation [p]through sanctification [q]by the Spirit and faith in the truth. 14 It was for this He called you through our gospel, [r]that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter [s]from us.16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, 17 comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.

1 Timothy 1:15-16 NASB

1 Timothy 1:15-16

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

15 It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. 16 Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those [a]who would believe in Him for eternal life.

When I was growing up, one of my favourite hymns, was “At Calvary” which goes like this

Years I spent in vanity and pride,

caring not my Lord was crucified,

knowing not it was for me He died on Calvary.

Refrain

Mercy there was great, and grace was free;

Pardon there was multiplied to me;

there my burdened soul found liberty at Calvary.

By God’s Word at last my sin I learned;

Then I trembled at the law I’d spurned,

Till my guilty soul imploring turned to Calvary.

Now I’ve given to Jesus everything,

now I gladly own Him as my King,

Now my raptured soul can only sing of Calvary!

Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan!

Oh, the grace that brought it down to man!

Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary!

The chorus goes Mercy there was great, and grace was free; Pardon there was multiplied to me; there my burdened soul found liberty at Calvary.

We have looked at the phrase, That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, this week we follow on from the looking at the phrase, yet for this reason I received mercy, We have received Mercy because Jesus came and died for our sins, he died in our place and because he died and rose from the dead, we have been given God’s gift of Salvation, now us look at Mercy

In the New Testament, the word Mercy is often used of Christ’s gracious faithfulness and proof of His benevolence. Mercy is not merely a passive emotion, but an active desire to remove the cause of distress in others.

Now let us look at some scriptures that speak of Mercy,

1)     Ephesians 2:1-10 v4 -7 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead [f]in our transgressions, made us alive together [g]with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

2)   Titus 3:3-7 v5 – 6  5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

3)    Romans 9:14-24  v 22- 23 22 [n]What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? 23 And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory

4)   1 Peter 1:3-9 v 3-5 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time

5)   1 Peter 2:1-12 v 9-10 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellences of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light; 10 for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

 We will look at 1 Tim 1:16 yet for this reason, I received Mercy, where we will look at Scriptures in regards to the Justification &; Sanctification of us the Believer.