May 04 2009
Why Read James?
James, that short general epistle near the end of our New Testament is an often underestimated book. It is packed with practical truth and, as Pastor MacArthur pointed out, numerous tests. Because James focuses so succinctly on our Christian walk, it is of invaluable worth to a real Christian seeking to affirm their faith. Nonetheless, many Christians, even those who ought to know better, have belittled the book, called it hard to understand, or avoided it all together.
Pastor Tomlinson pointed out three reasons why we should read and study James. Since this is my goal, the results of which I intend to share with you over the long haul, I wanted to share Pastor Tomlinson’s thinking with you in an effort to encourage you to join me in digging deeply and meditating long on this biblical treasure trove.
One - Christians should read James because it is an often neglected book. If you attend a church where expository preaching is the norm (preaching through the word, book by book, not jumping around from here to there and back again), you are blessed. Even so, it is likely (unless your situation is unique), you have heard sermons which covered only a subject or two from James or just skimmed the book’s surface.
Furthermore, I would dare to suggest you have probably never tried to feed deeply, in your own studies, on this book’s teachings. This is an extremely sad commentary when we take into the account the extreme practicality of James’ teaching.
I believe there are two reasons we tend to overlook this book. First is Martin Luther’s railing against it. When a respected church father speaks negatively abpit something, we tend to listen. In some cases more than we ought. While Martin Luther said, “This is a right strawey epistle,” he spoke out of turn.
Remember Martin Luther’s challenge. He fought against the heretical teachings which had infiltrated the church of his day. These teachings said a man was saved by Christ’s sacrifice and his own good works. In response, Martin Luther rediscovered, delighted in, and dedicated his life to bringing the truth of justification by faith to the forefront.
Because James focuses on the ‘evidences’ of spiritual life, Martin Luther originally (he later came recognize his error) believed the book contradicted ‘justification.’ All this does is reveal Luther’s own humanity - something we are too quick to forget when remembering our heros. In reality, as we have discussed briefly in an earlier blog, James compliments Paul and vice versa.
Second is the negative connotations given to the book by more modern commentators. I have found several who say the book is little more than a collection of wisdom sayings. They interpret James as having no set theme - and thus no set purpose. As we will see, this could not be further from the truth.
Two - James is a neat book. It contains 40 illusions to the Old Testament. It has 20 illusions to the Sermon on the Mount. Furthermore, its unique layout makes it refreshing to read, and it adds challenging depths to its teaching.
Three - This book is an extremely important book. If ever there was a time, in America, when Christianity was under attack from within, it is now. The church, at large, is filled with many nominal Christians and many non-Christians. We have watered down Christian teaching and spurned doctrine to the point many are feeding on white water instead of milk or, as we should be, the meat of the word.
Furthermore, modern day Christians lack discernment. In a culture which celebrates a relativistic definition of truth, we fear to take a stand. Worse yet, many of us cannot take a stand. We really do not know what we believe well enough to defend it. Even more, we are not sure we should defend it. Are we really right? Is Christ the only way? Do we have the right to judge? If so, in what areas and on the basis of what?
In the end, many of us have failed to respond with any depth - even in our own lives. We no longer practice discernment in what we read, what we listen to, or who we follow. We no longer take our own sin seriously - teaching ourselves to despise our fleshly nature. We no longer examine our faith to see if it is real or false. In fact, as a general rule, our Christian walk is superficial at best and often scarcely existent. James is a great book for shaking us from our lethargy.
Thus, as we continue through our study, I encourage you to read James. Take some time to try and understand what the author is saying. While this will be a long process, I am excited to see and apply what James has to say.
Furthermore, I pray God will grant us the grace to really apply the faith tests in this book to our lives. May we not reach heaven’s gates only to find we have been trusting in a false faith!
