BEHIND THE BOOK James 1:19-21 May 23, 2018 The Bible is an intricate part of our salvation and sanctification. Our relationship to it is crucial in determining the veracity of our salvation. Here are a few scriptures that show us this point. Salvation - James 1:18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, - Ephesians 1:13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, - 2 Thess. 2:13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. - Romans 10:13-14 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? Sanctification - John 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. - 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. - Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Evidence of Our Salvation - John 15:7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. - John 14:21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him. - In John 8 Jesus tells the Pharisees that their unbelief and rejection of the Word of God is the evidence that they are lost (42ff). - 1 John 2:3-5 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says I know him but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: Therefore, Bible preaching and teaching is a serious undertaking. James warns in 3:1 that not everyone should be a teacher because teachers will be judged with a greater 1
strictness. Teaching and preaching involves the use of the tongue and not many people are good at using their tongues. In fact, it takes an anointing from God, or spiritual gifting to execute preaching and teaching in an effective manner. On the other hand, something equally as difficult and serious but we seldom talk about is hearing the word of God as it is being preached and/or taught. The Bible is not just another book. It is the revelation of God recorded in written form. When preached it has the power to save souls, sanctify, and transform lives. It should never be read as though it is just another book of wise sayings and great stories like so many other books. Likewise, it should never be received in that manner either. Fewer things can evoke anger in people like discussing politics and religion. In many situations those are off limits for the sake of peace. Why? Because we are prideful people in our sinful condition. I said fewer things evoke anger like politics and religion, but there is one. There is one subject that almost always ends with someone angry, often times with an anger that burns out of control leading to regretful words and/or actions. That is the subject of sin. Guess what deals with the subject of sin deeper than any other in the world; the Bible. It should come as no surprise that when the Bible is read, preached, or taught people will be offended and angered, sometimes to the level of committing criminal activities. This is true of both believers and unbelievers alike, though there are some variations. It is my belief that James is dealing with this issue in verse 19-21. Not everyone agrees with that and I m certain that someone who hears me say this will be angry, though that is certainly not my intention. I will first explain why I believe this is what James is dealing with and then we ll look at what he says about it. Thus far we have learned how to endure and enjoy trials of many kinds, understand temptation, and how God fits into all of that. We were left with a reminder of how our salvation is the product of God s goodness and perfect will. The first thing we must wrestle with as we enter into verses 19-21 of chapter one is how they relate to what James has just said in verse 18. There he says, Of his own will be brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. In verse 19-21 he says, 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. In order to accurately discern what James is referring to in these verses we need to deal with a variation in possible translations. To begin with, when James says, Know this, he could be referring to what he just said in verse 18 or he could be referring to what he is about to say in verse 19. Let s see if looking at various translations helps us. NASB says, This you know, the NIV says take note of this, and the KJV says wherefore, which Douglas Moo says should not be accepted. That clears it up. Not! It is difficult to tell exactly what this is referring too. If we believe it is introducing a new topic and referring to the point ahead, we will see the proverb being referenced as a universal truth regarding the controlling of speech, as Peter 2
David sees it in his commentaries on James. If we see this as a reference to verse 18, we would be inclined to interpret the proverb as a reference to hearing the word of truth in particular, as John MacArthur does in his commentary. Douglas Moo agrees with Davids on this introducing a new topic, but believes it only introduces verses 19-20 as a brief interruption and returns to the word as the focus of 21-27. I tend to fall somewhere between Moo and MacArthur as I see it flowing out of verse 18, which is James first reference to the Word of God, but introduces a discussion which strays from the trial/temptation rhetoric. James feels the need to remark on how his hearers are to receive the word, and then respond both as individuals and as a community of believers. The comment James made in verse 18 is a controversial one in our modern context. I do not believe it was in the time of this letter, although that is not impossible. I believe it does serve as a great example of how the word of God can lead to controversy and mixed reactions. However, I believe the primary controversy with the receiving of God s word that James alludes too deals with holy living. James is clearly concerned with the righteousness of God as it pertains to living out the faith. He introduces three important factors regarding how to receive God s word. 1. Be quick to hear it, 2. Be slow to form an opinion, and 3. Be slow to respond in anger. He does this by referencing a well known Jewish proverb while applying it speficically to the Word of God. He says, 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. 1. Be Quick to Hear the Word of God John MacArthur says, James s appeal is for every believer to seize every opportunity to increase their exposure to Scripture, to take advantage of every privileged occasion to read God s Word or to hear it faithfully preached or taught. I believe it is best understood explained by the food analogy that Jesus used in his temptation quoting the Old Testament, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God (4:4). The Greek word for quick is Tachys, which means ready or swift. This describes well the attitude of a hungry person when it comes to food. I believe this is the result of the fourth Beatitude, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Paul says it is in the Gospel that the righteousness of God is revealed and we know that the Gospel is found in the Word of God. 2. Be Slow to Form an Opinion (slow to speak) This can be referring to two things, first, being slow to form an opinion and 2 slow to offer that opinion verbally. John MacArthur points out rightly, Many discussions are fruitless for the simple reason that all parties are paying more attention to what they want to say than to what others are saying. One of the most frustrating things in discussing doctrine with people is when one side does not take the time to truly learn the other s point and makes a overly simplified caricature of their view and then begins to argue against it. 3
Once an opinion is formed we must be slow and careful on how we articulate that opinion. Perhaps, a little time and study can convince us that our opinion does not need to be articulated at all. Sirach 5:11-12 says, 11 Listen carefully, and utter a patient reply. 12 If you have understanding, answer your neighbor, but if you don t, clap your hand over your mouth. 3. Be Slow to Respond in Anger This is a warning regarding our emotional response to the Word of God as opposed to our intellectual and verbal response. The word used for anger Orge, does not refer to an emotional outburst or fit of rage, but of an inner resentment that abides deeply and festers. It is one that perhaps no one knows about expect you and the Lord. MacArthur says, In this context, James seems to be speaking particularly about anger at a truth in the Word that displeases, that confronts sin or conflicts with a cherished personal belief or standard of behavior. It refers to a disposition hostile to scriptural truth when it does not correspond to one s own convictions, manifested even if only inwardly- against those who faithfully teach the Word. This could directly relate to some of the problems James was addressing that he addresses later in his letter. In chapter 4 he will address some people in the church who are quarreling and fighting. He tells them they are doing so because they desire and do not have, therefore they murder (curse one another). They also covet and do not get what they want. In other words, they are mad because they are not getting things their way. He tells them the solution to this is to submit themselves and draw near to God. This indicates they were not listening to the Word of God as it was being preached and taught, they were more concerned with their own desires and quarrels than what God had to say, and therefore quick to anger and fighting. He concludes by telling them what we all need to hear in terms of receiving the Word of God, humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you (4:12). Why did James apply this well known proverb to hearing the Word of God? 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God His goal is to exhort his hearers to godly living in accordance with the faith they profess. A lack of hearing God s Word, a lack of understanding it, and a negative emotional response to it will not produce the effect for which God sends it out. For the Word of God to have its proper affect on his people they must humble themselves and receive it properly. 4. The Proper Reception Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. The literary construct of this sentence in the Greek makes receive the main verb of the sentence. This means that putting away all filthiness and rampant wickedness is a prerequisite for receiving the implanted word. There is a bit of a play on the word filthiness. It is rhuparia in 4
the Greek and it refers to any sort of defilement or impurity. However, it also used by Clement and Hippocrates referring to earwax. It is possible that James is painting a picture of defilements in their lives that it is hindering them from hearing God s Word like earwax keeps us from hearing properly. Wickedness is from kakia, which refers to evil and corruption, but has a focus on intent. It references deliberate and intentional sin that is running wild in the lives of these professing believers. This stuff must go if they are ever to hear and receive properly the Word of God that has the power to save them from their filthiness and rampant wickedness. Application We must humble ourselves and first confess that we need to increase our appetite for God s Word. Secondly, we need to confess that we are too ready to form an opinion as many times we go with our opinions already solidified. We go either thinking that someone else needs the sermon more than we do, or that we already know enough, or that we already know we agree or disagree with the preacher and do not need to listen. We need to confess that we tend to react emotionally when we hear something we do not agree with or something that challenges us. We need to humbly confess sin in our lives and repent so that we can fully receive the Word of God. We need to submit ourselves to the Word of God and let it have its full effect on our lives. 5