Don’t take that personal! I was just using a catchy phrase to get you to read this blog article!

AI: “James 4 outlines the source of conflict (selfish desires, worldliness) and provides solutions: humble submission to God, resisting Satan, drawing near to God, proper prayer with pure motives, and acknowledging God’s sovereignty in future plans, warning against judging others and boasting about uncertain futures, as life is fleeting.”

BTW are all inner lusts and desires sinful? No. AI:”In the Bible, “lust” often translates Greek words (epithymeo, epithumia) meaning “strong desire,” which can be positive (like Jesus’ desire for the Passover) or negative, but usually refers to corrupted, selfish desires that lead to sin, especially sexual sin, greed, or idolatry, pulling people away from God and into gratifying base instincts rather than loving others. So, while the underlying word isn’t always negative, the context in which it’s used in the New Testament, especially by Jesus and Paul, points to evil, unrestrained desire that fosters sin and separation from God, not healthy longing.” In James 1:14-15 and 4:2 the word is used negatively.

In the last blog article, I covered 4:1-4. Our inner lusts that wage war in our bodies causes us to quarrel with others, envy others, murder others, not pray, pray with the wrong motives, and make friends with the world that is spiritual adultery. That first section of James 4 kinda leaves you feeling like Paul did in Romans 7:²⁴ Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” The Greek word for “wretched” is talaipóros: Wretched, miserable. “talaípōros (an adjective, derived from talaō, “to bear, undergo” and pōros, “a callous,” J. Thayer) – properly, wretched (beaten-down) from continued strain, leaving a person literally full of callouses (deep misery) – describing a person with severe side-effects from great, ongoing strain (significant hardships). The word describes the deep inward misery of a soul that has come face-to-face with its own spiritual poverty.” (Biblehub.org) We might try to do what is right and not do what is wrong, but our inner lusts seem to win most of the spiritual battles that are constantly going on inside us. We end up feeling miserable spiritually. What hope is there for us spiritually?

Now here is where Paul answers his own question: Romans 7:²⁵ Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. 8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus. ² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. ³ For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

In other words, the offering of Jesus on the cross frees us from the constant, wearying condemnation that we have due to our sinful lusts and desires. We actually continue to sin due to our lusts, but now we have God’s grace. We will no longer be judged by how we keep God’s laws, but instead we will justified and made righteous by our faith in what Jesus did on the cross. In that sense, the requirements of keeping the Law are met vicariously through Jesus’ perfect law keeping. Even though we continue to sin and give in to our sinful lusts, we are contantly cleansed of our sins. 1 John 1:⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I compare this to washing very dirty hands under running water in the sink. Your hands stay clean as long as you keep your hands under the water. The water keeps washing them even if you throw some dirt on them. The constantly flowing water keeps your hands clean. That water is the blood of Jesus that keeps us clean in God’s eyes even though we sin. Hopefully, we will try not to sin, and we will ask forgiveness when we sin, but this is not an in grace, out of grace, in grace, out of grace, etc. cycle. We have this cleansing grace 24/7 unless we fall from grace (Galatians 5:4).

This is all important to understand. Salvation by God’s grace should give us eternal inner joy. Isaiah 35:10 And the redeemed of the Lord will return and come to Zion with joyful shouting, and everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.” This verse is not predicting joy in heaven. It is predicting the joy that believers in the Messiah Jesus can have here on earth in this life. We still might cry and be sad on the outside, but on the inside we have everlasting joy and gladness. That joy should keep us happy spiritually no matter what difficulties we face. That joy should keep us happy spiritually even though we still feel the constant guilt of sin. That joy just makes us so grateful to Jesus that we give our lives over to him to live to please him and not please our own desires. That joy should keep us looking forward to eternal bliss after death. David said in Psalm 90:14 Satisfy us in the morning with Your graciousness, that we may sing for joy and rejoice all our days.” Preaching should make us painfully aware of our sinful lusts, but should also make us aware of God’s cleansing grace. It should leave us joyful spiritually if we have the right kind of hearts.

That is where James 4:5-10 comes in: ⁵ Or do you think that the Scripture says to no purpose, “He jealously desires the Spirit whom He has made to dwell in us”? ⁶ But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” ⁷ Submit therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come close to God and He will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Be miserable, and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” AI: “It’s debated whether the “spirit” yearning is God’s Holy Spirit, who desires our loyalty, or our own human spirit, which inclines towards envy and the world, with God’s Spirit opposing it. The most common view suggests God is intensely jealous for the Holy Spirit He placed within believers, yearning for the single-hearted devotion we owe Him, not the world.” Usually in the New Testament the phrase the “Spirit dwells in us” does refer to the Holy Spirit. God gives us the Spirit to help us in our war with our fleshly lusts and desires. Galatians 5:¹⁶ But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want.” The Spirit influences us to not yield to our sinful lusts, but it is still up to us to choose whether to sin or not. God is “jealous” when we don’t follow the leading of His Spirit that he has given us. A man gives his heart and love to the woman he marries. It makes him jealous when that woman gives her love and affection to another man. God wants our total devotion and love, and He gives us His Spirit to help us do that.

But we still sin and do not follow the leading of the Spirit perfectly. That is where grace comes in. 4: ⁶ But He gives a greater grace.” But that is where a humble heart comes in: 4:6 Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” God does not require perfection, but He does require a humble heart. Jesus said: Matthew 18:1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ² And He called a child to Himself and set him among them, ³ and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you change and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ So whoever will humble himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” What is the humility of a child that Jesus demands:? The humility of a child means having an open, teachable spirit, willing to yield to a parent or a teacher. It is a heart that focuses on the love given it by a parent or teacher instead of a proud arrogant spirit. In the Church of Christ, the plan of salvation is “hear/believe/repent/confess/baptism.” But shouldn’t that start with “humility/hear…etc. with humility as the first step of salvation”? James had already spoke of the need for humility in 1:²¹ Therefore, ridding yourselves of all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.”

James adds “submit then to God”. Yield your will to God’s will. Obey Him. Resist the devil and he will flee. Come close to God and He will come close to you. But you must cleanse your hands, i.e. try to keep your life free from sin. You must purify your hearts, removing all impure and insincere lustful motives. James 1:27 to keep oneself unstained by the world.” James calls those he is writing to as “sinners, double-minded” so he is rebuking them. The Greek word for “double-minded” is dípsyxos (an adjective, derived from 1364 /dís, “two” and 5590 /psyxḗ, “soul”) – properly, “two souled”; (figuratively) “double-minded,” i.e. a person “split in half,” vacillating like a “spiritual schizophrenic.” Double-mindedness describes the internal division that renders a person spiritually unstable, hesitant, and ineffective in faith and practice.” (Biblehub.org) James had already spoken of this double-minded state in 1:8. It’s a Jekyll/Hyde spiritual personality, constantly alternating between an evil and a good personality. It is interesting that James tells his readers to “⁹ Be miserable, and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into gloom.” Isaiah 35 said that believers can have everlasting joy with no more sorrow, but here James tells them to quit being joyful! That is b/c he knows that their hearts are not right. They need to repent and humble themselves before God. They need to repent of their worldliness. Apparently they are not even trying to fight their sinful lusts. The solution: ¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”

James then addresses judging one another. ¹¹ Do not speak against one another, brothers and sisters. The one who speaks against a brother or sister, or judges his brother or sister, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. ¹² There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you, judging your neighbor?” An humble person will not judge other’s motives or deed. He will constantly be looking at his own sins instead of the sins of others. An humble person does not set himself up as judge and jury of others. Jesus said, Matthew 7:1 “Do not judge, so that you will not be judged. ² For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. ³ Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? ⁴ Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and look, the log is in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye!”

James 4 closes with another quality of an humble heart. A humble person will not arrogantly think that he is in control of the future. An humble person will be aware that his future plans are controlled by God. 4:¹³ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” ¹⁴ Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away. ¹⁵ Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” ¹⁶ But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. ¹⁷ So for one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin.” AI: “”Life is but a vapor” is a powerful metaphor, emphasizing life’s brevity, fragility, and transience, like a morning mist that quickly disappears. It serves as a call to live purposefully, value each moment, focus on eternal matters, and recognize our dependence on God, rather than presumptuously planning for an uncertain future.” David spoke of this transiency of life in Psalm 39: “Lord, let me know my end, and what is the extent of my days; Let me know how transient I am. ⁵ Behold, You have made my days like hand widths, and my lifetime as nothing in Your sight; Certainly all mankind standing is a mere breath. Selah ⁶ Certainly every person walks around as a fleeting shadow; They certainly make an uproar for nothing; He amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.” Are you caught up in the “rat race” all around us? Do you plan for the future as if you can be sure that your plans will come to pass? There is nothing wrong with planning for the future, for future health and medical needs, for retirement, for securtiy, but always humbly plan acknowledging that God is in control of our futures. The last verse in 4: ¹⁷ So for one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin” really challenges us. How many times do you know the right thing to do and don’t do it? James 1 had already spoken of those who hear the word but who aren’t doers of the word (hearers only). Again, were it not for the grace of God, we would all be hopelessly condemned. But when we have the grace of God, we can rejoice spiritually b/c we know we are saved even though we are guilty of the sins of omission (not doing what we know is right) as well as the sins of commission.

I don’t know about you, but James 4 is humbling for me. It makes me more aware of my sinful lusts. It makes me want to submit my will to God and allow the Spirit to lead me to victory over more of those lusts. It makes me want to focus on spiritual joy instead of earthly possessions and accomplishments It makes me plan for the future but acknowledge that life might end at any time. It makes me want to find spiritual joy every day. It makes me want to quit judging others. James 4 is the type of sermon we need to constantly hear instead of some of the feel good, philosophical sermons that we hear on Sundays. It challenges us to quit being spiritual schizophrenics.

Here is an AI summary of James 4: “James 4 warns against worldly desires causing conflict, urging submission to God, humility (God opposes the proud), and avoiding slander, emphasizing that true friendship with God means resisting the devil and drawing near to Him, while also highlighting that boasting about future plans without acknowledging God’s will is sinful because life is fleeting, and we must live with dependence on God’s plan, saying, “If the Lord wills”. This blog will only discuss James 4:1-4.

1 Our internal lusts Vs 1-4 James says that our internal lusts are the source of all of our sins. The word for “pleasures” in 4:1 is hédoné: Pleasure, desire, lust: sensual pleasure; “what is enjoyable to the natural (physical) senses. denotes the pursuit of self-gratifying pleasure. In every New Testament setting the word is morally negative.” (biblehub.org) It is the word we get “hedonism” from, a philosophy centered on pleasure and happiness as life’s ultimate goal. John warned about those lusts in 1 John 1:¹⁵ Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. ¹⁷ The world is passing away and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God continues to live forever.” James says that those lusts “wage war” in our body parts. The Greek word is strateuó: To wage war, to serve as a soldier, to engage in spiritual warfare. “The verb appears seven times in the Greek New Testament and frames both literal military service (1 Corinthians 9:7; 2 Timothy 2:4) and the believer’s spiritual conflict.” (Biblehub.org) 2 Corinthians 10:³ For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage battle according to the flesh.” Paul talked about this internal conflict and spiritual warfare. Romans 7:⁵ For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were brought to light by the Law, were at work in the parts of our body to bear fruit for death.” He says that we are prisoners in our fleshly bodies: Romans 7:²¹ I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. ²² For I joyfully agree with the law of God in the inner person, ²³ but I see a different law in the parts of my body waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin, the law which is in my body’s parts. ²⁴ Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” We must add here that God is not against us enjoying the “pleasures” of life. He made everything good and wants us to enjoy all that He created. You have lustful desires like wanting a nice house, sexual desires, enjoying good food, etc. There is nothing wrong with that as long as that doesn’t become our main goal in life and doesn’t cause us to commit sinful deeds.

James then goes on to say that those lusts cause us to murder. Physical murder? Or is this “spiritual murder” as in 1 John 3:¹⁵ Everyone who hates his brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.” Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, said that the goal of the commandment “Thou shalt not murder” includes not expressing anger to a brother or calling him a fool, so that could be in play in James 4:2. Either way, our lusts cause us to be angry with, hate, speak evil of others, and do things to tear them down. They cause us to have “quarrels and conflicts” with others (4:1). Our lusts cause us to be “envious” of other’s possessions or accomplishments. We can’t be happy for them. James says that we don’t have b/c we do not ask. The context is best illustrated by this: a father tells his 10 year old son not to take things from the tool shed without permission but to ask for them. The father might give it to him if he asks, but he might not give him a skill saw b/c it might hurt him. In context of James 4, they are so bent on getting what their lusts want that they never ask God, so they miss out on a lot of good things that God might want to give them. James adds, 4:³ You ask and do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, so that you may spend what you request on your pleasures.” They might even ask God for things, but not get them b/c they are always praying and asking with the wrong motives, simply to get something to fulfill their lusts and pleasures. This is not a general statement on not getting what you ask for in prayer. In context, it is about those worldly believers in James 4 who pray only with selfish motives. When we don’t get what we specifically ask for in prayer, it does not mean that we are always asking with selfish, wrong motives. Sometimes God just says “no” to our requests. Maybe what we ask for is not good for us or for someone else. And that’s not to say that God might not change his plans or will on something. He changed his plan on Hezekiah dying soon and gave him 15 extra years based on Hezekiah’s prayer, which was actually a pretty selfish prayer. 2 Kings 20:³ “Please, Lord, just remember how I have walked before You wholeheartedly and in truth, and have done what is good in Your sight!” And Hezekiah wept profusely.” That is, “Lord I have always served you and don’t deserve to die this early!” Sometimes God might give us what we ask for with wrong motives just to teach us a lesson. God gave Hezekiah 15 extra years but that actually turned out to be a bad thing for him. He proudly discussed the miracle of the sun dial going backwards 10 steps with the Babylonian emissaries and then proudly showed them all the treasures of the temple. That caused God to tell him that the Babylonian would one day come and take all those treasures from the temple. At the time Isaiah told him this prediction, the Assyrians were the world power. They are the ones who sieged Jerusalem and Hezekiah’s humble trust and prayer caused God to kill 185,000 of the Assyrians in one night and send the Assryians back to Assyria. So this would have been a startling prediction, another of God’s amazing Old Testament prophets’ predictions about the fate of nations.

My philosophy on prayer: First, make sure that your motives are not selfish. Then, pray like Jesus prayed. Matthew 26:39 “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” He was actually praying for something selfish, but His motives were pure. He had seen those crucified hanging for 2 or 3 days at times, suffering unbelievable pain. He know that was his fate. He was asking selfishly to be spared of that. There is nothing wrong with us asking God to spare us or our loved ones of pain, disease, suffering, etc. But then he adds,  “nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”  If God did not spare him of his fate on the cross, then Jesus was ready to accept that. People wonder about the verse, 1 John 5:14: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us”. Or John 15:7: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you”. That sounds like you will get anything you ask for unconditionally, but as we know, that is not the case. But think of it this way. If I ask, “God heal me of my cancer, but if not, that’s fine. Just give me the strength to get through it.” God will give you what you asked for b/c you asked like that. He can say, “I will grant your requests. I am not going to heal you of your cancer, but I will help you get through it. I will give you what you asked for!”Does that make sense? Also, what is “praying according to God’s will?” Does that mean that you have to pray for what God has already predetermined will happen? Of course not. The Hezekiah story proves that God can change his intended plans, so don’t be afraid to pray for God to change any plans He might have. That’s what Jesus did. He knew God’s predetermined plan was for him to die on the cross, but he didn’t mind asking God to change His plan, if possible.

Finally, James adds, James 4:⁴ You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” We are guilty of spiritual adultery when we let our inner lusts take over and cause us to sin. There will always be temptations for our lusts to look at and think about. A husband will see beautiful women and be tempted. But he must control his lusts. Jesus said that to lust after a woman is to commit spiritual adultery. The prophet Hosea spoke of the spiritual adultery of Israel, going off after other gods. God told Hosea, “Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the LORD” (Hosea 1:2). In Ezekiel 16 God said that Jerusalem was like an unfaithful wife after He loved had loved her and made her his bride. She was like a cheating woman who lusted after sex.” We can be guilty of spiritual adultery when we let our inner lusts cause us to focus on what our lusts desire rather than focussing on pleasing God and denying worldly lusts. Paul said, Titus 2:¹² instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and in a godly manner in the present age.” So who are we committing spiritual adultery with? The world and its lusts (1 John 1:15-17). Our lovers are the sinful worldly lusts all around us. James calls this friendship with the world that leads to spiritual adultery. Here is analogy. A husband befriends some attractive woman at work. At first, it is just a “friendship” but he is being drawn to her sexually and ends up committing adultery with her. Or a believer befriends guys who are constantly dwelling on their lusts with no spirituality at all. Eventually that friendship might draw the believer away from God and cause him to commit spiritual adultery on God. It is good to make friends with sinners, as Jesus did, but be careful when your friendship draws you away from your love of God.

I know this was long, but James 1:1-4 covers so many thoughts. Let me close with this about our inner lusts and inner conflict. Buddhism. Equanimity (Upekkha) is one of the Four Sublime States of Buddhism: A balanced, peaceful state of mind undisturbed by life’s ups and downs, achieved by detaching from the cycle of craving. It is a core factor for developing wisdom, compassion, and achieving enlightenment, involving an even-minded, balanced state that isn’t swayed by likes, dislikes, or worldly ups and downs.” (AI) I’m sure I oversimplify Buddhism, but I summarize it like this. You suffer and are unhappy b/c you don’t have something (food, things, etc). If you will just quit craving (lusting) for things and be totally happy without them, then you won’t suffer when you don’t have them. You won’t be preoccupied with getting them. You will find total inner peace and happiness without getting any of those things. You won’t be preoccupied with the worry, stress, depression, and grief when you don’t have those things. Deliberately cultivating happiness that does not depend on external circumstances is one of the core practices in Buddhism! Scientists say they have evidence to show that Buddhists really are happier and calmer than other people (even many Christians). Now I am not encouraging you to become a Buddhist! Buddhism is a philosophy, a way of life taught by the Buddha. That philosophy can make you a more contented, happy person regardless of your circumstances, but it can’t save you from your sins. Only Jesus can do that. But is is sad that many of us Christians are so preoccupied with the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life (Luke 8:14) that we do not find contentment, inner peace, and joy. We don’t bear much fruit for Jesus either!

This section speaks so much to me. How much of my desires are for fulfilling my inner lusts? My wife reminded me of this parable. “The phrase “two dogs in you, which are you feeding?” refers to a parable (often attributed to a Cherokee elder, though origins are debated) about the internal struggle between good and bad impulses, where the “dog” (or wolf) you give attention, energy, and focus to is the one that grows stronger and ultimately wins, influencing your character and actions.” (AI) The “Bad” Dog/Wolf: Represents negativity, anger, jealousy, greed, arrogance, and ego.The “Good” Dog/Wolf: Represents joy, peace, love, hope, kindness, empathy, and compassion.”

One last thought! James 1:1-4 kinda leave us a little depressed b/c, at least in my case, it seems like my ungodly lusts are winning the internal spiritual battle most of the time. Paul ended up his negative view of his inner struggle in Romans 7 with 7:²⁴ Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from ^[y]the body of this death?” Is there no hope for us since it seems the ungodly lusts usually win out? James deals with that in the next section (or blog) in James 4:5-10. Until next time!
 

As stated in the James 1 and 2 blogs, James is a topical study. There are two topics in James 3.

1 The Tongue Vs 1-12 James had already spoken of the need to control the tongue in James 1: ²⁶ If anyone thinks himself to be religious, yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this person’s religion is worthless.” But then he devotes almost an entire chapter to the tongue in chapter 3. He warns against many becoming teachers since many cannot control their tongues. Teachers who can’t control their tongues can cause a lot of damage. He says that someone who can control his tongue can control his whole body (but no one can!). He gives 3 simple analogies. He says that the tongue is like: 1) small bits that control very powerful horses; 2) the small rudder that can control a very heavy, large ship; 3) a small fire that can set an entire forest on fire. James says that we can control all species of animals but no one can control the tongue. The tongue is full of poison. Sadly, some use the tongue to both bless God but also curse God at times. Again, 4 simple comparisons to that: 1) a spring doesn’t send out both fresh and bitter water; 2) a fig tree doesn’t bear olives; 3) a grapevine doesn’t bear figs; 4) salt water cannot produce fresh water. James gives so many simple comparisons in this chapter.

So what are the most common sins of the tongue?

Lying/Deception: Blatant falsehoods, half-truths, exaggerations, or intentional omissions to mislead. “The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy (Proverbs 12:22)”. Gossip: Spreading true but private faults of others without a good reason, harming their reputation. “He that goes about as a tale-bearer reveals secrets; therefore, keep no company with such a one (Proverbs 20:19).” “A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much (Proverbs 20:19)”. “Thou shalt not go up and down as a tale-bearer among thy people (Leviticus 19:16)”. “A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends” (Proverbs 16:28).
Backbiting: Speaking ill of someone when they aren’t present, often to wound them. “He does not slander with his tongue, nor do evil to his neighbor, nor bring shame on his friend (Psalm 15:3)”. Flattery/Pride: Excessive praise or boastful talk that seeks self-glory rather than God’s. “May the Lord silence all flattering lips and every boastful tongue (Psalm 12:4).” “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses (Proverbs 27:6).”

Harshness/Bickering: Using biting remarks, insults, or constant complaining (nagging). “Be not rash with your mouth, and let not your heart be hasty to utter anything before God (Ecclesiastes 5:1).” Sowing Discord: Words intended to create division in families, churches, or communities. “There are six things that the Lord hates, Seven that are an abomination ^[j]to Him: ¹⁷ Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, ¹⁸ A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil,A false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers (Proverbs 6:19)”.

Idle Chatter/Overuse: Talking excessively, leading to foolishness or revealing faults (Matthew 12:36). “When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent (Proverbs 10:19)”. Matthew 12:36 – “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.”

Cursing/Profanity: Using impure or vulgar language, blasphemy. “Whoever curses his father or mother, his lamp will be extinguished in deepest darkness (Proverbs 20:20).” Exodus 20:7 – “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”

Quarrelsome: Always arguing with others. “Fools’ words get them into constant quarrels; they are asking for a beating (Proverbs 18:6).” Proverbs 15:1 – “A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Psalm 141:3 – “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.” Psalm 19:¹⁴ Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” Ephesians 4:²⁹ Let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but if there is any good word for edification according to the need of the moment, say that, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” Let us all examine our speech. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you know what to say and to keep you from saying the wrong things.

2 Wisdom From Above Vs 13-18  This last section in chapter 3 follows up on the tongue, specifically the use of the tongue among teachers and leaders in the churches. “Who among you is wise and understanding?” That is, who are the wise teachers among you who can control the tongue. They are humble and gentle and do not have bitter jealousy or selfish ambition in their hearts. The sins of the tongue come from evil hearts. Matthew 5:¹⁸ But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and those things defile the person. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, acts of adultery, other immoral sexual acts, thefts, false testimonies, and slanderous statements.” The leaders and teachers with evil hearts use their tongues to cause division, discord, gossip, slander, and all the other sins of the tongue. The wise leaders have the wisdom that is from above. James 3:¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, free of hypocrisy.” Many teachers and leaders claim to be wise but their actions show otherwise. Many congregations have been split by leaders with proud, divisive hearts.

Another topical study by James that is badly needed in the church today.

The first chapter of the book of James might be one of the most challenging portions of the New Testament. Here is a simple outline of the chapter with a few (my wife says I don’t have the ability to keep it short) comments!

1. Greetings and trials. Vs 1-4 James the. brother of Jesus is the author. He was not a believer in Jesus until after the resurrected Jesus appeared to him. He was a pillar in the church in Jerusalem. His letter is full of condemning a lot of the sins that Christians commit. He was writing to Jewish Christians scattered over the Roman Empire. His first topic was trials that many of them were suffering through at the hands of their non Christian Jewish brethren and the Roman pagan society. Eventually Rome started severely persecuting Christians under Nero in the 60’s. James tell them to consider it joy when they have these trials. How so? He says that trials can produce patience and tested, prove spiritual completeness and maturity. You might go through a lot of pain as you undergo a very serious surgery and recovery, but you can actually rejoice that you are having the surgery b/c it will make you whole and well again. It’s the same with trials. You have to be able to look at the light at the end of the tunnel.
2. Wisdom and doubt. Vs 5-8 James says that God will give us wisdom to handle difficult trials and persecution. “Understanding why the trial is happening (growth, testing, discipline) and its source (God, self, enemy). Believing God is in control and good, even when things are difficult, and asking Him for help without doubting. Staying steadfast and not giving up, recognizing that growth comes through hardship. Choosing courses of action that remain honorable and pleasing to God, even when it’s hard. Using God’s wisdom to make wise choices, speak wisely, and serve others better. Find wise, godly advice to help navigate difficult decisions.” (AI) But we must ask God in faith, believing that He will give us that wisdom. Look for answers to your prayer for wisdom.
3. Humility and riches. Vs 9-11 James tells the poor Christians to glory in their exalted spiritual position as the children of God, rich spiritually even if destitute physically. No doubt many had lost property as a result of persectution as Hebrews 10:34 says (“you accepted joyfully the seizure of your property”). He tells the rich Christians to glory in that he should realize that there are no social classes among believers and that he should not trust in his riches but instead share them, especially with persecuted brethren. It is humbling for a rich Christian to realize that his riches will not last.
4. Temptation and God’s goodness. Vs 12-18 James tells them that they will receive the crown of life if they persevere under their trials and not give up their faith. But he warns them to accept accountability for failing to persevere. Some might blame God when they give in to their trials and sin when tempted. But God does not “tempt” us. That is actually the same Greek word that can simply mean “test”. peirázō (from peíra, “test, trial”) – “originally to test, to try which was its usual meaning in the ancient Greek and in the LXX” (WP, 1, 30). “The word means either test or tempt” (WP, 1, 348). Context alone determines which sense is intended, or if both apply simultaneously.” (Biblehub.com) God does test us. He tested Abraham when he told him to offer his son. Abraham could have been tempted to disobey God and fail the test, but he didn’t. James’ point is that, while God does test us with trials, God does not create the inner temptation to sin when we are tested. James says that comes from our lusts, so don’t blame God if you sin when under trials. God doesn’t force anyone to make wrong, sinful decisions. He may allow us to have a trial, or even give us a trial or testing, but how we handle it is up to us. God only gives good things or gifts, even if that is disguised in a difficult trial, since a trial can make us better.
5. Hearing and doing. Vs 19-25 James gives great but harsh advice: Be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. There might be times for “righteous anger” but most of our anger is just when we lose our patience with our circumstances or when we just don’t get our way. Selfish anger will not bring about God’s righteousness. We must clear our hearts of the weeds (sinful thoughts and desires) before we plant the word of God in our hearts. We must be “not just hearers of the word but doers of the word”. The “hearer only” Christian is like a person who gets up in the morning, looks in the mirror and sees his hair all tangled up, but then goes off to work without combing his hair. It is the same when we read or hear the word read to us that exposes our faults but then we do nothing to correct those faults. But when we look into the “law of freedom” we not only see our spiritual faults but the grace of God that covers our faults. That encourages us to try to correct those faults and be “an active doer and not a forgetful hearer” and we will be blessed.
6. Pure and undefiled religion. Vs 26-27 James says that one’s “religion” is worthless if he can’t bridle his tongue. Apparently James considers the tongue to be the main source of many sins. Chapter 3 is totally devoted to sins of the tongue and bridling the tongue. The one who doesn’t bridle his tongue might be “religious” but God does not accept his religion, it is worthless in the eyes of God (thréskeia: Religion, Worship). He is deceiving himself if he thinks that external religious acts or rituals make his religion acceptable to God. “Thrēskos was used in Hellenistic Greek for a person devoted to cultic practice, emphasizing outward religious observance—rituals, ceremonies, and visible acts of worship. Classical writers applied it to followers who scrupulously fulfilled the requirements of their gods, while Hellenistic Jews employed it for those meticulous about temple or synagogue duties.” (Biblehub.com) Most religions do come from worship fales gods or the one true God, and “pure religion” might involved rituals like taking the Lord’s Supper or baptism. But James says that “pure religious worship” of God must go a lot further than that and must involve two things: 1) taking care of widows and orphans in their distress. God has always had a special place in his heart for the widows, fatherless, and strangers. Psalm 68:5 A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, Is God in His holy dwelling. ⁶ God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity.” Isaiah 1:17: God commands Israel to “learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow”. Deuteronomy 10:18: States God “defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner”. Many widows have good income in the U.S. (my mom did not need money donations in her old age) but they still need Christians to visit and show love to them. Many Christians foster or even adopt children (my daughter adopted 3 children and my son adopted 2 children). The greatest needs for widows and orphans might be in foreign lands. Many charitable organizations provide medical, food, and education for children in 3rd world poverty stricken areas and could use any contributions. They also take care of the elderly and widows who are often neglected, just as they were in the Roman society in the first century when James wrote his letter. Of course, Paul goes into much greater detail about the church caring for widows “indeed” in 1 Timothy 5. 2) The other thing James says we must have for pure and undefiled religion is to keep oneself unstained by the sinful world around us. The Greek for “pure” is katharos: Clean, pure, clear: “clean” (pure) because unmixed (without undesirable elements); (figuratively) spiritually clean because purged (purified by God), i.e. free from the contaminating (soiling) influences of sin.” Jesus said “Blessed are the pure in heart” (Matthew 5:8). Many religious people have sinful hearts and insincere motives in their religious pursuit. The Greek for “undefiled” is amiantos: Unstained, undefiled, pure. Jesus gives us new white suits and dresses (spiritually) and getting too close and involved with the worldly sins stains our Christian garment. Too many religious church going Christians’ lives are dominated by the worries, riches, and pleasures of this world. Many church members watch porn. Too many churches spend almost all of their money collected on themselves (buildings and staff, about 75% of the budget) and very little on taking care of the poor, the widows, the orphans, persecuted Christians, etc. Even our assemblies become more about attracting new members with bands and great speakers rather than focusing on repentance and pure, undefiled lives in the members.

That’s a lot but I thought it was a neat way to study James 1.

Paul planted, Apollos watered, and God gave the increase. Sunday, December 28, 2025 was a special day for my wife and me. A church in Siparia, Trinidad, West Indies had their 50th anniversary. My wife and I helped plant, along with a couple of other missionaries, that church when it first began 50 years ago during the 3rd year of our work in Trinidad. We moved to Siparia and lived there that 3rd year before moving eventually to Colombia, South America. We began the church by having a “crusade” (gospel meeting) in the community center in Siparia. We baptized only a few but one of those was a lady who had several younger children. She has been a faithful rock of that church for 50 years. Her children have become strong Christians with Christian families. They all helped the church grow in Siparia.

To be honest, I actually was pretty discouraged after that year in Siparia. The church was not growing as it had in several of our other church plantings in Trinidad. I did not have an optimistic view of the future of the church after we left. The church continued after we left, survived, and over the years grew. They started meeting in a member’s house with 30 or so members. They eventually received a plot of land and built a building. I’m not sure how many members they have now, but they had over 100 people at the 50th anniversary Sunday. I was able to zoom and we could see each other and I spoke for a few minutes. My wife spoke and talked about our first child who was born during that last year that we were in Siparia.

Well the members were all thanking me for helping plant the church in Siparia, but the whole time I’m thinking, “I really had almost given up on that church after working with it for that year. So I should get very little credit. Instead, others watered. A few men from the School of Preaching that our 4 missionaries started and worked with preached for and worked with the church over the past 50 years. Christians from other congregations helped the church attain stability over the years. But God gave the increase. God gets all the credit and glory.”

What’s the point? Sunday was a great day for me and my wife. Paul said that his converts were his joy and crown. 1 Thessalonians 2:¹⁹ For who is our hope, or joy or crown of pride, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? Or is it not indeed you? ²⁰ For you are our glory and joy.” Those whom we directly or indirectly converted to faith in Jesus are our joy and crown. As I look back over my 76 years, what really matters? What can I look back and really take great joy and pride in? My savings accounts, my house, my cars (I love my Prius), my career as a teacher and principal? Not really. The only thing that really matters is how many people I can lead to Jesus. The only memories that I will cherish as I die are memories made with my family and memories of those we helped lead to Jesus.

Are you seizing upon the opportunities God gives you to reach souls for Jesus? I’m so glad that we went to Trinidad. I can’t imagine what our life would have been like if I had just continued to work with my engineering degree at Alabama Power instead of going to a school of preaching in Louisiana which led to us going to Trinidad. There are other converts and congregations we worked within Trinidad. I have memories of working with them. I will have this memory of the 50th anniversary celebration Sunday in Siparia. I can’t imagine not having these memories which would be the case if we had never gone to Trinidad. Again, God gets the credit and glory. I believe that He had a plan to get us to Trinidad to do what we did in our 3 years there.

God will give you opportunities if you will look for them. There is someone that you will see today that perhaps God wants to use you to help them to come to know Jesus or to grow closer to Jesus. Don’t be shy and timid. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7, KJV) Share your faith with anyone that you can.

Maybe you can’t do mission work and convert others in foreign countries as we did. Then find an organization or some missionaries that are evangelizing and planting churches in foreign countries and support them financially. My wife and I support EEM (Eastern European Missions): they print and distribute Bibles in over 30 different languages in 30 countries. We send some support for a couple of our graduates of the school that we have taught in as they work in Muslim countries in Asia and Africa. A long time friend of ours is working with Baja Missions to plant churches over that long strip of Baja, Mexico next to the Pacific Ocean, and we send support there. That’s not bragging. If anything, I am ashamed that I didn’t continue to work as a foreign missionary these past 50 years. I might have had many more memories like the one we enjoyed this past Sunday. Of course, God has a plan. He gave us other opportunities here in the U.S. and maybe we seized upon some of them and have converts here also. Some of my students over the years are my joy and crown also.

But this is not about me. This is a challenge to you. Maybe God has you are where you are right now for a reason. Mordecai told Queen Esther about Haman’s plot to annihilate all the Jews and told her to go to the king and plead for saving the Jews. Esther was fearful and not willing to do so at first. Even the queen didn’t approach the king without being invited. But Mordecai told her, “who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14) She found the courage to go to the king and eventually saved the Jews and foiled Haman’s plot. So maybe God has you where you are for a reason. Looking for that reason gives excitement to the daily work grind. It gives you a reason to reach out to the less fortunate, to reach out to strangers at church. You have financial resources. Enjoy them, but also maybe God has given you financial resources that allow you to support missionaries and help the poor worldwide instead of just buying things for yourself that you don’t really “need”.

Give it some thought!

I have never looked at my McDonald’s App to see how many points I have. We checked it this morning and I had 27,000 points! I have never used any points in the past. They expire periodically and I had lost thousands that I had never used. Of course it takes 5,000 points to get a Egg McMuffin, so it’s not like I lost a lot of money from unused points, but I’m cheap and it still irritated me to find out all that!

So, what’s the cute little blog spiritual comparison to this? Probably not much, but I’ll give it a go. A saved believer in Jesus can know that he is saved. He can go to McDonald’s (church) and pay for his breakfast (give money, maybe even tithe) and kinda “earn” his way to heaven by going to church and doing good works. But he can miss out on the extra “free” blessings that come with the “abundant life”. John 10:10 “I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.”

So how can we describe this abundant life? AI: “An abundant life in Christ, from John 10:10, means a spiritually rich, full life, not necessarily material wealth, characterized by God’s love, joy, peace, purpose, and fellowship, found through a restored relationship with Jesus, daily reliance on the Holy Spirit, obedience, prayer, and living to glorify God, even amidst life’s trials. It’s a life “beyond measure,” filled with divine blessings, not worldly possessions.” So how many Christians, even church going Christians, punch the clock but don’t have the joy, peace, love, prayer life, Spirit led life, or “purpose driven life” (Rick Warren’s book)? In other words, they have all those extra spiritual points that they never use. And if you don’t use them, you lose them. Past missed opportunities expire and you can’t get them back.

Probably a stretch with the McDonald’s points comparison but I gave it a try. BTW I’m going to use some of those 27,000 points at my next visit to McDonald’s before they expire! Maybe I will use my spiritual points to enjoy the abundant life in Jesus more!

The Gospel of Philip says that Jesus loved Mary Magdelene more than the other disciples and that Mary was a “companion” of Jesus and that he kissed her on the (and the rest is missing from the text). The word “companion” does not necessariy mean “spouse” but even if it did, why would we believe that the Gospel of Phiilip was an authentic inspired gospel just like our 4 gospel (Mt, Mk, Lk, Jn)? The Gospel of Mary Magdelene also says that Jesus loved Mary more than the others, but was it an authentic inspired gospel? When were these 2 gospels (Philip and Mary) written? Most scholars think they were written in the laste 2nd century. The Gospel of Philip was in the Coptic Nag Hammadi books found in Egyypt in 1945 and the Gospel of Mary was also found in Egypt in the late 19th century.

They probably were around in the late 2nd century because the church father Irenaeus “fiercely condemned them, along with other Gnostic writings, in his work Against Heresies, arguing they were heretical, illegitimate, and contrary to the four canonical Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), which he championed as the only true witnesses to Jesus, established by apostolic tradition and reflecting creation’s order. He saw these Gnostic books as undermining the true Church’s faith, promoting secret knowledge, and challenging the apostolic succession, viewing them as dangerous fabrications.” Irenaeus lived in the 2nd century AD.

Now we can’t trust everything Irenaeus said. He believed in chiliasm (that Jesus was going to come set up an earthly kingdom), which I disagree with. Jesus said that his kingdom was not of this world (John 13:36) and that some of those he was speaking to would be alive to see Him coming back in His kingdom (Matthew 16:27-28). He also said that Jesus’ ministry lasted 20 years and that he died at age 50. But his comments about the gospels are compelling: “In his central work, Adversus Haereses Irenaeus denounced various Christian groups that used only one gospel…as well as groups that embraced the texts of new revelations.…Irenaeus declared that the four he espoused were the four pillars of the Church: ‘it is not possible that there can be either more or fewer than four’ he stated, presenting as logic the analogy of the four corners of the earth and the four winds (1.11.8).”  

So was this an isolated opinion of just one of the early church fathers? No. The following chart shows how many times the early church father (2nd-4th centuries AD) quoted or cited the gospels (and the rest of the New Testament).

Justin Martyr lived from 100-165 AD; Clement was 150-215 AD; Irenaeus was 125-202 AD; Origen was 185-254 AD; Tertullian was 155-220 AD; and Eusebius was 260-339 AD. So we have almost 19,000 quotes of the 4 gospels by the early church fathers by the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. So around the 2nd century AD (about 100 years after the original gospel were written) we have all the church fathers quoting the 4 gospels as inspired writings of the apostles. I believe that these early church fathers living in the 2nd century knew very well which gospels that had been passed down by the church were authentic inspired writings.

In contrast to that, the early church fathers never quotred from the gospels of Philip, Mary, or Thomas (the gospel of Thomas was another gospel found in the Nag Hammadi books. Irenaeus’ comment about the gospels of Philip and Mary shows that those books were around by the late 2nd century but that they were clearly considered to be uninspired, heretical gospels. Therefore, it doesn’t matter if the gospel of Philip suggested that Jesus was married (his “companion”) to Mary or not. It wasn’t an inspired gospel so it just doesn’t matter what it says. The Dan Brown Da Vinci Code book and movie throws in a comment that the gospel of Philip said that Mary was the wife of Jesus, but, again, that is taken from an uninspired gospel that the early church rejected. A great movie with Tom Hanks, but entirely fiction.

Maybe this article is more about the trustworthiness of the 4 gospels (Mt, Mk, Lk, Jn) that we do have in our Bibles than it is about the gospels of Philip and Mary. The early church father quotes should give us confidence that we can trust the 4 gospels as being written early and written by those 4 men. If we can’t trust our 4 gospels, then we can’t trust the miracles and resurrection of Jesus that they record.

AI: “Bart Ehrman says the four Gospels (Mark, Matthew, Luke, John) were written anonymously, with names added later, but generally dates them as: Mark (c. 70 CE), Matthew & Luke (c. 80-85 CE), and John (c. 90-95 CE), acknowledging the consensus among critical scholars that they weren’t eyewitness accounts but emerged decades after Jesus, long after the apostles’ deaths, to gain authority.” I believe that all the gospels were written before 70 AD. How do we know that? Because all 4 gospels quote Jesus predicting the destruction of Jerusalem that he said would happen within the generation of those he was speaking to (Matthew 24:34) and yet none of the 4 state that the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD had already happened at the time of writing. What if we found an old, old book about persecution of the Jews in history but we didn’t know when it was written? What if that book told about many events where the Jews were persecuted but stopped without mentioning the holocaust? When would you say that book was written, before or after the holocaust? It was written before the holocaust. It is the same with the 4 gospels and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. If that event had already happened at the time of writing the gospels then the gospel writers would surely have used that fulfilled prediction to show that Jesus was truly a Prophet. If the gospels were written before 70 AD, then early Chrisitans would have been able to verify that the writers really were Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Also, if the gospels were written before 70 AD, then that would be within about 30 years of the resurrection of Jesus and people could be able to check out the veracity of the gospel claims. If someone claimed a resurrection from a local cemetary 30 years ago, then we are living close enough in time to check out that claim. The early church rejected many spurious gospels and other books, so they knew which books were authentic that had been passed down to the early church.

I hope this article has been beneficial.