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The aim of this blog is to examine cultural events and trends and to interpret them
within the framework of the authoritative and literal interpretation of Scripture

Monday, March 30, 2020

QUICK TO HEAR, SLOW TO SPEAK, SLOW TO ANGER: JAMES 1:19-20

Verses 19-20: This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.

The phrase this you know1 is one word in the Greek and should be translated as a command: “Know this” emphasizing that we need to be attentive to what follows. It stands to reason that this is a command from James, for if the reader already knew, as ‘this you know’ implies, then there would be no reason to divulge the good advice he is about to provide them.

Next, he addresses everyone. Literally from the Greek it is: all men. And as typical in the Bible, all means all. No exceptions to the rule. Ideally, this advice should pertain to all men, believer and unbeliever alike. But here, it mainly applies to believers and their testimony before all men.

James commands that we be quick to hear—that is, to begin at once to become hearers of the word of truth mentioned in v. 18, and to be quick about it, that is, quick with the meaning of being ready and prompt.2 The idea behind being a hearer is that of being a learner and ideally being taught by a pastor-teacher. And as James will state in v. 22, we are to be not just hearers, but doers of the Word. Many new believers are never taught that at the outset, after they have believed in Christ, they need to become a hearer of the Word, so that they can effectively live the Christian life as it is formulated by the plan of God.

He then tells us to be slow to speak, emphasizing that we should not be quick to verbalize our opinions before we know what we are talking about. There must have been a problem with 1st Century believers who were expressing their errant beliefs of what God was doing in their lives regarding the trials they endured. A lesson for us today is never to correlate the events of our lives as something undesirable or even positive until we understand what God’s Word declares.

Finally, we are to be slow to anger. James may well be implying that if we are slow to express our mistaken beliefs, we could avert or slow the impulse of being angry about trials we must endure.

Within the overall context of verses 17-19, James is providing a guide to dealing with various trials: learn God’s Word so that you will not be so quick to blame God for life’s testing. We will then not be so quick to lose our temper, but instead fully realize personal growth through the testing. For James has already stated in verse 3, that by testing we “may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

The Anger of Man

In verse 20 James explains the futility of anger, particularly when we express anger toward a negative situation confronting us. MacArthur maintains that this word anger “describes a deep, internal resentment and rejection, in this context, of God’s Word.”3 James corroborates this when he asserts that in reality anger does not achieve the desired results in the Christian life, namely, the righteousness of God. This is substantiated by the Greek word for achieve, which actually means to work, “accomplish, carry out.”4 In essence it describes the production of one’s labor. Anything in life that a person aspires to produce usually requires work, physical and/or mental. This principle applies likewise in the Christian’s spiritual life in the production of the righteousness of God. The reaction of anger to a trial is counterproductive in fulfilling God’s purpose for us to produce His righteous character.

But what is the righteous character of God?

Scripture reveals that the core of God’s character is holy (Leviticus 19:2), blameless (Deuteronomy 18:13), perfect (Matthew 5:48). There are many other facets of God’s character, but here, James is emphasizing God’s perfect sinless nature that we should endeavor to imitate (Ephesians 5:1). The Apostle Paul instructs how we are to do this:

Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 7:1; emphasis added)

For believers to produce the righteousness of God means that they are to be perfect and holy—sinless. Paul tells us how this can be accomplished by cleansing ourselves. First, the believer must confess all personal sins. John tells us that this will “cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). At this point nothing can hinder our relationship with the Lord and therefore we able to understand spiritual truths (1 Corinthians 2:14-15).

Second, Christ provided the cleansing of His church “by the washing of water with the word” (Ephesians 5:26) in order to sanctify His believers—set them apart from sin so that they are holy, blameless, perfect. This cleansing by the word takes place when believers follow Paul’s instruction to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2).

Therefore, the knowledge of God’s Word is indispensable for the believer to produce the righteousness of God. If a believer desires to serve the Lord faithfully, studying His Word is essential. It is something that many believers have very little self-discipline and patience in applying themselves to an intense study of Scripture. But contained in His Word is all that we need in order to achieve His righteousness.

Conclusion

What James is telling us is that anger to trials and testing is not the acceptable response that God desires; it is counterproductive to the divine objective of producing His righteous character and reflecting His glory to others. Thus, James tells us that joy is the only appropriate response (v. 2) and joy demonstrates the spiritual maturity of the believer. David notes the spiritual ruin that anger poses for the immature believer:

Cease from anger and forsake wrath;

Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. (Psalm 37:8)



[1] Oída in the Greek [οίδα] is a Perfect Active Imperative or Indicative

[2] Zodhiates, S. (2000). The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, G5036

[3] MacArthur, J. (2010). The MacArthur Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, James 1:20 note.

[4] Arndt, W., Gingrich, F. W., & Bauer, W. (1957). A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, p. 307.

 

© 2023 David M. Rossi

Thursday, March 12, 2020

THE SOURCE & PURPOSE OF GOOD: JAMES 1:16-18

Verses 16-18: Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.

“Do not be deceived1” is a directive to stop being deluded and led astray by their inaccuracy of ascribing God as the One who tempts a believer to commit sin (1:13). In order to correct their doctrinal error, James states that ‘every good thing’ and ‘perfect gift’ comes from above and that He never provides temptation for evil.

To further reinforce his argument, he states the ‘Father of lights’ is from Whom these gifts come down. Most commentators refer to ‘lights’ as the heavenly bodies (sun, stars, moon). It is true that He is the Creator of these heavenly bodies, yet James is about to show how dissimilar His character is with His created orbs.

Let us consider what the apostle John stated about the ‘Father of lights’: “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5), and combining this with Dr. Marvin Vincent apt explanation:

Light is immaterial, diffusive, pure, and glorious. It is the condition of life. Physically, it represents glory; intellectually, truth; morally, holiness. [Emphasis His]2

Therefore, since He is undoubtedly the Father of all that is glorious, truthful and holy, how could we ever believe that He tempts us to fall into sin?

James continues by assuring us that there is no variation or changing in His character and that He will never be less than truthful or holy in His dealing with us. And with the final phrase ‘shifting shadow,’ James completes the contrast of the heavenly orbs with the Father’s character. Namely, that when the sun sets, its light is no longer seen by us—while the Father’s light (His character) is always consistent.

His First Fruits

The phrase ‘in the exercise of His will’ is one word in the Greek.3 It could be literally translated: “Having willed it.”4 This word expresses “decisions of the will [made] after previous deliberation.5 This is a clear statement of God’s Divine plan regarding His provision for us. And specifically, His greatest gift: eternal life. For James says that “He brought us forth by the word of truth.”

This verb ‘brought forth’ is unique to James only in the New Testament. It should be remembered that he used the same verb in verse 15. There he stated that when sin is full grown it brought forth death. James now contrasts the results of sin in the life of believers with the work of God in the life of the believer: while sin brought forth death, God brought forth life—eternal life.

But God used the word of truth to accomplish this—His powerful gospel message. His gospel has the power to initiate the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). The Apostle Paul proclaimed the fact of this spiritual phenomenon:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Romans 1:16) [Emphasis added]

And the Apostle Peter also affirms this Biblical fact:

For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring Word of God. (1 Peter 1:23)

James states that a result of our salvation is that we would be “first fruits among His creatures.” This would have resonated clearly with his Jewish readers, as MacArthur explains that this was, “originally an OT expression referring to the first and best harvest crops, which God expected as an offering”6 (cf. Exodus 23:19; Leviticus 23:9–14; Deuteronomy 26:1–19).

And so when the apostle Paul refers to Jesus Christ as the ‘first fruits’ of those resurrected from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20), he is declaring that Jesus is the best of the harvest of those who conquer death. And so we also who follow after Him shall defeat death, having been brought forth by the power of the gospel. The phrase “kind of first fruits” is literally some first fruits, and implies that James’ Jewish readers shall be some of Christ’s first fruits to be brought forth from this present Church age.7

James specifies that these first fruits of the Church Age are “His creatures.” For the Apostle Paul maintained that this includes all believers in the present age who are in Christ:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

From these verses, we understand the eternal purpose of the glorious and holy God, our Father. Having provided salvation for us who have believed in His Son, to become His first fruits, the best of the harvest—a standard of living that can only be accomplished by our faithfulness in our daily moment-by-moment walk of faith.



[1] Planáō in the Greek [πλανάω] a Present Passive Imperative

[2] Vincent, Marvin R. (n/d). Word Studies in the New Testament. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2:312.

[3] Boúlomai in the Greek [βούλομαι] is an Aorist Passive Participle

[4] Lenski, R.C.H. (2001). Commentary on the New Testament. Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 10.546.

[5] Arndt, W., Gingrich, F. W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (1996, c1979). A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature (146). Chicago: University of Chicago Press, p. 146.

[6] MacArthur, J. (2010). The MacArthur Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, p. 1877 note.

[7] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament. Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, James 1:18.

 

© 2023 David M. Rossi