James 2.7
MEAT
February 15th 2015
Welcome
Prayer
Word of God to Music
Silence, and when we come back were going to continue on picking it back up at verse 24-25 of chapter one of James.
PRAYER
MUSIC
SILENCE
Okay, we left off with James talking about people being hearers of the Word only and not doers and he said that those who are this way are like people who look at their reflection in a mirror (which is the hearing of the Word) but when they walk away they forget what they looked like (which is a picture of NOT being a doer of the Word).
Then at verse 25 he takes the idea of looking (as in looking into a mirror) and says:
25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
Then, in what I believe is another line of thought James says (wrapping up the chapter)
26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.
27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
Alright, back to 25.
Those who are hearers of the Word but fail to do it (fail to live it) are like mirror lookers that walk away and forget their visage, “But,” (verse 25)
25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
Obviously James takes the imagery of looking into a reflective surface and seems to say, “Instead of being one who stares are him or herself in such a thing we ought to be like someone who looks
“into the perfect law of liberty,” (and continues therein, etc).
What is James referring to here when He says, “into the perfect law of liberty?”
Now, Luther believed James spoke of the Law (written in stone) and used this view as yet another reason to reject this epistle as apostolically presented.
He was not alone.
I consulted the online Got Answers an their response to this was that the perfect law of liberty was the Law written in stone.
Adam Clarke wisely steps away from this and stance and said that that James was referring to, “the Gospel,” which he added, (oddly) I might suggest) “is a law.”
In Matthew 22:35-40 we read:
35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
From this it seems that if all the law and the prophets hang and two commandments, and those two commandments are
LOVE God and LOVE neighbor as ourselves, then the perfect Law of Liberty is . . . Love.
But of the nine or so commentators I consulted not one of them said love.
About half said that when James speaks of the perfect law of liberty he was writing about LAW and LAW means the law of Moses and the other half essentially concluded that James was describing stooping down and looking into the Good News.
(I say stooping down and looking into . . . because that is what the Greek terms used suggest James was suggesting, that the looking into is really pictured best by crouching down and examining it.)
In any case, in the context both of the message James is about to deliver in chapter 2 and in the absolute context of the rest of the New Testament message, I don’t see how ANYTHING in heaven or on earth could be considered the PERFECT LAW of liberty other than Jesus Christ OR love.
I say Christ OR love because in the end I think to abide in either perfectly is to abide in the same – for God is love.
Perfect in the Greek is teleois, so we could read this as “the end-law of liberty.”
Paul said in Romans 10:4
“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”
Speaking of the Spirit, 2nd Corinthians 3:17 says:
“Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
To suggest that the Law written in stone is what James is calling The Perfect Law of Liberty is highly contradictory because the Law (written in stone) actually produces the opposite of liberty.
2nd Corinthians 3:6-8 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
In speaking of Judaisers, Paul said in Galatians 2:4
“And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage.”
Three chapters later he writes:
Galatians 5:1 “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”
And then twelve verses later he adds:
(13) “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”
Study carefully “the perfect law of liberty,” he says.
Study the law that in the end brings about or produces utter freedom and liberty, for,
“whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”
This point, right here, ties directly into the content and meaning of all he will say in chapter two about grace and works – which I will point out when we get to it.
So whether it be Christ Jesus who is the perfect law of liberty or agape love itself (again, I believe to be “IN” one or another is to be in the same) this is the key to utter liberty and freedom from the chains and fetters of this fallen world.
I have said this many times before if a person truly wants to be free all they have to do is love.
Use love in every single situation with such love being defined by scripture, meaning the kind of love that
Is long suffering suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
This love never fails.
Paul actually says in this love chapter:
“we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.”
That which is perfect is the love James is calling for us to look into, the perfect law of liberty.
Why?
Because EVERYTHING else will lead to bondage of some sort or another – but not real, genuine, agape love.
It is the PERFECT law of LIBERTY.
Caught in the chains of jealousy? Love.
In a prison of unforgiveness? Love.
Bitter, envious, angry? Love.
Have judgments against others? Love them.
There is not a spiritual prison door that can withstand the searing presence of real love. It is the perfect law of liberty.
But it’s not a temporary solution or something we can apply once to make our jailbreak and then leave it behind.
It is a principle that if it’s going to have any lasting effect it has to remain.
Can’t lovingly forgive an enemy and become free from the grip of unforgiveness and then pick the unforgiveness back up, right?
That is why James says:
“whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”
In the earlier parallel that speaks of people who hear the word but don’t do it (don’t walk away and live it) James now says that if we “look into the perfect law of liberty AND CONTINUE THEREIN, he, being NOT a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, such a person will be blessed in his actions.”
So the continuing therein is vital to remaining free and at liberty from the confines and traps by which this world operates.
The interesting thing I’ve learned about love and loving (as Christ loves and loved) is that when the choice is made to follow Him in this way each step toward acting in love becomes easier once we make the choice to enter the path.
What I mean by this is while difficult to employ initially, if a person really gives in and chooses to love as Christ loves ESPECIALLY toward those who don’t deserve it that extended love greases the path just a little bit to make continued love possible.
But if we never give in and really let love have its place we seem to remain prisoners to bearing burdens Jesus has already bore on our behalf.
It’s sort of like having to move a really, really heavy object from one place to another – let’s just say it’s a Grand Piano that is on its side and resting on thick Berber carpet.
Until you can get the edge of that beast on a large sheet of plastic moving it is one sweaty struggle due to the resistance of the carpet against the weight of the piano.
But once you get the piano on even the edge of the plastic your ability to move that burden is easier. Which makes for more ease to get more of it on the plastic and before you know it you can almost maneuver the piano with one hand and very little pressure.
So it is with beginning and continuing in real agape love.
Here’s the deal though – and it’s just an observation of mine.
When a person has an issue where they refuse to truly handle it by real agape love, God seems to allow them to be hindered in their love in all other areas of life and living.
It sort of works like the law but in reverse if this makes any sense.
In other words the law comes as a whole, and to break one point of it is to be guilty of breaking all of it, right?
Well it seems to me that when we are not willing to extend love (I’m not saying we are perfect in extending or executing love) but IF or WHEN we are NOT WILLING to approach all things with love (God knows this) and He seems to allow all of our ability to love to be hindered.
I see this all the time – sometimes in my life as well as others.
The perfect LAW of LIBERTY requires a continuance (a willing continuance) for it to be effective at keeping us free.
Now, at this point James introduces another element to all he is speaking of.
In my opinion he has been talking about being hearers of the word and not doers in the general sense.
Now he seems to get more specific, saying
26 If any man among you seem to be religious (if he appears to have been a hearer of the word), and bridleth not his tongue (fails to be a doer of the word), he deceiveth his own heart, (and) this man’s religion is vain.
It’s not easy to see this subtle transition James makes but I tend to see one – especially as it applies to what is coming.
Additionally, there is a subtle theme James introduces here – the tongue – and things related to the tongue like what we say and speak and profess.
Say is used seven times in the first three chapters, speak is used three times, and tongue is used four. That’s fourteen references to this theme.
The point seems to allude to what a person says verses what a person does – and it’s (obviously) a major point in the next chapter.
Well he hits on it here.
26 If any man among you seem to be religious and bridleth not his tongue he deceiveth his own heart, (and) this man’s religion is vain.
So chapter one ends with this reference to the tongue, chapter two references what we say and what we do, and then chapter three is all about bridling the tongue.
He’s tapping on something important here – may the Spirit guide.
Parsing the passage out we really have to look at the Greek because what it seems to say is not what it really says (at least to me).
Part of the reason is due to the Greek word for religion used here. Its
THRACE KAI – AH and it means the ceremonial elements of religion NOT salvation or justification or relationship with God.
It means the ritual or worshipping or practices we do (in church or otherwise as believers) to honor or practice our Christianity.
Jas 1:26 (NKJV) If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion [is] useless.
James 1:26 (TCNT) When a man appears to be religious, yet does not bridle his tongue, but imposes upon his own conscience, that man’s religious observances are valueless.
James 1:26 (WNT) If a man thinks that he is scrupulously religious, although he is not curbing his tongue but is deceiving himself, his religious service is worthless.
I have a tendency to read this passage as saying that if I bridle not my tongue then my faith in Christ is worthless.
While there may be SOME truth to that view this is not what the passage means.
The passage means that when and if we endeavor to practice some form of religion or another (worshipping the Lord in song, serving as a deacon, feeding the poor, cleaning the building, parking cars – if our tongues are wagging off the hook, all we do in these other expressions are “worthless, valueless, useless.”
I think what James is trying to get to at is the importance of the heart being set before the service and worship is being done.
I would imagine that if we wanted to put this in a living context it would be akin to getting up early on a Sunday morning, showering and putting on your best suit, then getting to the church early to help the other believers set up chairs – and the whole time bag on people who don’t show up.
Or going to feed the poor and while dishing out the food muttering about the deacons wives who are standing off to the side and laughing with each other.
James will point out in chapter three that while the tongue may be a little member it, like the helm of a ship, can move the entire body all over the place by the things it says.
James point appears to be (listen) – get the heart right, the tongue will follow, and ONLY then will all the religious service really matter.
Recall what Jesus said in Luke about our tongue, and its relationship to religion. He said:
Luke 6:41 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, “Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye,” when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, (AGAIN, probably on point with what James overall message is here) “cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye.
(HERE IT IS)
43 For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
44 For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.
45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth (meaning in words) that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
In harmony with this James has then said:
“If a man thinks that he is scrupulously religious (in all of his outward activities and devotions) but he is not curbing (bridling, controlling) his tongue he is deceiving himself, his religious service is worthless.
“The deceiving himself” line is intriguing. I really love it and I really hate it because it is SO darn true.
The outward worship and devotions and services and offerings can be so tantalizing to the heart – I mean we can really deceive ourselves in thinking that to God (who reads the heart) these things are the most revealing elements of our faith and devotion.
James says if we are not controlling our tongues – the words of our mouths in particular toward others in condemnation and judgment (as per Jesus teaching on condemnation) all of the other observations are worthless – the King James says “is in vain.”
With the Greek meaning its all hollow, worthless and without any meaning.
Then in the next line James uses the Greek word “THRACE KAI – AH” (which the King James translates religion)
Again, and says some things I really find intriguing. A number of them. This is what he writes:
27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
I wanna take the segments of this passage and cover the interesting elements of them in parts or pieces.
Part One:
Pure religion and undefiled
Part Two:
Before God and the Father is this
Part Three:
To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction
Part Four:
And to keep himself unspotted from the world
Ready?
Part One:
Pure religion and undefiled
So now James chooses to tell us what the clearest, cleanest, purest form of NOT religious observances or doctrine is but the purest form of worship, devotions, expression, service, and observances.
Because of the Greek word I think it is safe to say that this is the best and clearest way to express our love and faith in God.
In Part Two he adds:
“Before God and the Father is this”
Of all the commentaries (which included the Greek lexicons) none of them made a big deal out of the fact that this reads in the King James as “before God and the Father.”
If the strange way this is written is mentioned they merely clarify the sentence by rewriting the line to say:
“Before God the Father.”
The reason it reads in the King James as “before God and the Father is that in the King James there is an “and” but in some other mss of the Bible the “and” is missing.
The implication of God and the Father is that the mention of God is speaking of “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” (which make the Trinitarian God) with the “and the Father” specifically referring to Him as one member of that Trinity.
But to read it as , Before God the Father, we would then only be referring to God the Father.
I think the correction stands best.
That “pure religion and undefiled” (the purest religious observances) ”before God the Father” is this:
Part Three:
To sing with thine whole heart to the Lord, to talk about you faith and how you have been saved by it, and to use wisdom when associating with people who are a tad bit undesireable.
No?
James says pure religion undefiled is:
“To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction.”
What would cause James, of all the horrors that He could have included to pick out widows and the Fatherless to visit in their “affliction?”
First of all we have to note that there are other places where we are instructed to serve and help and pray for the sick and infirmed, and there are other places that speak to visiting those who are held in prison, right?
So just because James points out to these two areas of neediness – “widows and the Fatherless who are in affliction,” does NOT mean we refuse to look at other needy and wanting people in their situations.
Why does James pick out widows and fatherless who are in affliction? Of course we don’t really know but let’s mention what we do.
First of all, God seems to have a very tender heart for strangers, widows, and the Fatherless throughout the Old Testament.
Deuteronomy 27:19 Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.
What that is saying is cursed are those who prey on and twist the situation of the stranger, the fatherless, and widows to their advantage – as such are particularly vulnerable and in open to being taken advantage of.
Exodus 22:22 Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child.
The very last book of the Old Testament – Malachi – says:
Malachi 3:5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.
These are some specific sins – predatory in nature – again, against the stranger, the fatherless and the widow.
Don’t oppress them.
Deuteronomy 24:17 Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherless; nor take a widow’s raiment to pledge:
In protecting them physically, Jeremiah 22:3 says:
“Thus saith the LORD; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.
Psalm 146:9 The LORD preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.
Deuteronomy 10:18 He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment.
Why does James point the widow and the Fatherless out? No idea.
Why does he leave out the stranger from the list (which is often included in the Old Testament lists along with the widow and Fatherless)? Again, no idea.
We can make all manner of conjecture but in the end this is what we can say:
God has a special place in his heart for the widow, the stranger and the Fatherless – no doubt about it.
And James says that religious practice and worship is most pure when they are being “visited” in the time of their affliction.”
It is interesting that James included this caveat – that we visit them in the time of their affliction.
Women who have lost their husbands to death and children who do not have a Father in their time of affliction.
It seems to me that both are in need of a male protector, male influence, male advice.
A Widow (lacking a husband) and the Fatherless (lacking a dad).
In Psalm 68:5 says:
“A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.”
Maybe we could suppose that the purest form of worship and adoration of God in the name of our faith would be to be of the same service to widows and the Fatherless?
I think one other thing is for certain – those who treat widows and the Fatherless with love and compassion would also bear many other gifts of the Spirit which would support their said faith in the living God.
I have to be fair and speak my heart here – not to take away from James words because wherever they are possible we would seek to apply them literally.
But I am not so sure the widow problem is as pressing in our day as it would have been in the apostolic church. And it is a primary function of the orthopraxic church to care for women who have lost their husbands to death. But being literal in this being the ONLY and BEST expression of religious worship MAY be a tad zealous.
Just a thought.
Secondly, I do have to wonder what James meant when he said the Fatherless. In the context of scripture and even the very words of Jesus we are to call no man Father but God – remember that?
Matthew 23:9 “And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.”
So if Jesus had taught this, we have to wonder is James simply quoting from the Old Testament when he speaks of visiting the Fatherless (because that is how the OT puts it) OR is he actually saying or speaking to visiting (paying attention to) those who do not have God as their father?
I know that is really stretching things out since he is speaking of widows and then the natural tie to widows being fatherless children, but it’s odd to me that with Jesus instructing His disciples to call no man father for there is only one father on heaven and in earth that the Fatherless would not be those who have not experienced rebirth and relationship with the living God.
Something to consider.
But James doesn’t end with this approach to service. He adds:
Part Four:
“And to keep himself unspotted from the world”
Taking these two descriptors of the purest expressions of faith we have James plainly state that a person would be
Benevolent toward widows and the Fatherless in need AND that they would be unspotted from the world.
We have to admit that He does NOT simply suggest helping the poor and alientated and suffering NOR does he simply prescribe being detached from worldly effects.
It’s a one-two combo that combined represents the best expressions of true devoted worship.
Again, the picture presented? Someone who goes out to widows and the fatherless when they are in need and visits them AND someone who at the same time “keeps himself unspotted from the world.”
The line is in the “present active infinitive”so it is saying “to keep on keeping on keeping oneself unspotted from the world.”
Now, we could take this last line in a number of different ways. First the most obvious way – for us not to allow the worlds infectious corruption infect our souls.
Remember, we are talking about the purest form of religious orthopraxi here – not salvation.
We are talking about the BEST form of religious rites and rituals and expressions.
Take any religious practice on earth –
Chanting.
Meditation.
Lighting candles.
Taking communion.
Baptisms.
Donning vestments
Paying tithes and donating money.
Sweeping the floors.
Helping men find employment
You NAME it, James here tells us it is best seen through
Visiting the widows and Fatherless and continuing to remain unspotted from the world.
Now I would suggest that these are primary and continuous foci of the devout Christian life – and there may be many other things the Holy Spirit inclines a person to participate in or do.
But these things are a constant.
Additionally, not being of this world is a repeated mantra of the Word.
Paul said the all familiar Romans 12:2:
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
1st John 2:15
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
And the all familiar
“All that is IN the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life is not of the Father but of this world,”
Present believers with a pretty clear delineation between the attitudes and the drivers present in the world – things which James makes clear that pure worship is void of such matters.
The terms unspotted is the same as unblemished which has innumerable ties to the Old Testament narrative in particular to the disease of leprosy.
Extrapolating this out and simmering it all down to a nice rue, the idea is the best picture of religious orthopraxy is a person who is out to serve the needy in their time of need who has not been infected by the things of the world in any degree.
Great picture for us all.
Q and A
Prayer
