By taking up the book of James in order to pursue what it means to be a new creation in Christ, we enter into the territory of wisdom literature. Any good wisdom literature holds a mirror up to our lives and confronts us with ourselves. It forces us to ask: are we living in the way of wisdom?
That's what James is doing for his readers. James 2:1–17 in particular asks us two questions. The first is: do our words line up with our actions? Do we do what we say and say what we do?
He gives us a "for instance." One issue in his church was favoritism toward the "haves" of society and disfavor toward the "have nots." To act one way toward those with money and another toward the poor is to remain untransformed by Jesus.
What is it for us? Do we show favoritism? Do we neglect the poor?
Or is it that you proclaim to love God above all and yet fail to give Him the kind of undivided attention that such love suggests? Do we pick up our phones before e pick up our Bibles in the morning?
Maybe you thank God for the gift of Jesus on Sunday and yet on Monday morning put up all sorts of obstacles as to why you’re not worthy of God’s love?
Whatever the case, James shows us that not all of our actions have caught up to all of our words. That's alright. We're all in process. But let's take this opportunity to allow God to change our hearts, so that we might catch His vision for our lives.
The second major question James 2 asks us is: is faith just about what happens in our own lives, or does our faith make a difference in the lives of others?
For many of us, faith and salvation and following Jesus are all personal matters. They are internal affairs. Even our outreach is geared toward making sure others are "right with God." But James calls this out as nonsense. Our faith ought to make a difference in other people's lives.
Like Jean Valjean in Les Miserables, whose life was transformed by the merciful actions of a priest who cared for him, whenever we act like Jesus toward others, there's a real transformative power behind those actions. God's work in and through us might just change our community for the better. In fact, it might be the only thing that can.
Do you think of faith as an individual act? What changes when James challenges you to see it as an others-oriented act?
What is one way that we can act on what we say we already believe or live the hope we already proclaim?
My prayer for us: Merciful God, may Your mercy toward us shape our actions toward others. May this be the genuine expression of our faith today and in all the days to come. Help us, dear Lord, to live what we speak, so that in our integrity the world may see You, know You, praise You. We pray in the name of Jesus and in the power of Your Spirit. Amen.
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