Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming.
At the beginning of his letter, James encourages his readers to face trials with joy. The goal, he says, is to produce perseverance. Now he says to be patient. I wonder, aren’t perseverance and patience two sides of the same coin?
James’ letter is sometimes disparaged because he ties what we do to what we believe. Martin Luther, in particular, was critical of James’ letter. Luther had broken free of the legalism imposed by the Catholic Church. His means of breaking free was Paul’s assertion that we are saved by faith alone. Paul writes:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2: 8-9)
James seems to oppose this when he writes:
“You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.” (James 2: 24)
Are these two statements in opposition, or are they, like patience and perseverance, simply two sides of the same coin?
Jesus sums up all the commandments in two simple statements: Love God above all else and your neighbor as yourself. (Mark 12: 29-31) Does anyone contend that God saves those who hate him and oppose him in what they do? No. Of course not. The premise is that God saves those who accept the gift of God.
Now God does not immediately take us to heaven when we receive this gift of salvation. Instead, we are left on earth to live out our natural lives. How then should we act? If our actions say we hate God, doesn’t that invalidate our words if our tongue says we love him? In the parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25: 31-46), Jesus teaches that our relationship to God is seen in what we do.
If it is true that the tongue is a “world of evil” (James 3: 6) why should we trust it?
James offers us some simple guidelines to help us see what a person believes rather than relying on their words. How does a person deal with a trial? Do they exhibit wisdom? Are they humble or arrogant? Are they quick to speak and quick to anger? Do they look after orphans and widows? Do they show favoritism to the rich or treat all people the same?
There is an old joke that ends with the line, “Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?”
Indeed.
Application: Trust your eyes.
Food for Thought: Why is it hard for people to accept the idea that faith without deeds is dead?
Bonus: If James were to pick a theme song in this day and age this might be it.
The hymn I choose is Once to Every man and Nation.
We must choose every day, several times a day how we will act/react, how we choose to spend our time. Especially now when we are home more and have more “free” time on our hands. God watches over us. Our neighbors are also watching us. Like it or not sometimes we are the only way they learn about Christ. What we DO does matter.
Laura,
Thanks for your comment. You provide a great reminder that we are being watched even when we think we are alone. (I linked your hymn suggestion to a nice recording of the song. Great choice!)
There could be many responses. One reason could be that we don’t want to be held accountable. If my faith is demonstrated by the things I do, it means I am accountable to God for the things I do. We often resist accountability.
Amen, brother!
Our faith is seen in our works. If I profess faith in Christ, I will follow Him, live my life in humble obedience to Gods word. My actions will glorify God to all who see.
TWO SIDES:
Our patience is allowing God to be God, waiting on His will for our lives, our growth, the lives of others, His returning, continuing to serve a perfect God in an imperfect world.
Our perseverance is the time and degree of unswerving commitment we apply to being patient. What priority do we give to living patiently among other imperfect beings.
Ron,
Nice to hear from you again! Thank you for sharing your insights on patience and perseverance, too. What a wonderful perspective!
👍🏻