James – Page 5 – Three Minute Bible

February 25, 2020February 25, 2020

James 3: 1 – Understanding

Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.

I don’t think of myself as a teacher, even when I am teaching. This verse is why. I don’t want to be “judged more strictly.” Yet to the extent that I do teach, I am sure James’ words will apply.

So let me tell you what I teach:

I teach that God is real and that Jesus is his Son.

I teach that the Bible is written by God and exists exactly the way He wants it to be.

Everything else comes from the Bible and God Himself.

February 22, 2020February 22, 2020

James 2: 26 – Candlelight

As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

I was just reading an interesting article about candle burn marks on the wood beams and walls of ancient buildings. The article goes into a long history of the candle and its association with funerals, church rites, and daily life. No one knows for certain what the burn marks were for but they may have been there to ward off evil spirits. As I read through the rather long text I was taken back in time to the fourteenth century and reminded about how much I take for granted in this day and age.

At night our house is full of light. Little glowing lights are found everywhere. From the nightlight in the bathroom to the alarm clock on the nightstand. Need to make your way to the kitchen at one in the morning? No problem! Even the thermostats have glowing lights on them. There are little light markers everywhere not to mention the glow given off by the streetlights outside.

February 21, 2020February 21, 2020

James 2: 25 – Shorthand

In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?

There is a kind of shorthand that exists when it comes to the matter of the Bible. Certain people I hobnob with are prone to refer to Bible passages by their address only. Instead of reciting the passage they are thinking of they simply give the verse and chapter and assume that you will know what they are talking about. Usually, I am left to look up the verse on my own if I want to have a clue what is going on.

(Full disclosure: I occasionally do the same thing, but rarely. Mainly due to an abundance of ignorance about exact passage references. :- )

February 20, 2020February 20, 2020

James 2: 23-24 – God’s Friend

And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

The scripture James refers to is found in Genesis 15: 6. God has just told Abraham that he will have a son who is his own flesh and blood. God tells Abraham to count the stars in the night sky if that is possible and he will have an idea how many offspring he will have. The text says that “Abraham believed God.” Does this mean he simply said, “Oh yeah, God. Sure. I believe you,” or did he accept it as a foundational truth that what God said would happen?

We don’t see the evidence of Abraham’s belief in what God told him until God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son. At that point, we know what it means when scripture says he “believed.”

Two things resulted from this belief.

February 18, 2020February 18, 2020

James 2: 20-22 – Proving a Negative

You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.

How do you tell if the light is on or off when the refrigerator door is shut? Answer: You can’t. It is not possible to prove a negative.

How do you prove that there is no green cheese on the moon? Answer? You can’t. Until you look under every single rock on the moon, you cannot prove that there is no cheese there.

February 15, 2020February 16, 2020

James 2: 19 – Phone Call for James

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

Who is James arguing with?

Have you ever listened to someone talking on the phone? You can hear one side of the conversation, but not the other. Listening to one side only leaves us guessing at what the person on the other end of the line is saying.

Reading James’ letter is a bit like that.

February 14, 2020February 14, 2020

James 2: 18 – A Puppy Named James

But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.

If you ever have had a puppy dog for a pet, you know how they like to play tug-o-war. It doesn’t matter if it is a $15.00 toy from Pets-R-Us or an old sock. Given the chance to chomp down on something, growl fiercely, and throw their head back and forth, they will take it every time.

Like a puppy with a sock, James has sunk his teeth into this idea of faith and deeds.

Grrr-rrr-rr—rrrr—rrrrrr—rrr!!

He just won’t let go!

So here we are, talking about faith versus deeds again.

Like a puppy who wants to play, James growls out a challenge: Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds!

Let’s accept his challenge. Let’s show James our faith. And we will do it without deeds. How does that work?

February 13, 2020February 14, 2020

James 2: 17 – Checkup Time

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Where do we start here? What is faith? Is faith alive? How can faith be dead? What is James talking about here?

James uses a word that gets everyone’s attention. “Dead” is a word that everyone understands. Dead is dead. From a worldly point of view, a dead body isn’t going anywhere under its own power. Dead means there is no life in it. Dead means that it is, like Beethoven, decomposing.

As a metaphor for faith, “dead” brings to mind something without life or motion. A dead person or animal ceases to have any worth.

February 11, 2020February 12, 2020

The Question – James 2: 15-16

Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?

In today’s world, we have a homeless crisis. Hopefully, if someone in the future reads this post, they will be surprised by this idea. In the future God has planned for us, homelessness is not a thing. Sadly, today it is a thing. A big thing.

When people come to Christ, we come from all walks of life. Sometimes we come with no worldly possessions. Other times we come with much more than we could ever use. Sometimes, like Job, Christians with possessions and money lose it all. Sometimes events overtake us and we are in need. Great need.

If a brother or sister in Christ is without clothes or food, what do you do?

February 8, 2020February 9, 2020

Splash! – James 2: 14

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?

In “Hearts and Deeds” we listened to Paul’s statement that we are saved not by works but through faith.* We compared this to James’s emphasis on what we do. Today James restates his case. This time with a directness that borders on being blunt.

In essence, James wants us to think about the connection between what is in our hearts and what we do. Can a person believe and yet act like they don’t believe?