Discerning – Page 30 – Three Minute Bible

April 19, 2020April 20, 2020

Jude 1:1c — A Hard Thing

…who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:

As we begin our study of Jude’s letter, he tells us who he is and who he is writing to. The people he writes to “have been called” by God to walk in light and mercy. Today he adds that they are “loved in God the Father.” (NIV)

The Greek in this instance is either difficult to translate or it reflects an idiom that was common in Jude’s day but is not common now. The English Standard Version (ESV) translates the Greek this way: “…beloved in God the Father….” This formulation makes more sense to me than the NIV in this case.

Unless a person knows Greek, it is a good idea to explore different translations when a passage is difficult for you. This Bible website allows you to see all the available English translations at once.

April 18, 2020April 18, 2020

Jude 1: 1b — Six Little Words

To those who have been called…

The second mystery of Jude’s letter is found in these six little words: “To those who have been called.” What does he mean by “called,” and who are these people who have been called?

To answer the question of what it means to be “called,” let’s turn to Peter’s first letter:

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

— 1 Peter 2: 9-10

April 16, 2020April 16, 2020

James 5: 19-20 — The Right Way

Arrow sign points right with the word "right" on it.

My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

How do you tell if someone has wandered from the truth?
What truth are we talking about?
What does it mean to bring them back? Back to what? Where?

I have to admit that being able to turn a sinner from the error of their way sounds like a wonderful thing . Can you imagine the rush that comes from knowing you have saved someone from death? And how easy! Simply turn them from the error of their way!

But what does that mean?

April 1, 2020April 1, 2020

James 5:9 — Reflections

Image shows reflections of trees in the water of a still lake.

Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

In yesterday’s post, “Job or Joy?,” we posed the question, “How do we apply this truth in our fellowship with other Christians?” The “truth” we were discussing had to do with what James said about faith and deeds. He wrote:

“…faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2: 17b)

So how do we apply this truth to others in the fellowship of believers?

March 31, 2020April 1, 2020

James 5: 7b-8 — Job or Joy?

A farmer harvest wheat with a combine and truck.

See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.

I want to continue the thought that we started yesterday in, “Two Sides.” In short, we contrasted what Paul writes in Ephesians 2: 8-9 with what James writes in James 2: 24. Paul tells us that we are saved by faith, not by works. James writes, “…a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.” Are these two statements contradictory?

The key here is in Paul’s use of the word, “works.” The word “work” comes from the Greek, ergon. It describes the kind of work one does for pay. In other words, a job. At the end of the day, one who works at a job is paid in coin or currency. Both parties have what they bargained for. But salvation is not something any of us can afford. The price for our salvation is so far out of reach that we might as well believe that we could jump over the moon by using our own two legs.

March 30, 2020March 31, 2020

James 5: 7a — Two Sides

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)

March 29, 2020March 29, 2020

James 5: 1-6 — I Warned You

A cartoon of a person yelling wildly as if in warning.

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.

Well, here it is. I warned you! James’ tirade against the greedy rich. Those who live for money, who hoard wealth, who cheat their workers and live to indulge their own desires. Then he says, “You have condemned and murdered the innocent one…”

James starts his letter by announcing that he is writing to “the twelve tribes.” The people he is writing to are Jews. (James 1:1) It seems safe to assume that James is convinced things are not going well in the early church. Jewish believers are falling into old habits. It is as if he is shouting through pen and ink, “SNAP OUT OF IT!”

March 28, 2020March 28, 2020

James 5: 1a – Rich or Greedy?

Picture of man opening his shirt to reveal gold coins where his heart should be.

Now listen, you rich people…

With these five words, James begins a tirade against the “rich.” Those who live in the richest country in the world can easily lose sight of what it means to be “rich” in material terms. Even the poor are rich compared to some. But God does not oppose wealth for the sake of opposing wealth.

March 27, 2020March 28, 2020

James 4: 11c-12 – Courtroom of Life

When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

In today’s passage, James provides three important points about the law and judging. Please remember that the “law” is what Jesus summarized in Matthew 22: 37-40:

Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

March 26, 2020March 28, 2020

James 4: 11b — Strange Words

Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it.

Once again I am puzzled by James’ words. Maybe it is because it is late and I am having trouble focusing. Maybe in the daylight, it will make more sense. Maybe…

Maybe it is just a complex thought.

Which “law” is James talking about? As a leader of the Christian church, James was involved in the decision to avoid making Gentiles live under Old Testament rules or law.