Righteous Living – Page 39 – Three Minute Bible

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 10, 2020February 10, 2020

Affirmation Monday – One Foot In Heaven

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

— Colossians 3:1

What do we do when our heart is breaking? Is there any pain as great?

We live in bodies that are obsessed with our own needs and wants. Our emotional vision is short-sighted. We see what we think is right, what we need, what we want. But our vision is earthbound. Only God knows what is best.

Because of this myopic condition we sometimes take great risks. In our need for an emotional connection we tend to entrust our hearts to people instead of God.

February 7, 2020February 7, 2020

Hearts and Deeds – James 2: 12-13

Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful.

Some people have told me that they feel put off by James’ letter because of his emphasis on what they call “works.” There seems to be a lot of confusion on this point. Paul spends a lot of time in his writings defending the Gentile Christians against the demands of Jewish law. Time and again he returns to this theme which is summed up in his letter to the Ephesians:

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)

The “works” that Paul refers to are a kind of righteousness defined by the laws of Moses. These are the laws of the covenant or agreement God made with the Israelites through Moses. (If you would like to know more about this covenant in general terms read Deuteronomy, chapters 27-30.) Under this agreement, the Israelites were to remain faithful to God. Not just in their actions, but in their hearts as well. God taught the Israelites the difference between right and wrong actions in the hope that their hearts would follow.

Sadly, that didn’t work.

February 5, 2020February 6, 2020

Wisdom Wednesday – Avoidance

For wisdom will enter your heart,
    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

Discretion will protect you,
    and understanding will guard you.

Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,
    from men whose words are perverse…

— Proverbs 2: 10-12

Are there practical benefits to having wisdom? It depends on who you are and what you are looking for in life.

I do not like pain. I avoid it as much as possible. For this reason, I avoid taking unnecessary risks. I think everyone else should think the same way. I cannot fathom a point of view that embraces pain.

Some years ago in the course of my job, I met a young man who seemed impervious to pain. During the few weeks, I knew him I learned that he had an affection for high-risk sports. He would regale me with stories of the adventures he’d had and then tell me what it had cost him in broken bones. I am pretty sure he had broken almost every bone in his body at least once.

February 4, 2020February 4, 2020

You Break It You Buy It – James 2: 10

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

There are a lot of curio shops at the beach. Each shop is filled with hundreds if not thousands of little curiosities. Many of them are glass or porcelain. They are things that easily break. Some shops have a little sign on the shelves that says, “YOU BREAK IT, YOU BUY IT.”

Now you might say that breaking a wing off of that little glass angel was not such a big deal. With a little glue, you can make it “as good as new.” The problem is, no matter how good you are, the break is still there. It is no longer “new.” As far as the store is concerned, it is now worthless. So if you are the one who broke it, you buy it.

The law is kind of like that little glass angel on the shelf at the curio shop. Break one little chip off of one wing and POOF the whole thing is broken.

February 1, 2020February 1, 2020

Choose to Follow – James 2: 9

But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.

Yesterday, in verse 8, James quotes God Himself from Leviticus 19: 18b saying, “… love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”

Jesus repeats this when tested by the Pharisees. Jesus says, “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.” (Matthew 22: 37b-40)

When James quotes the “royal law” he is on very solid ground. He follows this up with his statement that showing favoritism is a sin. He tells us that God’s words themselves convict the person who sins in this way.

So how does this work? This doesn’t sound like Paul’s letters to the Gentile churches where we learn that we are no longer under the law! (Romans 6:14 for example.)

January 31, 2020January 31, 2020

King’s Law – James 2: 8

If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.

The word translated as “royal” comes from the Greek word, “basilikos.” A quick look at Strong’s Concordance reveals that the word, basilikos, can also mean “of or belonging to a king.” So why wouldn’t James refer to this law from God as the “King’s law?” After all, Scripture tells us Jesus is “King of Kings” (Revelation 19:6).

While there is at least one translation of the Bible* that uses “king’s law” instead of “royal law,” it is not commonly done. The reason we shy away from the use of “king” in this case is that the reader might be prone to confuse the meaning.

January 28, 2020January 28, 2020

Honor or Dishonor? – James 2: 6a

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is guarded by men who dedicate their lives to honoring those who have passed on in the service of their country.

But you have dishonored the poor.

Sometimes there is as much in what the Bible doesn’t say as what it does say. John has divided the world up into three groups, but he only mentions two. One group is “the rich,” the second group is “the poor.” The third group is everyone else, those who discriminate between the rich and the poor.

This third group of people are those that James is writing to. James refers to them as his “brothers and sisters.” Since all those who believe in Jesus are brothers and sisters in Christ (Mark 3:35) James is talking to us as well.

January 26, 2020January 26, 2020

Psalm Sunday – A Prayer Medley

Hear my cry for help,
    my King and my God,
    for to you I pray.

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
    in the morning I lay my requests before you
    and wait expectantly.

— Psalm 5: 2-3

David, the psalm writer, knows about needing help. Invited into King Saul’s service as a boy, it isn’t long before the king becomes jealous of David. God and David already have a close relationship. David has a simple, child-like faith. God looks on that faith and honors it by blessing what David does. David the child defending the army of Israel with a sling was an example of that relationship.

Because David relies on God, God blesses David. Because God blesses David, the people of Israel honor David. Because Saul has lost God’s blessing (see 1 Samuel 13) Saul is jealous of David. Jealously leads to strife and strife leads to Saul trying repeatedly to kill David. During all this time David remains faithful to Saul and respects God’s anointing.