In James chapter one, God outlines 6 potential trials we can face, for the purpose of our patience in the midst of them, to bring Christian maturity. We have already looked at 5 of them. Today we examine the fifth.
- TRIAL ONE: Choosing God’s wisdom and will, rather than being double-minded
- TRIAL TWO: Letting go of what we hold on to, apart from Christ
- TRIAL THREE: Satanic temptation
- TRIAL FOUR: Refusing the wrath of man.
- TRIAL FIVE: A Doer of the Word When the Doing is Difficult.
TRAIL SIX: Thinking We Have Arrived at Maturity
I have written before on the need to destroy grade book Christianity in our lives. Simply put, this means that whatever criterion we judge ourselves according too, needs to be laid aside, because it is quite possible our criterion for a mature Christian is not God’s criterion in Christ.
In the latter verses of the first chapter of James, the Lord details what is often a false comfort in the midst of trials, This false comfort can manifest in complaint against God, for Him allowing injustice against us, or delivering us fast enough.
Let me explain, with the word of God.
James 1:26-27 If anyone among you thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
One of my pet peeves is when Christians, in an effort to do evangelism, declare “I am not about religion, because God hates religion, but I am about relationship, because its all about having a relationship to Jesus”.
Although this is a popular belief, it is stated nowhere in God’s word, nor is it implied that with Christ “It is all about relationship”.
It is true that in Christ God is our Father and that presents relationship—Christ Jesus is called our Lord, which is another relationship—our Lord Jesus Christ is called the Groom and we the church His bride, another relationship—Jesus Christ is also the Judge to us as we will appear before the judgment seat of Christ, as believers.
Does this mean our being saved is all about relationships, not religion? Not on your life. Let me explain.
With each relational metaphor used by God, He communicates our response to that title. With each, Father, Lord, Groom, Judge, we have a corresponding identity of child, bondservant, bride, the judged. With the relational metaphor, there are expectations and responsibilities, which should we violate places the relationship at risk. Those expectations and responsibilities fit that hated word “religion”.
With the word religion, many Christians, in a hyper-grace fashion, determine that religion is rules and regulations, and God is not about all that. Well, He more than kind of is.
From our passage the word “religious” and “religion” means “ceremonious worship or demonstration of faith”. This certainly lines up with the what is communicated in James chapter 2, that faith without corresponding works is dead.
This also lines up with being saved by grace through faith, as a gift of God, not of works, For Ephesians 2, which communicates “saved by grace” through faith, communicates God ordained good works for us to walk in, before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 2:8-10).
Now, let us deal with the trial at hand, that of a person believing themselves to be truly religious, and using that as a means to believe they should not be in a trial.
Let’s be honest, this is a real temptation for us, when the going gets tough, especially if we truly do seek to walk after the Lord with any vigor. With many a biblical saint, can cry out easily, why God is this happening to me, I mean I am doing all this, I am truly practicing my faith right.
Consider Jeremiah’s lament.
Jeremiah 15:15-18 O LORD, You know; remember me and visit me, and take vengeance for me on my persecutors. In Your enduring patience, do not take me away. Know that for Your sake I have suffered rebuke. Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts. I did not sit in the assembly of the mockers, nor did I rejoice; I sat alone because of Your hand, for You have filled me with indignation. Why is my pain perpetual and my wound incurable, which refuses to be healed? Will You surely be to me like an unreliable stream, as waters that fail?
In all truth, Jeremiah was going through some terrible stuff, when he speaks to the LORD as he does. That said, he lays out all he has done, which he believes is a just claim as to why he should not be going through such difficulty. So worked up is the prophet, he questions God’s just character.
Can we not, because of our religious practice and thoughts about our love for Christ, begin to think we are truly religious, as a means for being exempt from certain trials? Absolutely.
But the Lord gives us three clear criterion to check ourselves by when we get into this kind of “stink’in think’in”, in the midst of a trial.
In the first place, “If anyone among you thinks himself religious and does not bridle his tongue, his religion is useless”. By this criterion, Jeremiah’s religion was bordering on vanity, and the LORD lets him know in subsequent verses to repent of that and return.
The moment we begin to list our great service to Christ, as a means of avoiding or a reason why we should no be in a trial, we make even sincere practice of faith vanity.
This is because the moment we speak about our “good works” they become filthy rags, and impugned God’s character. In the midst of trial, we must practice what Hebrews 12 commands.
Hebrews 12:1-6 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted bloodshed, striving against sin. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.”
Secondly, if anyone thinks himself religious, in a trial, rather than use your supposed religiousness as a justification for expecting an escape, take your eyes off your discomfort and relieve the orphan and widow of their discomfort.
This truly is the heart of Christ, to be deprived of the normal comfort, material provision, and emotional support, we come to expect, but out of love and the compassion of Christ, we are moved to meet the needs of others.
In John 4 Jesus meets an adulterous woman at the well. Although He was thirsty, and she could of met her need, He met her need for truth, repentance and living water. At the conclusion, His disciples meet with Him and right believe He needs some food, yet the Lord Jesus declares that for those who love God, obeying Him and completing His work and will are more than enough.
John 4:31-34 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.
For those truly religious, times of trial turn into opportunities for Christ to meet the needs of others, for in their lack, they live in the same disposition of faith, as Paul.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
It many various trials, which call us to deny ourselves, knowing the treasure we possess in heaven, and the power of Christ available to us, is essential. But beware, trials will bring out the impurity of selfishness, which only wants to look at what is uncomfortable and whine until we get out of it.
It should be no surprise that in the third character of those religious after God’s definition, we find these words…
“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world“.
This may seem easy to understand, because we see the underlined phrase as not currently sinning, or in bondage to anything seriously hindering our faith. But on deeper investigation, we will see that unspotted can mean uninfluenced in any way.
On the lower level an illustration is in order. A man can change the oil of a vehicle, touching the car parts, grease and oil are seen on his skin, yet he has nor not been turned into a car, or even begin to make engine noises around the house.
On the other hand, if the man does not appropriately wash his hands and change his cloths, his wife and family will smell and see the stink and stain of the automobile he worked on.
The simply understanding is that being around the world does influence how others see us, how we see ourselves and at times behave, even when we are unaware of its influence.
How great the influence is, over our thoughts and behavior, depends on how much our interactions with the world, are seen by us as intentional for God, or necessary for us.
The word of God declares, we are not to love the world (serve it with devotion as to what we gain from it), nor anything in the world (I John 2:15-17). This means that all our interactions with the world are to come under God’s sovereignty, to be lived out, with sobriety and an eye toward God’s purposes.
When considering the instruction of Proverbs 3:5-7, this means even going to the grocery store or work, is a time to manifestly trust in the Lord with all our heart, rather than lean on our own understanding, to acknowledge His presence with us, and allow Him to direct us through that experience. This should not be grievous to us, but exciting and joyful.
Why is this necessary? Because without this discipline in our lives, we become dependent on the world, and influenced by its intent, which is to get us not to trust our Father, but to trust the world culture, system and its future leader.
This is especially true, when it comes to trials. Remember the church’s response in the west when covid-19 hit. We were not trusting in God with all our hearts, but in man and man fears and man solutions to something that for most of the world’s population was a very bad cold.
The church trusted in modern science, when common sense and solid viral science on human immune response, told us the truth. The churches shut down, not trusting that God in Christ is our Healer and Protector. Can we now see what a little fear will influence us to do, contrary to God’s will and command?
Yet, it must also be stated that trials can affect us in being spotted with the world in a much deeper fashion. When the pandemic hit, and all things were shut down, church leaders wanted us to spend more time online, with online services and teachings.
Firstly, let me state the obvious, if a Christians never gets online again the rest of their lives, they will not die, at all, in fact, our belief we need to have an online presence to stay connect with the world is absolute horse pucky.
If a Christian, who is in fellowship with the Holy Spirit and is called to minister Christ to the world, all they need do is knock on a neighbor’s door, walk down the street and look to share with a human in person. We do not need to be online to live, or even connected with smart phones.
During the pandemic, in Christians circles, porn use, worldly forms of entertainment, and political backbiting skyrocketed. Why? Because in fear we closed ourselves off from face-to-face fellowship, and in our need for contact, we turned to artificial means, online. The more time we spent on line, which contradicts God’s command to redeem the time, the more we lost our resolve to stand against temptation.
Therefore, in the midst of trial, when the feeling of how unfair the trial is, based on how religious or Christian we believe ourselves to be, ask the Lord to reveal to you where you are spotted, stained and influenced by the world. That is the heart of a truly religious person, according to God’s word.
In closing this series of teaching’s on James 1, remember how may trials are associated with verse 2 and 3, and marvel at God’s awesome word. And remember that James chapter 1 gives us 6 general trials we face, which are for the perfecting work of God in our lives, regardless of the trials origin. Let patience have its perfecting work.
