LIBRARY OF THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY PRINCETON. N. J. PRESENTED BY The Author ’ t ’ by « . . : } f Diviston. Sek. vert Lom | ; ; / val mi, ~ ° pm, © ae a Section. s£\@O re ‘ Ce Be OL ips ba eee y a “ ; ae ie corey , Oo p By ae, teat hy. ay =~ > » . om = n ta aah UE gi op ee Den ane cnt! JAN E Oo : eovoaon gen’ Che General Epistles AN EXPOSITION BY CHARLES R. ERDMAN Professor of Practical Theology Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton, New Jersey Author of ‘‘The Gospel of John, an Exposition,” **Coming to the Communion,” ‘Sunday Afternoons with Railroad Men,”’ *‘The Gospel of Mark, an Exposition,”’ and so forth PHILADELPHIA THE WESTMINSTER PRESS 1925 Copyright, 1918 “1 by F. M. BRASELMAN The Bible text printed in boldface is taken from the American Standard Edition of the Revised Bible, copyright, 1901, by Thomas Nelson & Sons, and is used by permission. TO MY MOTHER Fla Mi i iy Ly + sea ware CONTENTS PAGE BLEW OL Ge ere ae eS son lok hak wie sae es uy | PL OU LICTIOU Men steve oerer ie, rats sate Se ars ieee ea wcacee 9 BE PIStles Ons AINCS peje Serban ae datettl le iee its ity Mites birst Mnistic.of Peters ks enviar o cictartoties cls 51 The Second Epistle of Peter............ te sy ey 87 Ses eies teristic. Ols) Oil. meets rcttialete pete sco 110 Sene Secondee piste. Gln] Olitidic s.tscines e ecde he eine 153 snes Lhirdst piste: olf] Oi wari ae soins tecersaeets 2 162 BE @a Pur itsLlecOtw MCG tate ciclc lots b est al fete, atakel cte(ele's evetart ase 173 FOREWORD Here are strengthening words for days of storm and testing, and cheering words for nights dark and starless, and guiding words for times of mental perplexity and of moral peril. They come to us across distant centuries, but they meet precisely our modern needs. They are weighted with divine mysteries, but they chiefly concern human duties. They were addressed to members of a heavenly brotherhood, but they deal with the practical, earthly problems of employers and servants, husbands and wives, teachers and taught, rich and poor, of all who need encouragement to press on through sorrow to joy, through temptation and failure to strength and vic- tory, through doubts and fears to assured faith and cloud- less hope. They were written by men who had been companions of Christ, but they are his present messengers for all who yield to his Spirit and seek to do his will. we INTRODUCTION The art of letter-writing has been lost; at least it is sel- dom displayed. The haste of modern life, the many means of communication, the ease of travel and transpor- tation, the multitude of books and papers, these and other causes have increased vastly the volume of correspondence, but have made its character more fugitive and less studied and serious. It cannot be denied, however, that this form of literature is peculiarly instinct with human interest and rich in biographic and historical material. Among all the letters of the world, those written in the first century by the followers of Christ, and preserved for us in the New Testament, are regarded as supreme. By way of eminence they are called epistles. This word, of course, might be applied to any series of letters; yet fortunately its use is being restricted to these which are of such surpassing dignity and value and which have exercised such an incomparable influence upon the history of the race. Of these epistles those which bear the names of James, Peter, John, and Jude, have been placed in a group by themselves and for many centuries have been known as the catholic or “‘General Epistles.’’ The exact meaning of the title has been a matter of some uncertainty. It may refer to their authorship, their contents, or their destina- tion. The authorship of all other New Testament epistles has popularly been assigned to Paul, but in this group of General Epistles we find the products of a number of different writers. Of these, James and Jude were own brothers of Jesus and the other two, Peter and John, were his most prominent apostles. It is of interest to note that we find here the writings of two men who had shared the experiences of the home in Nazareth and of two other men, who had been most intimate with Christ in the days of his earthly ministry and who after his ascension were most closely united in the work of establishing his Church, ; 9 10 INTRODUCTION : While it is not highly probable that the title of these epistles is due to their content, it is true that the themes discussed are of the most general character. They con- tain references to every cardinal doctrine of Christianity, and touch every phase of Christian experience. It is well to note, however, that each one of these writers lays special stress upon some one characteristic and distin- guishing truth. James is the apostle of works, Peter gives messages of hope, John is an exponent of love, and Jude emphasizes the need of a pure faith. It is most of all likely that the title is due to the general character of the readers for whom these epistles were de- signed. Paul wrote his letters to specific individuals or churches or groups of churches; these letters were ad- dressed to the universal Church or to Christian believers — scattered over wide areas of the Roman Empire. This is not strictly true of them all. For example, the Second and Third Epistles of John seem to be addressed to in- dividuals. However, it is sufficiently accurate to suggest this general character as the origin of the familiar title and to allow us to make the immediate application that here are messages for us all, designed for the help and guidance of Christians in every place and time. The historic references in these epistles lead us back to the earthly ministry of Christ and to the recorded acts of his apostles. The prophetic utterances point us for- ward to his return, not with such fullness as to satisfy our curiosity, but with such certainty as to inspire hope. One of their chief values lies in their accurate pictures of the Apostolic Church, covering the whole course of its career from the early ministry of James to the late years of the aged John. ‘The passages of difficult interpretation are sufficiently numerous to inspire humility and caution; but the main teachings are plain and of immediate applica- tion to the life and problems of the modern Church. They invite careful and repeated reading and suggest the possibility of continual growth ‘‘in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” THE EPISTLE OF JAMES Those were peculiar privileges which the writer of this epistle enjoyed during the long years of companionship with Jesus, his brother, in the home of Mary at Nazareth; together they read the book of nature in lovely Galilee, together they were taught the Book of God by their mother and in the village school. These influences were never lost. It is true that, like his brothers, James did not understand the startling claims which Jesus made as he began his public ministry, he was not convinced by the miracles or the equally wonderful messages of our Lord; he illustrates the stupidity, possibly the subsequent poign- ant regret, of those who fail to value the familiar and the near, and who give no honor to a prophet “in his own house.’”’ Nevertheless he never lost the impression made upon him by the words and works of Christ; and when, in the light of the resurrection, the light which alone brings conviction to most of us to-day, he saw the true nature of his brother according to the flesh, he was ready to worship and serve him as his divine Lord and Master. Then those early influences bore their abundant fruit. No one among the followers of Christ was better known, none more respected, none more honored. James was conceded the place of leadership, he was recognized as the head of the Church. So, too, as he composed his epistle he used, more nearly than any other writer, the very words of Jesus, and he reproduced more perfectly the spirit of those Scriptures which as a boy he had studied with Jesus. It is evident from the letter that those whom James ad- dresses were Jews. Hecalls them ‘‘the twelve tribes which are of the Dispersion,’ and he has in mind his fellow countrymen who were scattered in various parts of the Roman world. Evidently they have accepted Jesus as the Messiah, as ‘‘the Lord of glory,’ and James is writing from Jerusalem to urge them to live in accordance with their Christian profession. Most of them seem to be Lig iow THE EPISTLE OF JAMES poor, and to be suffering from the selfishness and oppression of the Jews among whom they are living. They are persecuted as apostates, dragged before the judgment seats, imprisoned, deprived of their goods, and tempted to renounce their faith. Nor are they them- selves free from fault. They seek the friendship of the world, are obsequious to the rich, are at strife among themselves, are lacking in Christian love. The purpose of the epistle, therefore, is eminently practical. James seeks to correct their errors and to admonish them for their failures. He does not attempt to teach Christian doctrine, but to stimulate Christian life. He assumes the great truths of the faith and upon theseas a founda- tion urges the readers to build the necessary superstruc- ture of consistent works. | The theme of the epistle might be stated as ‘Christian Wisdom,” by which is meant, not speculative knowledge or revealed truth, but practical knowledge, truth applied to life, creed resulting in character. It shows how Chris- tians should and may live in days of discouragement and persecution; it suggests the temptations by which they ever are beset. It guides their actions when trials abound, when even in churches may be found ‘‘respect of persons,”’ dead orthodoxy, tongues of deceit, evil speaking, love of the world, forgetfulness of God, self-indulgence, and greed. It is thus an epistle of practical wisdom for perilous times. Most striking of all is the fact that its fundamental note voices the universal cry of the present age. This note is the demand for reality in religion; it rebukes all pretense and self-deception, all sham and hypocrisy; it insists that faith shall be tested by works, that char- acter shall correspond to profession. It is this under- lying thought which unites the various sections of the epistle and brings into vital relation its diverse themes. These sections may be summarized as follows: 1. Trials and Temptations. James 1 : 1-18. 2. Hearing and Doing. Ch. 1 : 19-27. 3. Respect of Persons. Ch. 2 : 1-13. 4, Faith and Works. Ch. 2 : 14-26. THE EPISTLE OF JAMES 13 . Control of the Tongue. Ch. 3 : 1-12. . False and True Wisdom. Ch. 3 : 13-18. - Worldly Lusts. Ch. 4 : 1-10. . Censoriousness. Ch. 4:11, 12. . Self-Confidence. Ch. 4 : 13-17. . The Doom of the Oppressor. Ch. 5 : 1-6. . Patience in Suffering. Ch. 5: 7-11. seProlanityae.enso 12, eebIAVer [Olatne oicKka) CHS 13-13; . Saving Souls. Ch. 5 : 19, 20. James 1:1-18 TRIALS AND TEMPTATIONS 15 1. TRIALS AND TEMPTATIONS. JAMES 1 : 1-18 1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Chrisi to the twelve tribes which are of the Dispersion, greeting. 2 Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into manifold temptations; 3 knowing that the proving of your faith worketh patience. 4 And let patience have ifs perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing. 5 But if any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord; 8 a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways. 9 But let the brother of low degree glory in his high estate: 10 and the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. 11 For the sun ariseth with the scorching wind, and withereth the grass; and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his goings. 12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been approved, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to them that love him. 13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempteth no man: 14 but each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth sin: and the sin, when it is full- grown, bringeth forth death. 16 Be not deceived, my be- loved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. In his brief line of greeting James pauses for no long description of himself or of his readers, merely indicating that as a “‘servant of God” he worships and obeys Jesus Christ as divine Lord and Master, and that those to whom yw? 16 EPISTLE OF JAMES James 1: 1-18 he writes are Jews of the great national dispersion. He at once turns to the first great need of the readers, both in his day and ours, as he gives comfort in trial and warning in temptation. It is true that both experiences are denoted by the same word, yet the testing of which he speaks first is that of outward circumstances, and that which he next considers is due to inward desire. He startles us by the strange paradox with which he begins, as he bids us ‘‘count it all joy’ when we are suddenly overwhelmed by misfortunes of every possible kind. He does not mean that we are to court disaster or to seek for trouble or to deny the reality of pain and sor- row, but we are to regard all these adversities as tests of faith and as means of moral and spiritual growth. Weare to rejoice, not because distresses come, but in view of their _ possible results. They may produce “‘patience,”’ which is not mere passive submission, but steadfast endurance and triumphant trust. We are urged therefore to allow “patience” to do its full work in producing a maturity of character in which every virtue is fully developed and_ no grace is lacking. Such a blessed issue of trials is possible only when we look upon them in the right light; it requires ‘“‘wisdom”’ to see life steadily and ‘‘see it whole” and to view its darker scenes in their right perspective. Trials may embitter, they may dwarf, they may work moral disaster. Therefore we must ask God for needed grace, for true ‘‘wisdom.’”’ He gives to all liberally; he never rebukes us for asking too much. We must, however, look to him in absolute confidence. If our minds are allowed to dwell only on our distress, or to turn restlessly back and forth from his changeless love to our pitiful selves, the state of the soul is like a wave of the sea, “driven by the wind and tossed’”’; surely then no divine grace can be received, no moral progress can be made. Two familiar examples of testing are now given, the trials of poverty and the temptations of wealth. Either may result in moral injury, even in spiritual disaster; but if met with the ‘‘wisdom”’ which God gives, either may issue in the perfecting of character. It is of course much easier to rejoice when wealth comes than when it goes; James 1:1-18 TRIALS AND TEMPTATIONS 17 but joy may be possible in the latter experience when we realize that what one is should concern him more than what he has, particularly when we remember that wealth passes away and a man ceases to be rich quite as swiftly as a flower withers under the summer sun. The character, however, which issues, from either the test of prosperity or the test of adversity abides forever. As James, therefore, emphasizes the reward of endur- ance, he speaks of “‘the crown of life, which the Lord promised to them that love him,” by which he means that one whose faith stands the test, one who views each event of life in thelight of the wisdom which God gives, receives as a reward, as an inevitable result, life in ever fuller, larger degree, life more abundant, life for time and for eternity. As the writer declares this blessedness of ‘‘the man that endureth temptation,” he has in mind both the tests of outward circumstances and also of inclinations to sin. Of the latter he now speaksin more detail. Heassures us that as trials may lead into truer life, any harm which results from them must be due to the evil within us. That which converts a trial into a temptation is solely the sinful lust that comes from our own hearts. ‘‘Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God.’’ We may not use those words, but we are all inclined to excuse our wrong- doing on the ground of some circumstance or inheritance which is logically related to the providence of God, which therefore comes from God. Evil, however, cannot tempt God, it can make no appeal to him, it cannot have its source in him; therefore ‘‘he himself tempteth no man.’’ Evil desire, which we should resist, which by the grace of God we may resist, is like a temptress by whom one is coaxed and cajoled and enticed; and when evil desire is allowed to lodge in the heart it soon controls the will. The result is sin, and the issue of sin is nothing less hideous than death. The loss of beauty and purity and holiness and happiness, the loss of fellowship with goodness and God, the loss of all that is worthy the name of life, comes from our own evil selves. James warns us against false conceptions of ourselves or of God: ‘‘Be not deceived, my beloved hrethren.’’ So 18 EPISTLE OF JAMES James 1: 1-18 © far from being the author of evil, God is the Giver of every good gift, and all his gifts are good. He is like the sun; other heavenly bodies like the moon or stars may wax or wane, but from “the Father of lights’ streams forth changeless, unmingled love. Surely we can trust him in every hour of trial, in every time of temptation. His greatest gift is the new life which he has imparted to us through the truth revealed in Christ. As the “‘firstfruits”’ were dedicated to God and gave promise of the coming harvest, so we Christians are designed to be the special possession of God and the pledge and earnest of a redeemed race. James 1:19-27 HEARING AND DOING 19 2. HEARING AND Doinc. Ch. 1 : 19-27 19 Ye know this, my beloved brethren. But let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20 for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 21 Wherefore putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding your own selves. 23 For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror: 24 for he beholdeth himself, and goeth away, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But he that looketh into the peifect law, the Jaw of liberty, and so con- tinueth, being not a hearer that forgetteth but a doer that worketh, this man shall be blessed in his doing. 26 If any man thinketh himself to be religious, while he bridleth not his tongue but deceiveth his heart, this man’s religion is vain. 27 Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. James has been speaking of the word of God as the instrument whereby a new life is imparted to the believer. He intimates that his readers are familiar with this fact, and with the gracious purpose of God toward all men: “Ye know this, my beloved brethren.’”” He deems it necessary, however, to give certain instructions relative to the use which should be made of this word of God, this “word of truth,” this gospel message. In fact he reaches the central thought of his epistle as he insists that truth must be received into the heart and expressed in the life. There are those who seem to think that ‘‘the word” is intended as an object about which we are to talk or to fight. Some men find little else in the Bible than subjects for debate. On the contrary, James insists that the message concerning Christ must be heard with eager- ness and carefully obeyed. ‘‘Let every man be swift to hear,’’ let him improve every opportunity for learning more 20 EPISTLE OF JAMES James 1: 19-27 truth, let him listen again and again to the divine message, © let him be ready to receive light from any source. Let him be ‘‘slow to speak,’’ humbly taking the place of a learner, or if it becomes his duty to testify or to teach, let him do so with modesty and reverence, avoiding all care- lessness and flippancy and self-confidence. Let him also be “slow to wrath.’’ Unhappily religious discussions are too often attended with heat and. anger. Too many public teachers seem to feel that the bitterness with which they assail their opponents will attest their zeal and devotion. James reminds such that ‘‘the wrath of man’”’ cannot produce ‘‘the righteousness’ which God requires and which he aims to produce in the conduct of Christians. True hearers will put away all evil and malicious thoughts, and by a spirit of meekness will prepare the soul, as good soil, for the reception of ‘‘the word,’”’ which is implanted like good seed and springs up in a harvest of virtue and holiness and life. That this blessed issue may result, the believer must receive the truth not only with meekness but also with prompt and resolute obedience: ‘‘But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding your own selves.” This delusion is common in the case of those who suppose themselves to be religious because they are familiar with religious truths and their discussion. One who merely listens, or whose knowledge results in no action, is likened by James toa man who givesa hasty glance intoa mirror and then turns away forgetful of what he has seen and with no effort toward improving his appearance. Whata magic mirror the Word of God provides! It shows a man exactly what he is, with all his faults and failures and infirmities; and yet, as he gazes upon that reflection, he beholds another image, that of the ideal Man, and he sees what he himself should be. Most marvelous of all, as he looks steadfastly upon the glorious perfection of his Lord, he finds himself free from the bondage of habit and self and sin, and becoming ‘‘transformed into the same image from glory to glory.’’ Surely, one who makes such a use of the word of truth, one who gazes into it and makes its revelations the law of his life, cannot fail to find the bless- > James 1: 19-27 HEARING AND DOING 21 ing of God on all his deeds; he is ‘‘not a hearer that for- getteth but a doer that worketh.” James has suggested that a man may deceive himself as to his religious state by his enjoyment of religious discus- sions, or by his fluency of speech on religious themes, or by the warmth of his passion in religious disputes; he now adds that another cause of self-deception may be found in the care with which one performs religious rites and cere- monies. One may be most scrupulous in observing all the prescribed forms of religion, he may give alms and pray and fast, as the Pharisees did; he may attend church and sing hymns and observe sacraments; but his religion may still be an empty and vain delusion. James suggests three tests of religion, or to follow his words more exactly, he prescribes three religious exercises which cannot fail to please God. The first of these is self-control. The example which he gives is that of ability to bridle the tongue. In contrast with those members of the Church who prided themselves upon their skill in debate and their ability to distress their opponents, he suggests that a truer test of religion may be found in the ability to keep silence, particularly under irritating and annoying circumstances. ‘Holding the tongue”’ is only one of many forms of self-discipline, but, as James suggests ina later chapter, it is a supreme test, and, “if any stumbleth not in word, the same is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body.”’ The second exercise of religion which James proposes is charity. As the Old Testament frequently intimates, those usually most in need of sympathy and aid are orphans and widows. But they are not the only persons who make their appeal to our pity; James mentions them simply as types or examples; but he declares that care for them constitutes a true religious ceremony, it is part of a real ritual: ‘‘Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction.” The third expression of religion mentioned by James is purity: ‘‘To keep oneself unspotted from the world.” To be religious, in this true sense, is by no means easy. 22 EPISTLE OF JAMES James 1: 19-27 The world about us is full of evil; its maxims, its practices, its ideals, are too commonly opposed to the will of God. By obedience to them the pure soul is sullied and stained by sin. To walk “in white garments,’’ to have clean hands and clean hearts, this is to be religious, this is to please God. James 2: 1-13 RESPECT OF PERSONS 23 3. ReEsPEcT OF PERSONS. Ch. 2 : 1-13 1 My brethren, hold not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2 For if there come into your synagogue a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, and there come in also a poor man in vile clothing; 3 and ye have regard to him that weareth the fine clothing, and say, Sit thou here in a good place; and ye say to the poor man, Stand thou there, or sit under my footstool; 4 do ye not make distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Hearken, my beloved brethren; did not God choose them that are poor as to the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him? 6 But ye have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you, and themselves drag you before the judgment-seats? 7 Do not they blaspheme the honor- able name by which ye are called? 8 Howbeit if ye fulfil the royal law, according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well: 9 but if ye have respect of persons, ye commit sin, being convicted by the law as trans- gressors. 10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is become guilty of all. 11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou dost not commit adultery, but killest, thou art become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak ye, and so do, as men that are to be judged by a law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to him that hath showed no mercy: mercy glorieth against judgment. In his first chapter James has spoken of the temptations by which we are assailed; here he deals with one which is most common, namely, that of partiality, of making unfair distinctions between persons. He has also referred to “the word of truth” by which we should direct our lives; he here mentions a fault which the law of Christ would forbid. Possibly the connection is even more direct. The previous verses have dealt with forms of religious service; here the writer may be recalling a scene which he had recently witnessed in the place of worship. The incident, whether real or imaginary, was one in which honor was shown to a rich man and disrespect to a man who was a EPISTLE OF JAMES James 2: 1-13 poor; it is here mentioned to illustrate the fault which James seeks to correct, namely, ‘‘respect of persons.’ The word so translated means ‘“‘judging by appearances,’’ and so influenced to unfair treatment of people by con- siderations of wealth or class or power or social distinction. The folly of such behavior is rebuked by the words the writer employs to introduce his theme: ‘‘My brethren.”’ We should treat one another as equals in the household of God and “hold not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.’’ As our faith is in Jesus Christ we should follow his example; as we submit to him as Lord we should obey his law; as he is ‘‘the Lord of glory,” then, by comparison with him, all degrees of rank and position among men are insignificant and con- temptible. Nevertheless the fault of partiality, and of making un- just distinctions, is far too common even among Chris- tians. Few of us find the least difficulty in imagining the picture which James paints: Two strangers present them- selves to take part in a religious service; one, by his gorgeous clothing and his jewelry, is proclaimed to be rich; the other, in wretched rags, is evidently poor; the former is cordially welcomed and given a seat of honor, the latter is made to stand against the wall or to crouch upon the floor. Such conduct and all similar offenses James severely rebukes: ‘Do ye not make distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?” The fault is condemned as unreasonable. It is really absurd. Many poor men are actually rich, and many rich men are deserving only of contempt. How foolish then to judge a man by outward circumstances or to con- demn him because he belongs to a certain class! Poor men are often peculiarly rich in faith, and heirs of the glorious Kingdom of God; rich men are often opposed to God and his cause. The latter in the days of James, were notoriously cruel to Christians, oppressing them and dragging them to the judgment seats, and blaspheming the name of their Lord. More serious still the fault is not only unreasonable; it is unlawful, it is actually sinful. For all Christians, and James 2: 1-13 RESPECT OF PERSONS 25 in the treatment of all men there is one changeless law: it is the law of love. It is called ‘‘the royal law’’ because it is superior to all others and because it makes those who obey it regal and kingly. It is called the ‘‘law of liberty” - for it sets men free from sin and self. If we are controlled by this law in our treatment of rich or poor, we are worthy of praise; “If ye fulfil the royal law, according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well: but if ye have respect of persons, ye commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors.” To emphasize the guilt James adds the difficult words: ‘For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is become guilty of all.’’ He does not mean that all sin is equally great, or that it is as serious to break one commandment as to break all. Breaking one commandment puts the offender in the class of trans- ’ gressors. It also shows that he is indifferent to law, and so to the will of God expressed in all the commandments, and that it is but accident or fear or the absence of tempta- tion that prevents him from breaking the other command- ments. Most of all, it is evident that as love is the sum of all the law, acting contrary to love is, in principle, breaking “the whole law.” We should be careful, then, as to our judgments, and guard against all unfair discriminations, all narrow sus- picions and class distinctions and race prejudices, for we ourselves are to be judged. It is reassuring to know that it is to be by “a law of liberty” and of love. Let us remember, however, that it is nevertheless by a law of justice, and ‘‘judgment is without mercy to him that hath. showed no mercy.’”’ So, as we hope to find that ‘‘mercy glorieth against judgment,” let love triumph in all our estimates and judgments of our fellow men. We shall not then be guilty of holding the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ ‘“‘with respect of persons.”’ 26° EPISTLE OF JAMES _, James 2: 14-26 4. FAITH AND Works. Ch. 2: 14-26 14 What doth it profit, my brethren, if a man say he hath faith, but have not works? can that faith save him? 15 Ifa brother or sister be naked and in lack of daily food, 16 and one of you say unto them, Go in peace, be ye warmed and filled; and yet ye give them not the things needful to the body; what doth it profit? 17 Even so faith, if it have not works, is dead in itself. 18 Yea, a man will say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith apart from thy works, and I by my works will show thee my faith. 19 Thou believest that God is one; thou doest well: the demons also believe, and shudder. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith apart from works is barren? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son upon the altar? 22 Thou seest that faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect; 23 and the scripture was fulfilled which saith, And Abraham be- lieved God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness; and he was called the friend of God. 24 Ye see that by works a man is justified, and not only by faith. 25 And in like manner was not also Rahab the harlot justified by works, in that she received the messengers, and sent them out another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead. It is right to say that James has no part in the popular discussion as to whether a man is saved by faith or saved by works. His concern is to prove that faith and works are inseparable. He never questions that faith is the in- strument of salvation, but he insists that if faith is real it will manifest itself in works. Faith is trust and devo- tion and obedience and love; a ‘‘faith’’ which is mere assent to a creed is not worthy the name. A faith which does not produce works cannot save, it is ‘‘dead,’’ it is “‘barren’’—this is the truth which James seeks to establish in this famous section of his epistle. He has been warning his readers against the folly of try- ing to hold faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and at the same time breaking the law of love and showing ‘‘respect of James 2: 14-26 FAITH AND WORKS 27 persons.” He has insisted that this is impossible; real faith in Christ will manifest itself in love. He now _ proceeds to enlarge upon this vital truth and to insist that real faith will always be manifest in conduct which is con- sistent with the law and love of Christ. James introduces the discussion by the question: “What doth it profit, my brethren, if a man say he hath faith, but have not works? can that faith save him?’’ The answer implied is that such faith cannot save; it is not true faith. James shows that it is not true by a com- parison. He likens such dead faith to lifeless love: ‘‘If a brother or sister be naked and in lack of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Go in peace, be ye warmed and filled; and yet ye give them not the things needful to the body; what doth it profit?’’ What, indeed, is the use of charity like that? Love which confines itself to empty words, to cheap advice, to pious hopes, is not worthy the name. ‘‘Even so faith, if it have not works, ‘is dead.”’ James further proves his point by an imaginary chal- lenge: ‘Show me thy faith apart from thy works.”’ That exposes the fallacy. Without works there is no possible way of proving that faith exists. Such faith is a phan- tom, a dream, a delusion. But, one who truly believes can say without pride yet in all confidence, ‘‘I by my works will show thee my faith.” To show further the vanity of a faith which consists in mere intellectual assent to truth, James takes a case in point. He turns to some Jew who plumes himself upon being orthodox, because he believes in the unity of God, and repeats daily the formula of his faith: ‘‘Thou believest that God is one; thou doest well; the demons also believe, and shudder.’”’ The demons are quite orthodox in their beliefs and probably more exact in their knowledge than most mortals; but while conscious of their deserved doom and of their rebellion against God, their knowledge only adds to their distress: they shudder. Thus, James con- cludes, ‘‘faith apart from works is barren.” On the other hand, real faith necessarily embodies itself in action. The faith of a true believer will be indicated and demonstrated by works. To establish this positive 28 EPISTLE OF JAMES James 2: 14-26 side of his argument James employs two examples. The first is naturally that of Abraham, ‘‘the father of the faith- ful.” When he was subjected to the supreme test, when he was asked to offer up Isaac his son upon the altar, his faith was found to be genuine; it was no mere assent toa creed, it was a faith that “‘wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect.’”’ Abraham was shown to have a supreme confidence in God, a matchless submission to his will; he really ‘believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness; and he was called the friend of God.”’ So it is by works that a man is shown to be a true believer, James declares, and not by a mere profession of faith. The second illustration is that of Rahab. She also was shown by her works to be sincere in her faith. At the risk of her life she hid the spies who entered Jericho, and “‘sent them out another way.” It is true that her faith was not perfect; she was guilty of falsehood and deception; yet her faith was remarkable, and it was genuine. A poor, sinful woman of Canaan, with little opportunity for knowledge, she had become convinced that the God of Israel was the living and true God, and as opportunity offered of serving him, she imperiled her life to defend his messengers. The result was that she was saved; she was honored as a heroine in the Hebrew annals;@she became the ancestress of Jesus Christ. Such is the power of a living faith. On the other hand: “‘As the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.”’ The days of dead orthodoxy are not gone; there are many persons whose faith consists in the recital of creeds and in the defense of dogmas, many who need to be re- minded that ‘faith apart from works is dead’; yet again, on the other hand, it is time for men to cease propos- ing the false alternatives of ‘‘creed or character,” ‘‘belief or conduct,” ‘‘doctrine or duty”; these supposed alterna- tives are inseparable as causes and effects, as roots and fruit. When creeds are living, when belief is sincere, when doctrine is truly accepted, then character and right conduct and the performance of duty are sure to result. A living faith does save. James 3:1-12 CONTROL OF THE TONGUE 29 53 CONTROL OF THE VLLONGUE: Ch:'3°:: 1-12 1 Be not many of you teachers, my brethren, knowing that we shall receive heavier judgment. 2 For in many things we all stumble. If any stumbleth not in word, the same is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body ‘also. 3 Now if we put the horses’ bridles into their mouths that they may obey us, we turn about their whole body also. 4 Behold, the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by rough winds, are yet turned about by a very small rudder, whither the impulse of the steersman willeth. 5 So the tongue also is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how much wood is kindled by how small a fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire: the world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the wheel of nature, and is set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beasts and birds, of creeping things and things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed by mankind: 8 but the tongue can no man tame; if isa restless evil, if is full of deadly poison. 9 Therewith bless we the Lord and Father; and therewith curse we men, who are made after the likeness of God: 10 out of the same mouth cometh forth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. 11 Doth the fountain send forth from the same opening sweet water and bitter? 12 can a fig tree, my brethren, yield olives, or a vine figs? neither can salt water yield sweet. In a previous passage of the epistle, James has exposed the folly of imagining oneself to be religious while the tongue is uncontrolled. It is natural, therefore, for him to enlarge upon this theme, after setting forth the vanity of a “‘faith’’ which expresses itself only in words and not in works. Those most tempted to such self-deception and to such dead orthodoxy are teachers of religious truth, and it is such, first of all, who are in the mind of the writer as he pens this searching passage on the sins of the tongue. It is hardly necessary to note that by “‘the tongue”’ James means the gift of speech. The whole paragraph abounds in figures and pictures. We see the horse held in by the bit, the ship turned by the touch of the pilot, the forest set 30 EPISTLE OF JAMES James 3: 1-12 aflame by the smallest spark, venomous beasts, fruitful trees, and gushing fountains. It is a striking instance of the vivid and picturesque style of the writer; but it sug- gests what to his mind was the importance and the power of human speech. While he dwells on the evil possibilities of the tongue, he nevertheless has in mind its possibilities for good. Thus when he warns his readers against too great eagerness to be teachers, it is on the ground that as such their responsibility is greater; but the responsibility is greater only because of the largeness of their opportunity and privilege. Of course the abuse of such privilege involves the greater guilt. ‘Be not many of you teachers, my brethren, knowing that we shall receive heavier judgment.’ Teachers of religious truth are sorely needed; theirs is the highest of callings; yet one should be diffident in assuming the task as he remem- bers that “in many things we all stumble.” The right use of speech, the proper control of the tongue, James declares, is a proof of Christian maturity, whether in the case of a teacher or a hearer: “If any stumbleth not in word, the same is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body also.”” This point he illustrates by his picture of the horse; in spite of its spirit and strength its whole body can be controlled by the one who controls the bit. The same point is illustrated by the ship: even though its size is so vast, and opposing storms are so fierce, still its course is easily determined by the one who holds the helm. These two pictures illustrate also another principle: they not only show how one who controls his tongue can control his whole being, but also that if the tongue is given control it will imperil the entire life. The tongue is like the bit and like the rudder. ‘‘So the tongue also is a little member, and boasteth great things.’’ It boasts. We were ready for the word “‘directs” or ‘‘controls’’ or ‘achieves,’ but the word “‘boasteth’’ is suggestive of evil and prepares us for the following description of perilous power. As a single spark sets fire to the stately forest, so one malicious word may bring disaster to a life or a community. Thus James calls the tongue ‘‘a fire: the world of iniquity among our members . . . which defileth the whole James 3:1-12 CONTROL OF THE TONGUE 31 body”; it sets ablaze the whole round of our existence and our being, and its destructive power is satanic: it “is set on fire by hell.” The impossibility of bringing it under control is further emphasized by comparison with savage and venomous animals: ‘For every kind of beasts and birds, of creeping things and things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed by mankind: but the tongue can no man tame.” Of course James is not considering here what can be done by the grace and Spirit of God. He means that by nature the gift of speech is-less com- monly brought under control of man, than are the fiercest of the beasts about him. Like such beasts, the tongue is restless, unreliable, treacherous; like a serpent it is armed with venom, “‘it is full of deadly poison.” Last of all James emphasizes the strange perversity and inconsistency with which men use the gift of speech. With the tongue praises are offered to our heavenly Father, and with the same tongue curses are pronounced upon his children whom he has created in his own image; “out of the same mouth cometh forth blessing and curs- ing.” “‘My brethren, these things ought not so to be.” The simplest objects in the world about us rebuke such a practice as unnatural: ‘‘Doth the fountain send forth from the same opening sweet water and bitter?” It is not un- usual to find a spring the water of which is brackish and bitter, but who ever found such a spring which at the same time produced water which was sweet? ‘Can a fig tree, my brethren, yield olives, or a vine figs? neither can salt water yield sweet.’ These last figures contain not only a rebuke of the perverse and sinful abuse of speech; they also suggest the probable explanation of such an abuse. ‘The tree is known by its fruit,’’ and ‘“‘out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” An evil tongue is a sign of an evil nature. Unkind, bitter, impure speech suggests the need of a new birth; it is an indication that the speaker, whatever his position or profession, is not filled with the Spirit of God. His faith is dead, his religion is not true. The use of the tongue is a test of life. Unless controlled by the power of Christ, the gift of speech may prove a deadly peril to the soul. 33 EPISTLE OF JAMES james 3: 13-18 6. FALSE AND TRUE Wispom. Ch. 3: 13-18 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? let him show by his good life his works in meekness of wisdom. 14 But if ye have bitter jealousy and faction in your heart, glory not and lie not against the truth. 15 This wisdom is not a wisdom that cometh down from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 16 For where jealously and faction are, there is confusion and every vile deed. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without vari- ance, without hypocrisy. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for them that make peace. The churches addressed by James were troubled by the contentions of self-appointed teachers who were proud of boasted knowledge, who were fond of dispute, who were bitter in their discussions, who were more eager to defeat their opponents than to establish the truth. Having rebuked their evil use of the tongue, James suggests that the fault is due to their evil hearts, and that their vaunted wisdom, judged by its expression, is false and unreal. Unfortunately the persons described are not confined to the class of teachers or to the churches of the first century. The spirit here reproved is manifested to-day by many who profess to know Christ, and who claim, in their angry disputes, to be defending his cause. “Who is wise and understanding among you?”’ James does not intend to suggest, by his question, that none were such, but rather to challenge those who had been loudest in their boasts. ‘‘Let him show by his good life his works in meekness of wisdom.’’ This is a fair test. This is the main point of the epistle. This is the modern demand for reality in religion. Let faith be proved by deeds, let wisdom be shown by works. In mentioning the test of ‘‘meekness,’’ James does not mean to advocate weakness, the two should never be associated. Only the strong, who are conscious of their power, are truly meek; the insistence here is upon the James 3:13-18 FALSE AND TRUE WISDOM 33 modesty which is the mark of true wisdom. ‘But if ye have bitter jealousy and faction in your heart,’’ if cruel envy and a narrow party spirit are your motives, ‘‘glory not’”’ even though you are fighting on the right side, even though you seem to have scored a victory, ‘‘and lie not against the truth,’ for your spirit shows your boasted wisdom to be false. rete The character of this false ‘‘wisdom’’ is described as being not “from above’’; it does not have its source in God. It is “earthly,” bounded by earthly horizons, in accordance with earthly standards, identified with earthly motives, plainly contradicting the claims of heavenly knowledge and revealed truth; it is ‘‘sensual,’’ by which is meant not merely fleshly, but unspiritual, characterizing only the ‘‘natural man’ uninfluenced by the Spirit of God, and so proving false all pretensions of divine en- uightenment and superior knowledge; it is ‘‘devilish,”’ it is one with the spirit that animates demons., It may be employed in discussing religious truth, it may be displayed in defending ‘“‘orthodoxy,”’ but it is evidently not inspired by the Spirit of God; no matter what his intellectual attainments, no one should pride himself upon a wisdom which is so closely allied with ‘‘the world, the flesh, and the devil.” The result of this false wisdom is described as being utter ‘‘confusion” and evil of every kind; for heated de- bates, proud display of learning, bitter sarcasm, lead only to discord and separations; ‘“‘for where jealousy and faction are, there is confusion and every vile deed.” In striking contrast, James describes ‘‘the wisdom that is from above.” It is ‘‘first’’ of all and supremely ‘‘pure,”’ cleansed from all stain of selfishness and dedicated wholly to the service of God. It is “then peaceable’’—not at the price of purity, not so as to compromise truth, not so as to countenance evil—yet not quarrelsome, not conten- tious, not desiring to dispute, but hungering for peace even if compelled to fight. It is ‘“‘gentle,”’ not always insisting upon its rights, considerate of others, characterized by “sweet reasonableness.’’ It is ‘easy to be entreated,”’ not stubborn, not refusing to do a thing because it has been 34 EPISTLE OF JAMES James 3: 13-18 suggested by another, submissive, tractable, conciliatory. It is ‘full of mercy and good fruits’; instead of envy and hatred it is characterized by compassion and love; instead of producing bitterness and confusion and wrath, its fruit- age is helpfulness, and kindness, and joy, and enlarging life. It is “without variance,’’ which probably means “without vacillation”’ or doubt or indecision or uncertainty, but with definiteness of conviction. It is ‘without hypoc- risy,’’ it needs none; it has nothing to hide, it makes no pretense; it is absolutely honest and sincere. Such is the heavenly ‘‘wisdom,” the divine understanding which God gives to those who really trust in him. Those who are thus endowed, those who in contrast with the lovers of strife are makers of peace, those who really sow the seed of peace, are preparing no harvest of evil and distress, but the blessed and peaceful fruits of righteousness, James 4: 1-10 WORLDLY LUSTS 35 7. WorLpLy Lusts. Ch. 4: 1-10 1 Whence come wars and whence come fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your pleasures that war in your members? 2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and covet, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war; ye have not, because ye ask not. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may spend if in your pleasures. 4 Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God. 5 Or think ye that the scripture speaketh in vain? Doth the spirit which he made to dwell in us long unto envying? 6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore the scripture saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. 7 Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall exalt you. How can war be ended forever? How eagerly this question is being asked by a world in anguish, and what various replies are being made! James proposes a more profound question: ‘‘What is the occasion of war.’ “Whence come wars and whence come fightings among you?” Only when the causes are removed will wars cease to devastate and destroy. These causes, James intimates, may be found in the selfishness of the human heart, in the desire for possessions and power, and in worldly lusts. It is probable that the primary reference in this paragraph is not to wars between nations, but to the strifes and factions in the Christian Church which the writer has been rebuking. He has spoken of the abuse of the tongue and has exposed the false wisdom of the wrangling teachers; he now traces the evils to their source and shows the seri- ousness of their results. The latter is emphasized by the use of the words ‘‘wars” and ‘‘fightings’’ which are con- 36 ) EPISTLE OF JAMES James 4: 1-10 trasted with the ‘“‘peace’’ of true wisdom which the pre- ceding verse has set forth. These ‘‘wars,’’ whether be- tween nations or individuals, are due to selfishness, or, as James says in addressing these professed Christians: “Come they not hence, even of your pleasures that war in your members?” By ‘“‘pleasures’’ he means the love of sinful, sensuous, selfish gratifications. These “‘lusts”’ encamp in our bodily members; here first they make themselves felt, and these are the instruments they first employ. These “‘lusts,’’ these unrestrained cravings, these covetous desires, may grow stronger even when not grati- fied, and may result in murder, at least in thought if not in act, in envy, in fighting and war: “Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and covet, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war.’’ Even prayer is resorted to as a means of securing the desired satisfaction: ‘‘Ye have not, because ye ask not’; such a mere travesty upon prayer is of course unanswered. ‘‘Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that you may spend it in your pleasures’; such isa perversion of the true spirit of prayer which is submission to the will of God; here the desire is consciously opposed to his will. It is of course proper to pray for personal bene- fits, if these are innocent, and for material blessings if these are needed; but to ask for help in gratifying impure or sinful or selfish impulses is an impertinence and an insult to God. In fact, it is our relation to God as professing Christians that suggests the more serious aspect of the issue of our ‘worldly lusts’; they not only lead us to fight and war against our fellow men, but they make us disloyal to God. This disloyalty is expressed under the Old Testament figure of “‘adultery’’: ‘Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?” To him we have sworn our allegiance and our fidelity; if then our heart is given to ‘‘the world”’ of lust and greed and indulgence, we are faithless to our most solemn vows. One must choose between God and ‘‘the world”’ of selfish pleas- ures and sin; a preference for the latter is open hostility to God: ‘Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God.’”’ The fault is all the greater because of God’s infinite love for us. Asa husband James 4: 1-10 “WORLDLY LUSTS 37 can brook no rival for the affections of his wife, God is jealous for the individual affection of his people. Love hungers for love. Is it true then, of any of us, that our affection is so alienated as to move God to envy; or that, as some have translated the phrase, ‘‘the Spirit which he made to dwell in us jealously yearns for the entire devotion of the heart?” ‘But he giveth more grace,”’ that is, the very greatness of his love leads him not to cast us off.for our unfaithful- ness, but to receive and to forgive us when we turn to him. Yes, this infinite love enables him to realize how strong are the attractions which draw us away, and to give us all needed grace when we humbly look to him for help: ‘God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. Be subject therefore unto God.’ Do not presume upon his goodness; do not weakly yield to temptation; do not expect him to keep you from falling unless you are resolute in your determination and are bravely fighting against sin. All theories of Christian experience which suggest the inactivity of the human will, and prescribe mere submission and dependence on the part of the believer, are dangerous. ‘‘Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.’”’ Both actions and attitudes are to be ours; neither is to be minimized nor neglected. So common is our unfaithfulness that we may well heed, as directed to us, the solemn call to repentance with which the paragraph is brought to a close: ‘Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double- minded’’; let us separate ourselves from all sinful alliances, let us cease from all divided allegiance and devotion. “Beafflicted, and mourn and weep’’: not because religion is a matter of gloom and sadness, but because we are too far tempted to miss its real joy by treating our sins lightly and failing to surrender our whole hearts to God. Some people have only enough religion to make them miserable. If we should renounce all that may be contrary to the will of God if we should make him the center of our affections, we should know in all its fullness the joy of his salvation: “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall exalt you.”’ 38 EPISTLE OF JAMES _ Jaines 4: 11, 12 8. CENSORIOUSNESS. Ch. 4:11, 12 11 Speak not one against another, brethren. He that speaketh against a brother, or judgeth his brother, speaketh against the law, and judgeth the law: ‘but if thou judgest the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. 12 One only is the lawgiver and judge, even he who is able to save and to destroy: but who art thou that judgest thy neighbor? In reading these words we are at once reminded of the Sermon on the Mount: “Judge not, that ye be not judged. : . And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?”’; or we recall the Epistle to the Romans: “But thou, why dost thou judge thy brother? . . . for we shall all stand before the judgment-seat of God.’”’ But not only do they reflect the teachings of Jesus and of Paul; they are also vitally related to what has been said by James. He has rebuked the abuse of the tongue which is employed in criticizing our brethren; he has exposed the pride of false ‘‘wisdom” which leads us to form unjust judgments; he has rebuked the selfish desires which result in “wars” and contention and which make us untrue to God; he now warns us against censoriousness as usurping the place of God as lawgiver and judge. “Speak not one against another.’’ We cannot avoid forming opinions of our fellow men, but these should not be unjust or unkind; and, whether good or bad, opinions need not always be expressed. Itis the love of finding fault which James here rebukes. It is the same sin which is censured by Jesus and by Paul, but the condemnation is on different grounds. Jesus intimates the folly of finding fault with those who are probably much better than our- selves; Paul censures the presumption of correcting one who is not your servant and who must answer to the divine Master to whom he belongs; James argues that evil- speaking and censoriousness involve a breach of the law, an actual repudiation of the law: ‘‘He that speaketh James 4: 11, 12 CENSORIOUSNESS 39 against a brother, or judgeth his brother, speaketh against the law, and judgeth the law.”’ Of course the law to which James refers is the law of love, “‘the royal law,”’ ‘“‘thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” One who is unkind in his criticisms not only breaks this law, but he condemns it as too high in its requirements or as unwise or unnecessary; he says in effect that he is superior to the law of love; he seems to argue that while it may be a good law for some people at some times, a superior person like himself cannot be bound by it, particularly in this imperfect world where some people need to be disciplined by his severe rebukes and punished by his stinging tongue. James intimates that, to say the least, it is better to keep the law of love than to try to find exceptions to its universal obligation. Most serious of all, such an attitude toward the law and toward other persons as is involved in censoriousness 1s invading the rights and prerogatives of God; he alone is the source of law, he alone is qualified to condemn men: “One only is the lawgiver and judge’; he allows no one to cancel his laws or to debate his decisions. The right is based upon his unique power; he “‘is able to save and to destroy’’; he who can determine the fate of immortal souls is qualified to pronounce sentence upon them. By way of contrast, James asks, ‘‘But who art thou that judgest thy neighbor?’’? What superior virtue, power, holiness, wisdom do you possess? A humble searching of our own hearts removes all eagerness to criticize and con- demn others. ‘‘Love covereth a multitude of sins’; love “‘beareth all things’; “love suffereth long, and is kind.” 40 EPISTLE OF JAMES James 4: 13-17 9. SELF-CONFIDENCE. Ch. 4 : 13-17 | 13 Come now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we will go into this city, and spend a year there, and trade, and get gain: 14 whereas ye know not what shall be on the mor- row. What is your life? For ye are a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall both live, and do this or that. 16 But now ye glory in your vauntings: all such glorying is evil. 17 To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. James has just condemned the selfish, worldly spirit which manifests itself in “wars and fightings,’’ and also the presumption which takes the place of God in pro- nouncing judgment upon our fellow men. ‘These are close- ly related to the false confidence in which we make plans for the future with no thought of God. As he now turns to rebuke such godless conceit, James rehearses the imaginary words of certain Jewish traders who are per- fecting their schemes for a coming year: ‘‘Come now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we will go into this city, and spend a year there, and trade, and get gain.”” Every step is detailed with absolute assurance, no suggestion is made of divine providence, no thought is entertained as to the will of God. ‘To-day or to-morrow”’ are regarded as alike completely within their power; the journey to the city selected is certain to be safe: the year is quite at their disposal; neither sickness nor disaster can possibly come; the business venture is sure to be prosperous; such seem to be the thoughts of these confident merchants, and their spirit is too commonly reflected by the professed followers of Christ. We are all tempted to regard the future with presumptuous assurance. We all need to be reminded of the words of James: ‘‘Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. What is your life? For ye area vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” Not that it is wrong to make plans, not that it is wrong to James 4: 13-17 SELF-CONFIDENCE 41 engage in business, not that it is wrong to expect “‘gain’’; but the uncertain tenure of life, the mystery of the future, the knowledge that God has for each of us a purpose anda plan, should make us conscious of our dependence upon him, and eager to know and to do his will: ‘For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall both live, and do this or that.’’ James does not mean that the expressions, “Please God” or “The Lord willing,’’ should continualiy be on our lips; that might be mere formalism or cant; but the truth of God’s providence, the belief that life and its blessings are his gifts, the reverent conviction that the future is wholly within his power, should so mold all our thinking that self-confidence and presumption would be impossible. On the contrary, to forget God, to plan with no thought of him,to regard the future with boastful assurance, is not only foolish, it is wicked: ‘‘But now ye glory in your vauntings; all such glorying is evil.”” James concludes the paragraph by referring to a principle of wide scope and great importance: ‘‘To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” It is not only wrong to perform an act which we know to be contrary to the will of God, or about which we are un- certain; it is also wrong to fail to do what we know to be the will of God. It does not make life burdensome or gloomy, but it fills it with joy and satisfaction, when in all its choices and crises we can say from the heart: “If the Lord will, we shall both live, and do this or that.’’ Surely ‘‘in his will is our peace.” 42 EPISTLE OF JAMES ‘James 5: 1-6 10. Tur Doom OF THE Oppressor. Ch. 5: 1-6 1 Come now, ye rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and your silver are rusted; and their rust shall be for a testimony against you, and shall eat your flesh as fire. Ye have laid up your treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the hire of the laborers who mowed your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth out: and the cries of them that reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. 5 Ye have lived delicately on the earth, and taken your pleasure; ye have nourished ‘your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 Ye have condemned, ye have killed the righteous one; he doth not resist you. It is easy to criticize the rich, and in some quarters it is always popular to denounce men of wealth. It must be remembered, however, that no sin is involved in the possession of money,and that there is no virtue in being poor. Wealth has peculiar temptations and grave re- sponsibilities; yet not all rich persons are to be condemned or to be under suspicion. If povertyis voluntarily assumed, it should be for some good purpose. As to riches, two questions should be asked: How are they secured? How are they used? The persons whom James condemned were guilty on both these counts. They may have been Christians, or, more probably, unconverted Jews; beyond doubt they belonged to a class with which we are all familiar to-day. They had amassed their wealth by fraud and cruelty; they were spending it in selfish luxury. Upon such James pronounces a solemn doom, as he warns them that the coming of Christ may be near: ‘“‘Come now, ye rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you.” Their folly appears in the heaping together of unused wealth; if it consists of products of the earth, it will corrupt; if in garments, they will be eaten by moths; if in precious metals, they will tarnish and rust; its rapid decay isa fit symbol of the swift destruction of its owners.- Their folly is seen further in the fact that James 5:1-6 DOOM OF THE OPPRESSOR 43 their struggle for wealth is made under the shadow of approaching doom: ‘“Yehave laid up your treasure in the last days.’”’ The possibility that the return of Christ might be near, like the fact of the brevity and uncertainty of life, should be a warning against the worldly spirit which in the previous paragraph led to presumptuous plans for the future, and which here is expressed in amassing wealth which the owners never can enjoy. These rich men, however, are guilty not only of folly but also of sin. Their wealth has been secured by injus- tice: ‘Behold, the hire of the laborers who mowed your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth out.” This is the crime of oppressors in all ages, refusing a fair wage, keeping back what has been earned by the em- ployees whose toil has secured the wealth the employers enjoy. This, supremely, occasions ‘“‘the social question.” Such injustice is related to other forms of cruelty; ‘Ye have condemned, ye have killed the righteous one; he doth not resist you.”” It was easy for the wealthy to con- trol the processes of law for condemning and defrauding the helpless poor; the latter were being ‘‘killed’”’ not necessarily with the sword, but by lackof food and improper conditions of labor and by the crushing monotony of ceaseless toil; but the silent appeal of their patient help- lessness was unheeded. The rich oppressors were deaf to all entreaties. They were too much occupied in their own enjoyments to know the very conditions which existed. Their sin consisted not only in the injustice by which their wealth was secured, but in the prodigal luxury in which it was spent: ‘‘Ye have lived delicately on the earth, and taken your pleasure.’’? There was One, however, who heard the moaning of the helpless sufferers: their cries “have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.” The guilty oppressors are like sheep, fattening themselves for slaughter; the Lord of Hosts soon will lay bare his arm. Doom is certain, 44 EPISTLE OF JAMES James 5:7-f1 11. PATIENCE IN SUFFERING. Ch. 5: 7-11 7 Be patient therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it receive the early and latter rain. 8 Be ye also patient; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Murmur not, brethren, one against another, that ye be not judged: behold, the judge standeth before the doors. 10 Take, brethren, for an example of suffering and of patience, the prophets who spake in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we call them blessed that endured: ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, how that the Lord is full of pity, and merciful. The suffering by which the readers were being tried was caused by cruel oppression, especially on the part of employers. Under these conditions employees are tempted to words and deeds unworthy of Christians. While every lawful effort should be made to better conditions and to secure justice for themselves and others, nevertheless, under even the most cruel treatment, believers must manifest a spirit of patient endurance. The motive to which James appeals is the expectation of the speedy return of Christ: ‘‘Be patient therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.” Many wrongs may be righted, many social customs may be improved, before the visible reappearing of the Saviour, but his com- ing is ‘‘the blessed hope,” both for the Church and the world; then justice will be meted out to oppressor and oppressed; then will begin an age of righteousness and peace. : The illustration suggested by the writer is that of a farmer who, after planting the seed, waits for the early rain in the fall and the “‘latter rain’ in the spring and so for the ripened harvest: “Be ye also patient; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” Meanwhile, their grievous sufferings must not make them fretful and complaining and unforgiving in their relations James 5: 7-11 PATIENCE IN SUFFERING 45 with fellow Christians; at his coming the Lord will bring judgment upon them as well as vengeance upon their enemies. They might also be encouraged by the example of ancient prophets and saints who testified and suffered in the name of the Lord: ‘Behold, we call them blessed that endured.’’ They are reminded in particular of Job; he was not very patient, if by patience we mean freedom from complaint and irritation and anger, but here the thought is of steadfast ‘‘endurance,’”’.the quality of in- vincible faith in God; this Job possessed, and his whole life story is an illustration of how, in the end, the Lord always shows his pity and mercy and vindicates his i ustice and his love toward those that trust and “wait for” im. 46 EPISTLE OF JAMES James 5:12 12) PROFANITY] Ch 57912 12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by the heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath: but let your yea be yea, and your nay, nay; that ye fall not under judgment. Profane swearing is one of the worst and most senseless of sins; yet, possibly it is as prevalent to-day asat any time since James wrote these lines. It would be interesting to study the philosophy or the psychology of swearing. The practice may spring from a desire for emphasis, particularly when one is provoked and seeks to express disapproval and disgust. This explanation may account for the connection in which these words are found. James has just referred to the cruel oppression of the rich and powerful, and to their unjust treatment of Christians; he now insists that under even such provocation one is not to take the name of the Lord, our God, in vain, or to dis- obey the strict injunction of Jesus Christ: ‘‘Swear not at all.” The exact words of our Lord were undoubtedly in mind and were quoted in part by James. The question has often been raised whether the reference here includes the prohibition of oaths in courts of law; it would seem, from the practice of Paul, of Jesus before his judges, of the early Church, and of the Old Testament requirements, that legal oaths are not here in mind; however, it must be admitted that even such swearing is a concession to the dishonesty and incredulity of men—it would not be necessary in an ideal society; yet, as its aim is to secure veracity and to defend truth, its practice may hasten the day when ‘“‘yea”’ and “‘nay”’ will suffice to establish legal testimony. Surely the use of the divine name to express irritation and anger or to strengthen ordinary affirmation of speech, is not only frivolous and foolish, but irreverent and sinful; it brings one ‘“‘under judgment.’ It can usual- lv be corrected by that which underlies the keeping of all law, namely, truer love to God and to men. James 5: 13-18 PRAYER FOR THE SICK 47 13. THE PRAYER FOR THE Sick. Ch. 5: 13-18 13 Is any among you suffering? let him pray. Is any cheer- ful? let him sing praise. 14 Is any among you sick? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15 and the prayer of faith shall save him that is sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have comniitted sins, it shall be forgiven him. 16 Confess therefore your sins one to an- other, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working. 17 Elijah was a man of like passions with us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain; and it rained not on the earth for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again; and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. This difficult but helpful passage is introduced with a possible reference to the verse which precedes; not pro- fanity but prayer and praise are the proper expressions of emotion: “Is anv among you suffering,’ in body or mind or estate? “‘lIet him pray. Is any cheerful? let him sing praise.’ Worship which consists in prayer and praise, worship, whether in private or public, is the channel by which our excited feelings are to be given an outlet. Whenever the mind is violently agitated, the most rational relief will be found in an act of worship; above all, in times of distress our recourse should be to prayer. One of the most common occasions of distress is that of sickness. James mentions this as a specific case in which believers are to seek relief in prayer, and his words form the famous passage on “prayer and bodily healing’’: “Ts any among you sick? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save him that is sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, it shall be forgiven him.” In reference to a passage so much debated it would be foolish to speak with dogmatic assurance.