Taught by Grace

We have varying reactions to different sins. We are angered by some sins, such as rape and abuse. Other sins, like abortion, we are broken over. We are appalled by adultery, murder, and all of those “big sins.” There are, however, some sins that we either don’t see as that bad or sinful at all. We so frequently engage in them that we have forgotten their true nature. And so many people do as well, so it can’t be that bad, right? One of these sins is clearly condemned in our text today - the sin of partiality.

As James calls it, “respect of persons.” It is favoritism. Discrimination. It is to show favor to someone based upon their skin color, financial status, and education and to show unkindness to another because they don’t look quite as good as that person. We look for the one that is attractive and would look good in our churches and turn away from the one that doesn’t smell very good. We may justify this practice, thinking that it’s not so bad, but this text is clear, there is absolutely no room for partiality.

Pure religion is the antithesis to the vain religion of this world. James 1:26-27 shows us that there is such a thing as pure religion and we must pursue it. Let me give you the bottom line up front - vain religion is concerned about appearance before men, but pure religion is concerned about appearance before God. Whether or not your religion is pure will be determined by whether or not you live for men or for God.

We must abhor vain religion, but we must equally embrace pure religion. So, what is pure religion and how do we embrace it? James 1:26-27 provides the answer for us.

Pure religion is revealed in three ways: 

The path to practical Christianity is guided by the light of God’s Word. If you want to live as God desires for you to live, you don’t need to seek out a special revelation, hear a voice from heaven, or have a tv preacher tell you what God’s will is. Instead, you simply need to live in obedience to the truth of God’s Word. You will never live as a believer should live without God’s Word guiding your steps, controlling your tongue, filling your mind, and transforming your life by the power of the Holy Spirit.

We know that the life-transforming process of sanctification is God’s work in us. We, however, have an important responsibility in this. We must be doers of the Word and not hearers only.

In today’s episode, we come to one of the most familiar passages in the book of James. It is such because it is absolutely foundational in what James is teaching throughout this book. He didn’t want these believers to simply claim the right things, he wanted them to live in the right way. There is, however, a great danger in us believing that because we know what is right that we are right. It is not in merely hearing the Word that we glorify God, but in doing the Word.

God is good. This statement has echoed through a church sanctuary from the tongue of a preacher. It has resounded in a hospital room. It has often been repeated in both easy and challenging circumstances. It can become nothing more than a vain repetition and trite expression. So much so that when you hear it, this cynical reply, “Really?” may arise within you. You hear about pointless wars, school shootings, and terrorist attacks and wonder “Is God really good?” To put it closer to home, you experience the death of a loved one, loss of a job, and reception of a bad doctor’s report and wonder “Is God actually good?”

You know that the proper Sunday School answer is to say “Yes! God is good!” but the truth of God’s goodness seems more like an abstract possibility than a concrete reality. We know that we should believe God is good, but if we’re honest, sometimes we wonder if God is really and truly good. James 1:16-18 provides concrete assurance for us that God is truly and really good in three ways:

James 1:12 is the beatitude of this little book. I call it the beatitude of James because it is akin to the beatitudes of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. Through Matthew 5:3-12, Jesus issued nine “Blessed are” statements. Jesus pronounced a blessing upon those that wouldn’t appear very blessed. Those statements are much like what James does here. He used the same exact word for blessed that Jesus did which speaks of being supremely blessed or happy.

We must ask the question, “Why is this person blessed?” James offers a couple of reasons why the person who endures is blessed

Christ’s church is composed of both rich and poor believers and that is precisely why James wrote this section for both kinds of believers within the church. These verses teach us the important truth of taking our eyes off of our physical condition and turning them to our spiritual position in Christ.

These three verses bear out that James has pastoral wisdom for both categories of believers. We must take heed to these verses.

He sets the tone of this section by saying “let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted, but the rich, in that he is made low.” There is a very clear command to rejoice in verse 9.  He calls the believers in this congregation to glory, vaunt, and rejoice. This command was given to both poor and rich believers. He told the poor to rejoice and the rich to rejoice. However, the reason why he told them to rejoice is intriguing. He exhorted the poor to rejoice in their exaltation and the rich to rejoice in their humiliation.

James told the poor to rejoice in his exaltation because he had been made rich in Christ. He also told the rich to rejoice in his humiliation because his riches had no bearing on his position in Christ. Here’s the key truth James taught then and we must take today - believers must turn their attention away from their physical, and financial position in the world and towards their true identity in Christ.