On the morning of September 11, 2001, Rick Rescorla was on the 44th floor of the World Trade Center’s South Tower when a large jet rammed into the North Tower. Officials told everyone to stay put, but Rescorla ignored them. A Vietnam veteran in charge of corporate security at Morgan Stanley, he aggressively evacuated the company’s 2,700 employees to safety—six died, but the rest made it. He himself died when the South Tower collapsed. Rick Rescorla sacrificed his life saving others. Elijah was also a true hero, putting his life on the line to call the Israelites back to the Lord. He’s also a perfect illustration of yesterday’s principle, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (v. 16). In saying that Elijah “was a human being, even as we are” (v. 17), James didn’t mean to say that he was just an average guy. James was emphasizing that the amazing miracles were the work of God, not Elijah. God had control of the three-year drought and the rains that finally came. Elijah simply prayed (v. 18). As we recall the story, as doubtless James’ Jewish readers did, this miracle took place immediately following the dramatic confrontation with the priests of Baal and Asherah on Mount Carmel. Elijah had also prayed there, and God had answered him with fire. The people had responded, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!” (1 Kings 18:39). If God is in control of all that happens in nature and human history, how can prayer make a difference? Because our Lord delights in the prayers of His people. We might not understand the ways that God’s sovereignty accommodates our prayer, but we can believe His Word and obey His command to pray.

A classic Christian prayer for healing reads: “O Lord God of our salvation, to whom no sickness is incurable, we pray that in your compassion you will drive away from your servants, who look for your heavenly medicine, all illness; show forth in them the might of your healing power, and make them whole both in body and soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Mature faith prays boldly within the will of God (see 1 John 5:14–15). The questions and answers that open today’s reading convey the tone that this is the right and obvious thing to do (vv. 13–14). When we’re in trouble, we should pray. When we’re happy, we should sing. When we’re sick, we should call the elders to pray and anoint us with oil. In that context, oil had both a practical medicinal and a spiritual symbolic value. While in our culture we tend to separate the physical and the spiritual and thus see sin and sickness as separate issues, Jewish culture did not. From a biblical perspective, the two can be intermingled (see Mark 6:13; 1 Cor. 11:29–30). James has in mind here a situation in which an illness may have been caused by sin, though this does not imply that all illness is caused by sin (vv. 15–16). In such a case, sins should be confessed. God will forgive, and healing may take place in response to the prayer of faith if God so chooses. The spiritual principle at work is that the “prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” As one study Bible puts it: “Prayer is not a magical incantation or a guarantee of healing, but when offered fervently by a righteous person, God will respond in a way that best fits his good purposes.”

As many scholars have noticed, the epistle of James is deeply influenced by the teachings of Jesus during His earthly ministry, often alluding to His words and addressing similar issues. The Moody Bible Commentary points out 24 parallels between James and the Sermon on the Mount. Today’s verse brings to mind Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:33–37: “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” How is this command connected to the theme of patience? The vows to which both Jesus and James referred were often hastily made but not kept. As Ecclesiastes reminds us, only fools make rash vows (5:1–7). This indicates a lack of integrity, a failure to take words and promises seriously. It’s also connected to the theme of humility, reminding us that we cannot control the situation—we can’t even control the hair on our own heads! While some Christians have taken this command to mean, for example, that they should not swear to tell the truth in court, that’s not the point. Jesus, after all, answered under oath at His trial (Matt. 26:63–64) and Paul on occasion called God as his witness (2 Cor. 1:23). The point is that we’re to tell the honest truth in all cases, with or without an oath. What is forbidden is speech that is flippant, untruthful, or profane. Again, mature faith is seen in self-control with words (3:2). When enduring trials and troubles, it might be easy to let our tongues run wild. But mature faith allows perseverance to finish its work in us so that we can resist temptations to respond with rash promises. Instead, we’re to “consider it pure joy” and press on in faith (1:2–4).

With God’s permission, Satan destroyed Job’s wealth, killed his children, and attacked his health. Job ended up on a garbage heap scratching painful sores. Yet, “In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing” (Job 1:22). To his wife’s despair, he responded, “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (Job 2:10). No wonder James presented Job as a prime example of perseverance in trials (v. 11)! Job is the second example of patience. He stood firm “in the face of suffering”; he also endured the misguided and theologically false accusations of his friends in addition to his other troubles. He never stopped believing in God’s love and justice, even though his sufferings confused him and his “miserable comforters” angered him. God “finally brought about” Job’s vindication and restoration (Job 42). James is the only book in the New Testament that explicitly mentions Job; the Jewish believers who originally read this epistle would have been well-versed in the story and encouraged to endure their own trials. The other example of patience is the prophets (v. 10). They had the privilege of speaking in the name of the Lord, but their ministries were often unsuccessful by human standards. They were ignored, mocked, and persecuted. Jeremiah lamented, “the word of the Lord has brought me insult and reproach all day long” (20:7–18). Yet they obediently persevered. Saying that those who persevere are counted as “blessed” gives us an eternal perspective on our circum-stances. The examples of Job and the prophets exhort and encourage us to godly patience and endurance of hardship and demonstrate that “the Lord is full of compassion and mercy” (v. 11).

What will Judgment Day be like? Popular culture and media have answered this question in many colorful ways. Nuclear bombs will destroy us in a series of radioactive mushroom clouds. A computer system meant to defend us will become sentient and attack humanity. A pandemic or modern-day plague will sweep across the globe and wipe us out. Zombies will devour civilization. James uses the picture of a harvest to describe the Second Coming of Christ and Judgment Day (v. 7). It was also Jesus’ picture (see Matt. 13:37–43). Unlike events in a zombie movie, however, these events will happen, and we’re eager for His return and accompanying events such as divine justice being served on rich oppressors (5:1–6). But we can’t hurry history along, any more than a farmer can hurry along his crops or the seasonal rains. Like a farmer, our response to this truth is to work hard and wait patiently (v. 8). Godly patience means that we “stand firm” or “take courage.” We persevere through trials and troubles on the road to mature faith (1:2–4). This is not a passive mentality of waiting to see what happens—we know what’s going to happen! This is waiting in faith and expectancy, with “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Heb. 11:1). Christ’s return is “near” or imminent, that is, it could happen at any time—“the Judge is standing at the door” (v. 9). We’re living in the last days, the biblical period of time that began with Christ’s Ascension and continues until His Second Coming. Being on the watch for His return and living for eternity should give us the perspective to avoid petty and self-centered issues such as grumbling against fellow believers (see also 4:1–2, 11).

In his commentary on James, Douglas J. Moo explained that today’s verses condemn a sinful use of wealth. “We cannot avoid the serious reminder about money and possessions that we confront in this text. One of the sins for which God condemns these people is their selfish accumulation of money and things (vv. 2–3). In the Western world, where amassing material wealth is not only condoned but admired, we Christians need to come to grips with this point in James and ask ourselves seriously: When do we have too much?” Mature faith understands God’s justice. The rich oppressors in today’s passage were likely unbelievers, condemned because many believing readers were victims of their exploitation. “They won’t get away with it,” James reassures the church in a prophet’s tone. The fact is that for rich, prideful oppressors, misery is coming (vv. 1–3). Temporal things will pass away. Their ill-gotten wealth will rot. Their gold and silver will corrode. All the things in which they placed their trust will let them down and will even “testify” that they made the wrong choice (see Matt. 6:19–21). Where did they go wrong (vv. 3b–6)? They greedily hoarded their money. They cheated their workers out of their wages. While they exploited their workers’ labor, they themselves lived in “luxury and self-indulgence.” They “condemned and murdered the innocent one”—probably a way of saying that they manipulated the court system. They fattened themselves while starving others. But in God’s divine irony, they are fattening themselves for the “day of slaughter.” The cries of the poor have reached the ears of God. The perfect Judge will see to it that justice is done!

Jesus once told a parable about a rich man whose economic endeavors were going quite well—so well, in fact, that he didn’t have enough room to store all his wealth. He made plans to build more barns and congratulated himself: “Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” God evaluated the situation differently: “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you” (Luke 12:13–21). The rich fool in Jesus’ story failed to understand what James taught in today’s passage. Mature faith makes plans, but remains in a posture of humility and submission to the sovereignty of God. To think our plans are indestructible is foolish because we’re not in control of all (or even very many of) the variables (vv. 13–14). This is hard to hear, because in American culture we usually like making plans. They indicate confidence, creativity, and purposefulness. But making plans in a spirit of pride will lead us to forget the fleeting nature of human life. Assuming our plans will dictate future events ignores the fact that it is God who rules over everything. Today’s passage is almost a parable itself. It begins with a kind of story (v. 13), unmasked as foolish, which leads to warnings (vv. 14, 16) and advice on wiser choices to make instead (vv. 15, 17). We don’t have to stop making plans, but as believers we’re to make them from an entirely different orientation. To make plans in the way initially described is boasting and prideful. We’re trusting in our plans and abilities rather than in God. We should instead say “if it is the Lord’s will” and mean it. Sins of omission are real sins (v. 17). To know the good but not to do it is wrong in God’s eyes. Now that James’s readers understand the truths he’s teaching, they have no excuse for not doing them.

Two award-winning television shows with similar formats have been running for decades. Civil litigants can bring their cases to The People’s Court or Judge Judy to be settled. The judges ask penetrating questions, demand evidence, and render verdicts that cannot be appealed. These television shows are popular because we tend to enjoy judging others. Sometimes this is motivated by a love of justice or fairness, but often the truth is that we judge others because of our pride and self-righteousness. That’s why James commands believers not to be judgmental, which is equated here with slander (v. 11). Doing so is a violation of the ninth commandment against bearing false witness (Ex. 20:16), as well as the “royal law” of loving our neighbor (2:8). Slander is one way the tongue gets out of control and does damage (3:3–12) and is doubtless part of what causes fights and quarrels (4:1). The primary reason to avoid being judgmental is that “there is only one Lawgiver and Judge”—God (v. 12)! Only He judges with perfect accuracy and justice. We must not put ourselves in His place, which is the definition of pride. This verse is often quoted out of context. We bristle with defensiveness and say, “Who are you to judge?” using this verse as a way to dismiss fellow believers’ rebukes or exhortations even when they are true, constructive, and loving. Many New Testament passages encourage us to exhort one another in the church (1 Cor. 5:12; 2 Tim. 4:2; Titus 1:13). Our rule and practice in this regard must be the rule and practice of Christ, who taught that with the measure we use it will be measured out to us (Matt. 7:1–5).

The narrative climax in John Milton’s Paradise Lost is the choice made first by Eve and then by Adam to give in to the serpent’s temptation and disobey God. In Milton’s Paradise Regained, the story’s climax is Jesus’ perfect resistance to the Devil’s temptations in the wilderness (Luke 4:1–13). Christ’s victory over temptation signaled that Adam and Eve’s fall to temptation was on the verge of being undone. James 4, indeed the entire epistle, has been building a set of contrasts. On one side we find the Devil, selfish desires, worldliness, spiritual unfaithfulness, quarrels, pride, and enmity with God. On the other side we find God, love for our neighbor, a focus on eternal values, wholehearted worship, peacefulness, humility, and friendship with God. We are to imitate Jesus in resisting temptation, which requires submission to God’s will and is the key to staying on the right side of this contrast (v. 7). Submission means obedience, which in turn means resisting the Devil and his temptations (see 1:13–15). Resisting the Devil will move us in the direction of drawing near to God, and God reciprocates the move toward a closer relationship (v. 8a). Since we are not yet perfect, this all requires confession and repentance (v. 8b). Confession of sin is the opposite of pride, which never admits it’s wrong. The mourning referred to in verse 9 is grief over sin—the laughter and “joy” indicate a casual attitude to sin—and how it creates barriers in our relationship with the Lord (see Ps. 24:3–4). When we humble ourselves before God in this way for these reasons, He is always faithful to lift us up, that is, to forgive us and restore the relationship (v. 10).

“What a friend we have in Jesus,” a classic hymn rejoices, “all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! Oh, what peace we often forfeit, oh, what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!” Who wouldn’t want our loving Savior and His Almighty Father as friends? In our reading today, James tells us how. The key is to refuse to pursue worldliness (v. 4). Friendship with the world and friendship with God are mutually exclusive. We cannot play both sides. Unfortunately, as Old Testament history reveals, God’s people are often “adulterous” or unfaithful. This theme would have been familiar to James’s original Jewish readers, because the prophets frequently employed marriage and prostitution as metaphors for God’s relationship with His people (for examples, see Jer. 3:1; Hosea 3:1). Selfish pleasures and worldly pursuits are a form of idolatry. They take the place of God in our hearts. God has always longed for His unfaithful people to return to Him, and in this sense He is “jealous” (v. 5). He continues to call His people to the joys of a close relationship with Him, which is worth the cost of any suffering or rejection by the world. Despite our sinfulness and divided allegiances, God’s grace never runs out (v. 6). There is always more of it, and ultimately it will win the day. The pursuit of selfish pleasures and worldliness is rooted in pride, which is the core of what makes one an enemy of God. The pursuit of friendship with God, on the other hand, must be rooted in humility (see also 3:13). We can only know ourselves in relation to Him, and the more we grow toward spiritual wholeness, the more we find humility to be the only appropriate posture.