Christ's Instructions

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453) Jas 1:13 . . No one who wants to do wrong should ever say: God is
tempting me. God cannot be tempted to do wrong, and He never tempts
anyone else to do wrong either.

Human nature has a propensity to blame others for its own faults. A prime
example is right in the beginning of the Bible in the book of Genesis. Adam
blamed the woman God gave him for his part in eating the forbidden fruit
(Gen 3:12) and she in turn blamed the Serpent for her part in the act. (Gen
3:13)

Although God tempts no one to evil, He does put certain ones through the
ringer to see what they're made of-- even His own friends --to test and/or
demonstrate their loyalty, e.g. Abraham (Gen 22:1-12) Job (Job 1:6-22) the
Jews (Ex 15:23-25) and Jesus. (Matt 4:1)

Criminals often gripe about entrapment when the cops catch them red
handed in a sting. But if the crooks were good citizens, entrapment wouldn't
work on them.

Another popular excuse is enabling. For example some folks insist it's God
fault that Adam and Eve tasted the forbidden tree because He put it in the
garden where they could find it, viz: product liability.

Former US President Clinton was once asked in an interview why he was
naughty with Monica Lewinski. He answered: Because I could. In other
words: Ms Lewinski wasn't a temptation; no, she was available, i.e. an
opportunity.

And alcoholics blame their habit on genetic predilection.

I once heard it said that locks were invented to keep an honest man honest.
(chuckle) I think there's a lot of truth in that statement.

● Jas 1:14-16 . .Temptation comes from the lure of our own evil desires.
These evil desires lead to evil actions, and evil actions lead to death. So
don't be misled, my dear brothers and sisters.
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454) Jas 1:19 . . Let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to
anger;

Some folks have a really bad habit of responding to others' comments,
suggestions, and remarks without first hearing them all the way thru.

"It is folly and shame to him who answers a matter before he hears it."
(Prov 18:13)

* I can't help but wonder how many Christian parents teach their children
that it's impolite to interrupt when others are speaking, but yet allow
themselves liberty to practice just the opposite.

Anger per se isn't evil; I mean after all, The Lord himself wasn't immune to
anger (Mark 3:5). And neither is God immune to anger. (Ex 4:14, Num
11:1, Rom 1:18, Rom 2:8)

Anger can be a valuable tool if it's administered sparingly and intelligently.
However, human anger is often spontaneous, impulsive, unfair, unjustified,
inappropriate, irrational, unnecessary, controlling, violent, emotional,
petulant, selfish, and reactive.

● Jas 1:20 . . Man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God
desires.
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455) Jas 1:21 . .Get rid of all moral filth, and the evil that is so prevalent;
and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

"moral filth and evil" pertains to all-around badness, i.e. depravity and
malignity.

Christians are sometimes victims of a sort of knee-jerk reflex whenever they
encounter a word like "save". The Greek word for it is somewhat ambiguous
and can mean not only save, but also rescue, protect, and/or spare. Well;
they say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So putting James'
words into practice will go a long ways towards keeping one's self from
falling prey to preventable troubles.
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456) Jas 1:22 . . Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive
yourselves. Do what it says.

Reading the Bible, listening to preachers, and taking notes is a good start
but the information only serves to prime one's walk.

● Jas 1:23-25 . . Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it
says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at
himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man
who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to
do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-- he will be blessed in
what he does. (cf. John 14:21-23)
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457) Jas 2:1 . . My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ--
The Lord of glory --with respect of persons.

The Greek word translated "respect of persons" basically means partiality.

Webster’s defines "partiality" as partisan, prejudiced, biased, and/or
granting one person more value as a human being than another in regards
to particulars like age, race, gender, looks, size, education, intellect, bank
account, career, clothing, popularity, neighborhood, and social status.

● Jas 2:2-4 . . For instance, suppose someone comes into your meeting
dressed in flashy clothing and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who
is low-income and dressed in shabby clothes. If you give special attention
and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, "You can
stand over there, or else sit on the floor" --well, doesn’t this kind of
discrimination show that you are guided by wrong motives?

When I first began attending church as an adult back in the decade of the
1970's, my wardrobe consisted entirely of shirts and trousers that I bought
on the cheap at a thrift store.

I never told anybody where I shopped, although I've no doubt that some of
the folk I encountered in church could tell that my fashions were a tad out of
date because there were some upper income people attending that looked a
whole lot nicer than me; but I figured: what the hay; I had as much right to
attend in my previously-owned clothing as they did in their untainted high
end threads. Some of them had gold watches too while I sported a simple
Timex with an imitation leather strap; and I drove an aging 1968 VW Beetle
that needed paint.

You know, looking back on that era, I sometimes wonder how many people
at church avoided me without my knowing it because my appearance and
my vehicle offended their sensibilities.
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458) Jas 2:12 . . So speak and so act, as those who are to be judged by the
law of liberty.

The law of liberty is an honor system instead of the legal system imposed by
the law of the covenant that Moses' people agreed upon with God per
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. That law is depicted in the
New Testament as a law of bondage rather than freedom. (Gal 5:1)

A law of bondage makes iron-clad demands and stipulates penalties for non
compliance. A law of liberty requests your willing cooperation rather than
demanding obedience. A law of liberty allows for dissent and conscientious
objection, whereas a law of bondage is often intolerant of both.

In a nutshell; non compliance with the law of bondage can endanger one's
self with any one of the curses listed at Lev 26:14-39, Deut 27:15-26, and
Deut 28:15-68 whereas non compliance with the law of liberty doesn't.

Anyway: within the context of James' epistle, the law of liberty-- i.e. the
liberator's law (Rom 8:2) --judges Christians by their treatment of other
people in accord with how Christ wants them to be treated in his name.

* There are Christians out there who are so uncivil, so militant, so
uncompromising, so implacable, so irritable, and so lacking the milk of
human kindness, that they would actually be doing Christ service by not
identifying themselves with him. Compare Mark 3:11-12 where Jesus
commanded some evil spirits to keep their mouth shut about his identity,
i.e. he didn't need the likes of them advertising who he was and/or what he
was all about.
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459) Jas 3:1 . . Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for
you realize that we will be judged more strictly.

I've no doubt there will be some very embarrassed Christians when the day
arrives it's discovered they propagated heresy and didn't know it simply
because they were presumptuous instead of Spirit-enabled. For that reason I
routinely advise Christians on internet forums to avoid telling people they're
wrong lest the hapless day arrive when the self-assured expert is forced to
eat their words.

● 1Cor 12:29 . . Are all teachers?

No, not all are teachers; nor do that many need to be. Only some are
teachers and the rest of Christ's believing followers are supposed to be
students, i.e. disciples.

● Eph 4:11-13 . . And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and
some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the
saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till
we all come in the unity of the faith.
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460) Jas 3:13-18 . .Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him
show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you
have bitter rivalry and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and
so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from
above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.

. . For where rivalry and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every
evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle,
reasonable, full of compassion and good fruits, unwavering, without
hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by
those who make peace.

The "seed whose fruit is righteousness" is oftentimes not sown in peace on
internet forums; nor is it sown on internet forums by people who make
peace. It's sown by flaming, competitive, assertive, confrontational people--
toxic, impulsive, mean-spirited personalities given to rejoinders, demeaning
comments, scolding, recriminations and fault finding. And if there's a
problem, it's never them; no, you are the problem, and as for them; turning
the other cheek is no longer in vogue.

Those kinds of people do not like to be wrong, nor can they even think of
themselves as wrong, nor are they likely to admit when they're wrong
because they're really not all that interested in the truth; but only in
defending their version of the truth; viz: their truth is far more important to
them than even the God's truth; and should you not accept their truth, then
it's because you have no understanding and need to come to your senses.

These people are neither wise nor gentle. They'll ride rough-shod over your
feelings like a skate-boarder barreling through Autumn leaves on the
sidewalk. It's just awful how little they care for the injuries their attitude and
their choice of words cause others.

People who take it upon themselves to teach, preach, and/or discuss the
Bible ought to be sensible, and they ought to exemplify the Gospel. They
can't be doing it for the prestige, showing off, impressing their friends,
and/or competing with a rival. They have to be honest and forthright. They
have to have a heart, they have to be dedicated and reliable: they cannot be
vacillating, they have to practice what they preach, and they cannot be
sarcastic, obtuse, difficult, contrary, quarrelsome, snobby, pretentious,
demeaning, domineering, despotic, assertive, confrontational, stubborn,
militant, pernicious, or pugnacious.

Christians that teach and/or discuss the Bible with others really ought to be
someone that others can trust, and someone with whom they may speak
their minds without fear of reprisals instead of someone in whose presence
everybody has to walk on egg shells all the time.
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461) Jas 4:7 . . So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he
will shun you.

The Devil has the tactical advantage of being completely invisible, and no
more solid than the vacuum of space. So the human eye not only can't see
the Devil, but human touch can't feel him either. The Devil can't be bumped
into, he gives off no odor; he makes no sound, he takes up no space.

The Devil rules in the world of men primarily by punching human nature's
buttons. There's your first clue in how to resist the Devil.

● Gal 5:16-17 . . So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the
inclinations of the flesh.

Living by the Spirit isn't mysterious. All it really means is doing as God
expects rather than permitting one's self to be manipulated by the impulses,
proclivities, predilections, and propensities of human nature. We can't stop
those forces of human nature from doing their thing any more than we can
stop our lungs from demanding we take breaths. But they can be suppressed
if one puts their mind to it.

● 1Pet 5:9 . .Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith.

The Devil has many allies, not only in the form of spirit beings, but also in
the form of ordinary human beings who agree with his ways unaware.

There are numbers of folks out there for whom the dark side is a serious
problem; and they are not easily rescued by quarrelsome Christians for
whom every disagreement is an act of war to be won at any cost; no matter
how trivial.

● 2Tim 2:24-26 . . .The Lord's servant must not strive; but be gentle unto all
men, apt to teach, patient: in meekness instructing those that oppose
themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the
acknowledging of the truth; and that they may recover themselves out of
the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Among the disobedient are Christian teachers, preachers, and ordained
ministers (2Cor 11:14-5). It's fairly easy to avoid being hoodwinked by
cults; but not so easy to avoid being misled by bona fide Christian churches
and whatnot who are covertly working for the Devil. According to Eph 4:14,
they can be very convincing.

The point is: since we can't fight the Devil's kingdom on its own terms, then
the best defense is submission to Christ's kingdom which, if complied with,
will go a long ways towards frustrating our adversary's attempts to degrade
the quality and/or effectiveness of our spiritual condition.
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462) Jas 4:8-10 . . Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. Wash
your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you hypocrites. Let there be
tears for the wrong things you have done.

. . Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of
laughter, and gloom instead of joy. When you bow down before The Lord
and admit your dependence on Him; then His opinion of you will be greatly
improved.

That seems to be targeting pretense, i.e. passing one's self off as a card
carrying Christian while having little to no concern about putting
Christianity's principles into practice. In other words: not just regular
sinners, rather, career sinners; Christians for whom non compliance with
Christ's expectations is a way of life.

● John 5:44 . . How can you believe if you accept approval from one
another, yet make no effort to obtain the approval that comes from the only
God?
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463) Jas 4:11a . . Do not speak evil of one another, brethren.

The Greek word for "speak evil" basically pertains to slander.

Webster's defines "slander" as: the utterance of false charges or
misrepresentations which defame and/or damage another's reputation
and/or a false and defamatory oral statement about a person; viz: libel.

Webster's defines "libel" as: 1) a written or oral defamatory statement or
representation that conveys an unjustly unfavorable impression, and 2) a
statement or representation published without just cause and tending to
expose another to public contempt.

According to Webster's, a statement (or a photograph) need not be untrue
to qualify as libel. If the statement, and/or the photograph, is unnecessarily
denigrating and/or embarrassing to someone, though it be 100% true, then
it qualifies as libel.

There are some things we could say about others that, though true, aren't
necessary. For example, if you were to inadvertently see one of the ladies in
the office scratching an itch on her derrière; is it really necessary to go
blabbing about it all over the office? (cf. Gen 9:20-22)

No; and in point of fact, to do so would be libelous, not to mention possibly
in violation of local labor laws banning the fomentation of a hostile
workplace; and these days, it could even be construed as sexual misconduct.
If that lady ever found out you were blabbing about her backside she might
be so mortified as to make it difficult for her to show up for work.

Words are weapons,
Sharper than knives.
The Devil Inside, INXS, Andrew Farriss and Michael Hutchence
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464) Jas 4:11b-12 . . He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his
brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law,
you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able
to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?

* One way to speak evil of the law, and judge the law, is to misrepresent the
law by construing it to mean things it doesn't say in writing; in other words:
to overrule it and/or criticize the law as out of date.

Someone is sure to jump to the conclusion that James is referring to Matt
7:1-5 but this has nothing to do with that. What we’re talking about here is
a kangaroo court which Webster’s defines as: (1) a mock court in which the
principles of law and justice are disregarded or perverted, (2) a court
characterized by irresponsible, unauthorized, or irregular status or
procedures, and (3) judgment or punishment given outside of legal
procedure.

When a group of beer buddies, and/or a coffee clutch of girl friends, get
together and rake somebody over the coals behind their back, those buddies
and girl friends are conducting a kangaroo court in which the evidence
presented is typically hear-say, feelings, thoughts, and impressions. I
believe the common colloquialism for that activity is "character
assassination."

Typically the accused is never informed of the trial, nor given an opportunity
to confront their accusers, nor are they granted the right to an appeal.
Sadly, yet all to commonly, once kangaroo courts reach a consensus, the
condemned person’s reputation among those kinds of “judges” is ruined with
little chance of repair.

My good opinion, once lost;
Is lost forever.
Mr. Darcy, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austin
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465) Jas 4:13-16 . . Come now, you who say: Today or tomorrow, we shall
go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business
and make a profit.

. .Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a
vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you
ought to say: If The Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that. But as
it is, you boast in your self confidence; all such boasting is evil.

There are two benefits to my association with God that I value very highly.
One is the ransom that His son paid to rescue my soul from the death
depicted by Matt 10:28 & Rev 20:11-15.

The second benefit that I value very highly is providence; which is the thing
that James is getting at. His criticism is directed towards overly ambitious
Christians who deliberately neglect to take into consideration God's thoughts
about their schemes.

They also neglect to take into consideration the brevity of life. In other
words: if you're getting by alright in your present circumstances, don't seek
better circumstances. Instead, live out the remaining days of your fragile
existence where you are now unless circumstances beyond your control force
you to relocate and make some changes.

● 1Tim 6:6-10 . . Piety, with contentment, is great gain. For we brought
nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have
food and clothing, we will be content with that.

. . People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many
foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For
the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for
money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with much
grief.

The love of money is quite a bit different than the necessity for money. The
love of money tends to be grasping, i.e. desiring material possessions
urgently and excessively and often to the point of ruthlessness. The love of
money says: more, more, more. Whereas the necessity for money says:
there's no need for more when adequate is enough.
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