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Chapter 5 - The Responsibilities Of A Perfect (Mature) Faith
There is an old saying, a cute description of Christians. It goes this way, "There are rowboat Christians who have to pushed everywhere they go; there are sailboat Christians who just go wherever the wind pushes them; and there are steamboat Christians who make up their mind to go where God wants them to go no matter what." Whether one of these descriptions matches you or not, James gives us some very clear responsibilities in this chapter which we would do well to pay heed to.
- We Must Live Like A Christian Should Live
- We Must Live Like A Christian Even In Fiery Trials
- We Must Be Truthful
- We Must Be A Member Of And Participate In A Good Local Church
- We Must Look To God In Prayer
- We Must Reach Out To Others
- We Have A God-Given Responsibility To Live Like A Christian — James 5:1-6 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
Verses 1-3 warns us to not trust in earthly wealth and material possessions. He uses an illustration here that most of us would not think of in our pondering of earthly riches. He says that your gold and silver are "cankered." This is a term that speaks of rust. You can see him interpret that in the next statement. "…the rust of them shall be a witness against you,…". They were putting their trust in their material goods and their riches and garments and their attachment to these worldly things would eat them up. These verses contain some scathing denunciations against depending upon the things of this world for lasting comfort
Verses 4-6 speak of their wickedness in dealing with others. James uses some very strong words here to condemn those who would defraud, cheat, live in pleasure, wantonness, and even kill to obtain worldly goods. Reading these verses may cause some to reason that he was speaking of the lost, but we are reminded that he is addressing the "saints." Could it be possible that Christians could behave like James describes these folks? If a Christian is living in the "flesh" he or she is capable of any wickedness just like the world. It is almost impossible to tell the difference between a "carnal" Christian and a lost person! 1 Corinthians 3:3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
- We Have A God-Given Responsibility To Live For God Even When We Are Going Through Fiery Trials — James 5:7-11 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
In these five verses God uses the word "patience" or "patient" or "endurance" six times. God uses these words to describe two aspects of "patience."
He warns us to be patient for the coming of our Lord. We who are saved are encouraged to be "patient" - He is coming again! He uses the illustration of one who plants seeds and is looking forward to seeing the first fruits of his labor. Jesus is coming again - be patient! 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
- Secondly, we are admonished to be patient in our trials and tribulations. James uses the prophets and Job as illustrations for being patient. We set them up as the "heroes" of "faith." We read of their patience throughout their trials and troubles. Job especially is set forth in the Scriptures as an example for us to emulate. He lost his health, his wealth and most of his family, yet he stayed true to the Lord. This portion of our study takes us back to Chapter 1 where James reminds us to let "patience have her perfect work." Why? That we may be "perfect and entire wanting nothing." Patience during our troubles is a classic example of living for God.
- We are to be men and women of our word. If we say something it should be the truth. One of the principle characteristics of the lost world is their aptitude to lie. Lying is a trait of the devil, and his people are habitually liars.
Christians Also Have A Responsibility To Speak Truthfully. - James 5:12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.
John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
One little boy in Sunday School was asked to define what a lie was. He responded, "A lie is an abomination to the Lord, and a very present help in time of trouble." Certainly our modern day politicians epitomize this quip.
- We are to join up and then join in with the work of the church.
Christians Have A Responsibility To Participate In Their Local Church — James 5:13-16 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? 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 the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
We should eagerly and freely join up with a Bible believing fellowship of God's children called the local church. Hebrews 10:23-25 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Not only should we join up we should join in with the activities of our local New Testament church. We should join in with the praying, the singing, the preaching, the giving and the outreach of the church.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:25 Brethren, pray for us.
- Ephesians 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
- Romans 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
- 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
- Matthew 28:19-20 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
We Christians Have A Responsibility To Look Up To God Through Prayer - James 5:16-18 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
Notice that it says to "…confess your faults one to another." It does not say confess your sins. "Faults" is a word that has the connotation of making a mistake or committing an error. The word can mean sin, but the context here is not that. It is just an error or mistake.
We should realize that some sins are between you and God. They may not need to be openly confessed. There are some sins that affect the relationship between you and another person. Those may need to be taken care of by going to that person and asking for forgiveness. Then there are some sins that affect the local church and its testimony. That may require church discipline and open confession. All of these depend upon God's direction in His word. Matthew 18:22-25.
James also asks us to keep an open relationship with the Lord by keeping ourselves confessed up to Him and others.
We are asked to be earnest and effectual in our prayers. This tells us that we should be energetic in our prayers. Keep on praying. Let the need that you are praying about grip your heart and let God know it. He will answer prayer!
- Elijah was a man of prayer, God heard and answered him He will answer us also since we are just like Elijah in our needs and wants.
- This has the idea of bringing back the straying child of God. The word "err" means to bring back the wanderer. We should reach out to those who have wandered away. We see this situation all the time. In our churches we have people who "err" from the way, and the men and women of our churches should do what they can to bring them back to the "way of righteousness." Sometimes they succeed. Sometimes they don't. But James tells us that all of us have that commission from the Lord.
Finally We Christians Have A God-Given Responsibility To Reach Out To Others James 5:19-20 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
This concludes our teaching through the book of James. My prayer is that it has been helpful and uplifting to the child of God. There remains much teaching to be found in this wonderful little book. I have merely skimmed the surface of the great truths found here. A prayerful study by the reader will, I'm sure, reveal many more great diamonds of truth from the Holy Spirit. He is the Great Revealer of Truth to the earnest child of God.
