A friend of mine recently cited a MSNBC poll that reported that a majority of 51% of people in the world believe in God. His reaction was that even if they believe in God they may not believe in the right God. after hearing this I could not help but to think of James 2:19 where even the belief in the RIGHT God was not enough. “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.”
In this book of scripture James actually becomes a critic of religious belief and questions what good just “believing” in God, even the RIGHT God (Deuteronomy 6:4), really accomplishes? James flips the script in a way that might even make some Christians shudder; which is exactly what James was trying to do as he confronted some in the church who reduced faith to just mental assent without it becoming an agent that shapes, transforms, and bears real fruit in the lives of people (and not just for us- but bears fruit for those around us too).
So let’s take a walk through the book of James… Your welcome to open your Bibles and follow along.
The book begins with an encouragement to embrace trials and hardships in our lives. Verse 9 and 10 puts the kind of trials James is talking about in context; “Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower.” Life can be hard. But the Way through such trials are found in remaining faithful to Jesus and the Way of the cross that seeks to love and serve others NOT in fighting for the fleeting security of power and position over others.
A recurring theme all through out the book of James begins to take shape. A theme that contrasts those in high and low positions and how in the kingdom of God such things are flipped; after all Jesus taught us that in the Kingdom of God it is the least who are first.
This is a consistent theme in the teachings of Jesus, the Sermon of the Mount, the gospel he preached, and the life he lead that climaxed by being counted with the least of the least; the very cursed of the world, on the cross.
Such teaching sounded so strange and backwards to the religious, particularly those with a high social status. Jesus told one such leader, Nicodemus, who was actually trying to find out what Jesus was teaching (rather than just condemn him for it because it made him uncomfortable) that it would take a “new birth” to enter into the upside down, counter intuitive, world of the Kingdom of God. All of his assumptions about those in high status being blessed and favored by God would be challenged by a gospel where God meets and finds solidarity with those on the bottom; even the scandalous who are hung on a cross.
The book of James comments on such a new birth in verse 18 of the first chapter; “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.” The context of this statement is one that speaks of good and perfect gifts from above while enduring humbling trials and hardships. God is present even in hardship and humbling circumstances; and Jesus has paved away for us to embrace life, real, abundant, and eternal life, even in this context. The way of the cross bore fruit for Jesus in the resurrection and this way bears fruit to us also in giving us new life through Christ. So then, this kind of faith changes everything as it literally flips the world upside down; or right side up- depending on how you look at it.
James goes on to rebuke those defenders of ‘right belief’ who fail to actually live into what it says. James actually calls such religion “worthless”. Instead he tells us that “religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” Pure and faultless “religion” is the kind that looks after those on the bottom rather than fighting to get on top.
Chapter 2 begins with James elaborating on what being “polluted by the world” means as he rebukes those who show favoritism to the rich. This was of course completely backwards compared to the religious and social worldview of the day as it framed wealth and status as a sign of being favored by God. James rebukes this view of favoritism that marginalizes the poor as breaking the point of the law to “Love your neighbor as yourself”.
James reminds us again that faith without works is dead, and as he moves into chapter 3 he applies this to how we talk to and treat others. Deeds that come from a humble position is evidence of real wisdom, while deeds that come from selfish ambition trying to position yourself over others is down right “demonic”. But, “the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” It’s the Peacemakers who “sow in peace”, living into a way that reconciles the least with the greatest that “reap a harvest of righteousness”.
In this context James rebukes those who find themselves in quarrels in chapter 4 as they try to assert themselves over one another. He calls this way of trying to get on top “friendship with the world”. “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble”, so we should “submit ourselves” to God; as Jesus Christ likewise humbled himself and submitted himself even to the cross.
James drives the point home in chapter 5 as he again rebukes those “on top” for not embracing the call of the Kingdom to race to the bottom so that they can become servants of all. He cries out against injustice done by those who work to maintain their lofty position by not paying fair wages to the workers they have mowing their fields. He accuses them of fattening themselves on those who are being lost and slaughtered. James actually calls this injustice the same as participating in the murder of innocent ones. Such words echo the tyranny of the Pharaoh in the book of Exodus as James says that “The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.”
Wow, this message is tough, and it can be hard to hear. Really, those who claim to believe in God, even the right God according to the right religion that embraces “the Lord is one”, can be compared to the likes of Pharaoh or Caesar? James responds to the question with, “show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.” Jesus would say, you can tell what kind of tree it is by its fruit.
Do not mistake my words or the words of the book of James. “Works” do not gain us salvation- but they are evidence that we have embraced the kind of faith that really saves us. So James is not talking about “earning” anything. And by “works” and “deeds” James is not speaking of some arbitrary moralism of individualistic false piety. What he is talking about is evidence (fruit) that demonstrates that we have come to love God by the way we love our neighbors (especially those on the bottom) AS ourselves. This is the way of the cross.
So let’s look at some more poll numbers. According to the census in 1990 86.2% of Americans considered themselves Christian. In 2004 that number dropped to 76.0%, but still clearly a majority. Not only this, but this number reflects those who embrace the Christian God as opposed to a generic god in the world poll. I believe James would respond to these confessions of faith with a ‘so what’?
It was Jesus who told us that the commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves is LIKE the commandment to love God with all we’ve got. We can’t have one without the other. Yet even with declining numbers the majority of people in our country believe in the Christian God. With still such a large Christian confession I believe that the real tragedy of the modern church in our culture is not that we have turned away from God; it is that, believing ourselves turning to Him, we have turned away from men. You “believe” in God ~ so what?
The book of James ends with a call to be patient, and steadfast in this counter cultural race to the bottom that Jesus initiated. Embracing the “dog eat dog” world can not only be enticing, but seem like the only way we can survive in difficult times. But James dismisses the doctrine of the ‘survival of the fittest and strongest’ as he encourages us to remain faithful to Jesus and the way of the cross. I can almost hear Jesus echoing the sentiment with his often repeated phrase- “what good is it to gain the whole world and lose our souls”?
James encourages us to take the time to sow the seeds of humility. Like Jesus, we should find solidarity with the least of these rather than stepping on them for our own gain. We should live like we really believe that what was planted according to the scandalous way of the cross will bear fruit for real life through the power of the resurrection.
The real question is do you believe it enough to really live into it as the Way, the Truth, and the Life?
